Category: Travel

  • Wild Serenity

    Wild Serenity

    When my husband Steve died, I looked out toward a vast, empty horizon. It was neither dark nor light—just empty and wide. I would come to realize that Steve’s death gave me the kind of freedom that I never wanted … but freedom nonetheless. And so, this summer I went to Montana for a whole month to be with my fast-growing Montana grands and their parents. I stayed half the time in a VRBO. It was a really great plan, except for the hard parts. If you are living in the aftermath of loss, you know that you can feel full of joy one moment, and hollowed out from loneliness the next. In Traveling Light, Eugene Peterson normalizes the “pain of being human” and those “moments of emptiness and waiting.” His words reassure me. He also inspires his readers to never “abandon the awesome silence of worship.” Alone in a Montana mountain town, I captured a moment of balance between the emptiness of solitude and the silent worship of God under His vast blue sky (see video).

    The Treasure: “Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” (Romans 1:20 NIV)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    It’s a great way to start the day here at Red Lodge, Montana at Wild Bill’s Cabin in a hot tub on a 57degree crisp, cool morning. Beautiful blue sky. I’m remembering the introduction to my blog series, where Pilgrim and I are inside the fence and we haven’t gone anywhere because I’m afraid to go anywhere because everything’s changed in my life. And Pilgrim, the camper, represents courage to go beyond fear and loss so that we don’t shrink our lives. Well, when I was getting ready to come up here to Red Lodge, one hour and a half from my family’s home here in Montana, I felt really empty, saying to myself, “What the heck are you doing?” It was hard to come away. It was a little … not scary, but a little unsure. But oh my gosh, I have been on a hike, I’ve seen beautiful sights. When we do familiar things in different ways, there are treasures along the way. So, as you go along your way, maybe life has made a big change for you too … you may not be in a hot tub at Wild Bill’s Cabin, but there will be other things that you do where you take risk, so you don’t shrink your life either.

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  • The Easy Way

    The Easy Way

    At the top of a ski slope in Red Lodge, Montana I felt like I didn’t have a care in the world. Difficulties lay behind me; challenges yet unknown lay before me. But for two chairlift rides up (and down) the mountain, I inhabited a euphoric bubble, free of expectations, bad news, or disappointment. With the breeze on my face and beauty all around, I almost believed I’m entitled to the easy way (see video).

    It doesn’t take long for life to challenge a mindset of entitlement. Like Jesus told His first followers (and us), “In the world you will have trouble.” But He also tells us that he came so we could have peace in the midst of it. He said that His power to overcome within a world of trouble gives us every reason to take courage. (John 16:33)

    I suppose it can take a lifetime of practice to trust God when what we want and what life yields don’t match up. But when we develop a “personal history with God” we begin to see the evidence that gives us hope. Looking back on what trust has yielded in our history with Him encourages us to trust Him sooner next time the journey gets rough.

    The Treasure: Swing with the easy times; let challenges springboard us to adjust and trust God.

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    I really like taking the easy way in life. I like gliding; I like getting on a lift chair and going to the top of a mountain instead of hiking it. I like looking around me without having to catch my breath—looking around at the beauty of the heights. I guess life isn’t like that. Life isn’t like that all of the time. Sometimes we need to take a tough hike and keep putting one foot in front of the other as we go to elevated spots in our lives. But today’s not that kind of day. Today’s an easy day. It would be nice if I could always have a top-down view, don’t you think? It would be nice if we could just see things from God’s perspective all the time so that we wouldn’t fret about what’s going on in the valleys of our lives. But that’s where trust comes in. He says to trust Him, and that it gives Him great pleasure. But for today … I’m taking the easy way. His perspective is always good; it’s complete; He’s always working a good plan for our lives. At my age now I actually just bought a senior ticket. I can look back and see the reality of His goodness—of how when times were hard, He was doing His best work in me. Now it’s my pleasure to trust Him. I don’t always trust Him very well, but it is my goal because He’s a good God and does the very best for us.

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  • When Burdens Get Lost

    When Burdens Get Lost

    Pilgrims with courage to go beyond the fence open opportunity for adventure with God. On our faith pilgrimage in Ireland, we each picked up and carried two stones. One stone represented a burden we carry where we may need deeper trust, surrender, faith, or hope. We would throw this stone off the Cliffs of Moher.

     The other stone represented something we wish to receive from Jesus, like healing, grace, love, or forgiveness. We would lay this stone at the foot of the cross of Saint Brendan in Glendalough.

    St Brendan is remembered for his courage, his sense of adventure, and deep faith. His ability to trust and venture forth with God was grounded in prayer.

    A Prayer of St Brendan

    Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown.

    Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You.

    Christ of the mysteries, I trust You to be stronger than each storm within me.

    I will trust in the darkness and know that my times, even now, are in Your hand.

    Tune my spirit to the music of heaven, and somehow, make my obedience count for You.

    Amen

    Wouldn’t it be nice if our burden of fear to break fresh ground with God could just get lost? Check out my blooper video that became too profound to delete and continue on with the cleaned-up version of throwing my burden off the Cliffs of Moher. I hope the sound of footsteps will bring you more fully into the moment.

    The Treasure: Discern which burdens to put down and travel light to break fresh ground with God.

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    Blooper portion: Whenever we cross a threshold, there’s probably some burdens to be put down. And I actually have … (laughter) … I can’t find my burden!

