Less Than A Week Away...

It's been a good, relaxing week.  Reading.  Playing tennis.  Watching Little League baseball.  Checking a few items off the "honey do" list.  I got three new books to read for Father's Day, so in addition to the ministry related books, I've now got some good sports-related books to read.

In less than a week, I'll be boarding a plane for Scotland.  I'm excited and nervous.  I'm especially hoping that Andy Murray, the Scottish tennis star, makes it to the finals at Wimbledon.  I imagine that there will be a lot of interest in Scotland if he can make it that far!

The latest issue of the "Quiet Waters Compass" (the publication of Quiet Waters Ministries, located in Denver, where Karin and I will be going for two weeks) has a good article on "Midlife Transition: Embracing Your 'Second Adulthood.'"  It puts a finger on some things that are going on inside me as I move through my late forties.  The author shares the questions she has participants at "Midlife Momentum retreats" work through, and they are questions I'm looking at myself.  In light of Ephesians 2:10 -- "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." -- consider these questions:

1.  How has God been at work in my life, preparing me for this next season?

2.  What are the good works that God has in store for me?

3.  What do I need to do to fully walk in them?

Those questions will help focus my spiritual reading and prayer and journaling for the weeks ahead.

Week Two Update

I'm into the second week of the sabbatical, and I'm enjoying a relaxed pace.  I've been doing some reading, some watching of baseball and Wimbledon.  I've also been getting ready for traveling to Europe next week (getting electrical adapter plugs, for example).

But we're also a bit concerned, as Tyler is getting his ankle checked out at a hospital in Minneapolis this morning.  He was hit by a baseball last week, and was dealing with bad bruising and swelling.  The initial diagnosis was a bad bone bruise.  But it's gotten worse, and is causing him a lot of pain, so we're getting it checked out again.  We're hoping for good news.  It's not easy having family spread all over...

Afternoon Update:  The x-rays on Tyler showed no break or fracture, just a bad bruise.  Ice and heat and rest and it will heal...