I'm Back! and Books

Well, I had the time of my life (sing along if you'd like!) San Francisco and its neighboring counties was a dream. It was so "me." Sustainability of the earth was a "given" in all that was around us. The health of humanity was also important. Respecting religious differences was apparent. And, yes, I was surrounded by friends. We stayed at a retreat center near Occidental, CA that, when serving children, offered whole wheat hot dog buns (we here in Arbuckle Creek assume that children only enjoy white flour.) We had fresh garden salads and vegetables everyday, and although Arbuckle Creek is a strong agricultural locale, I've never tasted anything as fresh and flavorful as these vegetables. Nothing was "fried" in the traditional southern sense that sometimes makes its way into the FL non-south. "Fried" meant simply "crusted" and baked. Everything was organic, even the coffee (fair trade as well) and the baked goods at the bakery we stopped at on the way to the airport. Everyone recycled without giving it a second thought. We worshiped Episcopal style on Sunday at St. Gregory of Nyssa with the Dancing Saints. It was a Christian church with hints of hinduism, judaism, and buddhism mixed in. Very interesting and extremely welcoming. In San Francisco I got to visit a farmer's market and a craft fair while also riding the BART and visiting City Lights bookstore. The Golden Gate bridge was beautiful as was the countryside. We even visited the Pacific and about froze to death Labor Day evening. Best of all, of course, were those amazing friends I had mentioned. Together we worshiped and shared communion in our special community. Together we shared the depths of our lives and together we emerged more refreshed than we had started our week together. Mostly, we played together and I can't tell you how important that was to me. It's been hard these last couple of days to settle back into Arbuckle Creek where no one has changed and where many of the wonders I experienced were in sharp contrast to my daily reality (which is probably also why I appreciated them so much). But my family is here and I did miss them (and they me) so I guess it's also a good thing to come home.

On to other topics. While on the plane (and in airports -- my first plane had been cancelled so I literally spent ALL day in/around planes) I had the privilege to read Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons . It too told the stories of friends through lifes' many changes and I couldn't help but resonate as I was headed off to visit my friends. It's difficult to make true friends as adults and I honestly believe that these people are blessings from God. The book spoke to the wonder of friendships while also addressing many levels of trust and personal growth. My friends and I are kind of "growing up" together as we embrace our vocational calling. Together we reflected on Parker Palmer's book Let Your Life Speak and all of us resonated at some level with the difficulty of discovering who we were called to be. Vocation is difficult at all stages in life and in all working realms of life. Not all of us are practicing pastors right now, yet all of us touched on the desire to be called to something that was purely "ours." On the way home I finished up the 3rd book in Angie Sage's children's series called Physik and enjoyed every minute of it. I LOVE books.


So this is the news from Arbuckle Creek where the library is way too small, "recycling" means giving things to the church flea market and the cost of fuel is not a penny less than San Francisco, CA.

Friends

Today I board a plane to San Francisco to study with 17 other clergy. These are probably some of my best friends in the world and I have that child-before-Christmas sense of time fluttering in my belly. It's been over a year since I've seen most of these friends and honestly, I can't wait.

We met on a study grant through the First Parish Project 3 years ago. Most of us, at that time, were serving as solo pastors of our first church -- and most of us had served less than 1 year. We boarded planes from all over the country, hoping above all hopes that the other 18 of us would not look or act clergy-ish. We should not have fret. Upon arriving at the airport, we discovered a bunch of 20-ish and 30-ish aged people, wearing blue jeans and birkenstocks. By the end of the first long weekend, we had weathered an unexpected hurricane in NC together and played 3 Lies and a Truth in the darkness when the storm kicked the electricity off. Since then we have gathered 6 times -- this marks the 7th. In each gathering we all leave our lonely jobs and gather with friends who understand the difficulties of ministry. We struggle with difficult congregation members, families who want more of our time, and parishioners pulling for that same time. We evaluate our calls into this low paying professional position on a daily basis. We share when our doubts seem stronger than our faith and when our faith is so strong we feel we will burst. And we laugh together -- deep belly laughs.

Friendships are hard to make in ministry. To pastor a church, especially in rural areas like Arbuckle Creek, requires that we frequently sequester ourselves within our little faith communities and come out for air only to have a reputation as the pastor of a community (for good or for ill). Friendships are rare gifts, and while I have finally made some true friends in Arbuckle Creek, they are rare gems. So think about me this week (if anyone reads this blog besides other FPP-ers!) for I plan to have the time of my life learning and studying, yes, but also playing with my friends.