Time to just relax

There is nothing that relaxes me more than camping - me, my tent and a site somewhere near water. It's even better with friends along.

I've had three great trips this summer- two to my favorite place in ME - right on the ocean - and one to a VT state campground (the camping in Kennebunk was necessity, not pleasure).

My trusty tent survives thunderstorms, wind and rain very nicely. As long as the sun shines in the daytime, and I get a chance to ride my bike along the ocean, I'm happy. Then, to just sit in silence and watch the waves come in - that's bliss!

Ripley in Vermont

Erika came to Vermont to be part of her high school best friend's wedding in Burlington. She, Adam and Ripley managed a 36 hour visit to my house. The only goal I had for the visit was that Ripley, at 21 months, might remember me from our visit in Oregon in May.

Yes, she did. So, while Erika and Adam went to the wedding reception, Ripley came to Rutland with Gram. E&A joined us much later that night.

In the short time we had together, we spent a lot of time together - went to a local park, read stories, played in the labrynth, took lots of pictures and incorporated lots of hugs and kisses. I really dislike this long distance grandmothering - keep those prayers going for them all to move somewhere closer!

Don't even get me started on how cute she is, how verbal she is, how well co-ordinated she is, how she knows colors and identifies numerals 1 to 9 - just know that she is a very happy, healthy child in a secure home!

Global Mission Event 2006

Global Mission Event - held this year in New England - and what an event it was! I've heard it described as the Lutheran Family Reunion. That proved true for me, at least. Out of 1500 participants, I found a seminary classmate who is now the chaplain at Muehlenburg College - and I met his adorable family. Lots of reunions were less amazing than that - clergy and friends from all through out New England - as well as people from our own Vermont conference congregations.

Nothing took my breath away like the woman who approached me, leaned on her cane, smiled and said "Remember me?" Obviously I did not. She, with her daughter and 13 year old grandson at her side, proceeded to remind me. Ten years ago while with her family at Camp Calumet, she had suffered a stroke and was moved immediately to ME Med Center in Portland. She reminded me that I was the pastor who sat with the family when they did not expect her to live. How proud she is, 10 years later, to be able to tell me that story! How honored I am to be part of God's work in peoples' lives!

Back to GME - theme gatherings in the morning, workshops for the rest of the morning and afternoon, worship services at night. Bishop Mark Hanson preached - WOW! We are blessed to have such a person of expressive faith leading us by example.

The event was held on the campus of the University of MA at Amherst. It is a HUGE campus - they had warned us to bring comfortable walking shoes. But many people there could not cover those distances on foot. Organizers provided for that with golf carts - but on Friday, there was a severe shortage of golf cart drivers. Of course I volunteered - having never driven such a vehicle and having no map of the campus.
My first passenger rode with me for forty minutes before we found her destination. Fortunately, we had plenty of time - she was not late - and she didn't mind seeing lots of places on the campus. After that, I was much more prompt in delivering my passengers!

Many people from New England pitched in to make this GME a success. From our congregation we had Wendell and Dee Beckman - Wendell is the Global Mission chairperson for New England, so he was very busy organizing speakers - and their transportation to and from the airport. Irene Goebel organized and staffed a booth for the big Friday night festival.
My one disappointment with the GME- as part of Good Shepherd's sabbatical project with Youth and Family Ministry, people were to organize and prepare teens to accompany me to the event. That did not happen. I haven't had a lot of conversations about it, but the one comment I did hear was the expense - especially along with the cost of confirmation camp. With the abundance of resources in our congregation - both in the congregational endowmnent funds, as well as our own personal funds, is there any reason for any child not to participate because of lack of money? How do we set things in place so this does not happen again? A congregational commitment to Youth and Family ministry means much more than lip service.

Mid July

At last, 10 days of "downtime" at home - time with friends, dinners, beachtime - and I begin to relax a bit even as I take time to evaluate where I've been and perhaps assimilate some of these learnings.

