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.
Yesterday (7/5) I rode from Santa Rosa to Monterey, CA. I decided to spend the weekend in Monterey and prepare for the trek up Route 66 from Santa Monica to Chicago, IL. It was a beautiful ride to Monterey with plenty of California beach scapes and the Golden Gate Bridge in all its glory and ominous cloud cover. It’s a bit chilly here in Monterey, with the high of just 62° and the low of 53°. Today I worshipped at St. Mary’s by the Sea in Pacific Grove. What a delightful place with a beautiful worship space. I was greeted warmly by members and made to feel at home. They extended true hospitality and invited me to participate in the ground breaking for the new labyrinth garden and cookout afterward. The service was a Rite III (Enriching Our Worship), but was very well done. The sermon was excellent. The Rev. Kristine Johnson is a fine preacher and it was great to hear a sermon that dealt with current events in the Gospel light. The location of the church is literally “by the sea.” ...
I’ve said before that preparation for a long journey is just as important as the journey itself. This time it’s been interesting. I have been preparing the trip, getting my gear together and making sure that I have the right amount of stuff. I’m packing much lighter than I did in 2017, and I feel that will be a blessing. A pilgrimage is about the journey rather than the destination. 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. There are places I’d like to go that I didn’t have the opportunity to go in 2017 because of weather or other obstacles. I have entitled the sabbatical: A Pilgrimage of Reconnection and Renewal: An Episcopal Priest’s Journey to the Four Corners. Therefore, I will attempt to reach the four corners of the contiguous United States on my journey and offer prayers at the four corners. I have planned out a route that begins here in Greeneville, TN and goes East...
Magnificent trees! The giant Sequoias were a sight to behold. I road to Sue-meg (sue-may) State Park near Trinidad, CA. Yes, I crossed into Northern California and I will be in California for the next few days. No intended connections today other than random campers who see my bike and the Tennessee plate and wonder if I rented it or rode it here. 😜 I assured them that I road it, I’ve got just over 7000 miles clocked into this pilgrimage. There’s something about camping I love. I’m not sure what it is… being outside, in nature, living off of the minimum, the set up/take down, making do with what you have. [sort pillow story: sleep systems are important! My camp pillow died (wouldn’t hold air any longer), so I had to wad up my hoodie sweatshirt as a pillow. It was awful! Yuck!! It’s not bad being on the mattress pad in a sleeping bag, but no pillow is the worst!] Anyway… I was raised camping and have camped with my family and scouts all my life. I want to talk a bit about the camp...
Today was WARM!!! It got up to 122° at the “heat of the day.” I stayed on 66 through the long stretch of the desert until I ran out of road! 😳 Rt. 66 was CLOSED at Kell Baker Rd. East to Essex for bridge repairs. I had to take Kell Baker Rd. North to I-40 and back to Rt. 66. Just added frustration to a very hot day. The day stayed tolerable with my “cooling vest” and lots of water. As plain as the desert is, it has its own beauty. There were no meetups today. Yesterday’s abundance made up for it. However, tomorrow I plan to see portions of my family who live in Las Vegas, NV. Therefore, I rode off of Rt. 66 up to Laughlin, NV and stayed overnight, preparing to ride to Vegas in the morning. I stayed at the Tropicana Laughlin (yes, a casino) that offered a very reasonable rate for a very nice room. The thing that had me “stunned” today was the road closure that I didn’t expect. Life sometimes throws us “road blocks” for one reason or another. Today’s reason was so that they could make r...
Yesterday, I road to Santa Rosa, CA, the heart of wine country. I’d taken the PCH before in 2017, so I decided to come down 101 into Santa Rosa. Grape vines EVERYWHERE! The ride today started off chilly, but warmed up as I approached the city. It’s amazing what concrete will do to ambient temperature. Beautiful landscapes of water, awesome bridges, cows, grape vines, etc… There is no question that this is wine country! I didn’t buy any wine because it would be difficult to carry on the bike. I decided to stay in Santa Rosa over the 4th and leave Saturday. This would keep me off the roads on the holiday. It also allowed me to get my stuff straightened out after two days of camping. So, today I washed clothes, repacked gear, washed bike, etc… (oh, and I got a new camp pillow at REI!) 😉👍 It feels good to decompress for a day, rest, and clean. Before I left the coast, I did find a Post Office in Eureka and mailed my first box home, mostly containing gear I didn’t need or want. This ...
Today I road from Port Angeles, WA to the Washington / Oregon Boarder at Camas, WA to the home of Gary and Mari Osterhage. Marni and I graduated from FMA together in 1985, so we’ve been friends for 44 years! It was good to spend the evening with Marni and Gary and catch up. Marni is a children’s pastor at a Four Square Gospel Church, so of course we talked shop for some of the evening. The ride today was great until just outside of Portland, OR headed to Camas, WA (on the boarder). I road down the Hood Canal (Hwy 101) and the Columbia River. Beautiful scenery. Marni and I were talking about God and relationship. She recently passed her licensing and ordination for her denomination, so she was telling me about her process. One of the questions was about Trinity. I shared with her the “master class” sermon that Heather Holland gave at St. James on Trinity Sunday. I appreciated when Heather told the congregation that the preacher would be better off sharing photos of Kittens during t...
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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