Sabbatical Week #1

This past week I was in Copalis Beach, Washington, about two and a half hours west of Seattle, at a beautiful place called Iron Springs Resort. My brother and his fiancé had invited close friends and family to be a part of the celebration.  It was a great way to start a sabbatical for a variety of reasons...

1. I had only been to Seattle once before and hadn't been on a plane since 2017, so this was an adventure in doing new things like using my phone as the boarding pass, and using Uber. My mom and I traveled together, which meant I got to go to the front of lines with her because she was using the wheelchair assistance, so that too was new to me and quite nice. An added bonus was that the wheelchair escorts know where to go and so we didn't have to wander around trying to find baggage or our Uber driver.

2. I am always fascinated by trees. The one in the picture above is a nurse stump that stood in front of our cabin. The growth at the top of the picture may be new tree starts from the original tree, but everything else that is growing out of this stump is simply using the stump as a source for rooting. In Kansas, people are more likely to remove the dead and dying trees, but at this resort, they remain and foster new growth. I love this idea for the environment, but also as a metaphor for living together in community.

3. On the plane, I read a bit of Sarah Bessey's new book Field Notes in the Wilderness in which she talks about Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me all you who are weary..." or in the Message version, "Are you tired? Burnt out. .?" It really hit the spot, especially since I have been worried that I might get to the end of these three months without having found the rest and healing I need. These verses and Sarah's words helped me feel like I am on the right track.

4. Towards the end of the week, I noticed a lightness in myself that I hadn't felt in a long time. In this place, there were no expectations of me, and none that I was putting on myself.  I wasn't thinking about how to be the pastor, or wrestling with a sermon topic, I was just hanging out. In preparation for the sabbatical, several people had asked me if I have friends who are unconnected to the church and I couldn't think of any. I didn't think it mattered until I experienced the difference it makes. 

5. The culture in my brother's friend group, and maybe in Seattle in general, is very accepting. Some of the difference is likely my own perception, but there were definitely subjects that were much easier to discuss in Seattle because there was no baggage about them. Is this what true acceptance and inclusion feels like?  

This lack of stigma is what I want to have in Kansas.  Can we be a truly accepting and inclusive church community like this? I think we want to be, so that gives me hope. We're working towards this.

How cool would it be if we had more of this in the community overall? That seems impossible, to be honest, but with God all things are possible!

Thanks, God.