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.
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...
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...
I now realize that preparation for a long journey is just as important as the journey itself. I have been preparing the trip, getting the gear together, making sure that I have the right amount of the right stuff. Kelly and I were talking the other night, and I expressed my worry about forgetting something. She reminded me that if I continuously worry about forgetting something, I probably will. I have used guidelines posted by other motorcycle riders and campers when making my list, so hopefully that will pay off. I want to be "free" to experience the pilgrimage "by the Spirit," so I think it's important not to plan every segment of the trip. However, I have planned out a general route that begins here in Towson and goes North into New England then across the Northern US to Chicago then down historic Route 66 to California, Up the coast of California and then diagonally back across the US down through the Rockies toward Louisiana then down into Florida and...
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!...
Yesterday (7/19) I rode Route 66 diagonally through the wide “hot” state of Missouri across the Ozark Plateau. I broke out my cooling towel that I had stowed since lower Texas back in June. It started out well and got warm, up to 94°. Route 66 did not disappoint. Leaving Baxter Springs, I got to see some of the most “famous” Route 66 sights, the Rainbow Bridge, the Devil’s Elbow, and some other Old Road places. In one area, past Devil’s Elbow, it’s obvious that the original concrete pavement of the road still exists. I pointed it out in the video. The road was paved with a concrete conglomerate with the edges of the road turned up, no shoulder to speak of, weeds growing onto the road. We’ve got to remember that this was the first of its kind. When it was finished in 1938, it was the first highway to be completely paved from start to finish. I had no “meet ups” yesterday. The one thing I did was against my normal protocol. When I stopped for gas, the heat was really picking up, so I for...
When considering my next destination on Monday, yesterday 8/8 I decided to ride to Dodge City, Kansas. Yes, that Dodge City. No, I didn't see Marshal Dillon, Ms. Kitty, or Festus, but I did learn some great history of the old west and how Ft. Dodge became Dodge City and why they called the burial mound "Boot Hill." Dodge City was once home to the great lawmen of the west, such as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. The way I understand it, in the times of the conflicts between the US and Native Americans, the government wanted to deplete the buffalo herds so they invited a hunting "free for all." They thought this would cause the This caused every ragtag hunter within hundreds of miles to decend upon Ft. Dodge. Most of them took a liking to the many saloons. Fights would break out and then be taken to the streets. Someone would end up killed. If they were an unknown or of little means, then they would end up in a mass grave that was called Boot Hill. This was becaus...
Well, I got off to an interesting start. I spent the morning around the house with Kelly. We were watching the weather, hoping that the rain would let up. However, no luck! So, I ended up “rigging for rain.” Full rain gear, covers for the bags, etc… making sure everything stays nice and dry. I dislike riding in the rain, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. All in all it was a nice ride. Only one unintended “detour” (down a weird mountain road somewhere in backwoods Western North Carolina) but I quickly got back on the right track. The more I rode, the more the rain became virtually non-existent. It cleared up the closer I got to Salisbury, NC as I headed to my Son Kyle and his wife Kara’s house. About 80 miles out I stopped and took off the rain suit. Today, I’m thinking about fears. So many have approached me when preparing for the trip, scared for me being out there “on my own” on the open road. Fear is natural, we need fear sometimes to keep our selves from d...
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