Spiritual Sunday

Today was a long, long, LONG day. We started with morning prayer at 6am. We headed to Sunday School at the Buddhist Monastery in Seattle and learned lots about Buddhist theology, meditation, and enlightenment. We then headed upstairs where we practiced what we learned. The Buddhist prayer service was something to experience. Some of us observed, others tried the meditation mantras, and others even recited the Tibetan prayers. What we learn us that many people connected with this temple, crawled across the Himalayain mountains into India to escape religious persecution. 

What would it be like for a Christian in the US to do that. We are lucky we have the freedom to worship as we choose. May we come to never take that for granted. 

After this service we headed to the Episcopal Church of the Apostles for Eucharist. We worshiped like Episcopalians but in a very different very cool way. The youth left energized and excited because they saw how real and cool church can be. It also really helped that the gospel reading and sermon where about the exact thing we have been doing here. It was like we we're any to be there in that time and that place. 

Our evening of worship ended with an amazing sung compline service at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle. For many this was the first time they had heard compline sung. While the compline was great and sounded wonderful in that space, what made the service was the diversity of the people there. People from all ways of life were present where they liked (pews, altar rail, chancel). Some sat. Others knelt. Some even layed prostrate next to the altar. It was very clear that all are truly welcome in the episcopal church. The girl with the super short blue hair, the man in the business suit, the homeless, and a youth group from a different St. Mark's are all beloved children of God and this evening all of the above and more worshiped and acknowledged the Creator together. 

A New Journey

Yesterday was a super busy day. We toured Seattle from a duck…an amphibious WWII vehicle. We saw much. We had lunch at a cool on the water restaurant and headed to Safco for a Red Sox game that just happened to be in Seattle. It was a good in to a great experience.

At this point there are no more places to be. No one else to meet. No meals to be prepared. There are only ideas to be reasoned, picture collages to be made, and stories to be told. We can tell stories of eagles flying, whales swimming, meals on the beach, fireworks, memories of Buddhists and Episcopalians worshiping together. We met new people and helped changed each other. We asked many questions and got many answers. Often we found ourselves at the feet of God in stillness.

We will think different about the question who do you say that I am. We will minister to others in a new way. We are changed.

This journey is over and we have enjoyed traveling this road. We weren't sure where the path would lead us but we most certainly found our way to a deeper community and a deeper relationship with God. When we land in a few hours this journey will officially end and we will start a new journey.

We will take up a new scallop-shell of quiet. We will need a new staff of faith to walk upon, a new script of joy, immortal diet, bottle of salvation,gown of glory, hope's true gage and thus we will take a new pilgrimage.

Today marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Let us remember things from this journey as we embark on the new one. Let us remember the God we have rediscovered on this road. And let us always that we are all beloved children of God no matter where we find ourselves or wherever our journeys take us. As we approach this new pilgrimage, may we always love God, embrace beauty, and live life to the fullest…Amen.

A quiet day

Today is a quiet day of reflection. Feel free to reflect with us and offer what comes to you:

What do you expect from your day of reflection?

Is seems weird to expect things from God in a way. When we expect things from people we often find ourselves expecting good behavior, or folks to clean up after themselves, or expect people to follow through on their job commitments. Expectations from God are a little different. Perhaps a better word for these kinds of expectations is hope. 

So what do you hope for today?

I hope to connect with God in a way I have never done. I hope to see God in the people I have been journeying with. I hope to learn something about myself I didn't know. I hope to see this place in a different way. 

God be present with us. God be in our minds. God be in our hearts. Keep us focused on our daily tasks and ideas. Keep us aware of our surroundings. Keep us aware of you Oh Lord...Amen.

The story of Elijah contains something that we should not miss. Elijah is on the run. He has killed Jezebel's prophets, and she is coming after him. Elijah has found a cave and is no doubt praying for his life. 

A strong wind comes and breaks open rocks. An earthquake comes and moves the ground where he is standing. A fire comes and consumes things. God the almighty creator of the universe is in none of this. God shows up in the sound of shear silence. He speaks to Elijah in the quiet. He comforts Elijah in the in the silence. This is a lesson we can learn. 

America's greatest addiction is not drugs or alcohol. It's not nicotine or television or even cellphones.  Our greatest addiction is business. We have become so busy we have hardly anytime for reflection. He have no time for stillness or silence. When was the last time you were at the feet of God in shear silence?

Mother Teresa was once asked what she said to God when she prayed and she responded with nothing. She was then asked what God says to her and she again responded with nothing, but added if you do not units and this then you do not understand prayer. This is what I mean by sitting at the feet of God. 

Think back to that first relationship or the first year of marriage. Didn't you feel like if you could just be in the same room with that person it's all you needed?  You didn't have to always be talking you just wanted to be present with one another. You just wanted to enjoy time and space together. This is what God desires most from us. So I ask you...When have you just been in time and space with God saying nothing to each other but enjoying each others company. If you can spend more time doing this, then do it.  If you can't spend anytime doing it, today is a great time to start. Neither you nor God will be disappointed you did. I hope the two of you can get together very very soon!

