Weekend in Coos Bay, OR

It has been a fantastic weekend in Coos Bay, OR. I came into Coos Bay yesterday afternoon. The temperatures were a little cool but moderate. Traveling up Hwy 101 was a bit chilly. In some places the cross-winds were vicious! I always try to plant myself for 2 nights over the weekend. 
Today I enjoyed worship at the local Episcopal Church, Emmanuel. It was a wonderfully welcoming small parish in the heart of Coos Bay, and I was received warmly by the parishioners there. The worship at Emmanuel was inviting. They are "trying on" some different music to enhance their worship and had a survey form in the bulletin. This new music was played during the prelude and postlude. However, during the service, the hymns were out of Hymnal 1982. The Eucharist was Rite II prayer B from the Book of Common Prayer 1979. The rector, the Rev. Christie Erskine, is a wonderful story teller and rhetoric preacher. Her message was clear, and I won't be mixing up weeds and wheat anytime soon! 😉
Being a bit of a resort town, they are used to strangers in their midst. After worship I attended "coffee hour" at the invitation of a few folks who greeted me. I sat at coffee hour and talked to people who were more than willing to share recommendations for lunch and dinner at local restaurants. When I left the church I drove around the corner to 7 Devils pub and had a wonderful lunch, and for dinner I had a great Italian dish at Benetti's. The Italian restaurant is owned by an Emmanuel parishioner.

My thoughts linger around what Christie said about weeds and wheat. When they "grow up" together, we often don't know where one starts and the other begins. So are we as meshed in the world we are living in. We are wheat and the things of this world are the weeds. Our purpose is to be wheat, but be wheat that doesn't get tangled in the things of this world so that we are mistaken for weeds.


Challenge for Self: Ask myself the question about things I am doing: Am I being wheat? Or, am I being a weed? 

Challenge for Trinity: Is the Trinity community being wheat? Or, are they getting tangled in the mess of this world and being a weed? If we are to live as ambassadors of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be wheat in this world, then how do we go about tending the garden and get the weeds out (the stuff that doesn't produce good wheat)?




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This Week!

Getting Psyched! - Day 0

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May 1, 2022  It’s our first night. After church, Kelly took me at Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge, where we (Ken aka “Breadcrumbs,” and I) will spend the night. We hit the trail in the am after an 8 am breakfast. We decided to take a ride to the start of the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mt rather than do the approach trail. The lodge is nice. We both repacked our packs and did a double check of all our necessities.  I’m looking forward to the journey. I’m thankful that Ken and I are doing this together. We feel the prayers and support from everyone who knows about our trek.  I think about how we as humans are social creatures. We need each other. For me, part of what makes church a relevant part of life is the connection to other believers, helping care for one another. I pray that others feel the same way.  It’s getting late and the trail is going to be calling early. Happy Trails & Many Blessings! Ken+
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Getting Ready for the AT

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We are less than a week out from Ken and I beginning our trek northbound on the Appalachian Trail. I think I have packed, repacked, shaken down, and prepped about 3 dozen times. We've been talking back and forth, getting excited about our journey, talking about food and gear and bears and trees (personal joke).  I'm not sure I have many concerns. I am thankful that Ken will be with me. He has always felt like the older brother that I never had. We plan to go slow, listen to our bodies, savor the experience, and enjoy the trip. We have both wanted to do this for a long time, but I'm not sure we ever expressed it to one another. It was just brought up in a conversation about a year ago, so we said, "let's do this!" "Going for it" is something that I have always done in life. If you read the 2017 Sabbatical entries in this blog, you will see that I love adventure. The journey then was epic, and this one, though shorter, will be just as epic. I hope you ...
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A Day In Dahlonega, GA - Day 3

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May 4, 2022 We spent the day in Dahlonega, GA. Woke up VERY SORE with heavy legs. I had to shuffle to the other room. At breakfast, we met up with a man that was Ken's age who had spent the last year preparing, backpacking trips, and practicing and who had also come off the trail for similar reasons. He was having issues with heat exhaustion and extreme cramping.  I didn't remember a fun fact until our shuttle driver yesterday reminded me. An old Army Ranger saying goes, "Sassafrass will kick your ass!" It refers to Sassafrass Mountian, which is the assent that we didn't make yesterday before calling for a shuttle. On the other side, the Army Ranger School is at the bottom of Sassafrass Mountain. Now, it all makes sense. 😦 We have spent the day walking around Dahlonega, trying to work the soreness out of our muscles. Ken took his pack to the Wilderness store in Dahlonega to have the woman evaluate his gear. Mostly he was in good shape. We could have both shaved a...
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Day Two!

