Back to Normal On April 4th, 2022, I began a sabbatical. Next week, I will go back to normal life. When I began my sabbatical in April, I had no idea what would happen, now, I look back with grateful appreciation. My final sabbatical activity was camping (mostly on my own) and then a weekend … Read more

Hiking Life Over the past several months, I’ve hiked more than I have in my entire life. Some hikes were easy…some were difficult…and a couple of times, I found myself wondering, “Is it really the best idea to continue on here? The path ahead looks a bit difficult.” I find myself asking that last question … Read more

No Time to Dive Deep When your schedule is full, having more on your plate than you could possibly do, it’s easy to push the call of God aside. Busyness serves as a distraction to deeper challenges. If we keep everything on the surface, we don’t have to dive into the deeper depths of who … Read more

A Funny Thing Happened to Me On the Way Back from SabbaticalSeeing the Finish Line I only have a few more weeks left on my sabbatical. When I first thought about pursuing a sabbatical, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought there would be times for experiences that I had never had before. I … Read more

Challenged In my blog post Effortless Living, I referred to an interview with Dr. Amos Smith by Brian Russell. During the interview, Dr. Smith said something that challenged me. He compared Eastern Christians’ approach to prayer, specifically Centering Prayer, to those of us in the West. He said the Christians in the East know they … Read more

Specks and Logs Jesus gathers the crowd and begins teaching. What he teaches is important if they are going to live the life of God’s kingdom. During his teaching, he tells them what has been accepted as commonplace will not be the way of God’s kingdom. One area of kingdom life is how we interact … Read more

Lights Off I was in the mood for a milkshake, so we drove to the local Arby’s. The parking lot was empty and we didn’t notice any lights on which was odd for a Sunday evening. Nevertheless, we drove to the drive-up window to place our order. That’s when we saw the sign. It was … Read more

The Universe Cries Out “The joy is in the journey.” I never understood that statement. For me, joy is getting to the destination, to finally being “done”. “Once I get to the destination,” I would tell myself, “I can finally rest.” That’s a great thought. That one point to finally sit back and rest. However, … Read more

Visiting the Grand Cayon during my sabbatical was amazing. The day was beautiful and warm, with very few, if any, clouds. It was going to be a great day to visit the canyon. We arrived, parked the car in one of the parking lots, and made our way to the visitor center. We then walked … Read more

For several years we had a cat that liked to be left alone. She was a stray that showed up in our garage and we couldn’t get her to leave. After several weeks, we gave in, realizing that the cat had chosen us as her family, and we accepted her as a permanent resident. She … Read more

I love going home. During my sabbatical, I’ve had the opportunity to go home several times. Getting home is always good, but the trip home isn’t always the greatest. I’ve indicated elsewhere that I am goal focused. So, when I go home, I want to get home as quickly and efficiently as possible. I don’t … Read more

Since the weather was nice, which means, it was under 90 degrees, I decided to take a hike. Most of the trails were closed or mostly closed because the New Mexico Forest Service closed them because of fire concerns. There were a couple of open trails, one of which was the “On a Lark Trail”. … Read more

There’s a really good Labyrinth here. I’m not sure of the history, but Labyrinths have been used for times of prayer. Walking the Labyrinth causes you to slow down. At the start of the Labyrinth, they had some good suggestions: I was able to walk a Labyrinth in Scotland on St. Columba’s Bay on the … Read more

Today, I decided to take a trip to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, since it was only 18 miles from the ranch. I believed it would be a short road trip. When I looked the directions up on Google Maps, I was a bit confused. Google Maps indicated the monestary was only 18 … Read more

Not too much to report. I have to remind myself what day it is, which is good…I think. I usually have a really good handle on time, even without looking at my watch. I tend to be schedule focused. I hoped that during this sabbatical, I wouldn’t be so focused on my schedule. That seems … Read more

There’s a wildfire nearby called the “Midnight Fire.” It is about 15 miles or so from the ranch. Because of other wildfires in New Mexico, most of the trails have been closed since May. The closest town is 42 minutes away (according to Google Maps). My options for activities are limited, which is exactly what … Read more

I arrived, checked in, and unloaded all my stuff. At dinner, I talked with a man who gave me two important pieces of advice while staying at the ranch. First, he told me the moon set at about 3:30 am. Second, he shared how he had become dehydrated during the week (he was leaving the … Read more

In a few hours, I will be leaving my hotel and traveling to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico. I have no idea what to expect. I learned about Ghost Ranch on a Lilly Podcast as they talked to another Clergy Renewal Grant recipient. As I looked further, I decided to give it a try … Read more

Here’s a prayer I found during my reading. May we allow the Holy Spirit to move in us, to lead, guide, and teach us so that we might become more like Jesus, loving others as he has loved us. Breathe in me, Holy Spirit, that I may think what is holy. Move me, Holy Spirit, … Read more

I’ll be posting some reflections from my week at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. Until then, here are some pictures from my time out West (We traveled almost 5,000 miles and went through eleven states) with my friend Curt. Also, a few pictures from Delora and my anniversary weekend in Chicago. Perhaps I should give … Read more

3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—     the moon and the stars you set in place— 4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,     human beings that you should care for them? Psalm 8:3-4 The Psalmist asks an incredible question. What is there about us … Read more

Thought I’d share some of the pictures from my journey.

