Day Off: Mt. Rainier and Reading

Thursdays are my day off. With only one day off, Katie and I have to plan very carefully how we can best use this valuable time. Day trips to Mt. Rainier are always a great choice.

We headed up towards the mountain in our little blue VW Golf ("Nina") with the intention of picnicking at Silver Springs, a campground we stayed at last summer. However, Silver Springs was closed, and we had to find a second option. Everything else seemed to be closed off, too. So we backtracked down the mountain to a little state park called Federation Forest located on the edge of the White River. The park not only consists of trails through the forest, but also has a grassy field on the bank of the river.

There was plenty to do (in the category of "rest"). We ate food, played frisbee, talked and read. I'm continuing to read through Experiencing Prayer by Henry and Norman Blackaby. Chapter three was a breakthrough read for me. The overall theme was to come to God with an attitude of reverence, ready to give an unqualified yes to whatever agenda God may reveal for our lives.

Katie and I talked about this for a while, and I concluded that I have not been doing that with every decision in my life -- as a husband, pastor, and even a father. I've been allowing fear to control me, and so I approach God with only certain things which may be adjusted by Him. Other certain things have been off limits for an assortment of reasons. But as I viewed Jesus' approach to openly accepting the agenda the Father had set for everything in His life, it filled me with a confidence and peace that the Father's agenda is also the best for every area of my life.