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Tonight, our daughter graduates from kindergarten and our oldest son finishes the fourth grade. Our youngest has hit the ten-month mark and is finally sleeping through the night.

This is the year we endured multiple ear infections for multiple kids, numerous field trips, pre-tween meltdowns, polar vortexes, and never-ending repeats of the Frozen soundtrack (please don’t tell Ed Stetzer). Our home has become something of a magnet for neighborhood kids. If you worry about never seeing kids outside playing together, just know they’re probably all in our backyard. A couple weeks ago, I counted twelve (12!) kids in our yard, representing seven families.

Things are a bit crazy at our house, but I wouldn’t trade this life for anything else. We’re dodging toys in the hall, picking up dirty socks, trying to keep some semblance of order, and hoping that if all else fails, our kids will see we love Jesus and will want to love Him too.

Meanwhile, time is flying, literally flying. It frightens me to think that our son’s time at home is already beyond the halfway point. Where has the time gone? The reason it’s a tired cliche to say that “time goes by faster the older you get” is because we’re all too tired to come up with another cliche that says the same thing.

Getting Serious about Getting Away

One of the things I’m learning is that times of vacation and unscheduled fun really matter for the family. Still, it gets harder to get away. Responsibilities mount. Deadlines don’t go away. Even when we go, work awaits our return. We carry our jobs around in our iPhones, more connected than ever.

Last summer, I realized it was pointless to get away if it meant staying as connected as before. If, on a vacation, I am reading the same books on my Kindle I’d be reading for PhD seminars or for work, or I am checking and responding quickly to all the emails that come to my phone, am I not just changing the scenery?

Two years ago, I disciplined myself on vacation to read nothing but fiction books and historical novels. A change of pace, a cleansing of the palette. Brush, rinse, repeat. I tried the same experiment last year, and I came home refreshed and ready to tackle my usual assignments with unusual vigor.

This year, I’ve decided to take it a step further and check email only once a day. I want to unplug, turn off the cell data so the phone stops buzzing, and focus on my wife and kids and God’s glorious creation.

It sounds silly, but I’ve found that rest is something I have to work at. I have to discipline myself to unplug, unwind, and get refreshed.

Taking a Break

So, dear friends and readers, I am devoting the rest of this month to rest and refreshment with my family. I’ve scheduled blog posts and tweets. Most of the posts have been carefully selected from the archives, posts I hope still have something of value today. (Many of you will be reading them for the first time.)

I’m looking forward to pulling away from social media so I can focus on the people right around me, the people most important to me – my beautiful wife and the kids God has entrusted to us.

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