Only the Beginning....

Another "In-Between time"

2009-07-29T15:43:00.003-04:00

Now that I have been home for three weeks, I am anticipating my return to full-time ministry on Sunday, August 16. The re-entry into home life has been smooth, though I don't think I have accomplished as much as I had hoped. I am slowly learning some of the tasks associated with Adobe Creative Suites 3. I have made progress in reviewing, editing, and deleting some of the 2,600 photos I took throughout our travels. Re-organizing them into useable folders is a time-intensive task that will eventually get done!

This is an "in-between time," when I am not actively involved at church, but am more than ready to jump back into the life of the church, leading worship, casting new visions for our future as God's people, and sharing in lives throughout the community. I am preparing the "first" worship experience - and I do want to make our worship more experiential - for the morning of the 16th. It will be focused on journeys of the soul that God's people have been called to live out. Think about Noah, Moses, and even Jesus.

I'm working on a series of messages that will begin on August 23rd tying our faith into the return to school of so many. "Back to the Basics: The ABC's of Faith" will focus on Awe, Bridge Building, Community, Doubt, Enthusiasm and Faith. I hope our members will bring their friends to hear these messages of hope and experience the power of fellowship.

In this "in-between time" I cannot help but be reminded that next Thursday, August 13th is the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Charley's destructive path over Punta Gorda and Florida. Our city has flourished in the half decade that has passed. There has been what some have called "urban renewal by natural disaster,' resulting in beautiful new hotels downtown, a new marina and new restaurants, a major community park with amenities, new schools, professional buildings, "new urbanism" structures downtown - and remarkable public/private partnerships that have made all this happen. This week Punta Gorda will host ambassadors and other high ranking emmisaries from several countries to re-introduce them to the revitalized commuity and the area. I have been invited to be part of the final program with the dignitaries on Thursday. It will be an honor, and a somber reminder of how far we have come. Then on Saturday the 15th there will be a celebration "Xtreme Makeover" highlighting the good things that have happened. (http://www.pgmakeover.com/) I will be posting some "before and after" pictures between now and then, I'm sure.

In all these things I am continually reminded that "God is good - all the time!"

Photo Highlights

2009-07-23T09:41:00.006-04:00

The view of the Kandersteg Valley from Frutigen, Switzerland

The Reformed Church in Diemtigen, Switzerland - home of my ancestors

Catholic Church in Kandersteg, Switzerland

Oescheninsee - (Lake Oeschenin) in Kandersteg, Switzerland

Grosmunster Kirche in Zurich

Chapel Bridge in Luzern, Switzerland

View in Montalcino from Cafe Fischeteria

Rapallo, Italy harbor at night

A view of Monterosso al Mare from the Cinque Terre trail

More photos to be posted in the near future

A Journey for the Sole

2009-07-22T12:58:00.003-04:00

There were times that Chris and I agreed that we should have worn a pedometer to keep track of the miles (kilometers) that we walked during the sabbatical and vacation travels. We know how many frequent flier miles we earned, but the "foot" distance will remain a guess-timate - and like good fishermen - will grow with every re-telling!

Let the photo be the story-teller in this regard. These were new Skechers when I started, chosen for the soft underfooting and the "nubbies" on the sole to absorb the pounding of trail and cobblestones. Other than a comfortable pair of casual dress shoes that were worn with khakis when we went out for dinner, these were the only shoes I wore for six weeks of exploration. As you can see those important "nubbies" have been completely worn down on the outside of each sole. Each step - the 187 steps up the tower of Grosmunster Church in Zurich for a panoramic view of the city, the 4 kilometers down and up from our hotel to Lake Como, the romantic Spanish Steps in Rome, or the steep steps on the Great Wall in China - shaved a little off of the soles of my shoes, but added something new to my own soul.

Since returning home, the two questions I am continually asked are: "Did you have a good trip?" and "What was the best part?" The answer to the first is "Absolutely fabulous" and the second is always, "I could never pick a single person, place, experience or lesson." In fact, this was such a varied trip that it would be like asking me, "Which of your children or grandchildren, do you like the most?"

Each location had its particular attraction, some more mesmerizing than others. Some experiences enjoyed for what they represented more than what I saw. I truly believe that I was destined to visit Switzerland, and felt completely at home there. There was a unity that I felt with the land and the people. And I enjoyed the experience of northern Italy, and want to return someday to visit Milan, Florence, the Piedmont, and Venice. We fell in love with Tuscany, its hilltowns, history, people and their sense of community - and the food and wine! We long to return there. Rome is really the Eternal City and it grabs the eye and the heart at each turn.

