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Take 6 Vacations A Year
OK, so its not exactly 6 weeks of vacation – I would have to be a senior pastor for that – but it is 6 separate trips or getaways every year to keep balance in our life. We take some trips with the whole family, some just with my wife. Here’s how we break up the year to spend time together:
October – Miramar Air Show Weekend (2-3 days)
Every fall we take a couple of days and spend time down in San Diego at one of the greatest air shows on earth. We haven’t missed in a few years and love to time travelling together and seeing the planes and display of airpower. We stay at a motel or beach trailer and while it is really just a long weekend, we sure love being together.November – Thanksgiving Break (2-4 days)
Almost everything around here shuts down for a few days in November. We take off small groups, scale back the weekend services, and enjoy some time as a family. We don’t usually travel to meet anyone, we’ve found that less hustle and bustle in these seasons work really well for us.December – Christmas Break (7-9 days)
Same thing here – the church all but shuts down the week between Christmas and the New Year – so we totally slow down as well. Everyone is off school, the weekend services are combined junior and senior high, so everything is low pressure. We haven’t left home for Christmas in a couple of years, and have really enjoyed just spending time together as a family.May – California Weekend Trip (2-4 days)
This year we spent some time down in San Diego at the Zoo – next year we’ll hit up San Francisco or Yosemite National Park. The idea here is for a mid-year break to get away from the rigorous pace of ministry and life to see our state. They say that most people don’t take time to see some of the attractions in their area, and we don’t want to make the same mistake.June – Team Staff Retreat (4 days)
Every year the student ministries team takes a couple of days off to relax as a team before the big summer run. And while that is a distant memory right now … it was a beautiful thing back in June. We find someone to stay with the kids and this is a husband/wife trip.August – Road Trip Vacation (8-12 days)
This is the big one – we hit the road as a family and head out into the wild. This year we went to Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming. Next year, we’re planning an even bigger trip to the Midwest. This is pure family time on the road and visiting family at each destination.
JG
View More: burnout, retreats, senior pastor, vacation
I’m currently done with all of my vacation time for the year, evenly apportioned between a furry convention in northern Columbus, OH and a couple of days at an evangelical conference. This all adds up to seven days vacation time. Next year I get two weeks. I don’t suppose I’ve ever stayed on with a job to earn that kind of vacation time. It’s going to be interesting to see how I part it out.