http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/tsimpson/30128 It's already July 15, 2008..............where has the summer gone?&nbsp; Three weeks of summer school, 5 days of vacation bible school, 10 days of vacation with my family, 5 days of church camp...upcoming:&nbsp; 5+ days of performing arts camp at our church and finally...another vacation with my family for a full 7 days............much needed! I feel extremely drained, physically, emotionally and for some reason spiritually.&nbsp; Our Senior Pastor of Christ Church of the Valley, Michael Foutz, preached on &quot;religion&quot; and the perils of churches focusing too much on being religious rather than having the personal relationship with God.&nbsp; That has been heavy on my heart for many months!&nbsp; I want so&nbsp; badly to live my life according to how God wants me to live and I feel like I have been busy with the &quot;stuff&quot; that is interfering with me finding a sincere inner peace.&nbsp;&nbsp; I pray earnestly that God will show me what He wants me/our family to do, rather than what our needs are. I will be still and wait for His calling and until then, I am going to slow down and listen....something that we believers tend to have a hard time doing.&nbsp; Being busy doesn't get us closer to heaven, our hearts are what God wants, not a busy day planner. &nbsp; It's already July 15, 2008..............where has the summer gone?&nbsp; Three weeks of summer school, 5 days of vacation bible school, 10 days of vacation with my family, 5 days of church camp...upcoming:&nbsp; 5+ days of performing arts camp at our church and finally...another vacation with my family for a full 7 days............much needed! I feel extremely drained, physically, emotionally and for some reason spiritually.&nbsp; Our Senior Pastor of Christ Church of the Valley, Michael Foutz, preached on &quot;religion&quot; and the perils of churches focusing too much on being religious rather than having the personal relationship with God.&nbsp; That has been heavy on my heart for many months!&nbsp; I want so&nbsp; badly to live my life according to how God wants me to live and I feel like I have been busy with the &quot;stuff&quot; that is interfering with me finding a sincere inner peace.&nbsp;&nbsp; I pray earnestly that God will show me what He wants me/our family to do, rather than what our needs are. I will be still and wait for His calling and until then, I am going to slow down and listen....something that we believers tend to have a hard time doing.&nbsp; Being busy doesn't get us closer to heaven, our hearts are what God wants, not a busy day planner. &nbsp; en-us Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:01:27 PDT <p>Awww... this was a good blog.&nbsp; The very fact that you are aware of what you are doing is the first step in slowing down. Take a moment to appreciate something everyday.&nbsp; I had a writing professor once who MADE us say <i>out loud </i>at least one thing we noticed that day.&nbsp; We walk through life focusing on temporary stuff instead of pausing to reflect on a sunrise or a blooming tree or the sound of a child's laugh.&nbsp; When I need to slow down or pray, I get up extra early and sit outside.&nbsp; See if that works for you, too (coffee makes the experience truly divine!).</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/tsimpson/30128/#c_275568 http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/tsimpson/30128/#c_275568 <p>Awww... this was a good blog.&nbsp; The very fact that you are aware of what you are doing is the first step in slowing down. Take a moment to appreciate something everyday.&nbsp; I had a writing professor once who MADE us say <i>out loud </i>at least one thing we noticed that day.&nbsp; We walk through life focusing on temporary stuff instead of pausing to reflect on a sunrise or a blooming tree or the sound of a child's laugh.&nbsp; When I need to slow down or pray, I get up extra early and sit outside.&nbsp; See if that works for you, too (coffee makes the experience truly divine!).</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: right;"><img src="http://sp1.yt-thm-a04.yimg.com/image/25/m8/4191882930" alt="" /></p> <p>I admire your consistent pursuit of serenity &mdash; mostly because it's something I chase after myself and you have the guts to talk about it. Often I am too easily absorbed into the various dramas or &quot;emergencies&quot; in my life, but getting older has helped a lot. These days I measure success by how my relationship with my son is going. His happiness proves an excellent litmus test for my own sanity. He's had a pretty good summer so far, so I don't feel quite so bad about the pile of books I have yet to read :)</p> http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/tsimpson/30128/#c_277054 http://www.bakersfieldvoice.com/home/Blog/tsimpson/30128/#c_277054 <p style="text-align: right;"><img src="http://sp1.yt-thm-a04.yimg.com/image/25/m8/4191882930" alt="" /></p> <p>I admire your consistent pursuit of serenity &mdash; mostly because it's something I chase after myself and you have the guts to talk about it. Often I am too easily absorbed into the various dramas or &quot;emergencies&quot; in my life, but getting older has helped a lot. These days I measure success by how my relationship with my son is going. His happiness proves an excellent litmus test for my own sanity. He's had a pretty good summer so far, so I don't feel quite so bad about the pile of books I have yet to read :)</p>