All Saints Day - Nov. 4, 2023

 
Today is All Saints Day and I have to say that this time of remembering our saints was powerful. We set up easels with the pictures of Soldotna UMC saints. After all I served this congregation 30 years ago.  I know these saints, their voices, their personalities, their love. When people came forward for communion they were surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses. We lit candles and prayed. And I found myself strangely warm to this idea of institutional church.  

Truth is I have had my doubts about the future of the Church. Four years of retirement and the pandemic served to put some distance between the Church and me. But I find myself in the pastoral role again. During the prelude to the communion liturgy I talked about the communion table being a symbol of the heavenly banquet table. I invited people to imagine them sitting at this table enjoying the gifts of God’s bounty. Sitting across the table and next to them were people who died. There was conversation and joy and laughter.

Now imagine your table today. There are empty chairs. People we love and miss. People who no longer stop by for dinner or come for the holidays. We grieve those empty chairs. But know that in Christ, our separation is only a temporary thing.

“Our separation is only a temporary thing.” In that liturgical moment I made the connection between all the ministry minutia we pastors invest in our congregations. It’s not glamorous work and it can even be difficult and tedious. But in that God-moment it all made sense. These kinds of worship experiences don’t just happen on their own. They happen in faith communities that invest in the infrastructure of Church. They happen when worship is the work of the people (the meaning of liturgy).

Church will continue to be fallable and leaders will wonder if it is worth our time and energy. But when those holy moments break open our hearts and draw us closer to the love of God in Christ it is definitely worth it!

Day 6 - Whitehorse, YK to Tok, Ak

It was supposed to be a 7 hr drive.  Due to the construction to fix frost heaves it was much longer.  Great weather and my body is not balking too much.  Grateful to be home in Alaska! 

Day 5 - Ft Nelson BC to Whitehorse, Yukon

My longest drive (11 hr) through stunning topography.  Animals I saw: grizzly bear, black bear, stone sheep, elk, deer, moose, and bison.  Hit 6 hours of no cell signal which gave me time to ponder plans for worship at Soldotna next Sunday.

Seven hours to Tok,Alaska tomorrow and 7 to Anchorage on Tuesday.   Still in love with his ministry adventure! 

Day 4 - Quesnel, BC to Ft Nelson, BC

Ten hr drive with sunshine, rain, and no drowsiness thanks to an energy drink that was new to me.

Jeremy often downed similar liquids to keep him awake on the road and at work.   Thanks, son.

I have to say that God is filling my heart and mind with peace and joy.  I find myself tearing up with a simple smile.  I listened to a podcast on delight.  One takeaway was the comment that we can experience deep joy in the aftermath of deep pain. God is blessing me for sure.

Day 3 - Marysville, WA to Quesnel, B.C.

Leaving family in Washington made this trip feel more real.  Crossing the border into Canada accomplished this also.  I enjoyed figuring out the conversion from English to metric.  When I was a middle school science teacher in the 70's I supported a movement in the US to convert entirely to metric.

The main challenge today was fighting drowsiness.   Cool fact: slapping your face actually helps! 

Day 2 - Salem, OR to Marysville, WA

Not my favorite route on I-5 north through Portland, Tacoma, and Seattle.   But it was sunny and bright.  A good day.  What usually takes 4.5 hours took 5.5 hours.  I think this will be the last of large urban cities as I cross into Canada tomorrow. 

I enjoyed spending the evening with my son-in-law, Aaron Smith and his parents. 

Day 1 - Drive 3 hr from Bend to Salem

No doubt this will be the shortest drive of the trip.  OMG the Cascade Mountains are gorgeous.  

Kim and Kodos drove separately.  We landed at Jenny and Aaron's new apartment as they move from Washington to Salem.  Lauren and Rob's family were there as we enjoyed pizza.  I gathered my four grandkids alone to share why I was going to Alaska.   Partly due to being in the land Jeremy loved.  One of them asked, "Papa, are you crying?"

Yes, I am crying.  I also said that I felt strongly that God was guiding me to Soldotna.  It was a special moment. 

Another Alaskan Adventure Begins!

 

It's raining and hailing in Bend, Oregon on June 19.  In two days I will drive this car over the Cascade Mts to Salem in order to say farewell to my family.  I plan to be in Soldotna, Alaska on June 30 where I will begin serving Soldotna United Methodist Church as interim pastor on July 1.  

