I really have no words to describe the beauty of my surroundings as I write this. Through the generosity of one of our MCC families, Brenda and I are at the end of a 10 day stay on the big island of Hawaii where we have just finished hosting Efrem and Donetia Smith, our new conference Superintendent and his wife. Of course, we also mixed in a few days of writing and hand-holding. Then, last night after dropping our guests off at the airport, we spent the evening with new friends we made during our last trip here. You may remember a story about them from a sermon I preached this last year. They are the ones who lost their dear son Matt, and, during the scattering of his ashes at sea, suddenly jumped off the boat, into the water, and through the middle of their son's ashes. I told them again yesterday about how I had used that story because it was such an excellent example of what Jesus invites us to do in response to his death for us - to "jump through his ashes" and find new life. Buddy and his wife, Joyce, are famous in the world of rock and roll, making some of the most desired guitars in that business (see "Buddy Blaze Guitars" if you want to learn more about them) but to us, they are just close, new friends with whom we were blessed to enjoy a wonderful sunset and some great time in a beautiful location.
And this is certainly a beautiful location. As I write I sit at a rectangular stone table that's located on the lanai just outside the great room of this lovely home. I'm seated with my back to that room, meaning that I face directly west, about 100 feet away from the breaking waves that not only sooth with the sounds they make as they crash onto the black lava beach that's just outside the gate, but frame a 180 degree view of the pacific - it's deep blue hue serving as the playground for breeching whales, jumping dolphins, and even the occasional long distance swimmer in training for the next "Iron Man" competition.
As we sat quietly next to each other before that great ocean last evening, glasses full of wine and heads full of awe, I asked my friend Buddy what he thought it was about this place that was so soothing. "I don't know," he said. "I think this is just an inspired place." That's been what I've been thinking about during this 8th week of our three month sabbatical: "the role of an inspiring place in the worship and service of God." Brenda and I felt that same thing as we prayed for you, our MCC church family, while kneeling in the abbey in Bath, England a couple of weeks ago. And we certainly sense it here, as the sights, sounds, and surroundings all do something to our souls that can't be explained in any way other than the way Buddy, not a follower of Christ in the way most of us would describe ourselves, put it. "I think this is just an inspired place." And I thank God for the reminder I'm receiving here about the importance of atmosphere in the journey we call the Christian faith.
We'll be changing locations again the day after tomorrow as we head back to Marin. Brenda will return to work at Marin General, and I'll be taking up residence at a different table in one of our local libraries to continue writing (probably no longer in shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops from what I hear.) Oh, and you can bet I'll be heading over to Costco from time to time, more in hopes of seeing one of you than for any other reason. But I suspect that no matter where we are in the immediate future, whenever Brenda and I close our eyes we'll still see then what we see now with them open - a calm beauty that almost dares us to ever forget the presence of God and the hope of an excellent future. I guess that's just the way it is with "inspired" environments.
'Till the next update (probably from Chicago,)
Art
Sunday 27 February 2011
Monday 14 February 2011
LAST MONTH'S BLOG, BROUGHT TO YOU JUST IN TIME TO BE A LITTLE EARLY FOR NEXT MONTH
Sunday, January 23rd
Well, I'm three weeks in and the sabbatical is really starting to be interesting. Brenda and I had two great weeks together, sharing boxes and bottles of cold and cough medicine, going on dates, and meeting some great people. Our pretty regular regiment was writing and reading in the mornings, walking, lifting weights and doing sit ups in the afternoons, dinner together, and some form of a date most evenings.
Two fun moments for me came in the past few days. I had scheduled a week in palm dessert, writing and reflecting but had two days to burn before the condo was ready for me, so I decided to go to the guest house at fuller seminary and stay there for a little while. While there I got to have a coke with one of our members who is currently enrolled at Fuller and take 10 Azusa Pacific University students (8 of which are MCC "kids") out for pizza. It was especially enriching for me to eat with students from each of the churches I've pastored (well, all but one, actually. the one student that is still here from our Portland church had a class he wasn't willing or able to cut - not for lack of me trying, though) and introduce them to each other. In fact, we were all thrilled to find that some of them were already friends. There was a lot of laughter and love around that table!
The second "moment" came just this morning. I knew we had planted a Covenant church here in the Palm Springs area and decided to look it up and worship there. I got a double treat when I was greeted by Paul and Elizabeth Larsen (Paul is the former President of the Covenant and former pastor of Peninsula Covenant in Redwood City, so well acquainted with Marin Covenant) and then invited to have lunch with them after worship. How fun it was to catch them up on some of the great things that are happening in our church. It cost me the first half of the Green Bay/Chicago game, but I'm pretty sure I traded up.
For those who might be interested, I've completed about 60 draft pages (first two chapters) of the book and am really having a great time writing. Must run now. I have to grill my fish and prepare my salad before getting back to the writing tonight. :-)
art
Well, I'm three weeks in and the sabbatical is really starting to be interesting. Brenda and I had two great weeks together, sharing boxes and bottles of cold and cough medicine, going on dates, and meeting some great people. Our pretty regular regiment was writing and reading in the mornings, walking, lifting weights and doing sit ups in the afternoons, dinner together, and some form of a date most evenings.
Two fun moments for me came in the past few days. I had scheduled a week in palm dessert, writing and reflecting but had two days to burn before the condo was ready for me, so I decided to go to the guest house at fuller seminary and stay there for a little while. While there I got to have a coke with one of our members who is currently enrolled at Fuller and take 10 Azusa Pacific University students (8 of which are MCC "kids") out for pizza. It was especially enriching for me to eat with students from each of the churches I've pastored (well, all but one, actually. the one student that is still here from our Portland church had a class he wasn't willing or able to cut - not for lack of me trying, though) and introduce them to each other. In fact, we were all thrilled to find that some of them were already friends. There was a lot of laughter and love around that table!
