Dear Bloggists

I have some bad news for you. I am back!

Sally and I have enjoyed a week’s holiday in the sun as the final part of celebrating being married to each other for 25 years this year. It was very relaxing and refreshing. We didn’t do lots and lots of things, we didn’t visit lots and lots of places. We enjoyed quality time together. It was lovely. It was bliss. It was a real blessing.

And now I have just opened my email inbox for the first time in a week and 211 emails are waiting for my attention… so I have decided to write a bloggage instead of dealing with them! Nothing like a good procrastination to start the day off well!

I want to share a few thoughts with you about holidays. You all know that the root of the word is ‘holy day’. They started as religious festivals on which normal work was suspended (except for the clergy who had to work extra hard). They became associated with days off work, and the concept of holiday became established.

Being away with Sally reminded me that we all need holydays. We need to spend quality time with Jesus – relaxing and being refreshed in his presence, laughing together and getting to know him better (he already knows us better than we know ourselves). But we don’t have to get on an aeroplane to do it (which avoid long waits for luggage to reappear after the baggage elves have jumped up and down on it for a while). And while it is good to set aside special times to do this, any day can be a holyday. It depends less on the calendar and more on our attitude.

If we include Jesus prayerfully in our day, listening to the prompts of his Spirit, sharing our thoughts and ideas, any day can be a holyday.

I am in the privileged position of being able to go away now for a couple of days on a Ministry Refresher Conference. Our Baptist Union runs these each year on a five year rotation basis. As this is my 20th year since my ordination (doesn’t time fly?) I have been invited to attend. For me the timing is brilliant because it means I can finish my holiday with some dedicated holydays. But the journey to the conference can be a holyday, and even starting to answer 211 emails can be part of a holyday too.

Time for a coffee first, though!

Be blessed, be a blessing.