We are back from vacation and ready for all the fun and chaos that it brings. Being a family of a Youth Pastor means that when the kids are out of school dad is on duty more than the rest of the year. We came home Wed afternoon and went to church, had a summer kick-off party Friday night and youth and families to our home on Sun evening. It will continue like this til September. It is lots of fun, and lots of work.

While on vacation I picked up what promises to be a great book. My Heart's at Home by Jill Savage. I am only in Part I of four, The Foundation. Jill Savage has some great insight on the kind of home we need to have for our families. She also has great advice on not over-programing our children. A couple posts ago I talked about my inner struggle with wanting my kids to have all the opportunities available as we educate and disciple them. Mrs. Savage had several references that talked about how that it is actually bad for our kids to have too many opportunities. And how much they really need down time that is unstructured to use their imagination and learn to entertain themselves (without the TV). This was a great encouragement for me to really seek out God's best and not settle for just good things.

The book also has some great ideas and tips on Family Nights, Meal Planning, and the lost art of Neighboring or Porching. I look forward to the next chapters and will let you know if anything sticks out.