"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  Hebrews 10:25

Summertime is a busy time in our culture. Schedules tend to get put aside, and “Life in the fast lane” (nod to the Eagles) takes over. I realize that many of you are actively involved in your communities and serve as coaches for your children's athletic teams, or sponsors for their clubs, etc. I hope I never come across sounding as if I believe the only good you can do as a Christian takes place in the church. We need to engage our communities, and you, parents, should be actively involved in your children's lives.

I do not want us to be a church with so many activities that we have expectations for all of you to be here four out of every seven days. I write this in a week where many young children are participating in our Music Camp, many students have just returned from a Summer Retreat, and Vacation Bible School is just around the corner. That does not include weekly Bible studies, book studies, etc. We can be a busy place at times. With that being said, I do believe that too many of us put just about everything in our lives ahead of our faith and our active participation in it. Some say with a great sense of shock, "But we can't be in church as a family during the summer, our son or daughter has league baseball, or soccer, or volleyball, or softball, etc. We do that as a family!" I'd like to challenge that way of thinking. Our faith is of utmost importance, and our children are watching. If sports, or entertainment, or relaxation become the prominent feature in our lives, they will take notice and will likely imitate our example. Although it is contrary to the wisdom of our culture to say so, this is clearly not valued in God's eyes (Deut. 4:9; Psalm 34:11; Matt 6:33; 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 3:13-15; Rev. 2:4).

It is almost always possible to create a healthy balance in life, and God gives us the freedom to do many, many things. But we must be aware that even permissible things can at times get in the way of our relationship with God, or, if we have children, in the way of their opportunities to grow in the Faith. There is no law in Scripture that commands that we be in our home church every Sunday. Vacations will take some away, illnesses will keep some home, work may at times intrude, and the occasional activity may unavoidably keep us from corporate fellowship or from small group participation. These, however, should be the exception, not the rule. When they become the rule, I have found that with very few exceptions, our faith becomes weak and, eventually, unnoticeable.

My intent in this article is not to condemn, but to encourage. I want to encourage you to make your relationship with Christ paramount in your life: To build your life around your faith, not faith around your life. Seek opportunities to grow, make time not only to play and relax with your family or friends but to learn and to progress spiritually as well. Moms and dads, let your children see you making faith prominent in your lives, and it will impact them positively. Singles, use the time you are afforded to seek after God and use your time wisely. Whatever we do, we are called to do it to the glory of God. Constant busyness leads to parched souls. Ultimately, the preacher of Ecclesiastes would tell us that it is an enigma or even “vanity”— a chasing after the wind. Slow down, get recharged, commune with God, and bring that freshness with you to the gathered community on Sunday morning. Our lives are different, and each will need to determine what is best for them and/or their family. We are not under condemnation when we add multiple events to our lives, but we are called to make time to know the Lord, and that takes, well…time.

This continues to be a work in progress in my life. My prayer is that it will be in yours as well.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym

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