Reverend Martin McLee

 

In the folk opera Porgy and Bess, librettist Ira Gershwin wrote, "Summer time and the living is easy, fish are jumping and the cotton is high…." It seems Messier Gershwin viewed summer time as a carefree period. Why then do we sometimes end up with the summer time blues? I would like to suggest that we fall prey to the summer time blues when we fail to include God in our vacation plans.

 

One of my routine joys is found in the reduced intensity of the "life schedule" that comes with the onset of summer. God in God’s gracefulness allows me to travel to amazing destinations and to spend time being still with more frequency during the summer. During the summer, I am able to catch up on reading and I get to sleep in a bit more. However, during the summer I don’t take a vacation from God. During the summer, I am with God as I vacation. I don’t leave God behind as I journey across the miles. The Psalmist got it right, "I will bless the Lord at all times; the Lord’s praise shall continuously be on my lips". Ps. 34:1.

 

As you plan your summer experiences, make room for God. As you vacation, do so with the intentionality of worshipping before an awesome God. Declare that you will praise God "in season and out of season."

 

Beloved, summer time is upon us, but there is no reason to experience the summer time blues. You have made God your own and I encourage you to experience the summer joy that God has for you. Let your testimony be that of the Prophet Amos who intoned" This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: a basket of summer fruit". Amos 8:1. During this summer season enjoy the fresh fragrance that comes from drawing close to God. Breathe in the joy of the Lord and chase the blues away. In the name of Jesus I dare you to vacation with God!

 

All my prayers,

 

Martin