Excited & Exhausted

Today we woke very early for a long day. We will be visiting a Buddhist Monastery shortly. Worshiping with fellow Episcopalians at Church of the Apostles in the afternoon and enjoy a sung compline service at St. Mark's cathedral tonight. 

We are all tired but we are excited for all the new experiences, conversations, and possible new ways of answering the question, "Who do you say that I am?" And for today's opportunity we say thanks be to God!

A Clam Bake

When one comes to St. Mark's one cannot help but feel apart of a loving close community. When someone comes up the hill repeated, this loving place and how people are treated, start rubbing off.  When someone comes enough, our ideas and ways of being in the world become apart of you. 

They become so much apart of you that when you have been there for many years (say 15 or so) you find yourself in far off places showing people you have never met the hospitality of Christ. 

This evening our youth were invited to a clam bake here on the island. We ate clams with almost everyone living on our street and our youth were talking with kids, other teenagers, and even adults about who they were, where they were from, and most importantly why 13 people from St. Mark's traveled all the way to Whidbey Island for a week. 

It's was wonderful to see our youth who are so far away from home help people who were from here feel so at ease.   They are growing and maturing and leading the way for the Kingdom of God. For these young people I say thanks be to God!

Random pictures

Creator

Asking the question, "Who do you say that I am?" can bring up many answers depending on mood or environment.  Here on Whidbey Island, the answers ultimately always come back to community and creator.  Today it was much more creator than community.  While we do everything together, whale watching brought God the Creator, to front of our minds and kept it there.  Through our time here we have seen God in nature, God in people, God in really great meals together, and today we saw God in the whales.

However great this may sound, our day did not start off well.  We woke this morning with no water in our house.  It was a bit unnerving to know that there would be no shower, no coffee, no water bottles when we left the house.  Before we left, we had morning prayer as we have done each morning here.  The closing remarks of our morning prayer read as followed:

"I am in this day.  I am in this moment.  God has given me a new day.  I will make all I can of it."

With this in our hearts and excitement pushing us out the door, we headed to the northern most part of the island.  Deception Pass Bridge was the first thing to open our eyes to the day ahead.  Shortly the

re after, we got the call saying the water is back on and all was well.

We crossed the bridge, got our stay warm suits, and headed to boat for a 3 hour whale watching extravaganza.

During the ride out to the whales, I was reminded of an ancient Jewish idea of God the Creator.  In ancient Jewish times God was referred to as Yahweh.  This name was never spoken because it was considered holy, and to say another's name meant you knew that person very well.  In print, Yahweh was shortened to YHWH and is how we get LORD in our scripture.  But the important thing here are the Hebrew letters Yod, Hey, Vah, Hey (YHWH).  This are all breath sounds.  The ancient Jewish people believe that because these were breath sounds and the name of God was forbidden any and all things breathing say the name of God each time they breath in and out.  They acknowledged the presence of God with every breath.  They breathed God in to sustain life and breathed God out for all the world to experience.

When thinking of God in this way, God the Creator, takes on a new deeper meaning.  All things in deception pass (people, trees, fish, birds, and water, are all acknowledging God is present.  God is giving life.  God is the creator of all things.  This was especially true as we saw the whales come up to breath God in.  When they first reached the water surface we could actually see them exhaling God back into the world.  Right before they disappeared, they breathed deeply and gave themselves life with a breath of God.

How fortunate we are to be apart of this.  How fortunate we are see what we see.  How fortunate we are to be in this place at this time.  How fortunate we are to take in God's Creation for us.  Its mind blowing that he made it all for us to enjoy.  Every rock, grain of sand, snow covered mountain, whale, and person are all created so that we might enjoy one another and enjoy seeing God in all things that we encounter.  How fortunate we are for seeing all of this and then enjoying ice cream together!  Amen!

Pictures From Our Day

Acclimation

Acclimation is defined as a physiological adjustment by an organism to environmental change.  This was the the whole idea of our day yesterday.  Part of being on a pilgrimage is being aware of your surroundings and embracing the places, people, and ideas of the area in which you find yourself.  Pilgrims did this long ago to make sure they were being correct images of Christ.  We found ourselves being the image of Christ in a real way.  We welcomed those who welcomed us.  We ate what was put before us.  We learned about Whidbey's past, which in turn teaches us about the island's present day life.

We met with youth from St. Augustine in the Woods, the local Episcopal Church, for a tour of the island, and to learn some of the history of both the place and its people.  Our first stop was Fort Casey.  While at this military installation, we enjoyed a picnic lunch with our new friends.  After a delicious meal we headed to the forts.  What we found were the well kept remains of the front line defenses that opened in the very early 1900's.  Large cannons, hallways, corridors, and bunkers lined the bluff above the water.  Why go to a retired military base?  Per person, the Whidbey Island area has one of the highest military populations in the country.  It has influenced the historic culture of the people who lived here today.  We also found ourselves on another rocky beach lined with driftwood forts and seals playing out in the ocean.