This car bag is my third iteration.  First was a DIY camper which I decided to sell after I built it.  

#2 was a huge cargo box mounted to the hitch.

I'm feeling much better about the trip with #3.

My hope is to post each day of this journey with a photo or two and a word about how I am doing.  

Grace Always,

Dave

DIY Truck Bed Rack using Unistrut

Bridges Ice Before Roadways: What a Newly Retired Pastor Learned after an Epic 9000 Mile Road Trip

It was a sunny day on Thursday, September 5 as I pulled out of our driveway in Bend, Oregon. Kim and I had said our goodbyes as she left for work. I had prepared for this adventure for over a year. This was the hardest part…actually getting in my truck and leaving on a two-month plus road trip.

The reasons were simple. I wanted some time to process 40 years of church ministry in four states: Georgia, Ohio, Alaska, and Oregon. Plus I needed to stay away from my former congregation in order to give the new pastor time to bond with the people. What would God teach me? How much of my life as a Christ follower was linked to my role as a pastor? How would this new chapter affect my prayer life? How was I to respond to a life where my role would not matter as it did before? How would this new identity affect my marriage?

These kinds of questions swirled in my mind as I embarked on this journey into the unknown. I had spent months working on my truck, a 2012 Honda Ridgeline. I built a steel rack out of unistrut for my rooftop tent. Four solar panels mounted to the roof of the cab charged a lithium-ion battery that powered a small refrigerator and charged my phone. A propane powered hot water tank provided showers and cooking water. A 13 gallon water tank kept me hydrated. I built two cabinets with drawers, one for my clothes, and the other for my cooking needs. My ebike was folded and stored in the truck bed under the rooftop tent. I took lots of tools, first aid supplies, bike parts, and an extra sleeping bag for cold weather. I was ready.

But was I ready emotionally? Leaving Kim would be difficult. There would be periods of loneliness and discomfort. I was interested in answering this question. How much comfort do I need (want) in retirement? After years of backpacking and hiking, much of it in the north Georgia mountains, I was very familiar with the value of discomfort. One time I walked into the mountains on the Appalachian Trail on a solo survival trip. I took no provisions or equipment. I have to say that it was a much different experience without gear, one that I draw upon to this day as a source of strength and peace.

Now that this journey is finished my reflections have yielded these insights.

1. Discomfort can be good

The first night I spend with my brother, Brian, in Colorado at 10,000’ was the worst night of the entire trip. It was also my first experience with a panic attack. Thunderstorms, temperatures in the 30’s, and thin air caused me to feel trapped.

I have new respect for people who suffer from breathing difficulties or those with overwhelming anxiety. Even though this mantra was unable to comfort me that first night I knew that all would be well. My job was to pay attention to the discomfort and simply be with it for the moment.

2. Secular vs Sacred

In our Western world we love to put things into categories. We do this with people as well. One distinction that has not served us well is separating the secular from the sacred. In the interest of purity we believe that God is present in churches more than in the world. Religious people work hard on their belief systems. Our beliefs are better than your beliefs. Religion becomes distorted when it is based on this idea that one group has the real truth about God.

O my! God is everywhere! In the bison of Yellowstone, the ranch lands of eastern Oregon, the deserts of Utah, the mountain ranges of Colorado, the prairies of Kansas, the farmlands of Wisconsin, the small towns of Ohio, the treed mountains of Appalachia. In two months I only attended Sunday church 3 times. All of nature became my church!

3. Simple acts of kindness matter

As a pastor I confess to a certain amount of “leader weariness.” The gift of retirement is that people are no longer clamoring for my attention. I am left with the question, “Who am I as a child of God who used to be a pastor of an active church, but no longer?”

It was Sunday morning and I awoke in my camp sandwiched between the Colorado River and the cliffs of Moab, Utah. I decided I would do church on a hike. I asked a family in the parking lot of the trailhead for a garbage bag. They eagerly obliged when I said I wanted to pick up trash along the trail. So I spent the morning walking, praying, and picking up trash.

Later at that same camp guys were finishing a 30 mile mountain bike event. Most ran out of water on the trail. There was no water at the campground but I had a 13 gallon water tank. So I spent the day being the unofficial water station for bikers with parched throats.

