Long time no post!

Greetings faithful readers.    I promise that our Christmas letter is in process and will soon be posted.  Heck, we’re going all out and putting up some pictures too! 

Until then… check out this post

http://christinekane.com/blog/word-of-the-year-wonder/

 

Post-Pilgrimage?

Communion at the Sea of Galilee

I’m not sure one can ever be “post pilgrimage” which is the beauty of this experience, I suppose.  I find myself answering the inevitable question, “how was your trip?,” with three words that cannot even begin to capture my two weeks:  it was amazing. 

I began this journey with the words of Herman Haggedorn – keep open, oh keep open, my eyes, my mind, my heart but what became so formative for me throughout the journey in Galilee were the words from the song we sang as we “cruised” the Sea of Galilee – Jesus draw me close, closer Lord to you.  Let the world around me fade away…  Wow, did it ever.  I had identified what I needed from this journey without even realizing it in my application: 

There will always be more that can be done:  people to visit, letters to write, staffing situations to resolve, sermons and bulletins to prepare but what must happen first is the nurturing of my own relationship with the God who has called me to this place.

I was given the gift of making that connection anew.  On our first full-day in the Galilee, Deb (a Lutheran pastor from the Atlanta area) begain reading from Matthew 14:13 now when Jesus heard this…  The tears welled up as I realized that I was here… my feet were on the land, I was breathing the air and I there was nothing I HAD to do other than be. 

Each day was filled with new connections – with my own soul, with the biblical text as it literally came to life as we walked in Holy places (more the land than the churches that have been built to mark them), with pilgrims whose paths we crossed each day (a group from Nigeria became our “choir” as they would often be singing), with the fellow pilgrims in my group (I haven’t laughed and cried that much in a long time!) – it was an experience that will live within me and shape me for years to come. 

I really don’t think the CF Foundation will ever fully understand how transformative this gift is and will be for me.

 

On the plane to Atlanta there was a quote from John Steinbeck that captured the experience:  A journey is like a marriage.  The certain way to be wrong is to think you can control it.  It was a reminder to me that I didn’t need to be in control – and I was surprised how easily I gave that up.  The synchronicity of watching this man on the plane get so worked up with one of my fellow pilgrims as he listened to his IPOD while we were taxiing and wanting to control him was a not-so-gentle nudge that I do the same darn thing in so many ways.  And here I was on a trip where I didn’t have to control others! 

 

Nancy shared a poem with us before we left that concluded with these words:

For each of us there is a desert to travel

A star to discover

And a being within ourselves to bring to life

The gift of life – it can indeed happen without returning to the womb.    

There are more musings to bring to life, including some thoughts about the political strife that you breath and live when walking through Jerusalem.  Those are for another time.

 Oh, and the pictures will eventually be on our smugmug site.  Stay tuned!

 

Pilgrimage

On Sunday I depart for a two week pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  Early in the fall an email came across my screen with an invitation to apply for this experience.  “Might as well give it a try”, I told Jeff.  Along with 19 other mid-career pastors, I will spend a week at the Sea of Galilee at the Scots Hotel and a week in Jerusalem where we will explore different sites each morning.  Each afternoon will be free for reflection, journaling, prayer, and resting.  We’ll meet with our small groups each day and with the group as a whole each evening for reflection.  I’ve done my reading, made my packing list, prayed, pondered and now it is upon me.  To be honest, I’m not sure what to expect.  A friend of mine has asked me two questions:  what am I most looking forward to and what am I most anxious about?  There is so much to both responses that I’ve yet to narrow down an answer for her. 

In the meantime, I keep thinking of this quote from Herman Hagedornn I have used when leading groups and pray that I might use it for myself during this pilgrimage:

Keep open, oh keep open, my eyes, my mind, my heart. 

 

If you are interested, here is my itinerary:

Day 1 – February 17
Depart:  Cleveland to Atlanta to Frankfurt to Israel.  I’m tired already!   

Day 2 – February 18
Arrive at Lod Airport and drive directly to the retreat location in Galilee, The Scots Hotel.. Theme: Thanksgiving and awareness through prayer, listening, seeing. Group worship. Introduction of the big question: “God, why am I here?” 

Day 3 – February 19
Walk a trail to the top of the Cliff of Arbel for a panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee. Visible in the distance are the Plain of Gennesaret, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes and Tabgha.  Descend the trail and drive to Capernaum. Theme: “Walking” as a practice in prayer, meditation, and spiritual formation. Overview of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. Scripture:  Mt. 4:18-22, Mt. 9:33-50. 

Day 4 – February 20
Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha (traditional site of the loaves and fishes), and the Chapel of the Primacy of Peter (traditional site of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples while they were fishing, “Cast your nets on the other side.”) Theme: Jesus feeds us. Scripture:  John 21:1-24, Mt. 14:13-21. 

