I’ve got one of the best things in my life happening in the next few days, and I’m also up against one of the hardest disciplines I face.

I’m going on vacation. That’s the best part.  Nine days starting today with the famous you-can-only-understand-this-if-you’re-Canadian 22 hour non stop drive to the FLA.  Seven nights to unwind and then a slower drive back with a stop at one of my favourite places: North Point for church.

My kids are getting older.  Jordan starts university in September and this may be one of the last or the very last “four of us in lockdown together” vacations we have.  Can’t believe life is flying by as quickly as it is.  I am completely savouring the time I’ve got coming up with the three most important people in my life.  I love time with my family.  We’ll even be able to spend time with some of Toni’s family who’s down in Florida as well.  Should be fun.

Now the hard part:  I’m going to unplug for nine days.  No work, no blogging, no email.  I might twitter, because, well, because it’s twitter. Or maybe not.  We’ll see.

In this uber-wired world, I find it harder than ever to unplug.  I don’t worry about Connexus – we have the most awesome team running it.  I know they’ll handle everything as well or better than I could.  It’s just I like to work.

Time and again, it’s caused tension when I’ve tried to combine play and work, so I’m going to try to do something I don’t do well at all – unplug.  No email.  No blogging for a week or so (even though I have about a dozen posts floating in my mind).  No sermon prep (I love the writing almost as much as getting to preach).

But the tension is here even on day one.  My family’s sleeping in as we get ready for the ride.  I can’t sleep.  I showered, got ready, gassed up the Honda, grabbed some Tim Horton’s tea for Toni and I.   They’re still resting.  So I do the only thing I know how to do:  work (finishing some future series outlines).

I have a disease I think.  Truthfully, more than a few of us in church leadership have this disease.

I just want to be fully present for my favourite people on the planet.  For me, that means unplugging.  So…here we go.

How do you wrestle with the tension between working and resting?  What helps you?

I’ll look forward to reading any comments (when I get back in a week or so, of course).  :0)