I haven’t posted an update because I’ve been traveling. Over the past several days, I’ve gone from Indiana, through Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota, making my way to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. On the way, we stopped at both the Badlands and Wall Drug (if you don’t know about Wall Drug, look it up). The … Read more

Are you happy? If not, what will it take to make you happy? Different circumstances? Fewer problems? New or better stuff? What makes you happy? How do you go about finding happiness? I have some good news! There IS a secret to happiness! And happiness is available to everyone. During my sabbatical, I wanted to … Read more

There were several times in Scotland when my mind would wander to an ancient Celtic blessing: May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold … Read more

I’m not sure I was ready to come home, but I’m glad to be here. The plane trip (7 hours), plus getting through customs (another 7 hours…well…not exactly, but it felt like it), going through security for a second time before catching our flight to Indy, was difficult at times, but mostly smooth. It was … Read more

I read that Puffins wouldn’t be out until late April. We would be close to the Staffa Island, where the Puffins nest (later in April), but we stayed at Iona Abby and wouldn’t have a chance to go to the Island. Then I learned that some from the Abby would take a trip to Staffa … Read more

We spent two nights in Fort William, which only gave us a day to do any hiking. We ended up focusing on two activities, both of which included a lot of walking. When I looked at my Fitbit, we had logged 30,000 steps on the day and covered 334 “floors”. We took the Gondola up … Read more

Instead of writing a lot of words, I decided to share a lot of pictures from our time on the Isle of Iona. To say it was beautiful is an understatement. The birds you see in some of the pictures are Puffins. I may write more about that experience later.

I live streamed this until the wind was so bad i thought I’d drop my phone into the ocean.

I’ve noticed that some churches don’t have screens, both in service and viewing videos of services. As we searched for a place to go for Easter, there weren’t many huge ‘celebrations’ scheduled. Yes, they had signs inviting people to worship with them on Easter, but no special events, breakfasts, egg hunts, etc. As far as … Read more

Oban is not a big city. It caters to tourists and the hospitality industry is the largest employer. It shouldn’t come as a shock, given the town’s focus on tourism and cultural views of religion and church; there aren’t very many churches in Oban. From what I can tell, there is a Catholic church, a … Read more

Here’s a list of some of the surprises in Scotland. Mayonnaise I ordered chips (french fries) and they brought mayonnaise for me to dip them in. Jackets Actually, a baked potato. Bangers and Mash Sausage and mashed potatoes…and very tasty! Ask for the Bill Several times we were sitting waiting for the bill after a … Read more

Before we left, one of our daughters told us to take pictures of our food. I don’t think I’ve ever taken a picture of my food, even though I know many who do. Nevertheless, we tried to remember to take pictures at mealtime. I am a creature of habit, and I sensed this trip could … Read more

After a long plane ride, we arrived in Scotland. I was glad when we finally arrived, but I did have some problems getting into Scotland, including a quick conversation with the border patrol. After determining that I wasn’t a threat, they welcomed me into their country! It was good to have the trip behind us. … Read more

One of my sabbatical activities is reading. One series I’m excited about diving into is Philip Schaff’s series on the church fathers. My desire to dive into this massive series (almost 50,000 pages total. Kindle tells me it will take me over 1200 hours to finish it!) is based on believing the writings of the … Read more

Sunday was such a blessing as the church gathered to wish me so long as I begin my sabbatical journey. If it didn’t sink in before, it has now, this is a journey. Steinbeck pointed out that we don’t take trips, trips take us. While I know that’s the case with this sabbatical, I still … Read more

There are about seven weeks before I begin my sabbatical. I find it difficult trying to wrap my mind around what it means to be disconnected, to have time, to be able to enter into a space not filled with responsibilities, plans, and activities. The trip to Scotland ended up being more difficult, but also … Read more

The time seems to be ticking quite quickly now. I purchased a book called “An Iona Prayer Book” hoping it would help shift my mindset to a different rhythm as I prepare for the sabbatical. One of the Wednesday readings are called “Pilgrimage” and a few sentences caught my attention: “The question remains: are we … Read more

This is the first entry and I’m not sure where to begin. There are still four months before I leave. I have tickets to Scotland and three nights reserved at Iona. The rest of the plans are up in the air. I’m looking forward to the four months off, but mostly what I’m looking forward … Read more