On Sunday, September 23, the congregation send me on my sabbatical journey with a commissioning and a blessing. The Rev. Dr. Ralph Nelson prayed the following prayer:
"Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31.
O God, upon whom we wait and to whom we must draw apart in order to be renewed in mind, heart, and strength; we praise you and give you heartfelt thanks for the ministry of Lynn Williamson; the gifts which you have given to her for the building up of this congregation and the care and strengthening of its people. We are grateful for her preaching and teaching, for her sharing of our common lives and the sense of direction she brings to this church.
Now as she draws apart for a time to be with you, to wait upon to, to rebuild her mind, to reach out to you in prayer, to learn from others, to travel to her spiritual roots, to search out your Spirit for guidance, for deepening and direction, we pray that she may renew strength, that her spirit may take wings, that he might re-enter the ministry which you have set before her with fresh zeal and renewed faith.
Be with her in all her travels to keep her safe and return her once again to those she has come to love, that she may serve with honor and faithfulness and renewed insight in the tasks which you have set before her. For this we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thank you, Ralph, and thank you, Shepherd of the Hills Choir who sent me off with a beautiful prayer, too-- "May the Lord Watch Over You" arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram.
I have spent this past week visiting people and making last minute preparations. Now my suitcase is packed. Tomorrow, Barb Watters and I head to Denver. We fly out Tuesday morning.
While we are in Israel, we will be blogging at barbandlynn.blogspot.com. Please follow this portion of my sabbatical there.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Come Away
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
-Mark 6:30-32 (NRSV)
Of course, v. 33 says that the many who were coming and going manage to findJesus and the apostles in their deserted place. Nevertheless, I am responding to the invitation to "Come away" to the wilderness, another translation of "deserted place" by spending a week at Ring Lake Ranch, an ecumenical retreat center about 12 miles east of Dubois (www.ringlake.org).
It is Monday, August 20, 2012. I have been here since Wednesday, August 15, for four days with Dan and then until August 22 with Margaret Babcock and Brenda Baalhorn, two colleagues from Casper. I am here to prepare for the sabbatical that officially begins October 1.
Ring Lake Ranch is a fitting space to prepare for my discovery of the importance of place and an exploration of spiritual geography. Situated in a valley in the Wind River mountains, there are petroglyphs on the ranch property that mark this site as sacred to the Sheepeaters, ancestors of the Shoshones.
This is my fourth visit to the Ranch in three years, and the first time I have been able to stay for more than a few days. There is an ever changing community of people from all over the country and, I suppose, the world who come to hike, fish, horseback ride, interact with speakers on a number of topics, and just be in creation.
For me, it takes only a day or two here to disconnect, slow down, and rest in who God created me to be (that was the topic last week). As my sabbatical approaches, it is an important stop for me.
This time at Ring Lake is also a part of the sabbatical since the "plan" includes time for Dan and me to spend time together exploring Wyoming, a place we have come to love (well, Dan loved it before he even saw it; I came to my love a bit more gradually). Ring Lake was the right place to begin.
As we left Casper and all our responsibilities behind, we became more responsive to each other. We quickly became aware of what we enjoyed about each other and how little time we really spend together.
Along with a group of ten, we took a day long hike to Lake Louise. It was the longest hike I had ever taken. And even though I fell down and skinned my knee, I never whined. Lake Louise is a glacial lake three miles and 1000 feet in elevation from the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Trail Head, about three miles from the ranch. The elevation at Lake Louise is 8300 feet. We hiked through mossy aspen and pine forests, by rushing streams, and over granite.
Here we are at Lake Louise. Note the glacier just above my head.
Here is the view from Cabin 6 where Brenda and I stayed.
I had too much to do when I returned to even get this posted. The many coming and going managed to find me. Now I have met my friends in New Hampshire. The official beginning of the sabbatical isn't far now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
-Mark 6:30-32 (NRSV)
Of course, v. 33 says that the many who were coming and going manage to findJesus and the apostles in their deserted place. Nevertheless, I am responding to the invitation to "Come away" to the wilderness, another translation of "deserted place" by spending a week at Ring Lake Ranch, an ecumenical retreat center about 12 miles east of Dubois (www.ringlake.org).
It is Monday, August 20, 2012. I have been here since Wednesday, August 15, for four days with Dan and then until August 22 with Margaret Babcock and Brenda Baalhorn, two colleagues from Casper. I am here to prepare for the sabbatical that officially begins October 1.
Ring Lake Ranch is a fitting space to prepare for my discovery of the importance of place and an exploration of spiritual geography. Situated in a valley in the Wind River mountains, there are petroglyphs on the ranch property that mark this site as sacred to the Sheepeaters, ancestors of the Shoshones.
This is my fourth visit to the Ranch in three years, and the first time I have been able to stay for more than a few days. There is an ever changing community of people from all over the country and, I suppose, the world who come to hike, fish, horseback ride, interact with speakers on a number of topics, and just be in creation.
For me, it takes only a day or two here to disconnect, slow down, and rest in who God created me to be (that was the topic last week). As my sabbatical approaches, it is an important stop for me.
This time at Ring Lake is also a part of the sabbatical since the "plan" includes time for Dan and me to spend time together exploring Wyoming, a place we have come to love (well, Dan loved it before he even saw it; I came to my love a bit more gradually). Ring Lake was the right place to begin.
As we left Casper and all our responsibilities behind, we became more responsive to each other. We quickly became aware of what we enjoyed about each other and how little time we really spend together.
Along with a group of ten, we took a day long hike to Lake Louise. It was the longest hike I had ever taken. And even though I fell down and skinned my knee, I never whined. Lake Louise is a glacial lake three miles and 1000 feet in elevation from the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Trail Head, about three miles from the ranch. The elevation at Lake Louise is 8300 feet. We hiked through mossy aspen and pine forests, by rushing streams, and over granite.
Here we are at Lake Louise. Note the glacier just above my head.
Here is the view from Cabin 6 where Brenda and I stayed.
I had too much to do when I returned to even get this posted. The many coming and going managed to find me. Now I have met my friends in New Hampshire. The official beginning of the sabbatical isn't far now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:County Road 411,Dubois,United States
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