This last week Carie and I went on vacation.  Vacation can either be a time when my relationship with God is strengthened or it is softened.  This depends on whether I decide that life is all about eating a lot and watching movies or whether I can maintain some sort of discipline in my life that helps me to focus on the person He wants me to be while at the same time resting.  I’ve come to prefer to view vacation as more about rest than having fun, though the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

I think I’d give myself a B- in terms of my relationship with God over vacation.  In between GI Joe, Chick Fil-A, and the beach (in the case of the beach, there was some during too), I did have some quality time with Him.  I’m not sure what God would give me in terms of a grade, but I hope I’d pass.  This relationship is the most important one in my life, and I work really hard at it, but sometimes vacation becomes more about me then Him.

I love books.  I read a lot, and there’s something about a book that produces creativity in me that nothing else can.  Doesn’t matter the book, if I connect with the idea, new ideas spring up inside my head that previously laid stagnant somewhere in the midst of my thick brain.  On vacation, I read much more than my normal habit, and more ideas are produced.  So far I’ve read “Killing Cockroaches” by Tony Morgan and am almost finished with “Eat this book” by Eugene Peterson.  Next on the list is “Wild Goose Chase” by Mark Batterson and the auto-biography of Joni Earickson Tada, a book I remember my mom reading when I was young.

I’d love to know what you’re currently reading?

I need some help.  Carie and I are on a mini vacation this week, because she has off from school, and I’m taking a few days to hang out with her.  We’re looking for some creative things to do around the Central Massachusetts area.  We decided not to go anywhere because we’re going away from a few weeks later on, so this just leaves the options of hanging out at the house (which we’ll no doubt be doing to some extent) or seeing the area a bit more.  But I’d like to do some creative things in the latter category.

So what do you got for me?  Any suggestions for things to do?

Ideas please.

Rarely do I rant and rave about a particular topic on my blog.  I just try to share experiences I’ve gone through in my life, so that you may be able to relate or learn from any of these experiences.  Today’s post needs to start off with this explaining, because I’m not ranting and raving, I’m just writing an experience.

In this post I shared that on my vacation, Carie and I drove to the tip of Massachusetts to go to the beach.  This is a place known as Provincetown, and has a particular reputation of being inhabited heavily by the homosexual community.  The beach was small and private and we were pretty much with a small handful of people the whole day.

That evening however, we drove to the downtown area of P-Town where the shops are world renowned for all things art.  We began to walk through the crowded streets, and I instantly knew I had never been in a setting like this.  I’ve seen guys holding hands with guys and shows like Grey’s Anatomy on Television have tried really hard to push their agenda of making me think this is normal behavior, but this atmosphere proclaimed things that I had never seen before.

Almost the entire town it seemed, save for a handful of shop dwellers, derived their identities and festivities from dressing opposite of their culturally perceived genders (aka drag queens), walking around in their underwear, or simply holding hands with their loved ones who happened to be the same gender.

Now before you judge me for being a biggot or old-fashioned or a compromiser or whatever you might judge me based on your perspective of what I’ve written so far, you should know that I believe that sex is a gift from God, is part of his plan to populate the earth, and is designed especially for a married man and a married woman (to each other, by the way).

The purpose of this post, which I’m sure will receive both positive and negative comments,  is not to bring condemnation on these actions though, but to bring condemnation to the church.  About halfway through the town, there was a big white church, as there commonly is in the center of most towns in the US.  It was a mainline denomination.  There was an event going on at the chuch the same evening I walked through the town.  It wasn’t music (though there was a drag queen singing karaoke nearby), and it wasn’t sharing the true love of God that comes through Jesus Christ.  It was Bingo.

In fact, as I walked by, the bingo dj yelled out as loud as he (or she) could, “O-69″ to the wild cheers of the crowd around.

