It occurs to me how easy it is to blur the lines between vacation and Solitude. We might assume that simply going away will give us rest, but that’s not always true. Just as walking into a gym doesn’t automatically make us fit unless we actually exercise, traveling somewhere on vacation doesn’t guarantee true rest unless we are intentional about it.

If what we long for is a restful vacation, then rest has to be more than a change of scenery—it has to come from the way we posture our heart. Perhaps that’s why we often hear people say, “I need a vacation from my vacation.” Without intention, rest slips through our fingers, and distraction fills the space that was meant for renewal.

Spiritual formation teaches us that real change begins deep within—heart, soul, mind, and strength. The disciplines of Jesus, such as Solitude, are not quick fixes or temporary escapes. They are Practices that gradually shape us into people who naturally live with Christ’s peace, no matter the setting.

Over time, these rhythms become part of who we are—not something we have to force, but a way of life that flows freely. This is the gift of the disciplines: they free us from the endless pull of busyness and distraction and lead us into a life that looks more and more like Jesus.

Seeing Through New Eyes

“I’m back in my backyard for Sabbath!” There’s something holy about this rhythm—returning to familiar ground, communing with God, finding my “temple in time” to worship and rest in Him.

As I sit here, I find myself reflecting on the blessings of these past weeks. Time with family at Aulani for Lori and Kevin’s birthdays, and a kind of “summer send-off” for Joshua before he leaves for college. On Kauai, Tammi was able to sleep in—something she hadn’t had the gift of for quite some time. That rest was needed, and it made those days peaceful, relaxing, even nostalgic. My love for Kauai runs deep, and being there reminded me once again of its beauty.

But what lingers most in my heart is seeing Joshua’s joy at Aulani. He was the one who drove us through heavy afternoon traffic last Thursday. When we finally pulled in, his voice lit up with excitement: “We’re here!” That tone carried more than just relief—it carried memory, meaning, anticipation. In his joy, I was reminded of the simple truth: sometimes we need to see life through someone else’s eyes.

The wonder of Disneyland through a child’s gaze, or the delight of Aulani through a 19-year-old’s fresh perspective—it reframes how we see our own surroundings. It renews our gratitude. And this is why Community matters so deeply. Family matters. We were never meant to see life only through our own limited view. God, in His kindness, places us in Community so that we may share perspectives, multiply joy, and together catch glimpses of His goodness that we might otherwise miss.

Sabbath, Solitude, Community—each teaches us to pause, to notice, and to see God’s blessings anew.  Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10, Hebrews 10: 24-25.

Pressing On in Grace

You know, for me, Scripture is often where I experience God’s nearness most deeply. And this week, the Spirit drew me again to Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12–13:

“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”

That passage gets right to the heart of spiritual formation. Paul is reminding us that our life with Christ is both effort and grace. We show up—through the Practices, through spiritual disciplines—and God works in us. We bring our intention, but the Spirit brings transformation.

Notice too, Paul says “you,” and it’s plural. He’s not writing to just one person. He’s saying this process of formation happens best in Community. And when he talks about “fear and trembling,” he’s not talking about living in terror—he’s talking about an openness, a reverence, a holy humility to let the Spirit shape us.

And then, in Philippians 3, Paul gets really personal. He says, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection, and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.” That word “know” isn’t just about information—it’s about relationship. It’s about being with Jesus. And when Paul talks about the power of the resurrection, he’s talking about living in the Spirit’s transforming strength day by day.

But here’s the part I love—Paul admits he hasn’t arrived. He says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, but I press on.” Even Paul—the apostle, the church planter, the man who wrote half the New Testament—says he’s still pressing on. That’s such good news for us. Grace always comes first. Jesus has taken hold of us, and our pressing on is simply our response to His love.

Paul goes on to say, “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.” Sometimes the greatest barrier to formation isn’t what lies ahead—it’s what we’re holding onto from the past. Hurts, failures, even successes that we cling to. To be formed into Christlikeness, we have to release those things, so we can receive the new life the Spirit is shaping in us.

This is the beauty of formation. It’s lifelong. It’s God’s work, and it’s our response. Grace initiates, effort participates, and the Spirit faithfully transforms.