Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places—
Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!
Vielen Dank! Muchas Gracias! Thank you so much!!!
Jenny and I are back from our two-month vacation and study leave filled with deep thanks for your generosity in making this possible. It truly was a trip of a lifetime.
In the coming weeks and months, I will be sharing what I learned from our time in Australia, walking the Camino in Spain, and Germany. But for now, here are a few insights:
Take time for sabbath. We all need this. I realize now I did. Instead of running from place to place completing our daily to-do, lists it is soul-giving to stop the cycle for a while. Life expands when you do.
Walk slowly. While everyone passed me on the Camino to get to the next destination, it was a lesson for me to go at my own pace. I am certain I would have missed some cows, sheep, birds, dogs, pigs, and conversations along the way if my only focus was the day’s destination.
Talk to strangers. That’s what one does on the Camino. Strike up a conversation and it will not only surprise folks but might also lead to meaningful connections. In Germany no one on the street felt obliged to acknowledge your presence. It was friendlier in Spain. On the Camino it was a way of being.
Learn a new language. Don’t expect people to learn and speak English just so we don’t have to make the effort to learn their language. I have never been one to whom a new language comes easily, but the more I was in Spain and Germany, the more words I picked up. It’s a small way of bringing the world together, one word at a time.
Calm your spirit. Work on being non-anxious. Feed your soul, not a system that keeps demanding things from you. My Trauma and Spiritual Care course, which kept me awake for zoom classes three nights while in Australia and Germany, keeps emphasizing the need to slow down. Trauma feeds on anxiety and our culture has a well-worn way of perpetuating trauma.
The Church is going through great change across the world, not just here. I was in southwestern Australia, the farthest away I have ever been, and the same issues and anxieties are being felt. Where are the young people? We’re not what we used to be! Why don’t people attend church anymore! Same old, same old. But scripture reminds us that God is doing a new thing. Perhaps we should let God go at it and be open to new possibilities that are unfolding.
One more idea for now. Imagine your future story. My trauma class did this as an exercise, and I recommend it to you. Imagine something good happening in your life, in the world, wherever and however this story comes to you. Write your story the way you want your life to be, then imagine yourself living that life. No boundaries, no limitations. All is possible. We can do this for the church as well. It’s a way that leads to hope and away from all the negative energy and voices around us.
Enough for now, but I will keep reflecting upon our recent journey and how it might give life to the journey before us. And I look forward to being back with you once again starting this Sunday for the Juneteenth service at Federal Park at 10 am!
Grace and peace,
Harry