I was sick.  And I thought to myself, “Why aren’t we doing something about this?”  I don’t mean something like hand out gospel tracks and preach against the long hair and short skirts of the passerbys, I mean, “Why has the church of Jesus Christ just abandoned this town.  Why wasn’t anyone doing something? 

I’ll be asking myself this question for a while, and my prayer is that God would consume me with the answer and the remedy.  My hope is that someday my church will be able to plant a church that leads people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ in provincetown, Mass.  A church that will not have a freakin bingo game in the middle of the city during night life or even have a nerdy guy with a bullhorn yelling “you’re going to hell!”, but will be a shining light of the love of God in a place that mistakenly believes that “feeling good” is what life is all about.

Until then, may God continue to burden you and I for people and places like this.  May we get ourselves out of our Christian ghettos.

Things I didn’t say in this post
Homosexuals are going to hell. (No more than the deacon who is into porn or the pastor who cheats on his wife deserves hell.  Or the girlscout who steals money from her cookie sales.  Sin is sin is sin.  God hates all of it.)
Homosexuals are a lower class of people. (They are not.)
Homosexuals are going to heaven.  (Jesus said:  “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father, but by me” )

You can thank this guy for the title of this post.

I thought a lot about the value of vacation on vacation.  I know it’s a bit redundant, but thinking is occasionally a specialty of mine.  (Like the time I thought it would be a good idea to take a newspaper stand with my friend Dave, put it in the car, and take it to my apartment-well maybe not that time)

In all this thinking, I began to realize the incredible value of getting away. Not for a day or an evening, but for a good solid week or two.  To be removed from ones every day surroundings is actually quite a blessing.  Like the child or teen who goes away to camp, there’s something about removing yourself from what you’re always doing and always thinking and being with the people you’re always with that makes you appreciate what you always do, think, or who you’re with.

I can even help you to realize when you need a change in your situation.  You come away from vacation saying thinks like:
“I need to do better” 
“I need to make that change”  (not unlike M.J.’s “Man in the Mirror” mantra)
or even
“I need to get out of Dodge.”
However or whatever you might do on vacation, a week or two during specific times of the year can be a huge improvement to your life.  More than that can make you lazy.  Less than that can transform you into Dickens most prized antagonist ‘Ebenezer Scrooge’.  And it doesn’t have to be in the lap of luxury…

It just needs to be away.

I’m back from vacation. Carie and I had an amazing time hanging in Cape Cod, and specifically Eastham, Massachusetts. I have a lot to write about, but for right now I’m going to stick with the facts.

Where: Eastham, Massachusetts est. 1644
When: Saturday, August 16th to Saturday, August 23rd
How: By car, the 2003 Nissan Altima
Who: Carie and I, along with our two close friends, Ray and Joanna Pierce

A Highlight Breakdown by day
Saturday: Carie and I arrived at the cottage, located about 3/10 of a mile from the beach. We walked to the bay, and drove to the National seashore (Atlantic Ocean). A cool, distant thunderstorm shot lightening from the sky over the Ocean. MIchael Phelps pretty much showed himself the man.

Sunday: Carie and I drove to Cape Cod Church in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Then we went to the beach. Beautiful day! In the evening, Carie established her dominance over me at Rummikub. I told her she could have it.

Monday: Went to the beach but it was too hot. Carie coudn’t hack it. Ray and Joanna finally made it (they were at her sisters wedding), and we spent the evening talking and watching the Olympics.

Tuesday: It was a dark a stormy day. Winds up to 50 and 60mph in the cape. We played games, talked, and read.

Wednesday: Joannas family has this terrific camping place up in Provincetown where people bring their self contained campers to the beach So we spent the day there soaking in the rays, swimming in the Atlantic (where the pilgrims landed) and eating clams. Amazing! The evening we went to the shops in P-town. That was different.

Thursday: We were all tired so we chilled and read and watched the Olympics. Hey, it’s vacation! I also ran every day on the beach here in Eastham. It was beautiful but today I hurt my knee a bit.