China surprised us. The people were more open, more animated, more engaging than either of us expected. The country is big, and diverse, the cities are enormous (32 cities with population of more than 10 milion souls). The economy is massive, the poverty is apparent, the change is inevitable, the future is unpredictable. The history impresses, the traffic oppresses, the difference between the needy and the wealthy depresses. But I am so glad that we experienced the touristy things as well as caught a glimpse of real Chinese life as we visited cities, towns and villages.

My soul is alive because of our travels, even though the poor soles of my shoes may be relegated to the back reaches of my closet, never again to enjoy the Cinque Terre trail, or the steep streeets of Montepulciano! As the hymn says, "It is well with my soul!"

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-14T10:43:00.000-04:00

We arrived home from our 11 day vacation trip in China at 2 am on Monday morning. Our travels have ended, but my sabbatical leave continues through August 15. Though this is a blog about my sabbatical experiences, I will highlight our time in China in an entry in the next couple of days. In the Rome airport as we awaited our flight to Beijing, I told a young man heading home to Pyongyang, Korea that I was going to China " to look, listen, and learn." And we did.

The remainder of my sabbatical learning will involve working with graphic design, visual arts, worship planning, and some personal re-entry into the culture of our community. It is amazing how, in six weeks of living and experiencing other cultures, I began to adopt and adapt parts of all of them. Even more than before, I can now think globally and act locally!

It is good to be home with our family, dogs, and familiar surroundings, but I will never be the same!

The Last Days

2009-06-30T01:01:00.000-04:00

The last day of "Sabbatical Travel" has arrived. It has been an amazing journey, visiting two countries and countless cities, meeting wonderful people and viewing incredible sights. I can't possibly begin to summarize this whole month, or even the past three days in Rome in just this posting, but let me just begin by saying it has been all that we ever expected -and then some more!

Where does one begin to tell the story of Rome? Is it told through the monuments and the obelisks that dot the city's piazzas, stolen symbols of the power and reach of the Roman emperors? Is it in the countless churches that seem to spring up from the middle of a city block, or are surrounded by frenetic traffic? Is it in the variety of languages one hears on the street as pilgrims and common folk push their way through crowded sidewalks, often spilling out onto the street, hoping to avoid being struck by a crazy motorbiker or taxi driver? Is it through the rich history of the Roman Catholic Church that has preserved both faith and priceless artwork through the centuries? It's all this and more.

To get to know a city and its pulse of living lets one feel 'at home' in a foreign place. At least as at home as a strenger can feel. After several days, the roads become familiar walkways, and you feel as if you want tot help those new arrivals who stand at the intersection, as you did just days before, search for your destinationon a street map. And occasionally you can point them in the right direction!

Rome is "the Eternal City" for whether you explore the Christian catacombs outside the city on the Appian Way as we did yesterday, or wander through a lesser known neighborhood church and are struck by the devotion of the faithful who stop in to pray to get them through the day and not to gape at the ceiling or side altar frescos, I have learned that despite the invasions of Visigoths or Longabards, the threats of Fascists, or the corruption of the early papacy, there IS something eternal here. It is what drew us back for a second visit. And yet there is still more of Rome than what we have experienced. I guess a third visit wouldn't be a bad option!

For those who encouraged me before we left with, "take lots of pictures," don't worry! You'll probably get bored somewhere just past Rapallo and the Cinque Terre!

As I began this post, I reminded myself - and you - that my sabbatical traveling will end this evening. In many ways I long to get home to the things we are away from - our kids and grandkids, friends and a great hometown. But I also believe that I can no longer look at life and living in the same ways that I have. I have been changed. Mark Twain once wrote, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness." How true that is. Or, as Chris and I saw on a poster at a book fair in Piazza di Popolo last night, "One who reads is a traveler."

It will now be another 12 days before we land in our own beds at home. There is some "housekeeping" things to do today before and after we check out from the hotel, like sending a box home with souveniers and other items no longer needed on this leg of the voyage, and finding a haircut for me! Tonight a flight on Air China will wisk us further around the globe to Beijing, where we will begin a vacation planned two years ago, long before the offered sabbatical leave. If we have been in interesting countries and cultures the past month, we can only speculate about the next adventure. We are excited to meet up with two other couples from Punta Gorda. They will be the first to be bored by the June experience travelogue. But they will also bring pieces of home with them. It will be marvelous.

There will be no blogs while I'm in China, but I will continue the sabbatical reflections once I reach home. Keep us in your thoughts, please, and may God's joy be yours.

