Today was another travel day. Los Angeles traffic is horrendous. Tomorrow, we will go to Channel Islands National Park and I am truly excited! For now, though, I have some reoccurring thoughts. First, last night was the second night that I had dreamed that I was preaching. What is that about? There was another dream of leading a wedding. God please take these dreams away. I am on Sabbatical.

Morning has come and the power is still not on. It is cooler outside in the 90 plus degree heat than it is in our room. Thank you for shade and a breeze. There is one building with a generator and the hotel is offering a free breakfast to everyone in that building. A/C feels so nice, but ironically the generator goes out as we are there. However, it still feels cool and the continental breakfast was not bad. We are now ready for the day even thought none of us slept well. Yes, we are dragging a bit, but ready. The first place we go is Zabriskie Point. The picture does not do it justice. It is a beautiful spot looking over the valley with more color than the picture reveals. Amber lines us up for a picture that the boys no longer resist. They are now resign to the fact that there will be lots of photos.

We are now in Death Valley National Park. Our first of nine. It’s hot here, very hot. Our first stop after the visitor center is Badwater basin, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, 282 feet below sea level. We all hit low points in our lives. They are not comfortable. Today, as we walk this valley floor, It’s 111, yesterday reached 117. Thank goodness we came today. The hottest temperature on earth was recorded here, a blistering 134 degrees. The heat is oppressive. We walk out to the salt flats, a shimmering white. Here we are, the lowest point, blistering hot, and blinded by the sun reflecting off the white salt. All miserable, but a tourist site. We chose to come. We often don’t choose the miserable spots in our lives, but sometimes we do choose to stay in them. They become our comfort zone, we begin to find our identity there. Why?

We are off. The morning went well. Packing complete, and I don’t think we left anything behind. Our first big trip is here, a full month in California, nine National Parks, Disneyland, and Alcatraz. But first we have to get through this crazy day. The four of us are flying to Las Vegas together, and then I am flying on to Fresno, California as they check in at the Vegas Hampton Inn. Why, you wonder? Why am I flying to Fresno and then driving 5 1/2 hours back to Las Vegas all in the same day? Well the answer is simple. It’s the only way I can rent a Jeep Wrangler for our month in California. We are traveling to nine beautiful national parks in four weeks. I want to be able to take it all in through a roofless vehicle.

Today, my family and I went to the Indy 500. Eli, is a race fan and has always wanted to go, but being a pastor, working on Sundays, makes it difficult. The weather was cool! The day was nice, and the race was fun. Josh even picked the winner correct and now he thinks he deserves Olive Garden for dinner. Yes, we enjoyed the race. However, the getting home was as eventful as the race itself. It took us 4 hours to travel the 15 miles home. I wish that was an exaggeration. The majority of that was stuck in the parking lot, where we barely moved for 2 1/2 hours. Did you know you can learn a great deal about humanity and faith stuck in a parking lot. It was an entertaining display of human nature.

I was a bit apprehensive to return to West Dallas and Wesley-Ranking community center. I worked here for two years, 1995-1997, and left 28 years ago. These were impactful years. At 22 years old, all I wanted to do was find some place, some community, lower economic, and serve. I was naive, idealistic, and innocent. I was placed at Wesley-Rankin through the United Methodist US-2 program. As I arrived, seeing the bars on the windows, the barb wire on the fences, the dilapidated homes, and graffiti everywhere, I was frightened, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I didn’t just work here, this was to be the neighborhood I lived. I pulled up to the house on Obenchain, unpacked, and that night clutched my dog, Bailey, tight as I slept. First impressions are often wrong impressions. Here in West Dallas, I discovered real community, great people, and an active God.

That did not take long. It did not take long to discover the difference between a day of Sabbath compared to a day off. May 5th, Monday, felt like a normal day off. I took Dr. Levison to the airport, went to a doctor’s appointment, and then went home to cut the grass. Most days, I enjoy cutting the grass being outside and getting some exercise. It feels good to use my body physically. This Monday was no different. However, a day off, even if enjoyable, is often filled with activities, work around the house, all hoping that you can get it done before the day ends. Yes, it does feel good to accomplish things, to check something off the to-do list. This is my typical day off.