Northern Cascade Loop

After speaking to two Gentlemen at St. Andrew's, today (7/31) I decided to take the route through the Northern Cascade Loop. This would require riding to Port Townsend and taking the ferry to Whidbey Island on Route 20 and staying on 20 over Deception Pass through the Northern Cascade mountain range. That is exactly what I did!! What a beautiful ride. Plenty of turns and twists, elevation climbs. Lots of other bikes! I stopped at the Northern Cascade National Park Visitor's Center, then I rode all the way to the little town of Winthrop, WA where I set up camp at the KOA. I met a nice young couple and their two children at the campground.
My thoughts today are on perception. I love the fact that people don't expect me to say that I am a priest. I don't know if you have noticed, but my beard is in, I'm mostly in rider neon, or a Harley t-shirt and jeans. It was very cool talking to this young couple, and then (inevitably) the topic comes around "what do you do?" When I tell them that I am an Episcopal Priest, they say, "wow, I didn't expect that." I always follow up with, "what did you expect." We went on to laugh and share a bit about how people are seen in their normal roles and how the caricature in our heads about how a certain person in a certain role should look doesn't always match up with fact. What's worse, is once they find out you're a priest, the conversation changes (or immediately cleans up). This didn't happen with this couple. The conversation remained on par. But, this has happened to me about 20-30 times this trip! 9/10 times, people can reconcile the fact that they have seen a priest in "normal" clothes!

The way I dress and what I drive (or ride in this case), doesn't make me less of a priest. It does, however, bring a sense of "normalcy" to the vocation. That priests are "real people" too! Needless to say, I love throwing people off-guard. It has been enjoyable traveling incognito, and then sharing my journey via casual conversation. Most are interested in this blog, so I have taken great care to protect the innocent! 

Jesus was a great teacher and went from town to town teaching and preaching. I don't think he was dressed any differently than other folks in the town. This is something to think about. Now, for my SCP brothers and sisters who may be reading this, I'm not saying that we should do away with clerical clothing, but I do think we need to think a lot about how people perceive us when we wear that clothing.


Challenge to Self: Stay Real, stay grounded! Remember that the outfit doesn't make you a priest! AND Not wearing the outfit (wearing regular clothes) shouldn't change who you are as a priest.

Challenge to Trinity: Ask yourself these questions: How do you perceive clergy? Is it by the way they dress? Is it by the way they carry themselves? Do you expect them to be "normal?" Do you act different once you find out they are clergy? 

Comments

Post a Comment

This Week!

Missouri on Route 66

Image
Today (Friday) I road across the state of Missouri, from St. Louis to Joplin. Yesterday evening in St. Louis, it was nice to have dinner with a friend (Kelly Saveika) that I haven't seen since we were in high school. We have know each other since elementary school. Life has taken us in different directions, and we keep up on Facebook, but for a couple of hours it was good to connect in person. Tomorrow I get to meet up with my former college roommate, Bill Fankhauser. Bill and I went to the Citadel together (Regimental Band - Class of 89). He and his wife have invited me to spend the weekend with them. So I ride tomorrow from Joplin, MO, through the little corner of Kansas to Oklahoma City, OK. Connecting with friends from years ago really enlightens the journey. It's not just the road that I am on... It's not just the old towns and the interesting countryside of things from what was once the "mother road." It's the people... the lives of those who make up my
Read more

Ohio!

Image
The last couple of days have been interesting! I left Niagara Falls on Thursday 6/29 and rode to central Ohio where I stayed at Lake Wapusun Campground in Shreve, OH that is run by my wife's cousins, Mark & Lisa Everitt. The night there was rough!! Right after I made camp, a storm front came through about 8:30pm and it RAINED and THUNDERED until 7:00am. My little 2 person REI tent is a CHAMP! I emerged nice and dry. However, I had to pack wet again. (It seems like it's becoming routine!) -  see the reflection on packing wet       Nonetheless, the ride to Toledo on 6/30 was outstanding! The weather was not too hot, not too cool, not raining. I rode to Signature Harley Davidson, where I met up with General Manager, Kris Friar (another of Kelly's cousins). I was able to spend the evening with Kris and she took me to Tony Packo's, a famous Hungarian Food place in Toledo, OH. I stayed over at Kris' and left the next morning. Guess what... another storm came th
Read more

God's Paintbrush!

