Last month my niece Christina came over from New Jersey and spent some time with us.  We had a great time with her.  This weekend, my nephew Jonathan (Christina’s brother) came over and he’s with us for a while.  We’ve been having fun so far.  He went with me Sunday as I preached at this church.

Then we met up with most of the rest of the family and went to the Pirates game.  It was great.  I’m normally wiped out on Sunday afternoons after preaching, but that was just what the doctor ordered.  Baseball – especially on TV – normally bores me to the point of comatose, but I like the atmosphere of the ballpark and it was a perfect fit for my drained mind on Sunday.

Yesterday I shifted my day around a little bit and played tennis with Jonathan at the park nearby.  We’re going to try to drown some worms this afternoon (also known as fishing). 

I am perhaps the world’s worst “relaxer”.  Although I’m not always productive, my brain tends to always be on church planting no matter what I’m actually doing.  For that reason, I appreciate these God-honoring “distractions” (not really) that force me to push away a little bit and focus on having some fun.  And if I’m honest, I have to say that I always come back to the office stronger than if I never left.