Friday: Marty’s Birthday! I turned 33. In the morning Ray and I laid around reading while the ladies drove to the Atlantic Spice Company. Later we went to the beach one final time. For my birthday dinner we went to Red Barn Pizza and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream (I ran all week, lay off me) and I was surprised by Carie as she had invited our friends Steve and Amy MacArthur to join us for the evening. I was totally surprised. We hung out the rest of the evening, talking and laughing. Thanks to Facebook for reminding so many people it was my birthday.

Saturday: We packed up and went home. It was a great week.

Books I read on my vacation
The Appeal by John Grisham
The No Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus by John Cross

More tomorrow! I missed the blog world, but I loved vacation.

So today is my last day of blogging, because I’m going on vacation tomorrow, and I’ve decided not to bring my computer with me for the festivity of rest.  This will be the first time I haven’t blogged for more than a week since I started blogging in early October 2007, so it will be a welcome break.  Who knows, maybe I’ll come up with some fresh ideas for the blog. 
Thank you to all of you who read, subscribe, or just take a looksy at Martyholman.com.  I love writing stuff, and sharing back and forth.
Todays Friday afteroon at the Internet Video will be my last blog until Monday, August 25th. 
Until then, a few thoughts:

My height is not 5-2, It’s actually 6’3″. 5-2 is my people/week ratio.
Wanna help Claire?  Some crazy awesome people already have!
I will be microblogging using Twitter, which connects to my Facebook account.  You can follow me here.
I want to read two books, though I don’t know which ones yet, on vacation.  Any suggestions?
I’m so excited to be a part of Fellowship Church in Holden, Massachusetts!  I believe this fall is going to be one of the most amazing seasons we’ve ever seen at our church.  Just like I believe this summer has been.  We’ve been building community like never before, seeing people growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ, and I believe God is preparing us for something big.
My cousin, Jake is going to be playing at our church on Sunday, September 7th.  You will want to be here for that!

So that’s all for now. Thanks for reading and enjoying or not enjoying my written communication via the internet. 

Live Different!

And then it was just Carie and I. 

After church on Sunday, we went with a crew of people to Moe’s to eat and hang out.  Typically we have something to do afterwards like hang out with more people or play monopoly with friends or socialize in some way, but I was tired and we made no plans.

Monday rolls around and I have this big debate in my mind over what to do.  I had just watched the video for “Everything is Spiritual” by Rob Bell where he emphasizes the importance of resting on the day off, so I decided to take him up on the offer.

So I just rest.  Calm my mind and heart down.

It takes a while, you know?  With all the things we think about, all the things I could have been doing. Taxes, bills,cleaning, laundry (which I did do a bit of), planning, watching the tube, making calls, getting my much deserved haircut, going to Wal-Mart or Target to grab some items I need. 

Basically I could have run, did, shopped, made, achieved, read, watched, filmed, cleaned, prepared, moved…

But I knew I needed to rest.  To stop.  To breathe.  To be restored.

So, as it says hundreds of times in Scripture to do, I rested.

Later on in the evening, I had no choice but to play.  We had our 6th game last night in the new basketball league I’m in.  And I played.  I have to think a bit of playing after a good rest is just what is needed after a good mind resting.  The perfect transition to one’s mind being activated again.  It certainly helped, if nothing else, my ego to flourish, as I scored my first 20 point game of the season, and I did it against 6’6″ Massachusetts State Rep Lew Evangelidis.  But back to rest.

I don’t have the time or the capacity or the allowance in what I am as a follower of Christ to get too wound up, critical, tense, and  busy.  There’s too much at stake.  But there’s something about taking a time each week to allow my body, mind, and heart to relax that seems to bring balance to the things that I focus on.

So now it’s back to work for me.  But my hope is that more of us realize this important principle of rest, and how resting (and sometimes playing)prepares you and I for what lies ahead.