The third weekend of the month, I head off to Kennebunk, ME for a workshop titled "Experiential Worship". The title appeals to the hands-on kindergarten teacher in me. But do you have any idea of the cost of motels in Kennebunk in July? I find one of only two open tentsites in the town and pitch tent in the midst of some of the most humid weather of the summer. Then a shower, change of clothes and off to class!

Bob Rognlien is the presenter - and in our packet is included a copy of his book Experiential Worship: encountering God with heart, soul, mind and strength.

Using the text of Mark 12:30, Bob equates heart, soul, mind and strength with attributes of our bodies and our worship.
heart engaging the will
soul engaging the emotions
mind engaging the intellect
strength engaging the body

Each denomination has preferences in their worship patterns; we Lutherans are known for engaging soul and mind, perhaps to the detriment of heart and strength.

This would be a valuable book for all our worship and music people to read and discuss, a section at a time. It ties together a variety of ideas that have been discussed by that group, and others in the congregation.

It appears to me that one of the most difficult things I will have to do when I return is to temper my enthusiasm for this summer's learnings - and put things into place bit by bit. Heart, soul, mind and strength will be key foundations for our future ways of worship, I believe.

National Youth Gathering Part II

I attended the National Youth Gathering as part of the focus of Youth and Family ministry. The Rev. Dr. Roland Martinson, from Luther seminary, offered for the first time, a Pastors' Academy on the afternoons of the Gathering Days.

There were about 30 of us who gathered in a windowless, airconditioned room. Dr. Martinson - better known as Rollie - is a dynamic teacher with an emphatic laugh that punctuates his best stories.

I met a seminary classmate and several other friends, and we filled one of the round tables.

Rollie has sent us home with myriad ideas - and resources to use in our own congregations. None of these is a prepackaged "program"; rather I come with ideas, stories, examples and questions to trigger our own unique reactions and responses.

All of this material and all of these processes are based on the same premis as the Certification School in Dubuque - if we seek to develop spiritual children and teens, we need to pay attention to, and nourish, our own adult spirituality.

Are there adults at Good Shepherd who are interested in kids, willing to share their own doubts and faith journeys, and committed to walking with the young people as they make their own spiritual journeys?

National Youth Gathering Part I

Every three years, the ELCA invites youth to gather for 4 days - worship, fun, service, Bible study, music, speakers, dancing - it's all incorporated and then some. The event is so popular that it is now offered twice each time so more kids may be able to participate.

This year - San Antonio, TX - SIXTEEN THOUSAND Lutheran teens - that's a significant percentage of the population of Rutland!

The teens often choose to identify their group with unique t-shirts - and I would guess that also helps the youth leaders keep track of them!

Kids are everywhere - restaurants, ice cream parlors, hotel lobbies (and the elevators will never be the same again!), on the sidewalks - and streaming through intersections on the "walk" light. They gather once a day in the Alamodome - that's when I am most aware of their large numbers.

Remember how, at concerts, we used to use cigarette lighters to signal our approval and enthusiasm? Man, did I feel old when I realized that all those lights blazing around the kids dancing on the floor were cellphones!

Teens - and their chaperones - are on the go from breakfast to midnight. The day begins with Bible study in the Alamodome - then the groups head off to service activities, workshops, the interaction center or other activities as the group decides. The day ends with another gathering in the Alamodome with music, speaker, prayer and enthusiasm. Final devotions (organized by each group) are at 11:45, street curfew at midnight and in-room curfew at 1 am. By day 3, kids are beginning to look bleary-eyed - as are the chaperones!

Two groups from the VT/NY conference attended this year's NYG: Ascension from South Burlington and Redeemer from Plattsburgh.

What do we at Good Shepherd need to do to send kids to the 2009 gathering? (the rumor is that it will be in New Orleans)

Bat Mitzvah

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Bat Mitzvah of a stunning young woman. She led the congregation in worship; she read from the Torah in Hebrew, intoning (singing) the text; she presented the historical context of the text; she talked about the meaning of the text in her own life; then she received blessings from her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

It was a fascinating experience - and it causes me to question, challenge and rethink just what it is we Christians do in this process we call "confirmation".