The Eternal City

2009-06-26T16:30:00.004-04:00

We have arrived in Rome, The Eternal City. There are people EVERYWHERE, as our hotel is located just a couple of blocks from the Spanish Steps and the Piazza Espana. We will be posting photos along with a few reflections from the last days in Tuscany over the next couple of days. We now have internet readily available to us, so I can catch up some until we head to China next Tuesday for the final segment of our traveling. For a variety of reasons, time, internet, political, etc., I won't be blogging from there. I'll return to cyberspace with reflections once we get home to Punta Gorda. Please feel free to leave us a comment- it's been great hearing from some of you, but I know more are reading these!

Special greetings to all the folks in the congregation. There's going to be lots of material for a follow up to the Church History study group of last spring!

The Franciscan Way

2009-06-18T09:38:00.000-04:00

The Canticle of the Sun
Good Lord, all of your creations bring praise to you!
Praise for Brother Sun, who brings the day. His radiance reminds us of you!
Praise for Sister Moon and the stars, precious and beautiful.
Praise for Brother Wind, and for the clouds and storms and rain that sustains us.
Praise for Sister Water. She is useful and humble, precious and pure.
Praise for Brother Fire who cheers us at night.
Praise for our sister, Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us.
Praise for all those who forgive because you have forgiven them.
Praise for our Sister, Bodily Death, from whose embrace none can escape.
Praise and bless the Lord, and give thanks, and with humility, serve him.
- San Francesco di Assisi (St. Francis of Assisi)

Today, I understand. Today, I listened to a Franciscan friar from Buffalo, New York, tell the story of the life changing faith of the son of a wealthy cloth merchant to a group of American (probably Catholic) teenagers in Assisi.

He used humor and simple teaching as he led the tour of the Basilica di San Francesco, directing our attention to the many frescos that literally wallpapered the unusual church. The church is unusual in that it is actually one church built on top of the other. As Father Thomas explained it, the Pope desired to create three things: a pilgrimage site to honor the Saint, a large worship setting, and a Papal residence. Due to those multiple needs and the time it took to build such an edifice, a Romanesque lower Basilica was the first erected. It features parallel frescos that tie Christ’s life of redemption to the transformational life of St. Francis. This Basilica ‘s style invites the reflective, penitential and prayerful focus of the “Franciscan way.” It was at the base of this central altar that the remains of St. Francis were interred several years after his death.

Because a single building could not meet all the needs desired by the Pope, an “Upper Basilica” was built right on top of the original Romanesque church. This is a beautiful Gothic style church, lifting the eyes and the spirit upwards to the heavens through the use of arches and stained glass windows. Here, too, parallel frescos are used to teach the way of humble service and the redemption of humanity through Christ’s sacrifice. Though damaged by a 1997 earthquake, repairs have been made and little change can be noticed.

I was struck by the power that is given by the Franciscan brothers to the choice Francis made in relinquishing all material goods and relationships and dedicating himself completely to the spreading of the Gospel so all could hear it – out of doors, in the language of the people, and without the “trappings” of the institutional church. It sounds a bit like the challenge faced by today’s churches – of all denominations. Indeed, Francis wanted all of God’s Creation to hear the Good News, so he was even willing to preach it to the animlas and trees around him. The Basilica is most ingenious in its use of art to instruct the Illiterate pilgrims of the Middle Ages through frescoes and paintings. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside the Basilica, so you’ll just have to take my word for it, or find a good book on the art history of the Middle Ages, or the artists Giotto or Cimabue.

Time traveling

2009-06-18T09:32:00.000-04:00

I knew that my sabbatical travel would take me to a variety of cultures and historical periods. How true that has proved to be.

Switzerland transported me to the early 20th century when my grandfather and most of his siblings began their journeys of emigration from the lush Diemtigen region of the Simmental Valley to begin new lives in Wisconsin.

As Lake Como revealed itself through the rain after our first day, Chris and I received a history lesson from a wonderful English gentleman( who, it turned out is both a lawyer and rabbi!) who shared tidbits of local history, especially the story of Caroline, the “wife” of England’s King George III (though he was still married to someone else), who held court not far from Tremezzo.. He also told us that “Il Duce” Mussolini had been captured just down the road. Also just down the road, in the city of Como, we understand that there was a George Clooney sighting, as he owns a home on the lake. We didn't see him!

We traveled back to the 19th century during our days on the Italian Riviera. It was not hard to imagine why the five towns of the Cinque Terre remained isolated until the 1920’s when a second train line was blasted through the mountains that separated the tiny villages. Much later a local trail between the five towns became popular for adventurous walkers and hikers. It took us a full 6 hours to walk the seven mile trail, and not just because we were enjoying the incredible vistas that emerged with every turn. In reality, this was one of the hardest trails I’ve ever hiked, as we went up and down continuously on very narrow (often 1 person wide), rocky or uneven terrain. If you ever come to the Cinque Terre, think twice about the hike! The trains or ferry boats can take you between the towns much more quickly, and easily! I even experienced cramps in my knees from the down-hill work!