God showed me that while I am no longer leading a congregation with multiple ministries, I can focus on simple acts of kindness. This is my life now, and it feels very good.

4. I like being with me

I discovered that I really enjoy travelling alone. I recall the sense of excitement as I left one place visiting with family or friends. The open road was calling and I embraced it, even when Kansas winds ripped my rooftop tent apart. It was just God and me on the prairie figuring out how to proceed when the hardtop shell covering my tent was shredded by the strong winds. I didn’t panic and faced the situation as it was. In a nearby town a detour took me by a Harbor Freight store where I bought a tarp and bungee cords to lash down the tent. After a day’s drive I had all the tools needed to make the repairs. A tarp company in Salinas, Kansas, interrupted their work to make me a custom heavy duty tarp which actually worked better than the hard shell. Thanks be to God.

5. God’s creation still takes my breath away
I grew up in Ohio and spent time in Georgia. But I have to say that I could spend the rest of my life just exploring the beauty of the western U.S. The Grand Tetons were spectacular. I camped in the backcountry outside Jackson, Wyoming on a gurgling river. I marveled at the geology of Utah and hiked up to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Everywhere I drove or hiked I asked questions about how this scene came to be. I wracked my brain trying to imagine the movement of the earth over millions of years. I read every sign that tried to educate me about the sight before my eyes.

Everywhere I went my eyes beheld the beauty of God.

 

6. Family and friends make the journey rich

There was an interesting interplay between hitting the road knowing I was going to see family or friends. Every 3-4 days I had planned to visit folks. My first stop was in Walla Walla, Washington to see good friends, Ann and Ellen. Then a stop in Baker, Oregon to see Don Hanna, an old friend from seminary who operates a cattle ranch. It had been 38 years since we were together.

A highlight was camping with my two brothers, Tim and Brian, at Molas Lake Campground near Silverton, Colorado for 10 days. It had been decades since the three of us spent time together. The last time we nearly burned down a campground in South Carolina. This time we just hiked and sat by the fire and talked. Then it was time with an old Alaska colleague, Jim Campbell, in Beulah, CO. And my cousin, Steve Beckett and his beautiful family in Baraboo, Wisconsin. My brother’s family in Waynesville, Ohio and my wife’s family in Dayton and Sidney, Ohio.

My two sons flew from Anchorage to Columbus where we experienced an Ohio State football game in the rain. Then we drove to Orangeburg, SC to visit my parents.

 

By this time I was ready to head home and set off on a westerly route through the South. I got to see Paul Christman, a professor in performance arts at Oklahoma University. Paul was a teenager in my youth group in Sidney. We hadn’t seen each other for 38 years!

What I learned was that I could be in ministry wherever I traveled with whoever I saw. In Atlanta an old friend needed me to listen to the story of his spiritual journey. My parents needed me to hear their struggles with growing old. A couple needed me to remind them of the bond they had left when they moved from Oregon to Arizona. My aunt and cousin needed me to understand how they were dealing with a divorce and a death in the family.

God showed me that ministry does not need to be formalized and set within the context of a congregation with me as their pastor. It can happen wherever I am.

 

Final thoughts. Oh, I had better answer your question about the title of this piece: Bridges Ice Before Roadways. Do you know that this sign is posted at every bridge in this country? I don’t know why but seeing it numerous times every day became a tad annoying. Do people really need a reminder at every bridge, especially when a freeze may come along once or twice a year?

When it comes to experiencing God’s grace on the journey of life, do we need constant reminders? Probably so. After 9000 miles and over two months I can say that I need to be reminded of the deep joy and peace that comes with a relationship with God in Jesus Christ. And I am especially grateful to my partner in life and ministry, Kim Beckett. She grew some with this experience and we are closer for it. My role has changed in terms of how I relate with the United Methodist Church. But my identity as a child of God is still my primary identity. And this I will take with me into my life beyond my last breath on this earth! Let the journey continue!

Dave Beckett

x

Oct. 12-19

I am so glad I built a week of being home with Kim.  I blew out the irrigation lines, changed her tires, covered the camper and several other to do lists.  Enjoyed making name plates on wood with my new CNC machine.  Made one major mistake on the church welcome center sign which bummed me.  Kim reminded me that we are about grace, not perfection.  I seem to recall hearing this recently.
Flying back to Chicago late Saturday night.  Wonder how I will do on a red eye.

