July 25 - Home!

We arrived home yesterday late afternoon.  How wonderful to see and hug Ryan!  We've had a blessed time of travel, renewal, relaxation and refreshment of the Spirit.  I am seeking God's direction of how to share all my thoughts and encounters, and have begun to formulate some creative writings!  For now, we will spend a couple of days settling in and helping Ryan prep to move to St.  Louis for the next few years - furniture, home supplies, etc.  We thank Kelly, Betsy, Kyle, Brian, Lynne, Kreighton and Cahle for helping Ryan move all the furniture out of the basement, removing the soaked carpet pad and beginning the process of drying out the carpet - what a big task!  Now to write some articles for the Visitor!

July 22 - Heading Home

Been awhile!  Sorry about that. The past 10 days have been filled with travel! Our last day in Montana was fantastic as we visited Gates of the Mountains (Lewis and Clark trail site and a beautiful river cruise in the mountains) and Last Chance Ranch (a horse drawn wagon ride to a ranch dinner and singing cowboy entertainment). Our time with my mother was a wonderful blessing.  We then drove the 2100 miles to Biloxi in 3 days to visit Amy. We had a tremendous time with our precious daughter, who knows more about Back Bay Mission than I do, and she guided us around the city to see her work sites.  It was tough saying goodbye this morning, but we will see her on the 3rd of August in St. Louis when we move Ryan there. Today Lynne and I drove to Townsend, TN to spend sometime at Cade's Cove, in the great smoky mountain national park.  We are due to be home Wednesday evening.

Unfortunately, when the power failed at home on Saturday or Sunday, Ryan was away at a wedding and water soaked our new basement carpet since the sump pumps didn't run. But Ryan got on top of it and with the help of several friends, the process of cleaning up is well underway.

Looking forward to sleeping in our own bed this week. It has been a blessed time away, and I will begin typing up lots of plans and discernments in the next two weeks.

July 12 - Leaving Yellowstone

Our time in the park ended with a 7 mile round trip hike to Mallard Lake - tired legs!  Then we enjoyed a the local Playmill's offering of Beauty and the Beast - it was very well done and very entertaining.  We do need to continue to look behind the physical exterior of each person and look to their heart, as well as we must control our own inner struggles.

Today we will drive up to Bozeman through the scenic valley of the Gallatin River, stopping along the way  to visit a couple of places,  Tomorrow I will finalize my sermon that I will give Sunday morning at Grand Avenue Christian Church.  It's been good to follow my new routine gained through the Moody Pastor's Conference.

Today's Discovery reading prayer pertaining to our great Creator and Sustainer are so real in our minds after exploring the many wonders of Yellowstone.  The time of meditation, even while hiking all over the place, has been a tremendous blessing as I've sought the Lord's direction for the future of my pastoral ministry.  I look forward with great hope and expectation to the coming years, thankful that I'm blessed to serve the Lord in cooperation with the congregation of St. John's.

July 10 Pictures

I will see how these pictures post.  Wifi is weak and unreliable here in the western regions of Yellowstone!  Pic 1 - three bison walking down the middle of the road, past our truck.  Pic 2 - bull elk.  Pic 3 - grizzly walking along the side of Mt. Washburn.  Pic 4 - a rainbow falling a thunderstorm including hail.

July 10 - Yellowstone

The past two days have been filled with exploring more of the park and enjoying observing more wildlife.  We've been within 50 yards of a giant grizzly, watching in wander along foraging on a hillside, and we've watched a herd of bison move along, cross the road, and display various behavior habits.  We've witnessed hail, sudden drops in temperature, thunderstorms, and beautiful blue skies.  As Wayne Spiess recommended, we've sat at Moose Falls, and then enjoyed a hike and meditation time next to Lewis Lake.  God's creation certainly is astounding in its variety, and that's including the park, too!  I was also talking about people - we are each so unique, and my reading of a Ray Pritchard book on prayer addresses our need to love all.  Today we are catching up on details - paying bills online, planning next week, and writing a blog post - then after a mid-morning brunch we will head to Mt. Washburn - one of the highest places in the park.  Hopefully the grizzly has moved on.

We are here for two more days, enjoying "Beauty and the Beast" at the local theater tomorrow, and then Friday we will explore southern Montana before we return to my mother's.  I continue to work on my sermon for this Sunday, at the church my mother is a member of, and then we will wrap up our time with mom and head to Biloxi.

