Day 5

I'm in Yellowstone National Park. Yesterday was no fun driving in heavy rain all through Idaho. Fishtailed some with all the water on the road. Saw one car spin around 360.

Contemplated skipping Yellowstone but decided to do it.  Cold and wet is never fun, but it is all part of the journey.

Day 4

I'm in declo Idaho. Drove from Baker City Oregon past Boise and Twin Falls. Don told me about an ice cream parlor in a small town that has the best ice cream in Idaho. So I detoured off the interstate 10 found it. It was very good and worth it. I did not get to see young clergy friend in Twin Falls which was disappointing. Experienced pretty heavy thunderstorm activity during the night. But I finally got some decent sleep. On to Yellowstone.

Day 3

  I woke up this morning before 6 on a ranch and Eastern Oregon.  A seminary classmate of mine, Don Hanna, reached out to me and I stopped by to visit with him. We had not seen each other for 37 years.   it was great to catch up with him and learn about his area of the state and the history of Native people and the Oregon Trail. They fed me delicious hamburgers from their own cattle. Today I head east through Southern Idaho.

Day 2

It is day 2 of this journey. I left home in Bend yesterday and drove to a Walla Walla Washington. Except for a headache it was a great drive and I spent the night at the home of Ann and Ellen and last night. We had dinner with David and Juli. Juli is the pastor of Pioneer United Methodist Church here in Walla Walla. After a tour of Walla Walla today I will hit the road head to Oregon to visit more friends.

D-Day Is Coming!

Departure Day is Sept. 5, three weeks from today.  It's amazing to think I will kiss Kim goodbye, get in my truck, and head out on a three-month odyssey!  Sometimes I think it has been more fun planning and dreaming and preparing than actually doing it!  Crazy, right?

As D-Day approaches I am filled with different emotions.  One is fear.  I fear the unknown.  Recently I camped in a remote area of the Cascades with no one around.  As darkness descended I didn't know if my anxiety was connected with wild animals or crazy people.  It was clear I was vulnerable.  Thank God for prayer and peace.  

That's what I expect on the road...experiences where I will depend on God.  May this be so for you on your life road.

Grace Always,

Dave

The Future Is Here!

This past Monday was my official first day of retirement and I must say that it is a weird feeling not to be working.  For 45 years I have held full time jobs as a teacher and pastor.  Since I announced my retirement last August I have known this day was coming.  I even set up a countdown timer on my computer and on my office white board!  But it is one thing to prepare for a future event when it has not happened.  I have spent much time preparing the congregation at Bend, making gifts for the staff, organizing files for Pastor Jen, and cleaning the office.  But July 1 was still a future reality.  Now that it is here I am living, not with the hope of a future day, but I am in the future right now.  The future is now the present.

It occurs to me that some of us do better thinking and planning for a future event than actually living into it.  I'm not saying this is me, but I am a dreamer.  And dreamers always think about the future.  My spiritual challenge is to learn to stay in this present moment with all its new rhythms and discoveries.  For the present is exactly where I experience the holy grace of God.

Grace Always,

Dave

Loving Oregon

This is my first post on this site in 5 years.  Just because I will no longer be preaching does not mean I won't have creative moments.  Word, photos, and videos will show up here.  For now check out some clips I took recently at Silver Falls State Park in western Oregon.