Today I would like to address why I took a break from blogging for a few weeks. I would like to preface that conversation with a quote from Simon Tugwell. The quote appears in “A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants” by Upper Room Press. The quote is sourced from the work “Prayer.”

“Blessed are the poor! How easily we take that always to mean somebody else. Yet if we want to be with God, we must learn to hear it as ‘blessed are we who are poor’, we who have not got anything very impressive to give to anybody, whose giving may very well be rather a nuisance, but who still have not given up giving.”

I took a break from blogging because my poorness came to my surface. I was burning the candle at both ends both professionally and personally. Church ministry required 110% as the fall kicked into high gear. There were campouts, meals, sermons, prayer ministries, and countless places where God’s grace was needed. I tried to be everywhere at once, which was the problem as my children seemingly moved from being children in attitude to being tweens overnight. Neither has reached double digits, but they both have the attitude. When you add in the needs of my pregnant wife, there was a lot to do at home.

I found myself running from place to place constantly. I was trying to be all things to all people and I needed some time to find peace. Everyone has moments when they need to focus on the divine for more than a few moments. Jesus spent time continually seeking after God in isolated places. I needed some space to simply focus upon my own time and relationship with God, especially as church and family needs have remained constant.

From here out, I am going to attempt to find a better balance. The process of learning to say no, to setting boundaries in healthier places, and in finding places of quiet may not be an easy process, but I believe that it will be a good process. Thank you for your patience with me during these moments of silence.