Denise and I are resting in a Bangkok hotel! We've done some shopping (bought a really nice coat!) and eating some great Thai food. We've slept in both mornings, walking a lot each day and just spending some good time together. Bangkok is a great place to just take a break.

I know a few pastors who hardly ever take holidays and hardly ever take a day off each week. When Denise is present during a discussion like this she goes for the jugular vein. No one gets off the hook. She says it isn't fair on your wife or your children. You can’t work every day and every week with no time off. You're breaking a "Sabbath" principle established by God in Genesis.

God thought it was a great idea to rest and review His work. Resting for us mere mortals is to renew our strength and re-create. It is an opportunity to spend valuable time with our spouse and children. They need us to have undivided time to concentrate on them exclusively.

Time away is also great to see things from another perspective. It is a time to work ON the church and not IN the church. It is a time of review; we tend to see things differently from a distance. We will see some things we'd never see if we weren't separated by space and time.

We're here in Bangkok until Sunday morning when we board Thai to Sydney. Hillsong Conference starts on Tuesday and we're excited about being there!! We'll arrive rested and relaxed ready to receive revelation and inspiration. We won’t be trying to overcome jet lag or getting over our tiredness from work.

Sometimes you just need to take a break!

Bless,

Tom Rawls