Image
Today, I experienced the unexpected! I knew that the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert were in Arizona, but I didn't know where. Who knew they were on Route 66. In fact, I learned that Route 66 once went right through the Petrified Forest prior to it becoming a National Park and protected by the US Government. The ride in from Albuquerque, NM was great! I crossed the NM continental divide at 7200 feet.   I took a "detour" through the National Park and drove down to where 180 goes into Holbrook. It was beautiful. The pictures really don't do it justice. The colors were vivid. It really looked like God took out the paintbrush and said, "I think I will add some color here in the middle of nowhere!" I can really feel the climate changing. It's getting much warmer. I am looking forward to this weekend! I will be in Kingman, AZ and plan to see some folks that I haven't seen in a very long time! My thoughts for today are on the glimmers of grace
Read more

Down to the South East Corner of Washington

Image
It's Tuesday (8/1) and I am officially 1/2 way (6 weeks) into my sabbatical. Today I rode from Winthrop, WA down to the South East Corner of the state, Clarkeston, WA. It was hazy, due to fire activity in Idaho. I also experienced some remnants of forest fires where it looks like 1000+ acres were burned. As the ride progressed, it got warmer and warmer, until I got to Clarkeston where it was 103 degrees! Glad I'm in for the night with AC! On the way out, I stopped for coffee at Blue Star Coffee Roasters in Whisp, WA. This was recommended by the young couple this morning as I was packing up camp. It was a very good choice!! Great cup of coffee. The ride took me along the Columbia River and finally crossing the Snake River into Idaho then back into Washington. It reminded me of the saying, "you can't get there from here!" If you're from South Carolina, you know what I am talking about. Today's thoughts and concerns are about fire and the devastati
Read more

Getting Psyched! - Day 0

Image
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+
Read more

Seaside Monday!

Image
Today (7/24) I rode from Coos Bay, OR to Seaside, OR. Talk about a cold ride! This one was really cool with the cross winds and overcast. I don't think I saw the sun but twice. I tend to take more pictures when the sun is out, so the bulk of the pictures from today include sunshine. The ride up Hwy 101 and the coast of Oregon was great, even though it was cold and overcast. At one time, I felt wet from all the sea spray. So, not every day has been the bliss of sunshine! Hmmm... it reminds me of life. While the good days definitely outnumber the bad, I've had my share of clouds. I think that the clouds are what help us appreciate the sunshine. It's the gloomy pieces that make the bright pieces so much more enjoyable. Church life is not any different. Church is a messy place sometimes. It isn't all sunshine and daffodils. Sometimes there can be real challenge and real hardship for the community, but if the community is living for Christ, then it is possible to get thr
Read more

Walking in Memphis (for the Weekend)

Image
But do I really feel the way I feel? 🎶 (thank you Marc Cohn - now I have that song stuck in my head!) Well, for me, it was more like "drying out in Memphis." Friday 8/11 was one of the most wet rides I have had. 250 miles in the POURING rain. I was soaked! Luckly the dry bag and the rain gear works. I was only going to stay in Memphis for the evening and head out to Sewanee on Saturday and spend the bulk of the weekend there. However, I was wet and tired, so I decided to stay for a couple of days - mostly to rest and dry out. I didn't take many pictures on the ride because it was so nasty. I spent Saturday sleeping in and not riding. I walked to the local IHOP resturant for brunch and I just chilled... much needed. No, I didn't go to Graceland and I didn't see the ghost of Elvis. Let the poor man Rest In Peace. On Sunday, I did attend worship at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. Big Place! Lots going on. They have just completed a capital cam
Read more