Day 5 – February 21
Journey to Kursi on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee (traditional site where Jesus healed the demoniac and cast the demons into swine) and return across the sea by boat. Theme: Stilling the storms of life.  Scripture:  Luke 8:22-25, John 6:16-21.  (I am leading worship this day). 

Day 6 – February 22
Drive through Galilee to Nazareth and, after exploring Nazareth, return by a different route that offers a better view of Mount Tabor (traditional Mount of Transfiguration). Theme: The Pilgrim from Nazareth.  Scripture:  Luke 2:39-40 and 51-52, Mt. 13:53-58. 

Day 7 – February 23
Drive north to Banias (Caesarea Philippi) and the foothills of Mount Hermon. Along the way pass Tell el-Qedah, the site of ancient Hazor. Scripture:  Mark 8:27-30, Mt. 16:13-20 

Day 8 – February 24                                                                                                                 Sunday morning worship. Spend the day in Galilee.  Sabbath rest and evening communion. 

Day 9 – February 25
Transfer from Galilee to Jerusalem.  The drive is not so long, but there are three important places to visit along the way:  Megiddo (Armageddon), Mount Carmel, and Caesarea.  Theme:  “This is the day the Lord has made.”  Scripture: Psalms 120-134. 

Day 10 – February 26
Morning walk into Jerusalem: from Mount of Olives via the Garden of Gethsemane and the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  Theme: Praying in the Garden, touching the tomb.  Scripture: Mark 13:32-52, Mark 15:1-39. 

Day 11 – February 27
Jerusalem. Garden Tomb, the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu on Mount Zion, and the Western (Wailing) Wall. Theme: City of David.  Scripture: Mark 14:53-72 

Day 12 – February 28
Morning excursion to Bethlehem.  Theme: “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”  Scripture: Luke 2:1-20. 

Day 13 – February 29
Full day excursion to the Dead Sea (Masada, Qumran, Jericho.) Theme: The two seas of the Jordan. Scripture: Luke 10:25-37. 

Day 14 – March 1
Free time.  Closing service/session for the experience. Theme: The Journey of Faith. Why did God want you here? What is God calling you to do? 

Day 15 – March 2                                                                                                                       Arrival in Atlanta and then home to Cleveland.  Yeah!

 

Grateful…

 

 

 

• wonderful church leaders who seek ways to be faithful with the many decisions that come before them… and love to laugh!
• a sunny day
• a first-grader who loves to read – I often discover a pile of books next to her bed that she has read after we’ve tucked her in for the night. 
• a short commute!  I’m not kidding – I absolutely love that (although I don’t listen to near enough NPR anymore!)
• friends… here… there…
• opportunities to travel

Tonight Katie and I sat on the couch and listened to “Grateful” while flipping the pages.  I couldn’t help but get a bit teary as I watched and listened to my daughter sing:

I’ve got a roof over my head
I’ve got a warm place to sleep
Some nights I lie awake counting gifts
Instead of counting sheepI’ve got a heart that can hold love
I’ve got a mind that can think
There may be times when I lose the light
And let my spirits sink
But I can’t stay depressed
When I remember how I’m blessed
Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly gratefulIn a city of strangers
I got a family of friends
No matter what rocks and brambles fill the way
I know that they will stay until the endI feel a hand holding my hand
It’s not a hand you can see
But on the road to the promised land
This hand will shepherd me
Through delight and despair
Holding tight and always there

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful

It’s not that I don’t want a lot
Or hope for more, or dream of more
But giving thanks for what I’ve got
Makes me happier than keeping score

In a world that can bring pain
I will still take each chance
For I believe that whatever the terrain
Our feet can learn to dance
Whatever stone life may sling
We can moan or we can sing

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed
And duly grateful

Truly blessed
And duly grateful.

~John Bucchino

 

 

 

Ch-ch-changes

update:   My mom and brother have filled me in on some details.  My grandmother was born in 1890 (wow) and she worked as a hotel housekeeper to keep her family afloat. 

Last night at our weekly Mexican food fix with friends, Jeff posed this ponderable:

A man and his son were in a terrible car accident.  The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the boy was rushed to the hospital.  The ER doctor came into the trauma room and announced, “I cannot treat this patient because he is my son.” 

Who is the doctor?*

Folks were stumped… but when that ponderable is posed to a group of high schoolers or college students they look confused because the answer is so obvious to them. 

This past Sunday (August 26) was the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The 87th anniversary giving women a right to vote.  To vote!  1920.  Amazing. 