Our “time machine” took us back even further today (the 14th) as we visited the Tuscan hill towns of Montepulciano and Pienza. The tunnels and subterranean crypts of the pre-Roman Etruscan culture are a drawing card. One gentleman, who noticed that we were admiring a fountain that was almost hidden in a building courtyard, invited me to step inside and take my photos, as he proudly told us that the fountain was built in the Fourth Century A.D.! Pienza was re-created in the 15th Century by a native son who had become Pope Pius II, and it sits atop a crest and surrounded by the golden and green rolling hills stereotypical of Tuscany.

Of course, Montepulciano is only 4 km from our little cottage on the beautiful agri-tourismo farm where Laura and her family welcomed us. We’re going to re-visit the town more than once before we leave on the 26th. Actually, we’ll need to, as we have no internet or telephone reception below the hills! Though it is a little limiting, it reminds us of what life can be all about, A quiet meal of pasta and sauce, and a glass of Nobile de Montepuciano (2004), surrounded by the vineyards and olive groves, even in the fast-paced 21st Century – a far cry from the time of the Etruscan people.

From where...To where?

2009-06-11T16:12:00.000-04:00

This post was written on June 8, but not posted until June 11, due to inadequate

internet connection capability. I'll try to get back on some sort of schedule soon.

We are currently in Rapallo, Italy....

Where does one come from? And where is one going? Two questions that are often at the heart of my experience in this first week of sabbatical leave.

The first question helped me know that I will be returning to Switzerland at some time in my life. At least I hope so. Those who have been there told me that I would love it, and they were right. Not just the mountains and the lakes, the valleys and the beautiful homes and farm fields with the Brown Swiss and, I might guess, the Simmental cattle unknowingly ringing the bells hanging around their necks. Much more than that. I came to appreciate the friendliness of the people, evenif they weren’t comfortable speaking English. I kept remining them that my Sweizerdeutch (Swiss Germam) was worse! I had hoped to find some family connections during this trip, and I still might. We discovered a restaurant own by a Klossner family just outside the small village of Diemtigen where my grandfather was born. I don’t know if we are related, the stained glass family crest in one of their windows was the same. Chris and I had a wonderful dinner with the Klossner young people who first found me by the sign outside the church in Punta Gorda way back in the spring of 2004. We area looking into the family connection there, too, but even if we are not officially related, we have connected. They promised to come back to Punta Gorda – soon, I hope! There is still so much to see in this small country. We need to visit east and west, and back to Frutigen and that region. Perhaps even with our children and grandchildren!

To know where we go, you must meet Mabel. Mabel is our GPS system. Her full name is Mable Garmin, and she has taken us in some interesting directions in our travels. Our first day, traveling from Zurich to Luzern and then to Frutigen, I was surprised that she directed me to travel on all kinds of roads that paralleled the “Motorway,” but never let me drive on it. It was a leisurely 2½ hour trip with absolutely beautiful views that got us to our hotel by 4:30. We even had to turn around and then u-turn to get down this driveway-like road that took us through what seemed to be some farmer’s path to his house. You should have seen the look on the woman’s face that seemed to say, “Who are YOU, and what are you DOING on this road?” We later found out the trip should have taken us 1¼ hours and that I had accidentally set the system to “Pedestrian” and not “Automobile” so we avoided all the “fast ways!” Today, we wound our way to Italy over switchbacks and narrow mountain roads following Mabel’s directions, only to get near the top and find the last pass over the Alps was still closed! So we re-traced our path to the bottom over those same narrow, switchbacks, and Mabel found us another route that made us go nearly as wacky with narrow switchbacks. But I became a pro at the mountain driving with my manual transmission car! (Of course I must admit that neither Chris nor I saw the big sign at the floor of the valley that showed motorists that the pass was closed! We are now in Tremezzo, Italy, overlooking Lake Como and the village of Bellagio.

It is our 35th anniversary today, and I am so blessed to have a partner in life, in love, and in travel like Chris. She centers me and she brings so much joy into my life. Happy Anniversary my love…This year… on Lake Como….next year….????

Beauty is all around

2009-06-05T14:08:00.000-04:00

"Never miss an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

As Chris and I sat at a table in the "bier garten" at the Hotel Landhaus Adler in the small Swiss town of Frutigen, we looked up at the mountains and watched more than 20 paragliders sailing free as birds in the warm wind off the various faces of the rock and snow! Beauty was easy to behold. This morning, the mountain in the distance came to life as the moring sun reflected off it. The photo [taken from that balcony] is good, but live is better.