What would it be like if:

each confirmand led an entire worship service?

each confirmand chose their own text that speaks to them and their own lives?

each confirmand's family stood to offer their own heartfelt, original blessings?

Then again, I hear a whole lot of talk about modernizing our language, our liturgy, our hymns. This young woman presented the foundation of her faith experience in the ancient language of Hebrew - with no apologies, no explanations, no attempts to modernize (well, yes, the prayer book did offer English translations of most of the liturgy and prayers).

How do pastors, parents and parishioners lead our young people into passionate relationship with Jesus? It's not through programs, or texts, changed language of the liturgy or new processes. We can pass on such passionate knowledge of Jesus only through our own passionate relationship with Jesus. (Core value from learnings in Dubuque: if we want spiritual children and teens, we need spiritual adults.)

Here's another item for us to all discuss together when I return.

Preaching

It's been six Sundays since I set off on this Sabbatical journey. One of those Sundays I spent flying from one place to another. Five Sundays I have been in worship - never in the same place twice.

I have been in worship in Oregon, Iowa, Maine and Vermont.

I have been in Lutheran congregations and UCC congregations.

I have heard one woman and four men preach.

One service advertized itself as "contemporary". There's really no clear consensus or definition of "contemporary" worship; this one meant that on a dais to the right of the pulpit, teens led the singing of gospel choruses. Other than that, it pretty well fit the "traditional" mold.

Four of the services featured childrens' sermons. Only one of those was led by the pastor. Lay people do a great job with kids - and it offers more opportunity for a variety of leadership styles.

Some of the sermons were boring, or poorly organized. Some of the sermons were entertaining. But out of all of this, I carry home NO memorable sermon experiences. I remember the key theme of several of them, but none of them sent me home with spiritual nourishment for the coming week; none of them sent me out feeling I was better prepared to be part of the mission of Jesus Christ. Some of them didn't even mention Jesus.

All this leaves me with this abiding question that I hope you will all discuss with me when I return: Just what is it that we preachers are doing week after week? Why aren't the pew sitters rising up, demanding to hear the word of God presented with power and clarity?

Biking

Of all my sabbatical goals, the one that is so far least successful is the bicycling.

It all started with access - or lack thereof.

In the 3 days in Rhode Island, I borrowed a bike for one ride - and that was probably less than 10 miles.

The 10 days or so in Portland, OR - purchased a bike and then returned it because brakes and gears did not work correctly. Rode only two days - again not more than 10 miles each.

Dubuque? For that 2 weeks, I rented a bike for 10 of those days. (That picture is from a park in the middle of the Mississippi River, with Wisconsin across the way.) That bike was a mountain bike with fat tires, so although we covered territory together, the average was probably around 8 to 10 miles an hour. Now, we did cover some territory - but who knew that Iowa had hills? Dubuque is built on the bluffs of the Mississippi - and those bluffs are steep!

I set out one Saturday to ride to a bike trail built on an old railway bed. It was a 12 mile ride to get there - and a 1 and a half mile down hill coast at the end. I knew I did not want to ride back UP that hill. So, I got on the trail, rode 8 miles or so on that - and came out on a 2 lane road. My map said it would connect back to the main road - and bypass that long slow hill.

So I set off. That road held FIVE huge steep hills. By this time I was so tired, I had forgotten to eat - and the country road was lined with poisen ivy so I was not about to stop anywhere along it. Finally, about halfway up the 4th hill, I spot a maple tree (shade!) on a lawn. I headed for it, dropped my bike and my body and pulled out my lunch.

The landowner was out on his riding lawn mower - and as soon as I sat down, he headed right for me. Inwardly I cringed, knowing that when he asked me to move off his land, I would simply burst into tears.

He pulls up, turns off the mower, looks at me and says "Would you like a bottle of ice water?" Another God-sent angel!

With lunch, water and the information that there was just one more hill, I set off refreshed and strengthened. Another dozen miles, and I was back in my dorm room!

