• Originally published July 18, 2008 at 5:33 p.m., updated July 18, 2008 at 5:33 p.m.

Well, it’s that time of year again – time for the family vacation. A quick trip to the Hill Country, a long weekend at Lake Texana, your dream vacation to Mexico or Las Vegas or Disney World.

Whatever your vacation plans for this summer, enjoy them. Vacations give us a chance to spend quality time with our families. They help us recharge our batteries. And sometimes they are even restful (though I usually get home more tired than when I left).

But there is a danger with summer vacations. No, I’m not talking about sunburn or pick-pockets. I am not talking about car troubles or smelly hotel rooms. I am talking about taking a vacation from God.

It happens so easily. At home we are in a routine. We say our prayers before meals and before bed. We have family devotions. We get up on Sunday morning to go to church. God is part of our life – part of our routine.

But then we go on vacation. Prayers stop being said. Bibles and devotional books get left at home. Sunday morning comes and goes without even a thought of God or church.

God never takes a vacation. The Bible tells us that he “never slumbers nor sleeps.” Even while we are on vacation, God isn’t. He is there watching over us, blessing us and even forgiving us. God never takes a vacation from you. So don’t take one from him.

This year when you pack for your vacation throw your Bible or a devotional book in your suitcase. Ask your pastor before you go to give you the name and address of a nearby church. What a joy to worship with Christian brothers and sisters in another city, state or even country!

And if there isn’t a church nearby, you can do what my dad did one summer. I was eleven years old. We were camping in Montana, in the middle of nowhere. There were no churches nearby, so we did our own church. We sang a couple of hymns that we all knew by heart. My dad read from the Bible and we talked about it as a family. We said the Lord’s Prayer and Apostle’s Creed together. We prayed that God would bless our trip – and he did! My dad taught me to never take a vacation from God – a lesson I hope to pass on to my children.

So, enjoy your vacations this summer. Get some fresh air. See new places. Recharge your batteries. But this year, don’t take a vacation from God!

Andrew Schroer is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Edna

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