Oct. 9-12

Got to visit my cousin, Steve Beckett, who is a retired veterinarian in Baraboo, WI.  Rode motorcycles 100 miles through the rolling dairy farms.  Like riding in a Hallmark card.  Changing leaves added so much.  Went to their UM church for dinner and met the pastor there. 

Walked their two dogs in a nearby state park and got to know his 3 granddaughters.  Left Saturday morning to drive 3 hr to Chicago and flew home.

Oct. 8

Drove through the farmlands of northern Illinois and into Wisconsin.  Got to a nice state park in Wisconsin Dells and the fees were $46 per night.  Found a lovely motel for $39 in the Dells.  This area is packed with entertainment venues, theme park, river cruises, and shopping. 

Day 29

A bit of road weariness led me to a cheap hotel in Peoria, IL.  No natural campgrounds and I refuse to stay at a cramped RV park surrounded by giant rigs.  I think the weariness may be due to the fact that the scenery does not change:  flat farmland for miles.  Perhaps the cumulative effect of being on the road for a month as well.  Gives me a chance to catch up on computer work and repair the tent. 

Day 28

Today was the day for hiking part of the Ozark Trail. I hiked two and a half miles and turned around and returned to camp. I made way for several mountain bikers as they zipped down single track trail. The sun was creating shafts of light through the the green canopy. I was struck by the lack of animal life in the forest. I did not see a single squirrel or bird. I do not see a single snake which made me happy. I made friends with a man named Daryl from St Louis. We enjoyed checking out each other's camping rigs.

Day 27

I left Harry Truman State Park and headed south east to experience more of Missouri's natural lands. I must say that some of Missouri's back roads are very twisty and hilly with speed limits that are much too high.  I entered Mark Twain National Forest and settled in a campground that was free. At least this campground was not empty and there are several other campers around. I met one man and we had quite a lengthy conversation about camping and our rigs. I prepared chicken and dumplings freeze dried with some grapes and a bit of wine and crackers. It's been a great day. And I'm ready to retire.

Day 26

 yesterday was an interesting day in terms of things not working out very well. I am out of cash and stopped in town after town to see if I could get some cash at another Credit Union. No luck and no cash yet. Then the campground I intended to stay was closed. Here was my dilemma. I despise RV parks. But there was one available and they took my credit card but I decided to push on. Several campgrounds were closed. I am now in the backcountry of the Ozarks just wandering around. I even thought about going up to a house and asking if I could stay on their farm for the night. I pressed on towards Harry Truman State Park. Behold, they took my credit card and gave me a site with electric power for $15!  Thanks be to God!

Day 25

Got my custom cover installed just in time for a big storm headed this way from the west.  This means I'll be driving with the rain tomorrow towards Kansas City.  Hoping to land at a campground at Lake of the Ozarks near Clinton, MO.  Thanks, Salina, for your hospitality.

Day 23

I said goodbye to Ulysses, KS and headed east in very strong southerly winds.  About 25 miles out the wind ripped and shredded my hard top cover over my tent.  It took me 45 min. dealing with the high winds to cut the pieces of the shell and stuff them into the truck bed.  I limped into Garden City, KS and got a tarp and bungee cords at Harbor Freight, and went on my way.

Stopped near McPherson, KS at a boondocking campground.  Sheltered from the wind but very hot.  Being alone in an unsupervised campground at dark was a bit unsettling.  Didn't sleep well but felt good that the tent still worked without the cover.

Day 24

I survived a sleepless night alone in a remote campground.  Drove 15 miles on a dirt road which felt a bit sketchy.  I spend the morning removing all the hardware from the broken hard shell.  Then I cut it up into pieces to toss in the dumpster, and drove 30 miles into Salina, KS.

Here I went to the library to access their internet.  Found a tarp company that specializes in custom tarps for farm applications.  They will make a heavy duty custom cover for me for $82!  Had to get a motel while they rushed it for me.  I'll install the old ratchet strips on the new cover so it will secure to the tent frame.  It does feel good to shower and sleep in a cozy bed while watching the Bengals on MNF!