Back in Vermont, it was so good to get back on my own bicyle! Had a great ride using the Burlington Bike path - a quick 26 miles. I also packed up the bike, along with my camping gear, and headed for the Maine coast. A couple of good rides, including one that incorporated a ferry ride to Peaks Island, lunch and a quick ride around the island.

The longest I've ridden so far is 38 miles. It was a delight with no sore muscles at the end. Yet the hardest rides I've had have been a 10 mile and a 15 mile. Go figure!

I have endurance - put me on a bike and I can pedal almost forever. What I lack is the strength to power my way up the hills. I'm looking for a route that is downhill all the way in both directions!

Trip #3

Class ended at noon on Friday, June 9th. My flight did not leave til 6 am on Saturday, June 10th. Then I had a layover in Chicago, before flying to St. Louis and then on to Hartford/Springfield.

I am intrigued with the culture of the midwest and had never been to Chicago. I decided that I would drive to Chicago, see a bit of the midwest and board Saturday morning in Chicago. So I rented a car for 20 hours and drove - great scenery - found a reasonable motel near the airport -not too far from the ELCA national offices! Had a good night's sleep and got to the airport in plenty of time to catch my flight.

I had not considered the effect of the anti-terrorism efforts. When I walked up to the desk to check in, I found that because I had missed a leg of the flight, the entire ticket was now invalid. I had to buy a new ticket to get home! The good news out of all of this was a direct flight from Chicago to Hartford Springfield and I got in within about 10 minutes of the original schedule.

Tim met me with my car, and I drove home. By 9 that night, I was home and had reclaimed Sadie from our neighbors who took care of her while I was gone.

Home sweet home!

May 30 through June 9

Life got better. When everyone returned to class on Tuesday, there were 13 of us: 9 women, 4 men; 12 laypeople, 1 pastor.

The course content is good - it excites me and I have lots of ideas for application for when I return to Good Shepherd. I also purchase materials - so many that I ultimately have to box them and ship them home because they won't fit in my suitcase.

Excellent teachers: David Anderson - writer and researcher in the area of Youth and Family Ministry; Lyle Griner - trains teens and adults in Y&FM; lots of family system stuff; lots of practical, workable materials and ideas for spiritual development of all ages.

The director of the program, Rev. Dr. Nathan Frombach, had great information and resources for the Emerging Church generation (Gen X; Gen Y and more). It helped that most of my classmates are also Gen X & Y'ers.

Our final project was to be a presentation on topics that intrigued us - and that we could use when we return to our congregations. I have the Power Point already to show to the Council and anyone else who might be interested.

In spite of the hard first day, this class has been very worthwhile. It will tie in well with the work I hope to do with Dr. Roland Martinson in El Paso in July.

I headed home feeling very positive about all I have learned and the ideas I have for implementation.

May 29, 2006

The class schedule I got in the mail said breakfast was at 7:30; lunch at noon and dinner at 5:00. Because it is the official Memorial Day, there will be alternative outings rather than the usual class schedule.

Sounded OK to me, so I roused myself for breakfast and headed to the Refectory. The place was empty. I waited a bit - but no one appeared. Soon it became clear to me that no food was being served at all that day - nor did I find any other person around.

Here I am, out in the middle of nowhere, in an old stone castle, with no food, no transportation and no people around! God bless Erika who had sent me on my way with oatmeal raisin cookies - and Kendra who had stuffed pumpkin seeds into a side pocket of my suitcase. That was breakfast.

I located a magazine with a tourist's map of Dubuque, and combined that with the Yellow Pages to locate a bike rental place. It is record breaking heat and humidity, so I fill my 20 oz water bottle and set off to walk downtown. Two miles? maybe three? and who knew Iowa had hills! but Dubuque is built on the bluffs of the Mississippi and the streets equal any San Francisco street for steepness.

I find the bike shop just as I sip the last of my water (did I mention I also have no hat nor sunscreen?) The area looks totally deserted - a good spot for a city renewal project - and not a soul nor a vehicle in sight. I reach for the door handle - and the place is all locked up. Memorial Day!

