It had been months since I felt so refreshed. The time spent with my wife and two teenage sons during the summer had been some of the best in recent memory: a week at a ranch in the mountains, a family reunion at the "YMCA of the Rockies," camping, canoeing, and cookouts—all added up to a summer filled with memories and much needed renewal.

As the summer ended, I anticipated our next church board meeting, when our church leaders could renew our fellowship and refocus for the fall. Our meeting began as refreshing as I had anticipated. However, I noticed an unusual item on the agenda: member concerns. After our fellowship, prayer time, review of the minutes, and a financial update, the board chairman introduced a member who had some concerns.

In the following minutes, this person complained about the amount of summer vacation the board had approved for me. This member said, "We need our pastor to be here during summer weekends because new people visiting the church want to hear the pastor, ...