{"id":1858,"date":"2011-10-14T01:00:47","date_gmt":"2011-10-14T05:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=1858"},"modified":"2011-10-13T20:29:54","modified_gmt":"2011-10-14T00:29:54","slug":"time-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/time-away.html","title":{"rendered":"Time away"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the interesting things about directing a ministry where you are the\u00a0lead staff person, a van driver, data entry person, chair arranger, praise and worship leader, choir director, and the one who\u00a0gives the devotions is that you don\u2019t have to worry about who made the last mistake.\u00a0 You know you did it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>At Special Gathering of Indian River, I\u2019m that person and I\u2019ve discovered more mistakes than I care to admit.\u00a0\u00a0We are a ministry within the mentally challenged community in South Brevard and Indian River Counties, Florida.\u00a0 We do classic ministry, discipleship and evangelism.<\/p>\n

Once a year, we join five of the other Special Gatherings and together we take our members on a spiritual retreat\/camp in Vero Beach.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As we approach the time for our get away, there are a multitude of things to do.\u00a0And, alas, there\u00a0are\u00a0many opportunties to\u00a0falter\u00a0in preparing to transport some\u00a0200 people who are developmentally disabled\u00a0with all their luggage to camp.\u00a0 After they arrive, we will\u00a0be responsible for them for four days.\u00a0 My primary concern is\u00a0their health and safety.<\/p>\n

Some would think that I should be concerned about the spiritual aspects of our retreat and, yes,\u00a0that is\u00a0vital.\u00a0 However, without\u00a0due diligence,\u00a0mistakes that may cost precious lives could be made.<\/p>\n

We never lose sight of the fact that God is our source and\u00a0our help.\u00a0\u00a0We remain\u00a0aware that God leads us into battle; and occasionally, he gives us a miracle of\u00a0fire or wind.\u00a0\u00a0Yet, for the most part, he expects that we give our best in\u00a0daily service for him, which brings us back to due diligence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Today a group of about 30 special needs ministry heads will meet in Chicago for what we call a FLY-IN. \u00a0Flying into a commercial hub is relatively inexpensive. \u00a0For the cost of an airline ticket, we will meet for about six hours at a large, public gathering place. \u00a0We will discuss the joys and concerns of heading a ministry for people who are developmentally disabled. \u00a0We are all looking forward to this time of fellowship and learning. \u00a0The idea was the brain child of Tony Piantine who heads Camp Daniel in Wisconsin. \u00a0Each year it has grown.<\/p>\n

Just as Jesus took time to get away to spend time with his disciples, it is vital that each of us follow his example and come apart for a time away. \u00a0Most of us aren’t ever going to be in a ministry that is our occupation. \u00a0Yet, this exercise is still vital for your spiritual well-being and overall mental health.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of hints regarding this time. \u00a01) \u00a0Be sure that you are gathering with people you have ministry experience in common. \u00a02) \u00a0Be sure they are people there that you like and respect. \u00a03) \u00a0Be sure there is an opportunity for you to speak with and fellowship with the people you respect. \u00a04) \u00a0Be sure that you take time to enjoy yourself. \u00a0(Often Christians feel a tad guilty about enjoying themselves.) \u00a05) Laugh. \u00a06) Be sure that is an endless cup of coffee or a bottomless glass of iced tea available.<\/p>\n

Do you have a time of celebration with people you love?\u00a0 Have you found that getting away is a good thing or something to avoid at all costs?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the interesting things about directing a ministry where you are the\u00a0lead staff person, a van driver, data entry person, chair arranger, praise and worship leader, choir director, and the one who\u00a0gives the devotions is that you don\u2019t have to worry about who made the last mistake.\u00a0 You know you did it. At Special…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,3,40,287,186,49,16,8,4,41,152],"tags":[690,21,688,7,726,715,701,694,709,689],"class_list":["post-1858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-faiths","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","category-stress","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faiths","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-leadership","tag-mentally-challenged-community"],"yoast_head":"\nTime away - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/time-away.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Time away - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the interesting things about directing a ministry where you are the\u00a0lead staff person, a van driver, data entry person, chair arranger, praise and worship leader, choir director, and the one who\u00a0gives the devotions is that you don\u2019t have to worry about who made the last mistake.\u00a0 You know you did it. 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Howard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Time away - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/time-away.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Time away - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith","og_description":"One of the interesting things about directing a ministry where you are the\u00a0lead staff person, a van driver, data entry person, chair arranger, praise and worship leader, choir director, and the one who\u00a0gives the devotions is that you don\u2019t have to worry about who made the last mistake.\u00a0 You know you did it. 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