I am faced with blistering hot weather, a very steep uphill walk and no water. I sat down on the stoop, said "OK God, now what do I do?" Up drove a Lutheran angel in a minivan. She too was looking for bike assistance. After a bit of conversation, she decided I was probably not dangerous nor crazy - and gave me a ride a dozen blocks or so to a restaurant. She even waited at the curb to be sure that it was open and that I got inside alright. God answers prayer in many and various ways!

After lunch (in air conditioning, even) and some locally brewed root beer, I set out to look for a drugstore (that hat and sunscreen at last). Since I was already downtown, I found a location in which to watch the Memorial Day parade. Then I walked back to the castle. Still no one in sight.

I took a shower, and had a nap - still no people in evidence. Around 7 pm I called and ordered pizza - asked them to deliver it to the statue of Martin Luther - the only landmark I could name.

I ate a portion of that pizza, all alone in the refectory. Then, I sat in the chapel to practice a bit on the piano. It's now 21 hours since I have seen another human being on campus. I am beginning to feel that I am living in some form of alternate reality.

Finally, some time after 9 pm, I hear the elevator. I stand in the hall, waiting for it to open - and 3 people emerge! It appears that in the basement of the castle, on the far side of the building, there is a lounge area where 6 students have been together, cooking and eating and relaxing. Who knew?

This whole abandonment thing does little to endear any of this place to me.

Trip #2

Sunday May 28th, I did not get to attend any worship service. It was about 5 am Pacific time when I left E's apartment and headed for the airport - in the pouring rain, of course.

These flights were a bit less packed - and I did finnagle my way into exit row seats for each leg of the trip.

First stop: San Francisco - where everyone was funneled out of that terminal and I had to go through security all over again to get into the next terminal. Not my favorite airport by a long shot! Good thing I had 2 and a half hours to make my way through that airport.

Then Chicago - and after another lay over, Dubuque. It was well after 11 pm Central time before we landed in Dubuque.

A student from Wartburg Seminary was there to meet me and drive me to campus. She took me into the appropriate building, handed me a set of keys, pointed me to the elevator and left. It didn't take long for me to find my 2nd floor room and fall into bed.

Oregon visit Part III

The week falls into a routine: Ripley goes off to the babysitter until after her nap. Then I go over, play with her and her two compatriots: Lilly (six months older than Ripley) and Bella (six months older than Lilly). Three little girls - all in different stages of language development - and each speaking her own dialect. But I began to catch on.

Then Ripley and I would go off for our own adventures: buying a birthday present for her daddy one day; doing the household grocery shopping another; looking for a raincoat for Ripley - in which she engaged the check out clerk in conversation! Some of those trips ended with trips to Baskin Robbins. Yes, Gram will resort to bribery to get the child's attention and loyalty!

Friday was the culmination - as I was about to head off to the Art Museum, Erika calls in a panic. A water main has burst just outside the babysitter's apartment and they are having trouble getting the babies out. Will I come? Well, of course.

The babies were handed out over the deck by the time I got there. It's a good thing I had gotten to know them, because all three came back to Erika's apartment with me and I did childcare for the rest of the day while everyone else rushed to empty the flooded apartment.

It was after I left before things were finally dried out and they were able to move back into the apartment. Quite an adventure for all involved.

Oregon visit Part II

Kendra is also gorgeous - and very busy. In addition to a new job (which means she has no time off while I'm visiting) she also is enrolled in an MBA program. Her free time is limited!

Since I am staying with Erika & Adam, and Kendra's free time is little, Saturday and Sunday activities are declared to be her choice. I borrowed KJ's bike rack, and we went to Target to buy a bike - it will belong to Erika but I will use it while I'm here.

Sunday we go out to breakfast. We had the good fortune to be in a booth right next to Ed Bagley, Jr - he plays a character in one of my favorite TV shows Six Feet Under. There I am with daughters and granddaughter. There he is with son and grandson. We spend some time together in the restaurant's children's corner.

Then, some time to play at a park with Ripley a bit. She scared all three of us when she came down the slide face first! She cried, but her adrenaline levels obviously came down a whole lot faster than ours! A little cuddling, a little kissing - and she's ready to go again. We were still cringing inside!