    Well, whenever we cross thresholds into new seasons, sometimes we bring burdens from what’s before. I know that’s true of me. And as I’m coming into a new season across my threshold, I have a rock that represents a burden I’m going to put down. I’m going to throw this rock over the Cliffs of Moher in just a moment. My burden that I’m going to lay down is the exhausting need, perceived need, to know what’s ahead—to know what the plan and the script is going to be. So, by throwing this burden out I’m going to be opening myself up to have an expectancy of what God is going to do next and to celebrate that with Him and lean fully into Him. So, I’m going to throw my burden out now … I’m imagining that I hear the sploosh way down there into the ocean.

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  • Travel Light

    Travel Light

    The unfortunate art of perfectionism began in my heart as a child. I never liked making mistakes. And, although the sensitive heart of a child to wrongdoing is a good thing, lingering guilt sucked me into continued silent confessions. On the flip side, chapel sermons taught me that penance had already been paid. It’s part of the radical story of God—that the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience lead us to repentance. (Romans 2:4). Nonetheless, after confessing my sins, I often remained a guilt-carrier.

    “Please forgive me for…” And then, came God’s gentle response: If I thought you could have gotten it right all of the time, I wouldn’t have had to send my Son to die. His tender words put a “knowing” within my heart, and a hike near the town of Westport in Ireland (see photo) illustrated it.

    As I descended the mountain path (see video) of Craugh Patrick, I passed a man beginning his upward trek barefoot, as a physical act of penance. The difficulty of the steep, rocky path had required me to use hiking poles and strong boots for every difficult step. Where would I be if God required me to do penance for my offenses against Him? Physically, I’d still be on that trail. Spiritually, I’d be living a dull and defeated Christian life.

    But God paid a great price to take the penance out of repentance so I can travel light. This humbles me and gives me confidence to trust as I anticipate every next threshold with Him.

    The Treasure: “A life fully surrendered to God, has nothing to fear, nothing to lose, nothing to regret.” (Pandita Rumabai, India)

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    This is the trail up Craugh Patrick in Ireland. The rocky trail came all the way from where the water is. It’s been a rough journey up—lots of rocks as you can see in front of me. And the important thing has been to take one step at a time as you come up. It occurs to me that in the new seasons of life when we cross thresholds into new places, sometimes the way across the threshold is really hard. It means something has happened that’s been painful, or it means something is taking a lot of emotional or physical or spiritual work. But, when we take one step at a time with God, it’s worth it because we come to new places. And we come to beautiful vistas when we stop and look back at what has been and where we have come from. But it’s not an easy trek. Pandita Rumabai of India once said, “A life fully surrendered to God has nothing to fear, nothing to lose, nothing to regret.” So, as you go into new seasons and as I step over thresholds into new seasons, it takes courage—it takes somebody bigger than us—it takes God to help us through. May we take one step at a time, not hurry the process, and know that it’s all part of a big story arc that God is accomplishing in us.

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  • The Hill of Slane

    The Hill of Slane

    I like quiet places. That’s why I said “yes” to a faith pilgrimage and crossed a threshold into the back countryside of Ireland. Celtic readings, reflection questions, and Scripture reminded us we were more than tourists; we were pilgrims.1

    Saint Patrick knew about crossing thresholds. Irish raiders had kidnapped the sixteen-year-old from Britain and sold him as a slave-shepherd. Seven years later he escaped, returned home, studied for his ordination, and returned to Ireland as their first missionary. On a place called Slane Hill, Patrick made a powerful and dangerous declaration that freed many to worship God.2

    Patrick’s courage on Slane Hill can inspire us to take treasures from the impossible parts of our stories, put words to them, and speak freedom into the lives of others.

    Our pilgrimage took us to Slane Hill. Sitting on the ruins of the Franciscan church and monastery (above photo) reminded me of the brevity of life and opened my heart to a world of opportunity. I felt joy on the Irish side of my threshold—great joy. But, as you know, joy and sorrow can be. close companions. They are for me, as I mark Steve’s departure from this life three years ago.

    Solitude in Irish beauty reminded me that the “ruins” of sorrow can be sacred if we honor them. We need not fear our tears. In time they can add vibrancy to our next burst of joy. Feel the winds of Ireland (in video) as you ponder your next threshold.

    1. Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press), 2000, 22.
    2. https://www.discoverboynevalley.ie/boyne-valley-drive/heritage-sites/hill-slane-coming-christianity

    The Treasure: When our strength is in God and our hearts are set on pilgrimage, valleys of weeping can become springs of replenishment for us and others (Psalm 84:5).

    If you’d rather read than watch the video, here’s the full video transcript:

    In some ways I have stepped beyond a threshold. I’ve stepped beyond the fence, left Pilgrim at home. She has waved good-bye. I’m still a big part of her and she’s a part of me. But she’s not where I get my security; she’s not the main story. God has helped me move through a threshold, to step into a new season beyond deep sorrow and into new life and new joy. Sorrow will be a part of it.

    I am on the outskirts of Dublin at a place called, Slane Hill, where St. Patrick came to be missionary to the country where he was once a slave. I am really intrigued by his courage and by the power of God that happened as a result of his courage in the lives of many people. So thresholds are something we step over—step through a door—step into a new season of life. And the thing about thresholds is that sometimes you can never go back because you’ve changed; you’re different from the person you were once before. These are beautiful countryside places—quiet—to come away from the contamination of thoughts that can be so distracting. We’ll be talking more about thresholds in the future.

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