Someone, I don't know who, wrote the following which he called The Top Seven Signs Your Preacher Needs a Vacation.

7. His first words to the congregation on Sunday morning are "Alright, listen up you heathens."

6. He falls asleep during his own sermon.

5. He shows up for Sunday service wearing Bermuda shorts and a tank top.

4. Every time his pager goes off, he shouts, "Why can't they just leave me alone?"

3. He announces that baptisms will be at the Grand Canyon.

2. You go to his office for counseling and pour your heart out to him and he says, "Sounds like a personal problem to me."

1. And the number one sign your preacher needs a vacation: For the past two months he has preached the same sermon...every Sunday.

Hey, everybody needs a break now and then, including preachers. We love our work, but it can be draining, exhaustive and frustrating at times. Jesus realized this when He told His disciples after a particular grueling period of ministry, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while." - (Mk. 6:31). Hey, if you don't come apart and rest every once in a while, you'll just plain come apart! Everyone needs a rest periodically. There's no shame in that. Workaholics may have trouble with the concept, but we need to take into account that God has as much an issue with those who work too much (to the neglect of more important things, like family) as He does with those who won't work enough (to the neglect of their families). So, work hard when it's your time to work. But don't neglect your own health and well-being. Take a rest now and then. As for me, I'm headed for the couch right now. I've earned it, and no one is going to deprive me of it.

Lonnie Ritchie

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