I'm Back!

Well, I'm back. Robyn and I have just a great, actually fantastic 2 weeks away on holidays. We are really thankful to God for the refreshment we have received.

Our holiday was at Avoca beach. We learned from last holidays, that a trip tot eh south coast just wasn't practical for my dear wife. This trip was only 45 minutes, not 8+hours!!!! So off the bat, we started well. It was so nice when we finally arrived to our destination, that, thanks be to God, I was able to switch off almost instantly. It was also a great blessing to be able to take our pets to the place we were staying. That was huge for Robyn.

So what did we get up to on our holidays? Not much. That was the whole idea! We slept, read, ate great healthy food (which for us take out kings was excellent!), and did i mention sleep? Robyn still had to sleep a fair bit, but this time is was OK for me. We were still able to hang out and reconnect in such a positive way. It's always refreshing for me to be able to hang out with my dear wife. I love her some much, she brings me such great joy.

It was also great for Robyn and I to get into the bible together. Not that we don't do that when we are not on holidays, but it was just good. We are going through the letter of James at the moment, using the book "Vital signs" by John Dickson and Simon Smart. Gold!

I was also able to finish some books that I wanted to read. I was able to finish Mortification of Sin, by John Owen, which was a good reminder to keep battling sin, to put it to death. Also John Piper's book, "God is the Gospel". This was fantastic. I love the passion for God that comes out in his meditations on such a great theme. His central point was,
that the ultimate good of the gospel, what makes it good news, is not the gifts of God that come through the gospel, salvation, sanctification, justification, even to be in Glory, but that he Himself is what makes the gospel good. It is the gift of Himself for our delight and joy that makes the gospel good news. It was very compelling, and a pleasure to read. I'm a big fan of Piper. He is one of my theological hero's.

I also picked up another John Owen book, "The Glory of Christ". There is something in the way the Puritans wrote that seems to evoke my affections for God. I long to delight in Him, for him to be my satisfaction and treasure. This book is being a great help to me, in meditating on Christ, to think often of him, and to treasure only him. Actually after reading many parts of this book, it created in me a desire to express those thoughts in the writing of poems. Now, this not usually my thing, but it seemed to come quite easily. In fact, I couldn't sleep, as my mind was bombarded with thoughts and ideas to the point that Robyn fell asleep before I did. I plan to post these on this blog.

Not that I only read, Robyn and I had some great small day trips, (something you're thankful for when your wife isn't always able to get out). We went to church together at CCEC, which was a tremendous blessing for both of us. It was great to be again reminded of the sure hope we have as Christians, and to live with the long view in mind (A sermon on Revelation 21 by Rhett Harris). It again put our present sufferings in perspective. How excellent is our God!

And of Course, what Waters' holiday would be complete without drinking coffee. It was just bliss. But with all that said, I'm glad to be home. It just sucks that whenever I really relax, and come down, so to speak, I get sick!