We worshipped together at Kendra's congregation - Immanual Lutheran in the North West section of the city. We tried to get Ripley home in time for a nap, but little success. She napped just enough in the van to be cranky. Back at Erika's we visit a bit, then I head out on the bike. Portland has a reputation as a very bike friendly city - the bike paths I found were lovely - now if they could just do something about the rain!

Oregon visit Part I

It takes me a full day to rest and recuperate before I can begin to enjoy my family.

Ripley is a delight - and clearly has a mind of her own. Of course, as I dreaded, she has no idea who I might be. It takes her a couple of days to warm up and decide that I might be accepted as part of the family.

At 19 months, she is gorgeous - tall for her age, and very verbal. She has opinions on everything - including the summer outfits that I bought for her. She greeted each one with "CUTE!" Ask when you see me and I'll show you the video segment on my Ipod.

Travel day #1

The day started well enough - gorgeous weather and lots of time to get to Vernon, CT. Great tour of Tim's church building and easy ride to the airport. Hartford/Springfield is fairly easy to get around in - and the plane was right on schedule.

But, oh, the price we long legged people pay to fly! No access to the emergency exit row seats - and no leg room in the window seat that I did get. The flight was full to capacity, so no hope of an empty middle seat to ease a bit of the cramped feeling. And so we made the 4 hour flight to Dallas/Fort Worth airport.

This is by far my favorite of any and all airports I have ever visited! And I had a sufficient lay over in which to explore. A great fun external train that moved us easily from terminal to terminal. Lots of pleasant places in which to eat; and so it was that I found myself having a spicy southwestern style sandwich accompanied with an Irish lager - and topped that all of a bit later with a cone of Ben & Jerry's!

The spanish culture is strongly evident here; I feel very much a stranger with a strange accent.

All of the lounge areas actually had comfortable cushioned seating - and arranged in semicircles rather than the usual long lines of plastic seating. All is well.

Then comes the 2nd leg of the journey - again no exit row seat; again no leg room; again a packed flight; again 4 hours of discomfort to get to Portland, OR.

By the time I get to Portland, it is 2 am East Coast time. I am so tired I can't figure out how to open the back door of the 7 passenger van that the rental agency has provided. I just dump my luggage in the back seat and head to Erika's house.

Erika and her sister-in-law Rachel have waited up to greet me (it's only 11 pm their time). Rarely have I ever arrived as tired as I am with this trip. I am SO glad to find my bed!

God bless Faith and Dan!

I have more than 24 hours between the end of NCD training and my flight to Portland, OR. I had thought I would find a motel room somewhere on the RI or CT coast, rent a bike, ride, read and relax.

Faith is one of my "classmates" in this NCD process. She invited me to her house, minutes from St. Andrews, and ushered me into my own guest wing! Then, gave me full access to the family bicycle collection. So, I rode out to the ocean and along it for a while. Then, to simply clock some miles, I rode along Rt 1 - not the most scenic, but a surprisingly pleasant ride with wide bike lanes and frequent places to change direction.

Back to Faith & Dan's - a lovely shower, then good conversation, laughter and food. They were adament that I not pay for parking at the Hartford/Springfield airport, so connected me with a pastor in CT who will keep my car in his church parking lot for the 3 weeks that I'll be gone.



After breakfast the next morning, I head to CT and the next stage of this sabbatical process.

May 15-17, 2006

These are transition days between leaving Good Shepherd for the sabbatical and its actual beginning. I am in Charlestown RI for training as a coach in the Natural Church Development (NCD) process. New England Synod plans to use this process to assist congregations in reaching their own goals for mission and ministry.

It's an interesting group here - leader is from the midwest; Lisa Hazelwood of St Andrews here in Charlestown is the driving force; we "students" 8 - 6 clergy and 2 lay people.

This is an odd kind of limbo time: not yet sabbatical, but not the usual type of work either. I'm taking lots of notes because this material stimulates lots of good ideas - but I won't be "back at work" to put them into action until August 18th!