It's only the third day into this experience, but already I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by the beauty in the simplicity of the Reformed (and Evangelical and Reformed) Churches in Zurich [we visited four], Diemtigen [my family's hometown],and in Frutigen. Overwhelmed by the warm welcome we have received by those we met in Punta Gorda five years ago and who are acting as our hosts here in Frutigen. Overwhelmed by the land formations, the landscape of each valley and mountain, and by the care and stewardship of the limited land space that is Switzerland. Flowers and gardens tenderly cared for everywhere.

We enjoyed a unique funicular ride up to the summit of nearby Niesen and the 360 degree panorama took your breath away (as did the 9,000 ft elevation and the 40 degree temperature!!) The "big three" mountain peaks (Eiger, Monck, and Jungfrau) were beautiful, but so was everything else. We're trying not to miss any opportunities for the beauty oand the wonder of God's creation. Two more days in Frutigen.

On the road again...

2009-06-03T14:27:00.001-04:00

Short message tonight - exhausted. Arrived on time and walked all around Zurich. Photos everywhere, lots of steps, including 187 to the top of the tower at the Grossmunster Church and now in bed watching CSI in GERMAN! 8:30 here, 2:30 in Florida time. Actually fell asleep while writing this! Good night!

The time has come

2009-06-02T06:58:00.000-04:00

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights:

it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."

Miriam Beard

After a year of planning, or dreaming, of sharing, the time has come. Chris and I leave from Fort Myers for the next six weeks, circumnavigating the globe, while we experience life and images in Switzerland, Italy and China. It's a strange combination of cultures, I know, but the journey to China has been in the works for two years, to see the Yangtze River Gorges before they are filled next year by the back waters caused by the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest. Switzerland and Italy are places of deep interest for both of us as well as places that nurtured people of faith.

We expect to be changed, permanently, just as the Miriam Beard quote says. We will be challenged in our preconceived notions about other places and other peoples. (And I'll be challenged to drive the leased manual transmission, diesel powered Peugot up and down the mountainous Swiss countryside!)

Our lives will never be the same. To those of you who are following this, and have encouraged my to take lots of pictures - have no worry! This will be documented like a National Geographic experience!

Please feel free to leave a comment as you read these posts. We'll want to hear from you, and it's easier than email! I'm planning to update this every couple of days, not with a travelogue, but with more reflections inspired by the places we visit, the people we encounter, and the experiences by which we will be shaped.

Home - A place of preparation

2009-05-28T21:31:00.000-04:00

It's been five days since I arrived home from Back Bay Mission. Home is a great place to be, and being with family and friends again makes travel and learning worth the separation. There has been a whole sheet paper listing the "things" that have to be accomplished before we leave for the travel portion of my sabbatical leave. Some of the activities have been very benign and easy to achieve. Others have taken time and planning. But the list is now much shorter than it was on Monday. And the year of planning and researching, of anticipation and organization, is now almost over.
So on Tuesday, we will leave for the experiences that other countries, cultures, interactions and explorations will offer us. For those who don't know, we'll visit cities and towns in Switzerland including Zurich, Lucerne, and Frutigen. We'll share time with "family" of Klossners and see the region of my forebearers. We'll drive to Lake Como, Rappalo, the Cinque Terre in northern Italy, then two weeks in Tuscany in a cottage on a working farm of vineyards and olive trees. The final days in Italy will be exploring the Eternal City of Rome, including the catacombs, landmarks, and even the "Angels and Demons" marker trail. At the end of June we head east to Beijing and 12 days of touring the "Imperial Jewels of China" with Viking River Cruises.
Never in the early planning for this sabbatical did I imagine that Chris and I would circumnavigate the globe like some 21st century explorer. But that's exactly what we are - and what we'll do!
While I am away from the ministry of the church, I know that those who remain and take leadership responsibilities are doing terrific work. I am grateful to know that the members and friends are keeping regular attendance and activities going strong, for that is really what makes a congregation live out the faith! My deepest thanks to Jim, to Betsy and to Susan and the Sabbatical Support Committee members for their leadership

Chapter 1 - Nearly FInished

2009-05-21T21:46:00.001-04:00

I spend my last full day at Back Bay Mission tomorrow, and I feel like I have achieved everything that I could in my time here. Of course, if you read my post before I arrived here on May 3, you would know that I didn't know what to expect, or what I could achieve!

This has been a wonderful experience, topped off by my diverse activities this week. I spent Tuesday working in the front office as the Mission's walk-in clients receive services. Some are homeless, some are laid off from casino or construction jobs. Others are under-employed, or in low wage jobs. In other words, the needs of Biloxi's marginalized are no different than in many other places of our nation.

This week the work groups in town have been busy painting and drywalling at two homes in East Biloxi. Yesterday I spent the morning helping to clear the construction debris from one house to the dumpster at the other a couple of blocks away. 3 1/2 pickup loads later, the job was finished! I spent the rest of the afternoon polishing up my sermon for the Wednesday night service at First Missionary Baptist Church.

That was another amazing experience offered to me by Pastor Eric Dickey. The welcome I have felt each week encourages me as I think about the unity of the Body of Christ. Here was a white UCC pastor preaching in an African-American church of a very different denomination, and finding a common faith in the power of the resurrected Jesus. I have invited Pastor Dickey to preach in Punta Gorda anytime he is in the area!

Today took me on another path - to the city of Pass Christian with Dena Wittman, Back Bay's Community Advocacy staff person and Rob Orr, a video producer. There, and later in Gulfport, we taped interviews with people whose lives were affected in 2005 by Katrina. There are terrific stories about how some cities on Mississippi's Gulf Coast are looking at Smart Building Codes and other responses to benefit people still displaced from their homes. Twice we set up and tore down what essentially was a mobile television studio for the interviews. For the second one, we talked with a great young couple who are living in a beautiful income-driven apartment complex, learning how that situation has allowed them to look ahead to when their first child is born later this summer. I worked as the "sound man" with the boom microphone. Those of you who know me, know how much fun I had with that!

I probably won't post anything more until I get back to Punta Gorda. I plan to head home on Saturday, and then spend the next week and a half preparing for Chapter 2 of my Sabbatical Leave. Chris and I leave on June 2 for our travels!

I can't end without saying how proud I am of Chris and her Third Grade class at Sallie Jones as the results of this year's FCAT tests came back and all her kids scored well! Fourth Grade, here they come!

Family time

2009-05-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

I returned to Biloxi last night after a short trip to Wisconsin over the weekend. With the long part of my sabbatical travelling coming up in June and July, this was a good chance to visit my mom and siblings. I thought I would leave the Gulf Coast heat behind and enjoy a Badger late spring. Lows in the upper 30's and highs in the low 60's wasn't in my planning! But I did miss the thunderstorms that rolled through south Mississippi.

The chance to spend time with family is important, though, in our society what defines a family is as diverse as one can imagine. I have several families, groups within which I feel love and caring, a sense of belonging and shared experiences.

My biological family, has been there for and with me throughout the years. My church family wonders how I am while we are apart from one another. My Punta Gorda Police Department family responds to my Facebook page, reminding me that they are interested in my experiences. And the Back Bay Mission "family" which has graciously welcomed me into their midst has become increasingly important to my life (and sabbatical) experiences.

Family helps define us, and therefore those who are without family, or who are estranged from family or any who might be like family to them is missing a portion of who they might be.

Witnessing the daily parade of the homeless or the family-less who come to Back Bay Mission, makes the importance of family more real to me than almost anything else I have experienced in my life. Back Bay becomes the family for some who are served on a regular basis. They rely on the staff, and they are encouraged by the other clients. And they know that someone cares about them, no matter what their situation.

I am glad that I could share this weekend with Mom and my family. The photo shows the five of us - having a good time - my sister-in-laws were camera shy.

May we all be blest by family time, especially so we may know we are loved.

Restoring

2009-05-14T18:08:00.000-04:00

When planning my sabbatical I decided that the three areas of focus for my leave would be Restoring, Renewing and Re-visioning.

My time volunteering at the Back Bay Mission is my time of restoring. In a place where restoration of lives and homes has been happening since the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, the whine of power saws and the sweat of volunteers transforms the lives of residents.

Each week Back Bay welcomes volunteer work camp groups from around the country to help wiht this restoration. From Monday through Friday these adult and youth groups, often from United Church of Christ congregations, tear out, paint, repair, install and change homes. The work sites are in Gulfport and Biloxi; they are new construction and renovations. The homes are storm damaged and they are simply old and tired and in need of some TLC.

The past two weeks some of the groups have been working on Miss Jessie's home. They have replaced flooring, entry doors, interior door trim, the entire kitchen and painted the outside trim. The photo shows how much came out.

In only two weeks, talented and dedicated volunteers from Indiana, Illinois, and Massachusetts have turned the house into a new place. Professionals and amateurs, working together, share their skills and their passion for volunteering. Many of the work campers have been to Back Bay year after year, some even before "The Storm" (as Gulf Coasters refer to that August, 2005 event). They are the lifeblood of the housing recovery that Back Bay Mission brings to their community.

Miss Jessie's house should be done tomorrow before the folks from Massachusetts and Illinois head home or somewhere else. She is thrilled. Back Bay Mission is proud. And so are the volunteers who continue to bring restoration to this region.

