This is my first attempt at a travel blog. That is, it will be an effort to help keep all my friends, relations, and church members updated on where I am going and what I am seeing on my Holy Land Pilgrimage in August of 2009.
To get you up to speed, I have the wonderful opportunity to go to the Holy Land this summer. We will go to Galilee and Jerusalem. But the trip is more than merely an exciting travel opportunity. It is sponsored by Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is specifically for pastors in mid-career to uplift and encourage them in their ministries. It is not merely a trip, but a pilgrimage in the fullest sense of the word.
How is it different? Well, in the first place, I had to get permission to go. I had to send in a written application complete with essay questions! Then my application was selected from among many others by a panel who read them all and determined which ones would be able to go. This is no plunk-down-your-cash-and-away-we-go kind of trip. Secondly, I have assigned reading to be done before we leave. In case you want to read along, we are reading Belden Lane's "The Solace of Fierce Landscapes" which is a reflection on meeting God in the desert places - both literally and figuratively - in our lives. Third, we are supposed to journal, to express our thoughts in writing, and in so doing, reflect on the experience. Finally, we will meet again in November to reflect together and, perhaps, to compare notes.
In this blog, I hope to share some of my thoughts and experiences with you. The immediacy of electronic connection will (I hope) allow us to connect in ways never before possible. We can share thoughts, ideas, and even pictures. Isn't that incredible?!
I hope you will join me, at least electronically for what may be the greatest adventure to this point in my life. I am looking forward to what God may do in me. Perhaps he will work in you, as well.
Shalom!
No comments:
Post a Comment