The first 6 days I will set off from Haines (across the inside passage of Lynn Canal from Juneau) on a guided kayak tour with eight other kayakers and three guides. We will tent-camp at night. On Sunday, after what I expect will be a much needed warm shower, I fly to Anchorage to visit a couple good friends, one of whom is the Lutheran Bishop of Alaska - Shelley Wickstrom. I'm excited to learn about what God is up to in this wild place - and how the Lutheran church plays a part or not - from her well-traveled perspective.
When I put a feeler out last winter to friends and family, in search of a companion for the kayak trip, my buddy Tom Judge from Chicago was the only one to say: Yes, sign me up! So I did, and here we go.
Tom asked what I hope to accomplish over the coming week. After thinking about it for a second, I decided the following three things tie in pretty well with the rest of my sabbatical objectives:
1) spiritual renewal: I hope to get lost (figuratively, not literally!) in the wonder and grandeur of God's glorious creation through the glacial peaks and rugged landscape of America's most pristine wilderness. By leaving behind my phone, car, and simple luxuries - like electricity, a bed, and running water, I hope to draw near to God and return to the basics of my humanity and mortal self. I too often rely on material things to bring me comfort while it is actually communing with God - preferably in nature - which brings me greatest joy. As St. Augustine famously confesses, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God."
2) physical renewal/kick-start: Prior to becoming a pastor, I ran with a vengeance. That habit involved completing a marathon each year during my 20's. The running habit petered out in my 30's (and at this point for good reason due to arthritic knees). Given my sedentary work and chocolate/sweet addiction (not to mention all those church potlucks!), I have gained on average 3 pounds a year for the last 9 years of ministry. That adds up! Of course I can't reverse all that in a week. But I look forward to a rigorous and challenging physical experience - such as kayaking the fjords of the Inside Passahe - that will push me to be stronger and maybe a little bit leaner.
3) quality friend time. Tom is a pillar of support to me, and has been so since we met at the U of C Divinity School student orientation in the Spring of 2000. He is funny as all get out, never failing to make me laugh - at life and at myself. He stood up for me at my wedding and stood with me through my divorce. We got each other through an intense and often times miserable Koine Greek class in our first year of Div School. In short, I adore him! And since we live 1000 miles apart, I am thrilled to have a week to share quality time with one of my besties.
Pictured here with my iconography teacher Randi and kayaking buddy Tom. The three of us attended the University of Chicago Divinity School over a decade ago and shared a quick lunch after church on Sunday. What a rare and precious gift is an old friend. And a pair of old friends, all the better!
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