Our next stop was Coupeville.  A small fishing town north of our Sunlight Beach home.  There we found a mussel farm, a wharf dedicated to the conservation of maritime life, and amazing ice cream in the building where Seattle's Best coffee was created. 

After this, we went to St. Augustine's in the Woods for a tour of their worship space.  We found a beautiful space tucked into the woods right on the water.  It is clear from there campus this church is a warm and welcoming place full life and doing many great things.  After our tour there, we headed back to our home to prepare dinner (the traditional 4th of July cookout) and wait for the fireworks.

While planning the trip, I found myself asking what do fireworks have to do with answering the question, "Who do you say that I am?"  I came up with a few trivial answers to this question, but I had no idea what was in store.  Those reading this who attend St. Mark's, know one of the things we do really well is welcoming those who come up our hill.  This is at the core of who we say we are and at the core of who Christ was.  Yesterday evening, we found ourselves with the best viewing spot for an hour long firework display put on by the local people.  This non professional display was something to see.  There were fireworks on display in any direction you wanted to look, and what was our group doing?  Inviting anyone and everyone to join us around our fire for the show.  We were inviting folks to have a s'more.  We were inviting folk to a place to keep warm and enjoy a fantastic show.  By the end our group size had more than doubled with folks from the island and all over the country. We were building community - living the way of Christ.  

Everywhere we look it is easy to see God, the Creator.  Last night we were remind of God, the Creator of Love.  We loved people well in our new environment.  While most of us are still trying to acclimate to the time change and weather, acclimating into the community simply happened because the love of God is for all people, in all times, in all places.

Finally, we to thank all the wonderful people of St. Augustine especially Julie Spangler, her husband Bob, and the youth for an amazing day.

We made it!

After months of planning, weeks of meetings, 2 flights, a LONG car ride, some great Mexican food, a chilly ferry ride, and tons of prayer...we are here!  We arrived yesterday evening before dark.  We awake this morning with excitement, anticipation, and amazement, at the wonder of the place in which we find ourselves.  Last night we asked ourselves who do we say that God is?  Hopefully this week we will find new answers, deepen existing answers, and remember forgotten answers to this question.  It has already been an amazing journey.  We most certainly fill like pilgrims.  See below for photos of our journey thus far!

Remember its going to be chilly!

I just noticed that our low today is warmer than the high for Whidbey Island...How great is that!  Remember to pack warmly.  Bringing a sweatshirt might not be that bad of an idea...

Getting Ready!

I have spoken with lots of folk in making last minute arrangements with everyone who will be a part of our trip and they are all extremely excited to host us.  I just found out we are going to be treated to lots of very very cool things including an hour long fire works show, great food, and a Jesus experience like none other!

Please be in prayer about all of our events and activities.  This will be a trip of a lifetime and I look forward to sharing it with each of you!

Pilgrimage Eucharist!

Remember Pilgrimage Eucharist for all Pilgrims and their families this coming Sunday 11am in the outdoor chapel!

Im getting excited!

Over the past few days, We had our 1st pilgrimage class, I've had many conversations with Buddhist, Catholics, Episcopalians, Whale Watchers, MLB workers, Seattle residence, and a host of other folks.  A few things I've learned from all this are:
1.     It seems like most people in Washington are the nicest most easy going people
2.     This pilgrimage could be in my top 3 most amazing experiences.
3.     I'm thinking I really am not going to want to come home from this trip.
4.     This will most certainly be a trip worth every dollar raised/spent, all the work, and stress.
5.     I love my job and love working with teenagers

Another step closer!

With our profits from the yard sale reaching 5,000 we are almost to our goal for the trip! This is very exciting news! Lets finish strong with our Auto Bell ticket sale and call it a day!

One more!

I am happy to announce that Christian will be joining us this summer! This makes us very excited and we are excited to add one more!

Officially Booked

Flights...Check
Rental Cars...Check
Tickets for Activities...Check
Reservations...Check
Place to Sleep...Check

Prayers...Never ending

Paul is often quoted pray without ceasing.  St. Francis said tell people about Christ daily, but only use words when you have to.  May our actions heretofore be worthy of our company, our friends, our community, our family, our fellow pilgrims, our Christ...Amen

A Prayer for all those traveling this way with us...

May the friendship of the community give birth to a new creativity.
May the togetherness of the community give birth to a new unity.
May the glory of the creativity and unity give birth to a new society.
Creating God, may we go forward, ever mindful of your truth which leads us and guides us...Amen.

On Our Way!

Today we had our first official Pilgrimage meeting with parents and youth. While there are still details to iron out, monies to be raised, and questions to be answered, it is clear we are on our way! With some sadness is still lingering for our canceled trip to Costa Rica, we are filled with excitement and anticipation as we embark on this 1st St. Mark's pilgrimage. Like so many who have traveled the way of the pilgrim we hope that when this journey has ended and we travel a new way, we will be changed people. A new creation. A well traveled pilgrim with a new understanding of ourselves and a new answer to the question, "Who
do you say that I am?"