My grandmother, Edythe Davis, was 20 when this happened.  I wonder what she thought of the struggle.   She was a milliner - she made those funky hats seen in the pictures of the time.  I don’t remember much of my paternal grandmother, I was Katie’s age when she died.  I remember playing at her house with a shoebox filled with toys – wooden thread spools, this little circular cage with a small hole for marbles, a little plastic doll.  She lived in an apartment in L.A. without much yard.  To be honest, visits to Grandma’s house were not all that exciting.  It probably had more to do with the reality that visits to my maternal grandparent’s home was filled with swimming (they had a pool), fireworks (they lived 3 blocks from Disneyland) and lots of wild adventures (they even made shopping for groceries a thrill – I’m not kidding!). 

But it is my Grandma that I was reminded of when I read the news about the anniversary of the 19th amendment.  I wish I’d been old enough to ask her about it.  To hear her perspective on it all.  I wonder where she stood on the issue.  She was divorced when it wasn’t socially acceptable.  She raised my dad, aunt and uncle pretty much by herself I guess on the money she made from selling hats.  She was independent, strong, and like a good Davis, stubborn.  I’m grateful to her and to the women and men who fought long and hard to make the right to vote a non-issue for me. 

Things change – sometimes too slowly.  I hate (yes, Mom, I use that word intentionally) that Katie will still face walls because of her gender but I am grateful for my grandmother for changing life for me and for Katie. 

Oh,  the doctor in Jeff’s ponderable?  The son’s mother.  Yep, a woman doctor.  What’s next, women preachers? 

 

Jeff is Forty-Five

I have a personal tradition on my birthdays.  At some point in the day I pull out my journal and write an entry titled “On Turning Forty-Five” (adjust title for particular age).  I usually write with a fountain pen — it forces me to slow down and make my words be intentional.  In this journal entry I reflect on the past year and pen some of my thoughts and dreams about the coming year.  It is fun to go back and read some of these missives.

Today I turn forty-five.  I guess I have actually already “turned” since I am now 45.  NOT turned, however, in the way a wine or old piece of fruit or milk left too long in the refrigerator “turns.”  I assume I haven’t because Kerri is very sensitive to expiration dates.

 

I got glasses for this birthday.  Except for the brief time in my later youth that I wore a single contact lens following an eye injury (I got hit by a waterballoon on the day of high school graduation practice), I have been free of vision correction.  Interesting phrase, “vision correction.”  To correct something is to fix it.  Or write in red ink all over it.  Neither of those has happened with my new spectacles.  When I wear them things are in focus.  Take them off and I’m back to the old blurry world.  My vision hasn’t been corrected, with the aid of glasses it has been “assisted.”  However, since I have turned forty-five, I don’t much care for the word “assisted.”  Only one word shy of “assisted living” — something I hope to avoid for another 45 years.  (Don’t laugh at me — it’s my birthday and I am allowed to dream!)

These glasses, with their stylish “Polo by Ralph Lauren” frames, were a shock to my near-middle age (remember, it’s my birthday).  I went from no “vision correction” to TRIFOCALS.  My grandmother only ever had to have bifocals.  They call them “progressive” lenses.  Maybe by wearing them I will be able to end homelessness, avert world hunger, and figure out universal health care.  (That is what “progressive” means, right?  I’m just glad I wasn’t prescribed something from the other end of the political spectrum — I’d rather be blind.  Or maybe that IS what it means to not be progressive…  I’ll stop now.)

All kidding aside, I am grateful for the gift of another year.  Forty-four was a great year.  We moved and started a new co-pastorate.  We have fallen in love with a new congregation and staff.  We transformed a house that we purchased into a comfortable home.  We have made a whole village of new friends.  I have been 100% back to health (years 40-43 included a long journey with meningitis).  I am more in love with my wife and daughter than ever before.  There were many times in the past year when I was able to be with friends from around the country, often in our Presbyterian circles of connection.  I cooked some fabulous meals (two stand out — the wild mushroom stuffed filet mignon and the braised veal shanks), drank some great wine, and shared wonderful conversations around the table.  I had one of the best doctoral seminars ever — thanks to Barbara Brown Taylor and a magical group of colleagues in the course.  We made some memorable trips (Niagara on the Lake in Ontario is wonderful!) and provided some good leadership at events (keynoting Montreat Youth Conferences again was a highlight).  We learned how to live in snow.

Forty-five was a great year.  My prayer is that as I start my forty-sixth year it will be equally full of great experiences.  But even more, I hope that the coming year is a time of cherishing.  I want to be aware of and cherish the moments in each day.  I have the time to slow down a bit.  I hope that (in addition to the new glasses) I have the wisdom to see what God is doing in, around, and through me… and to cherish the gift of the days ahead of me.

Here’s to a great year, and the year to come!