Progress

2009-05-09T17:07:00.000-04:00

The Biloxi Lighthouse is white. The sand beach, that stretches 26 miles along the Gulf Coast is white. The people who visit the beach are not just white. Not any more, at least.

This coming Thursday, May 14, will be the 50th anniversary of what many have said was Mississippi's first public first civil rights protest when nine African American residents of Biloxi waded into the water of the then "whites-only" public beach of the city.

It is hard to believe the progress that has been made in the half century since as I walked along the water's edge this afternoon. Families frolicked in the surf, lovers cuddled in the shallow water, bodies turned pink by the warming sun as they slept on towels. People in all of the world's diversity greeted me warmly as I ambled by along the water's edge.

Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, African-American, all expecting - no, given - the right to enjoy life wherever they wish. All because of those who were brave enough to "Wade in the water - God's gonna trouble the water," as the spiritual reminds us. A public picnic and historical marker dedication will occur next Sunday afternoon on that white sanded beach that is now open and welcoming to all.

Hope, Vision, Restoration

2009-05-07T21:06:00.000-04:00

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:13 (KJV)

He was barely tall enough to see over the snare drum. I was told he was five, but he picked up the beat to the hymn, and made the song move! The pastor looked out at the congregation, and said that it was time for "musical chairs." Exhorting the gathered fellowship again, he made clear what he wanted. "I like to see things in color, not in black - and white." So the multi-racial congregation, church members and visiting Back Bay Mission work campers moved around, and a different kind of worshiping group emerged. And when Pastor Eric Dickey introduced himself to me and said, "Pastors don't sit down there (in the congregation), they sit up here (on the platform)," I had a new experience in worship.

That was my First Missionary Baptist Church of Biloxi Wednesday night worship. This is a regular partnership between Back Bay Mission work camp and the local congregation. It became part of my "experiential sabbatical."

The power of the study message from Pastor Dickey was found in his weaving the words of Paul with the experiences of the homeless poor, the working poor, those who have abused drugs and others, those who have been shot, those who give weeks of their lives in service to people and communities they don't know, with a faith that relies on the mighty power of the Holy Ghost. It was not necessarily my theology, but it was a true and abiding faith that moved people. It was a sincere message of hope and peace and power that transcends race, ethnicity, geography, and denomination. People's lives were changed last night, especially the mother and her 8 year old daughter who made a commitment to God and membership in that church. It was an assurance that "God is good all the time!"

Today was much more subdued. The Mission's Board of Directors meets the next two days, so folks were flying in. To assist the staff, I became the airport shuttle driver, making four trips between the airport and the hotel. It was good to put faces to names I've read about in newsletters. Of course it was good to see a familiar face, Rev. Bonnie VanOverbeke, the retired pastor of my home church, Memorial UCC, Fitchburg, WI.

Each day brings a new experience, empowered by that Holy Spirit that gives each of us a voice. Or a drum set in the hands of a five year old! I'll probably visit them on a Sunday morning.

The past - the present - the future

2009-05-04T17:16:00.000-04:00

Ten hours of driving gives a person plenty of time to think about the journeys ahead and the paths already traveled. So it was for me yesterday as I left Punta Gorda about two hours before the worship service that I have led for 20 years, on my way to Biloxi and my home for the next three weeks as I begin sabbatical leave. What I will experience, learn and share in this time has yet to unfold. Where I have been is easier to catalogue. By good fortune, a full days drive allowed me to listen, via XM radio, to the broadcast of the Cleveland Indians-Detroit Tigers baseball game. I'm not really a fan of either team, though I will follow the Indians closely after their weekend action. You see, yesterday I listened to the major league debut of a rookie Indian outfielder, Matt LaPorta. Not just any rookie, but a young man I had the privilege of coaching in his high school career. What a joy, what a blessing it is to know that he not only has the chance to succeed in something that he loves and is accomplished at, but that he is truly a wondefully humble person of faith. Good luck, Matt.

I am settled in at Back Bay Mission in their volunteer's cottage, and have already accomplished several things. I have met the staff and I have finished the first draft of the redesign of the Work Camp handbook! More project like that await me in the future.

I'll probably head out to a work site tomorrow with the construction supervisor, and will learn the "front desk" duties at some point to be helpful during the busy days. The Board of Directors meet later this week, so packets will also be assembled. A good job for a willing volunteer!

It's quite a couple of days when your past meets up with your future! I'll share some of Back Bay Mission's past in the next few days - a fascinating story of compassion and response to needs.

