The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 6:30-31, “The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.
31 And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.’ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)”

Retirement may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. When I come across old emails on my computer –emails from ministers who have long gone to be with Jesus— I tend to realize how busy I was over the years. The emails alone were not the “busy” part; they simply call attention to the multiple responsibilities I once attended. It is only now in “retirement” that I can truly understand the value of what Jesus meant when He said to His disciples, “Come away…and rest a while.”

For one thing, I have rediscovered the true value of reading. Surprisingly, those who appear to have been the busiest, are the ones who write the most. Reading is the opportunity to learn from those whose experiences with Christ occurred in times and places different from our own. Yet, our lives are enriched, as we observe them. Simultaneously, we are forced to acknowledge and dismiss those non-productive elements that waste our time.

I cannot imagine how busy Jesus and His disciples were! Yet, in the midst of the multitudes’ demands, they found time to minister and to produce Scriptural documents by which we now spiritually profit.

Reading “spiritually baptized” books enriches our lives! Of course, the Bible is the best. I would encourage you to read it daily. It enables the Spirit within us to produce rest, even as we read of the rushed and hurried Life of Jesus and His disciples! “Come on apart, and rest awhile; for those who don’t will surely come apart.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom