Thinking about God while keeping my feet (& wheels) on the ground!
Georgia Bound!
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Got up this morning and walked around down by the marsh. Needless to say it was beautiful. After I broke camp, I loaded up. Not liking the look of the hazy sky, I put the rain covers on the bags. Wet luggage is something that I learned how to deal with the hard way in 2017. I took off for Georgia headed to Kingsland which is south of Savannah.
I road to Mt. Pleasant and decided to have breakfast. I met up with Jim Brown who recently moved to Mt. Pleasant from Greeneville, TN and was a member of St. James. We chatted over breakfast and enjoyed some coffee. It was great to see him again.
When I got to West Ashley, I stopped for gas and it started to spit rain. (Glad I covered the luggage!) I donned my rain suit and off I went. The whole ride was periods of wet, dry, rain, wet, rain, dry, rain (you get the picture).
I was able to connect with another friend from my past, Amy Cadawader and her family. Amy and I have known each other for at least 53 years. From elementary school on. We’ve kept up over the years. The last time I saw Amy and her family was 2015 on a vacation to Florida when I came through Kingsland. They picked me up for dinner after I had a chance to dry off, have a much needed shower, and change. Seafood! Yummy, coastal, Georgia, seafood!
I’ve said before that this sabbatical is about re-connections and relationships. It’s not just about reminiscing about the past. I am intentionally connecting with folks, who through the years have supported me, prayed for me, cried with me, laughed with me, helped me, as well as people who I’ve influenced, prayed with, cried with, laughed with, etc.
As followers of Jesus, we are “communal,” which means our relationships with one another matter to the point that our faith depends on it. I’ve heard it said that people are in your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Many start out as reasons for a season, but often end up lifetime connections. I cherish these connections in my life. They give me great joy.
This past few Sundays, we’ve heard the bulk of the farewell discourse in the Gospel according to John. (Chapters 14-17) Jesus prays… “As you Father, are in me and I am in you, may they (speaking about his disciples / followers) also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.” As believers, we are part of one another in Christ, part of the movement or faith community we call the church. We are part that is left in the world to prepare the world for reconciliation, when all creation will be made anew.
Challenge to St. James: Think about creative ways to build long lasting relationships. If we are truly part of one another in Christ, it should be pretty easy to find a starting point. I’ve seen several new faces on Sunday morning. Please make sure that we take the time to get to know them and they get to know us.
Challenge to Self: Continue to reconnect throughout the sabbatical and throughout your life. The people you are connecting with are made in the image of God and you are part of them and they are part of you and you both are part of God in Christ.
Today I rode to Nebraska. I don’t think I have ever been in Nebraska. If so, it was just to drive through or fly over. I remember back in January when Bishop Cole visited St. James, he talked about those “fly-over” states. I think he was actually talking about Omaha, Nebraska. Anyhow, I think this is my first time in Nebraska. I’m staying the night at a small quiet motel on the edge of town. It’s a sweet little gem. The ride in was quite enjoyable, starting out at 74° and ending up about 68°. The weather is supposed to start changing (rain and storms) so I’m going to watch it closely. In the video, you can actually see the sky changing. Today, I was mostly thinking about “fly-over” mid-west/western states that are full of pasture and farmland. About every 12-25 miles, I would pass through a small town. About every 6 to 7 miles, I would see a house or a barn in the distance. The terrain changed today from ultra flat to rolling hills. The winds were not as bad as yesterday. What was inte...
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 ...
I am trying to do things on my sabbatical that take my mind off the millions of things I deal with in my normal routine. What I have noticed, so far, is that I am a creature of habit. I like routine. I appreciate rhythm. So, what happens is that I get into the rhythm for the task... Packing, riding, cooking, camping... it's all a process. What most people probably don't realize is that I like to camp. Kelly and I like to camp. Kelly grew up camping. I grew up camping (thanks mom & dad who are in there 70s and still camp). I also like to ride. However, motorcycle camping is much different. It's like fast backpacking! :) That's the closest description I could come up with. It is a it out of the comfort zone (intentionally). But, I'm getting the hang of it. We do what we like to do, but we should always push the boundaries a bit... Get out of the comfort zone. I'm not sure it was easy for Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave the fishing trade and...
Friday, 6/27, I rode from Helena, MT to Clarkston, WA through the Clearwater canyon. Beautiful scenery and 100+ miles of nice smooth winding roads (aka “twisties”). Truly a motorcyclist’s dream. I enjoyed HWY 12 through Clearwater in 2017 going in the opposite direction. It was better this time, from the ascent to Lolo Pass into Idaho and then along the river. The pictures are good but don’t do it justice. I stayed the night in Clarkston, resting up for the long Saturday ahead where I will go diagonally across Washington State. (I road the Cascades last time I was out here). Yesterday was a beast and I was beat! So glad today was a rest day. Very thankful. I road from Clarkston to Port Angeles, WA. (Yes I crossed the Puget Sound on the ferry!) Beautiful ride all around… taxing when going through Seattle and Bellevue. The traffic was miserable. View of the Olympic Mts on the way to church. I was good to be with Gail and Doug Wheatley and their family again. The last time I sa...
Today was a lazy Saturday. Definitely a rest day! I met up with Bishop William Gregg who is retired and living in Salisbury. He is the bishop that ordained me to the priesthood. Throughout my ordained life, he has been a wonderful mentor and friend. We met at lunch at a place called Recipe downtown Salisbury. It was great to spend some time with him and catch up. The afternoon was spent with Kyle figuring the materials it would take to fix/build his fence, I washed the bike for tomorrows ride, and had some quiet time around the house. Kyle and Kara have a bit of a zoo: 3 Cats and 2 Dogs. Peaches, Mopar, Bella, Shelby, and Yami. Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s the celebration of the time that Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth when they were both pregnant; Mary with Jesus, and Elizabeth with John who will be known as John the Baptizer. If you remember the account from Luke 1:39-57, when Mary greeted Elizabeth, John “leapt” fo...
I’m not sure the complete reason for the infatuation I feel for the Historic Route 66. When I traveled 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica in 2017, I spoke a bit about the “sacredness” of the road… about how traveling the road connected me to something from the past and something other than myself. I prayed the Litany of Supplication at the 3rd Corner of these contiguous United States, asking God to guide us to peace and reconciliation. One of the main treats of today was meeting up with my classmates and friends, Pete Ince and Bobak Montemedi. It was very cool to get together with them at Ye Olde King’s Head, a restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd. just up from the West End of 66. Pete, Bob, and I graduated from Frederick Military Academy together 40 years ago. With this as the year of our 40th, and them not able to make the reunion in August, I felt it was a real honor to see them. We enjoyed stories of yesteryear and bringing each other up to date with what’s going on in our lives. Like...
This morning I woke up in Fort Pierce, FL ready for a “short” ride to Homestead, FL. By short, I mean less than my 270+ mile jaunts that I’ve been doing over the last few days. Today’s ride was 166 miles, and yes, it was hot. As I traveled through the Everglades, it almost felt as if I were looking as the same scenery over and over again. LONG STRAIGHT ROADS and a humid 93°! I learned in 2017 how to ride in the heat, so I had my “cooling towel” which kept my body temperature down, and yes, I stayed hydrated. Some forget that Florida is the home of Gatorade 🐊 which was created by the Univ. of Florida for their football team. (wait, does Florida have a football team?) 🤔 I arrived in Homestead about 1:30 p.m. and cooled off, walked to the nearest store to get some minor supplies, and chilled out for a bit. I plan to stay here 2 nights, and I will ride “empty” (aka free of luggage) to Key West and back tomorrow (200 mile RT) and pray the “First Corner” of the four corners of my sabbatica...
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