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’s ride was clear and wonderful! Montana is truly the Big Sky state! The beauty of the colors does not come across in the pictures. I left this morning early and rode from Piedmont, SD to Billings, MT. I am staying with a new friend, the Rev. Gary Waddingham, a retired priest in the diocese of Montana. We were connected by my friend, Bishop Marty Stebbins (Bishop of Montana). I plan to arrive at her house tomorrow. I am grateful for Gary’s hospitality. Gary is cool. He’s an armature radio operator (ham radio). He’s got radio equipment and antenna’s everywhere. 😳 He’s definitely ready for the zombie apocalypse. 🤣 In all seriousness, since I’ve been in the Tennessee State Guard, I’ve developed a lot of respect for this type of hobby that is always an asset in times of disaster. It was a joy to sit and chat with Gary over dinner and talk about church. He’s been a priest for 50 years and is a treasure trove of information. On the ride today through the tribal lands of the indig...
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...
I went to worship this morning with Anne & Will at St. Martin’s - Metairie, LA. It was an enjoyable Trinity Sunday and a treat to worship with Anne and Will. The Church was a beautiful and welcoming space. The people at St. Martin’s were very friendly and hospitable. Magnificent Carved Doors The service was a Rite II Eucharist (Prayer B). I was struck by some of the simple liturgical differences. Good, just different (not my style). They sang some hymnody out of Lift Every Voice and Sing (I love that hymnal!) The sermon was interesting and engaging. Overall, a great worship experience. Anne and Will seem very happy there. After church we went to the Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art in the park and walked around. It was a beautiful garden park with awesome art creations on display. Needless to say, New Orleans is hot and humid this time of year and subject to pop-up thunderstorms in the mid afternoon. Tomorrow, I leave for Texas. It has been a...
Today I headed to Freeport, FL to see more family. My cousin Keith (retired COL USAF) and his wife Kim and my uncle Roland (mom’s brother) and aunt Julieanne live in Freeport. The day started off with breakfast with an old friend, Rusty Burke. Rusty and I attended Frederick together in the 80s (yes, over 40 years ago!). He runs a Karate school in Tallahassee. It was great to see him. The last time we connected was 9 years ago when I came to Florida for a short vacation. After a short time with Rusty, chatting and catching up, I headed out to Freeport. I thanked the good Lord it wasn’t raining. I believe it’s rained more this trip than it did all of the 2017 trip (but I did have some significant rain days). Anyhow, it was a beautiful trip until the last 10 miles, then rain! 🌧️ I arrived in rain gear, and was greeted by my cousin and his wife. It was great to see them, spend time with them and catch up. We went over to see my uncle and aunt and then went back to their home an...
This past week I’ve been riding the historic Route 66. From Santa Rosa, New Mexico, I crossed into the top of Texas (7/16), then to the middle of Oklahoma (7/17), into the corner of Kansas (7/18). In Texas, I had lunch again at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX. I ate there in 2017 when I was west bound. The place is full of nostalgia and signs. They are dedicated to keeping the memory of the mother road alive. The “Midpoint” is exactly 1139 miles in and equidistant between Santa Monica and Chicago. In Oklahoma, I crossed myself in Oklahoma City and was invited to spend the evening with the Fankhouser’s again on my way through. The scenery changes quickly on Route 66. Different towns offer different levels of preservation or dilapidation, depending on the circumstances. The landscape goes from high dessert to rolling hills, to flat prairie. Lots of agriculture and small towns. The Americana of yesteryear lurks in the shadows of neon gardens and museums. The “old road” is barely pass...
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...
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