I know that this is a tad early, but since your next vacation may be really borderline because of our economy, Congress and a flip of a coin, why not plan ahead? After all, a vacation can mean traveling to some exotic country, seeing your relatives once a year or simply staying home, reading those long forgotten books, repairing the roof and taking lots of naps.

I'll mention this, if anyone even thinks about visiting a foreign country, wait until you have seen the United States from one end to the other. Even if the gas prices balloon, see every state you can, only drive on the rural roads, eat where the locals eat and eat what they eat, ask those folks what's the best places to see around their town, take lots of photos and don't hurry.

For a short while, you can escape from the crazy world and reality. Try to not plan every stop, see every "must see" and throw money away at Las Vegas. Of course, people win some bucks, but most likely, it won't be you. Here's some words of wisdom: life can only be lived in the now! We can try to remember the past and the future happens in the now. Run that around in your mind.

Please don't wait for the future — since it will get here eventually — and when it gets here, it's over. The future is like a vacation. Work on that in your spare time.

Now it's time to think about planning. Not our plan, but what plans does God have for all those folks I know and love, and how about me, and how about you? What are we to God? There is a vast world out there and is God truly big enough to know every little detail in the huge scheme of things?

Let's get theological and mention that God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. I am trying to say that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all everything. That we can accept. We may not understand what all that means, but we know it means a whole lot more than we can comprehend. The problem most of us have with God's all-ness is, "Can God make Himself — I am being very careful here — small enough to know that we are individuals, or is God so huge that we are nothing more than specks of dust, a breath of air, a flicker of time or a fleeting thought?"

We can do this: turn to the heavens and imagine how vast the universe is and speak, hoping that God is listening to us. Does God listen just to me? How can He sort met out when millions and millions are praying at the same time? Some prayers might be great, some okay, some desperate and some just wishful thinking.

Some of you may know that I am using the thoughts of Psalm 8, the one I most love. Allow me some liberty to say that it could have begun with, "O Lord, our Lord, how extraordinary You are, how surprising You are, how truly amazing You are!" Looking at the stars on a clear night makes me feel pretty insignificant. I have a chart of our galaxy and try to imagine where my world is on that map. Our solar system is smaller than the pointy part of a pin lost among billions of other galaxies. Then, scientists tell us that my universe is expanding and my head begins to ache and I feel even smaller than before. No wonder the psalmist wrote, "Who am I that You know I exist and so how could You possibly care about me?"

Almighty God, what am I? What am I worth? What is it about me that makes You care for me, watch out for me and love me? The psalmist answers, "God has made us just a little bit like himself. He has given us glory and honor. He has given us dominion over everything!"

What does this mean? It means that we were born to be loved. Paul said it most powerfully, "When the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son to redeem us. God has sent the spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Father! Through God, we are not slaves, but sons and daughters. We are heirs. We are His children!"

We do not need time away from the everyday to refresh ourselves. Go outside and look to the heavens. It might be raining, overcast or just plain dark, but take with you the words of Psalm 8. God will give you the escape you have been searching for. "My child, I see you, hear you, know you and love you!"

Thanks, God!