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August 3, 2020 - Devotional from Pastor John

August 3, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“Summer Faith”

The alarm goes off. You leap out of bed and grab a quick shower. You shovel in a bowl of cornflakes and hurry out to the car, giving your spouse a peck on the cheek and reminding them not to forget that tonight is “Pizza Night.” On your way to the office, you drop by Starbucks for your morning caffeine fix. You swerve from one lane to another all the way to work, always trying to be in the fastest lane. The radio DJ counts the minutes. “It is 8:33.” “It is 8:46.” When you arrive at the office, you take the steps three at a time, remembering the big project has to be e-mailed to the main office by 10:00 a.m. As you sink into your chair, you notice that the little red light on your phone is flashing. You have 12 voice mails and as your Outlook Express loads, you find you have 35 e-mails, nine of them marked “Urgent!”

That is what it feels like when a vacation comes to an end, and it’s back to work. When it’s really over, and time to get back to the “normal” routine of life. My break and time away at the beach with family and friends in North Carolina was really good (and needed), but I am ready to begin again with all of you at Chestnut Level. I will be traveling on 95 north today, and back in the office tomorrow.

As July has turned to August, and summer is slipping by so quickly, I do have an assignment for you. I want to encourage you to snuggle closer to the Creator. I want you to thank the one who created all that is, whether you go hiking in the mountains, or sunbathing at the beach. Give God a place where He can move and speak to you. If you do, I believe you will find that you will also return to the world more refreshed, and ready to face the challenges of September and beyond.

I love the words from a verse in that wonderful hymn, “Be Thou My Vision.” “Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.” God is with us when we are awake or when we are asleep, when we are on vacation, and even when it’s time to get back to work. He is the God of all places, of all time, the God of all seasons, -- the God of Summer Faith.