Back in the Saddle

Hello and good day to you! It has been a long time since we have seen each other, and I for one missed you. No real reason that I have been gone so long, at least none that I can think of. I do have a strong desire to begin fresh and new and hope that you will forgive my hiatus.

I just came back from a sabbatical and most recently a sabbath retreat at a Retreat Lodge just north of Mt. Vernon Texas, called Selah Inn. Magnificent! Over 1100 acres of land, with wild life and good clean fresh air. The house was beautiful, the food ridiculously good and healthy and the weather was great. The worst part of the trip was not having my wife with me, that was tough, and leaving.

I was fortunate and blessed enough to have met 6 other couples on the retreat, yes I was the only single. Talk about the 13th wheel. Between, "Eddie sit here" or "Eddie, why couldn't your wife come again", I almost got a complex. During picture taking time, I posed with a Labrador named "cookie" and a wooden squirrel. I can only imagine how pathetic I looked holding a wooden squirrel, but hey anything for a laugh, right?

I had come to find that most of the pastors, although on different retreat tracks, were there for the same thing. Refocusing, and re-centering on God; getting back to their first love. Most of the days were spent praying, seeking God through walks, reading or even a nap. Not only was it very restful, and un-pressured, but quite literally, peaceful. No TV, no radio, very very limited cell phone reception. There were times when all of us would be together after lunch or dinner and be seated in this living room, not speaking; just enjoying the peace of God.

His peace during those times was tangible, you could almost touch it, it was so real. Then the realization hit me, I was going to leave for home soon, and if I was unable to reproduce, or replicate this environment, I might not ever see or feel peace again; at least until the next sabbatical. It was then that Father God, began to show me areas of time and even places where I could enjoy His Sabbath. Times and places that previously I had missed an opportunity to experience His peace. At first condemned and then rebuking that, then very lovingly convicted, I repented for having missed those opportunities. Knowing that I did not want to miss them again. I received assurances of His forgiveness and grace and begin developing a plan of action to get to that place of peace.

Then the revelation hit me a little deeper. Peace, like grace and righteousness is not a thing; it is Jesus Himself. I wasn't just not getting to a place of peace; I wasn't meeting with Jesus, who is Peace. I wasn't just receiving the gift of grace; I wasn't experiencing Jesus, who is grace. Hopefully you get the point by now!

I guess what I am trying to say is; we make choices every day, with what we will do with our time. How and with whom we will spend it. I have not started off well, even this weekend and today has been a struggle, yet I am determined to center my day around Peace, Grace, Righteousness... Jesus.

It is because of Him that I can say, "I'm back in the saddle"

Ed