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Woke up wet!! There was a big rain storm last night so I had to pack wet. The tent kept me nice and dry. The morning I had to rig for rain, but ended up being a great riding day. The trip to NY was great. When I got to Gilbert Lake, I was excited that there was no rain in the forecast, so I opened up and hung everything out to dry. I decided to sleep under the stars... I bit nippy to do that at 51 degrees.     I have often said that it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. What we do on the journey, the people we encounter, the way we act, the lives we touch, the lives that touch us, the roads we travel, all have a formational piece to them. Our Christian life is about the journey (and sometimes we have to pack wet - knowing the soggy mess will be with us at the next destination.) So much for mixing metaphors. I have the versus in Exodus rolling around in my head every time I put up and take down a tent. The Israelites were a nomadic people when they ...
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Amarillo by Morning 🎶

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Well, maybe Amarillo by mid-afternoon! (Love the song! 🎵🎶) Today (7/10), I set out for Amarillo, Texas. It's hard to believe how far I've come in just a short week on Route 66. I've only been riding 5 out of the last 6 days since I picked up 66 in Chicago after leaving Kenny & Tania Miller's on July 5th. I've covered over 1,000 miles. The ride has been great! It has been confusing at times but great... As long as I study the map and read the guide book, all is well. I left this morning energized by the weekend with Bill & Barbara Fankhauser. It was a really great time. Also, the opportunity to connect with Bill Carroll was super, too. I hope it's not too long before I get to see all of them again. There is always lots to see on the road. Especially when you ride a motorcycle. I believe that you notice more because you are hyper-aware when riding. If you're not, you could crash. Constant attention demands all faculties focused on the road. Sometimes...
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Monday with the Mohegans

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Today instead of continuing west I went south, through Massachusetts into Connecticut to the Mohegan Tribe reservation in Uncasville. My Uncle Donald Tantaquidgeon lives in the senior housing complex. He is my maternal gradmother's sister's husband. So technically he is my Great Uncle by marriage, so unfortunately I am not Mohegan. I haven't seen him in many years and it was great to catch up with him. I also got to see his son, my cousin Lem.        My Uncle is among the elders of the Mohegan Tribe and refers to himself as "old school" with regard to tribal customs and cultures. He took me to the Tantaquidgeon homestead, which is now a museum that teaches about Native American and tribal culture. I saw recreations of the wigwam, fire circle, and canoe making. We also rode around the Mohegan Sun Resort Hotel and Casino. It is a beautiful facility. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my Uncle Don and learned more about him and his cultural heritage. I hope to r...
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Sunday at St. Columba's - Boothbay Harbor, ME

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It was a great morning at St. Columba's Boothbay Harbor, ME with the wonderful welcoming folks and their rector, a seminary buddy, the Rev. Maria Hoecker. Ironically it was Maria's last Sunday at St. Columba's prior to her sabbatical. She was able to score a Lily foundation grant for clergy renewal and will be gone for 4 months. I am happy for her and hope to follow her travels to Iona, Scotland, and England where she will retreat and engage in a study of Celtic spirituality.       I said that I wanted to pay attention and reflect on how I was received at different locations. The people at St. Columba's didn't know I was coming, nor did they know I was a priest. I wanted to blend in and be a visitor. I don't get to do that very often. It kind of scares me a bit... I was greeted with a warm smile and a welcome, the greeter/usher asked me where I was from. Like Trinity, they have "hand written" name tags so no one is isolated. However, they have a neat i...
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