Getting Ready

2009-05-02T20:28:00.000-04:00

In the last week before the run-up to my sabbatical leave, I couldn't believe how many things jumped in the way of my preparations. Unexpected hospitalizations and unexpected deaths of members changed my priorities, so that my last "official" act was to celebrate the life of the oldest member of our congregation, a spunky 100 year old who loved life on her terms!

But the time has come. I leave tomorrow morning on my ten hour drive to Biloxi where I understand that I will be the first sabbatical resident at Back Bay Mission since Hurricane Katrina. I look forward to the experience, though I don't know what I will encounter!

The congregation in Punta Gorda is in good hands with strong leadership from our lay members and pastoral care from my colleagues, Jim Boler and Bruce Webster. They will all thrive.

To all of you: my family, church members, PG Police Department 'family,' my friends and community members, who may be following my experiences via this blog: Thanks to the technical skills of John Magnin (also a great website designer), you are now able to leave comments on my reflections. I look forward to hearing from you, and I'll be happy to answer any questions that might pop into your head as you read.

Until next time, may God hold us all in gentle hands....

The Ordinary In the Middle of the Holy

2009-04-11T11:10:00.000-04:00

It's "Holy Saturday," that in-between day sandwiched by the discouragment of Good Friday and the unbridled joy of Easter Resurrection. I've never marked Holy Saturday as an important day in "Holy Week." Usually it's the day when I'm trying to get everything ready for the services the next morning. It's no different today. I still need to stop at church and rearrange a few things in the sanctuary.

But it has been a very different Holy Week for me this year. I always enjoy the drama that unfolds at our Maundy Thursday Service of Communion and Tenebrae as the congregation witnesses the symbolic calling of the 12 disciples as candles are lit, then sharing commmunion around a table in groups of 12, only to be reminded of the way Jesus was abandoned by all of them, as the candles are extinguished.

This year the difference came that our oldest son and his family moved from Wisconsin to our area a week ago for a new job oppportunity. We were supposed to close on the house they were to occupy on April 2. The operative word is supposed to. In these days, closing dates are fluid, so the real day became Thursday afternoon! Just hours before the evening service. A truckful of household furniture and clothes needed to be moved from the temporary storage in a friend's garage and barn. More moving in would have to happen on Friday - Good Friday. When was there time. Why did I have to have services scheduled?

But that's the way our faith and our lives intersect - even in Holy Week. It's hard to separate the two. It's important that we try not to separate them, as our faith instructs our living, and our living displays our faith.

It has been a difficult and incredibly busy week. But I wouldn't trade my faith - or my life, for anything else! May all have a blessed Easter and know the power of resurrection to new life.

Only the beginning...

2009-03-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

My junior year in high school a new music sound hit my ears. A group with a driving sound and hot horns that touched me in that place in the soul that says this is special. Known in that first album as Chicago Transit Authority, and later as just "Chicago" they became the true music of my life. It was that same year, 1969, that I decided that I was called to ministry in the United Church of Christ. Five years after that, in 1974, "Chicago" attended our wedding, as Chris walked down the aisle to a version of their song, "Color My World." Four years later, and three years after I began ministry in the small Wisconsin town of Bloomer, I was ordained, just as I planned "in the year of Chicago Transit Authority."

In that same first CTA album was the song "Beginnings," which sung of love, but contained the lyrics, "Only the begining, it's only just the start..."

Life today is still built on dreams from the early years of the music of Chicago, and though I can still remember the beginnings, I know that as in so many things of faith, "it's only just the start." Things like Blogs.... never forty years ago could I have imagined the technology available to the world, to me, and to the church.

I name this blog, and this initial post, Only the Beginning, not just because it is the beginning of the occasional venture in online journaling; but because all that I know about faith, about God's grace and mercy, and about the joy of life as a follower of Jesus Christ is only the beginning.

On May 1 I will begin my first true sabbatical leave from any church I've served. I will be "Restoring, Renewing, and Re-visioning." I will not return to pastoral ministry until August 16. In the interim I will spend nearly a month at the UCC related Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi, helping them as they serve their community still rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina of 2005. On June 2 Chris and I will have a new beginning as we fly to Zurich, Switzerland to start an adventure that will take us to the home region of my father's family, and later to explore the many of the beautiful, historic and fascinating regions of Italy.

A pre-planned vacation will send us from Rome to Beijing, China and a 12 day experience that includes ancient sites, the Yangtze River and modern Shanghai. A homebound flight will let us circumnavigate the globe, like some contemporary Phileas Fogg. The final month of re-entry will find me concentrating on visual and graphic design and media and its use in the church and beyond.

The plan is to keep family, friends, church members and blog-fans who want to track my successes, failures, insights and experiences during this time - and perhaps beyond...

Like Chicago sang, "......It's only the beginning..."