Almost four years ago a small group of us launched The Journey North Community Church. It was and is thrilling to be part of this new thing here in Brainerd. I often find myself thinking about the awesome people I have had the chance to work with and I feel incredibly grateful. Some of the most dedicated, sincere, loving and hard working people have come alongside of us in this endeavor.

In the course of a few short years we have seen the church grow from that small handful to almost 500 people. In the church world that is amazing growth. With that kind of growth I found myself more that antiquity challenged and I knew there was a ton at stake.

We were seeing peoples lives getting changed and they were making all kinds of commitments. They were making commitments to God and to one another. These were people who wanted their lives to matter, to make a difference.

I remember feeling a huge responsibility to steward the opportunity. To create the structure that would allow lives to continue to be cared for. Because of my passion for the vision and a profound desire to see people’s lives changed. I poured myself into the effort. In the early days I ran at an unsustainable pace. Looking back I was living on an adrenalin rush.

Fortunately, I was able to slow down before the work I was trying to do for God destroyed the work of God in me. For the past several years I have made sure that each week I take a day off. Truthfully, I had to learn how because for some of us it is hard to just stop. We run from one thing to next without really giving any thought to the effect it has on our souls. The paradox of our high speed age is that we get a lot done without ever getting done.

The Bible says that God rested on the seventh day. Yet some of us never seem to stop. I reflected on this a few months back. Once or twice a year, I try to stop for an extended amount of time by taking a silent retreat. These times away have proven to be some of the richest and most rewarding times with God. I have learned more about myself (my heart, my hopes and dreams as well as my weaknesses). God has used these times to clarify who I was and where I was going. I think that God designed us to stop from time to time for more than a day.

Thanksgiving can serve as natural break. It can provide us with an opportunity to pause for a moment, a day or a weekend and reflect. On the Fridays after Thanksgiving, I often find myself reflecting on the fact that I ate more than I thought possible. I love it all…cranberries, pickled herring, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pie. More than that, I love taking a little time to think about the year.

This tradition dates back to the beginning of this great country. In fact, in 1789 President George Washington issued a national Thanksgiving Proclamation. He wrote,

“Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country.”

What’s not to like about a day that has as its primary function the gathering of friends and family around the table for a time of celebrating the goodness of God. Take a moment and just stop. Stop rushing, cleaning up, going from one thing to the next and take a little time for yourself. Consider the year and remember the good things the little blessings…and give thanks.