This entry was originally posted in Jeff’s blog:  revjavadude’s cafe

 

How to Reply and Enter the Conversation

Replying to blog postings is your chance to become involved in a conversation or to just leave a comment.  And it’s easy to do.  Here are simple instructions to leave a reply on this blog:

1.  Click the title of the blog posting.  That will open the posting in a new window.  Looking at the posting this way will give you:
     a.  The original blog message
     b.  Any comments that have been left for this message
     c.  A “Reply” box for you to write your comments

2.  Type your comments in the Reply box, then enter your name (or a screen name – this gets posted on the blog), your email address (this does NOT get posted on the site), and a link to your website if you have one.

3.  Click the Submit button.  You’re published on a blog!

 

First Day of Vacation

Today is the first day of our vacation.  It’s raining.  It rained all night.  It’s supposed to rain all day and all night again.  It’s rainy and it’s gray.

We could certainly be disappointed by the “foul weather,” but we’re not at all.  We need this time away from the church to get some rest/restoration.  We want to spend time with the girl before school starts next week.  Katie and I have had a cuddle-fest all morning.  Kerri has slept in longer than she has for months.  There is no place we have to be today.  What a gift to have some time to do what we most need — rest.  I’m not sure we’d be doing that if today was bright and sunny.  I’d feel compelled to mow the lawn, or get our kayaks out and ready for a day of paddling, or go somewhere and do something.  As it is, we’re starting vacation off perfectly… we’re resting!

This is one of those “vacations at home.”  We’re going to do some fun things.  Katie has insisted on a daddy-date (though mommy can come along this time) — she has seen Ratatouille (so has Kerri), but Chef Daddy hasn’t.  So we’re going to the cheap theater this afternoon to take in the flick.

We’ve got some things we’d like to do this week.  We want to get the kayaks out for at least one day.  And there are some cool kid things to do in Cleveland.  But mostly we want to spend time with each other and getting some things done at home.  We still have a ton of boxes from the move — we want to do some unpacking.  To get things unpacked, we first need to paint a couple more rooms.  And there is some good cooking to do and some good wine to drink.

Or we might not get any of that done.  We might just enjoy the luxury of rest.

 

A Connectional Church

We Presbyterians are a “connectional” church.  That means lots of things from the ways we govern ourselves together (rather than independently) to our collaborative work in ministry and mission.  But there is another aspect of “connectional” at the very heart of who we are and what makes being Presbyterian something really cool…  We are connected with people and, though we’re 2.5 million people in this denomination, we find serendipitous ways that those connections happen and get nurtured over time.

Take these past 2 1/2 weeks at Montreat as an example.  We shared those weeks with more than 2000 people in our roles as keynoters.  In the midst of the crowds, we were able to make new friends and pick up old friendships right where they left off.  From sharing a meal with a youth group from Greensboro or Philadelphia or Charlotte, to crazy conversations in the make-shift “cyber cafe” on the 3rd floor of Assembly Inn (where the conference leadership and planning team stayed), there were spaces and time for friendships to be nurtured.

We hadn’t seen some friends for a few years — Bruce, Frank, Vicki & Danny, Kim, Christy, and so many others.  Working with other leaders we have known – Scott, Robin, Jeff, Bob, etc — brought us even closer.  And so many new friendships formed.  People like Lindsey, Margaret, Erin, Marybeth, Katie, Greg, and so many more who blew us away with their incredible gifts and talents, and whose friendships we now cherish.  All of these friendships strengthened because of our time together at Montreat.

And where else could our 7 year old daughter make and build friendships with kids from literally across the country?  She loved her time with Abby, Anna, Evelyn and the rest of the 3rd Floor gang, all of her friends at Clubs, and the adults in her life from around this church that are participating in her growing up.  And just think — half of her birthdays have happened at Montreat!

Montreat becomes a meeting place and a “reunion” place for so many of us.  What a gift to have time with our dear friends Nancy, John, Rachel, Mira, Mary, Brigid, and Morgan.  Where else would we run into Lynn or Michelle who are there not for the conference but for some personal get-away time?

I love being part of this church, this corner of Christ’s body.  Being Presbyterian means that these kinds of friendships happen — because we are connectional.  Thanks be to God for the Presbyterian Church!!!

 

Jeff’s Celebrity Look-Alikes

Ok, this is WAY too funny!!! www.myheritage.com will create your own “Celebrity Look-alike” collage for you… and here’s mine!

Sean Bean and Gary Sinise — not bad company! I think it’s cool to have Michael Jordan as a look-alike, thought not sure too many people meeting us both on the street would see the resemblance. But my favorites — Kristin Cavallari and Meg Ryan! I’m flattered and I now have a crush on myself!

Thanks, Bruce, for the link to MyHeritage Celebrity Look-Alike.