I’m fascinated by the relationships; where they form, what happens in them, and how they shape us. In March of 2004, a mystic, a skeptic, and a practitioner walked into a canyon. That’s not the beginning to a bad joke. On the contrary, it is the beginning of a real life journey that would effect […]
Read moreWhen Sabbath Doesn’t Include Church
This week I had one of the best Sabbaths I’ve experienced in a long time. We slept, went out for breakfast, wandered around, rested, had conversations, admired the fall colors, walked hand in hand…it was great. I was able to spend some time writing and there was nothing on our agenda…not even church. In […]
Read moreReconnecting Your Head to Your Heart
Do you ever wonder why we rarely experience long term change even though we really mean it when we declare our resolve to start something, stop something, do more, do less, and change? Well… Sometimes our goals aren’t big enough. We often don’t have a plan. No one has been invited to walk with […]
Read morePilgrims Pay Attention to Pace
The concept of pace is critical. For a runner to perform at their peak they need to run at the right pace. For our bodies to function correctly the heart must beat at a consistent pace. For the pilgrim, proper pace holds three things in tension: Attention to what is. Reflection upon what was. Anticipation […]
Read moreThe First Shift in Becoming a Pilgrim
The irony of this topic is that my current job is in the tourism industry. My objective is to convince you to come to our town, have fun, spend money, go home, tell your friends, come back, repeat. No doubt that is a bit of an over-simplification but it is the general outline as I […]
Read moreA Huge Blunder in the Balcony
I am incredibly grateful for the church I grew up in. I was loved, nutured, encouraged, corrected, and challenged there. We had traditions that were both local and denominational. The middle schoolers always did a living nativity scene during Christmas. There was always an Easter pageant. We had summer camps and winter retreats. Our Sunday […]
Read moreMy Mentor on Investment
When I was charting out this series it was difficult to pick out only a handful of topics because Jim has taught me so many things over the years. Taught isn’t even the right word. He invested in me. Jim did not consider himself a dispenser of wisdom. He was simply an Everyday Pilgrim…an ordinary […]
Read moreMy Mentor on Life Long Learning
There are only a handful of vocations where the payscale is tiered to reward education. Ministry is not typically one of them. But Jim was a consistent voice of encouragement to always be a learner. Whether it was in the formal sense of pursuing graduate degrees or informally with conferences, workshops, and seminars. I […]
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