This morning I took much of the day and headed out of town for a “day away”.  I have fallen out of the habit of doing this once a month.  My goal in these outings is clear…get my heart re-connected/refreshed by God.  It is true of me that I have been sensing a decline in my heart’s passion these days…not a good thing.  It’s not that I’ve had any less view of God or any less of a conscientiousness of my need for Him.  But rather it’s that the pace and the challenges of life have taken some knocks at my heart over the course of the last several months.  If you have walked with God for any period of time you can relate to this.

So today my goal was simple…to reconnect.  I was listening to a message on the way in today and not to my surprise (God’s timing is encouraging) it was on being vitally connected to God if you want to live a passionate life for Christ.  The text was John 15:5-8.  What a powerful text! 

In the five hours that I’ve been on this “day-away” I can honestly say God has totally met with me.  I sense a deep level of connection and a re-newed passion to tackle the joys and the challenges of ministry and life.  My prayer to God: “Lord thank you for being so faithful.  You are real, you prompt, you speak, and you truly are a relational God that loves His children.”  Today I didn’t take a magic pill…just simply sat quiet for a bit, read God’s word, spent some time in prayer, read some of a leadership book, and even took a 10 minute nap! 

So, how you feeling these days?  Has your bible reading gone flat?  Do your prayers sound like a broken record?  Are things that usually don’t bug you getting under your skin?  Do you lack passion for the things of God that used to get you out of bed?  My word of encouragement to you today…lead yourself…get yourself deeply connected to your Savior.  His grace and his mercy is good.