Vacation Thoughts #2

As I was looking around the campground where we are staying, I thought to myself, WOW, there are a lot of kids here that will always remember this place. Then I asked myself, what will my kids remember from our family vacations? Will it be the beach? All eight of us crammed into an RV? The campground bathrooms (yuck)? The fun we all had as a family? That mom and dad love spending time with them making sandcastles and body surfing? I am not sure what they will remember, but I hope and pray that they will remember and treasure the fact that we sought to honor the Lord on vacation the same way as we seek to do at home. I hope and pray that mixing vacation and a family mission trip together will not be something they tried once, but something that is normal to them. I hope it is something they will do with their families one day, not because it is something required of them, but because their life, whether at work or play, is about serving the Lord.Another thing I hope my kids see and remember is genuine fellowship. This week, like last year, we get to be closer as a family. This is a treasured time. Yesterday I was able to spend about an hour building a sand castle with several of my kids. Also, we get to spend time with other people from our own church. This is such a blessing. It is great to see them Sunday to Sunday back home, but it is a real joy to cultivate a deeper unity with people that we love. But, there is even a wider fellowship that I hope they remember. One that mirrors what they get to see during our sports camps back home in Rawdon. A fellowship among believers from different churches living for the same purpose, worshipping Christ our king and seeking to obey and follow His commission to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). This week we are getting to see four different churches serving together. I love that!
I do not want my kids to miss this fact.

Well, no matter what memories my kids take from this trip and this place, it is my prayer that they walk with Jesus all the days of thier lives, for that is real joy that cannot be taken away from them. I want my kids to turn to the Lord, for only He is God and there is no other!

22 “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.’
24 “Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. – Isaiah 45:22-24