The PCUSA Pilgrim Pastor

Many have asked what my sabbatical plans are, so I thought I would share with you my intentions now that it is finally underway. There have been many twists and turns in planning these next three months, as there often is in life in general. I hope to share my experiences and thoughts in real time this summer through this website. I have divided up my time of renewal into three trimesters with three different yet related emphases: spiritual, emotional, and relational.

Spiritual Renewal: The first trimester I’m focusing primarily on spiritual renewal. I have dreamed of all the holy places I have ever wanted to visit and even found some new ones. These are physical location often considered “thin” in the Celtic tradition, meaning the division between heaven and earth is very thin. These are places where people throughout the centuries have travelled to be spiritually renewed and encounter the Divine. My itinerary includes:
May 31-June 1: Lourdes, France
June 2-7: Taize, France
June 8-13: Iona, Scotland
June 14-15: Edinburgh, Scotland
June 16-17: Assisi, Italy
June 18-21: Rome, Italy
June 22: Montserrat, Spain
June 23-24: Barcelona, Spain
June 25: Arrive back in the States

Emotional Renewal: The second trimester is about emotional renewal as I return or travel to see dear friends, family, and colleagues. Of course this feeds into my spiritual and relational well-being also.
June 27-30: Knoxville, Tennessee where I served in my first church and will get to celebrate a special retirement
July 1-6: Salt Lake City, Utah where the PCUSA General Assembly is held and I plan to catch up with dear colleagues and stay at a close friend’s house.
July 7-14: Highlands Ranch, Colorado where I will get to spend a wonderful time with my parents and learning more about family history
July 15-18: Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky where Thomas Merton stayed

Relational Renewal: This last trimester is all about family. We will all travel, along with my mother-in-law, to Europe for an amazing family trip.
July 20-23: Paris, France
July 24-26: London, England
July 27-28: Rome, Italy
July 29-August 18: 21 day cruise in the Mediterranean starting at Rome and ending in Athens with stops at places such as Florence, Naples, Mykonos, Ephesus, Istanbul, Rhodes, Dubrovnik, Corfu, and Cyprus.
August 19: Athens, Greece
August 20-24: Back in the States Christian and I will go on a road trip looking at colleges
August 25-September 2: Reaping the fruits of the sabbatical through reflection, writing, and scrapbooking.
September 3: Back in the Office

I will keep you all in prayer as I hope you will keep me in prayer as well. Blessings on your summer as you find moments, days, and weeks to be renewed and ready to join together this Fall to follow wherever the Spirit will lead us.