The second "moment" came just this morning. I knew we had planted a Covenant church here in the Palm Springs area and decided to look it up and worship there. I got a double treat when I was greeted by Paul and Elizabeth Larsen (Paul is the former President of the Covenant and former pastor of Peninsula Covenant in Redwood City, so well acquainted with Marin Covenant) and then invited to have lunch with them after worship. How fun it was to catch them up on some of the great things that are happening in our church. It cost me the first half of the Green Bay/Chicago game, but I'm pretty sure I traded up.
For those who might be interested, I've completed about 60 draft pages (first two chapters) of the book and am really having a great time writing. Must run now. I have to grill my fish and prepare my salad before getting back to the writing tonight. :-)
art
Friday 11 February 2011
"Please Obey the Gap" sabbatical update #2
the voice comes on every time we approach a new station, just before we are about to stop and the doors are going to open, asking very politely that we remember to obey the gap. sometimes when i come here i wonder if i might be able to get a job in retirement - teaching english as a second language to the people in this part of the world. as far as i can tell, very few of the folk here can speak our great tongue.
yup, you guessed it. thanks to the generosity of one of our mcc families, brenda and are in london for week #6 of our 3 month sabbatical. we just completed a wonderfully refreshing two day conference at holy trinity brompton (the church that started the alpha course) and tomorrow (saturday) we're headed out to the cotswolds with pastor friend kim swithenbank. some of you may remember kim from the two times he's preached at mcc in the last few years. he'll be driving us tomorrow so brenda can give me a minitour of some of the high points and places from the "100 mile spiritual pilgrimage hike" she took there last year. our hope is to end the day praying together for our families and our church family in bath abbey. then we'll head back to muswell hill and cook dinner together for the swithenbanks at their home. we'll probably just stay with them that night since we're worshipping there that sunday morning and evening.
speaking of sunday, it's a day we're ESPECIALLY looking forward to this week since two mcc friends (bob parker and olivia capra) will be coming up to north london to meet us for worship and an afternoon meal. sure will be rich to see those guys and get caught up.
monday, of course, is valentine's day. walking home from the tube here can take you through a rather expansive underground mall. while holding hands and and passing various store windows en route back to the apartment this evening, brenda reminded me of the upcoming "holiday." "you don't have to get me anything for valentine's day this year, honey," i said as we strolled along. "we'll just give each other the gift of a day of study and writing on monday."
my generosity didn't elicit the hoped for response. "ok. that's fine. but you're not off the hook! i still expect a valentine's gift." looks like i'll soon be making my way back across the foot bridge and into that mall again. otherwise it could be a very long plane ride back to sfo. and i just don't want to chance that. :-)
writing: have focused on editing the three chapter drafts i completed up to this point. draft of chapter one was sent to the publisher two days ago.
eating and exercise: doing pretty well. light meals during the day and an occasional full dinner with friends here this week. no junk food and precious little sugar. sit-ups, weights, and push-ups in the mornings and walking (lots of it) during the days. not sure i've lost any weight, but i definitely do feel better and have had to tighten my belt a bit.
marriage: brenda and i haven't had this kind of uninterrupted time together since we were blessed with kids. aside from the fact that she can do twice as many sit-ups as me and has been hit by a significant case of jet-lag, all is good.
bless you. can't wait to see you all again in april.
art
yup, you guessed it. thanks to the generosity of one of our mcc families, brenda and are in london for week #6 of our 3 month sabbatical. we just completed a wonderfully refreshing two day conference at holy trinity brompton (the church that started the alpha course) and tomorrow (saturday) we're headed out to the cotswolds with pastor friend kim swithenbank. some of you may remember kim from the two times he's preached at mcc in the last few years. he'll be driving us tomorrow so brenda can give me a minitour of some of the high points and places from the "100 mile spiritual pilgrimage hike" she took there last year. our hope is to end the day praying together for our families and our church family in bath abbey. then we'll head back to muswell hill and cook dinner together for the swithenbanks at their home. we'll probably just stay with them that night since we're worshipping there that sunday morning and evening.
speaking of sunday, it's a day we're ESPECIALLY looking forward to this week since two mcc friends (bob parker and olivia capra) will be coming up to north london to meet us for worship and an afternoon meal. sure will be rich to see those guys and get caught up.
monday, of course, is valentine's day. walking home from the tube here can take you through a rather expansive underground mall. while holding hands and and passing various store windows en route back to the apartment this evening, brenda reminded me of the upcoming "holiday." "you don't have to get me anything for valentine's day this year, honey," i said as we strolled along. "we'll just give each other the gift of a day of study and writing on monday."
my generosity didn't elicit the hoped for response. "ok. that's fine. but you're not off the hook! i still expect a valentine's gift." looks like i'll soon be making my way back across the foot bridge and into that mall again. otherwise it could be a very long plane ride back to sfo. and i just don't want to chance that. :-)
writing: have focused on editing the three chapter drafts i completed up to this point. draft of chapter one was sent to the publisher two days ago.
eating and exercise: doing pretty well. light meals during the day and an occasional full dinner with friends here this week. no junk food and precious little sugar. sit-ups, weights, and push-ups in the mornings and walking (lots of it) during the days. not sure i've lost any weight, but i definitely do feel better and have had to tighten my belt a bit.
marriage: brenda and i haven't had this kind of uninterrupted time together since we were blessed with kids. aside from the fact that she can do twice as many sit-ups as me and has been hit by a significant case of jet-lag, all is good.
bless you. can't wait to see you all again in april.
art
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