According to God's Schedule

Celeste and I returned from a two week choir trip to China so late Friday night it was officially Saturday. We could have used three or four days to recover from the long flight, but as soon as we got to church Sunday morning we were reminded we had signed up to help restore some houses in Georgetown, Texas where we live.

Helping with the community restoration project was something I wanted to do, but what bothered me was that I hadn't written or worked on the book publishing project in more than two weeks. I didn't take a laptop with me and I didn't activate my iPhone in China. It was a two-week vacation from the Internet and all things digital. I felt a little proud, since I am sometimes criticized for spending too much time staring at a monitor or an iPhone.

Even so, I'd looked forward to our return home so I could get back to my computer. It wasn't to be. God decided I needed another week away from my routine.

The community restoration project work was from 6:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., and, with the 100+ degree heat, we were exhausted by the time we got home. After a shower and meal we were ready for sleep. Keep in mind we had not yet adjusted to the 13 hour time change.

It was a hard week. Yet, so fulfilling. There's something special about working, praying, and eating with people from several churches. There's a feeling of accomplishment that only a team of dedicated people can achieve in a short period of time.

I did some carpentry work, scraped paint, and cleaned up messes. I did chores that didn't require much thought. And I enjoyed them all.