July 8 - Yellowstone

Sunday began with worship at First Baptist Church and ended with almost hitting a bison on the dark and rainy road out of the park.  In between we experienced:

- 2 adult bison and 1 calf walking down the road, toward us and the other cars, just ambling along
- a 2 1/2 mile hike to Cascade Lake, passing a few bison in the open meadows, sitting in the shade of a towering pine, enjoying some quiet reflective time as we read, wrote and enjoyed.
- a quick return from the lake as the wind shifted, the clouds turned dark and the rain started to fall; it was a fast paced return, passed even closer bison, but we made it safe and dry.
- a picnic in a pine forest in which the wind picked up again to the point of a large trunk falling on the exit road about 100 feet from our table!  Talk about scary!
- a drive through the park, seeing some bull elk with huge antlers, watched a bison swim across the river and cross the road in front of us
- checking out some of the bubbling paint pots in a thermal area - smelly!
- coming across a large group of people looking off to the west - two grizzlies moving about, digging in the dirt, climbing low hills, and running from a  bison that came too close
- stopping at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone for pictures from artists point
- 2 more bison walking right alongside the road
- large herds of elk grazing in the meadows
- darkness and rain falling, with fog setting in, for the third evening in a row, suddenly coming across a bison walking in the other lane, going our direction, with our stopping and flashing brake lights to warn travelers coming up behind

In worship, the pastor offered one prayer in which he spoke of the majesty of creation speaking to the majesty of our God - how true and fitting!

As we stepped into the woods towards Crystal Lake, a sign posted on a tree trunk warned of grizzlies in the area.  We had out bear spray, our bear bell and desire to continue.  As we walked along, constantly studying the woods, undergrowth and meadows for any signs of wildlife, we were a bit fearful of what we might see, but enjoying the freedom we felt in nature.  As I walked, I thought of how our hike was symbolic of our faith.  Each day we live in a world of sin, going about our own business, heeding the warnings of scripture that sin is all around us, but with scripture, prayer and faith we look around, looking out for ourselves and those around us, and we travel safely to and fro through the grace of Christ.

May God's power guide and protect!

July 6 - Yellowstone

A grizzly!  That's right, a grizzly in the wilds of Yellowstone!  Lynne spotted a rock on a distant hill and in closer inspection, we watched a grizzly move along a ridge for an hour or so.  It was almost at the limit of our binoculars, but it was clearly a grizzly in its natural habitat.  Of course, while we watched it, we had to keep an eye on the bison that were coming down a ridge, swimming across the river and then walking across the road.  Pretty neat first day, yesterday.

Today, we ate early and headed to the Canyon area, where we walked for five hours or so and enjoyed the many different views of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.  What a series of water falls and turbulent water.  We also saw an osprey sitting on her nest with her chicks high atop of rock pillar in the canyon.

We enjoyed some interactions with people as we shared binoculars and passed each other on the various trails.  Yellowstone is packed with tourists, so we left early this morning and walked some trails most people don't use.  Coming back out of the park, a long line of cars means they spotted the elk once again (we know that from yesterday) and it was a traffic jam.

I've started the first and second chapters of my book and will spend the evening working on it and some other things.  Tomorrow, we will worship at a local church here in West Yellowstone, eat some where, then head off to park with our hiking gear and picnic supper, hoping to stay in the park until nightfall.  We are blessed to have notes from Wayne Spiess from his and Susie's time in the park over the years.

July 5 - Heading to Yellowstone

July 4th ended with a symhonic concert and fireworks at the local fairgrounds, about a 5 minute drive from my mother's house.  The second outdoor concert and fireworks I've enjoyed this year - first when with Amy in Biloxi, and now here in Bozeman with Lynne and my mother.  Bozeman is a city with 45,000 inhabitants, and the fairgrounds and surrounding city blocks were filled with celebrants!  An amazing feeling to experience a huge crowd stand and sing along to "God Bless America" under the darkening expanse of Big Sky country.  We also witnessed first hand both the freedom and the rudeness of people - free to express themselves by talking and laughing loudly throughout the concert, much to the chagrin of those around them.  Even continuing their loud chatter when the symphony played two songs of tribute to our military.  Those around us showed great restraint in avoiding what could have been a nasty confrontation, though some heated looks conveyed at times the displeasure of such rudeness.  Another lesson on wondering how my actions and my words affect those around me; I hope in a much more positive light than last night's experience.  Though even their rudeness couldn't overshadow the splendor of the night - for God has blessed us with beauty, freedom and grace!

My readings yesterday and today were about delegation, family, and liesure - appropriate topics for me to study.  Fit right in with today's Discovery reading.  My prayers continue to be about following God's lead in what I and we do, which comes as a result of the careful study of the Word and much time in prayer.

Though we went to sleep with fireworks bursting in the neighborhoods around us (it's legal to shoot off fireworks for July 3, 4 & 5 in Bozeman) and though we awoke to God's firewords of thunder and rain, our moods cannot be dampened as we head to our week in Yellowstone today.  Whether it's getting a break from sleeping on air mattresses the past week or the expectations of God's wonder in creation, we excitedly look forward to the coming week of gazing, reading, meditating, hiking and enjoying.

More blessed thanks to our congregation for the priviledge of this sabbatical time.

July 3 - Montana

We awoke early this morning and drove 23 miles to the Upper Hyalite Creek trailhead, south of Bozeman.  Early?  5:30am - not too early.  We strapped on our bear bell (thanks to Maggie E), our bear spray (thanks to a member of the church my mom is a member of), water bottles and carried our breakfast and binocluars.  Right out of the truck we saw a mountain goat on a nearby rocky slope!  We hiked up the moutain canyon and back, viewing the peaks, large patches of snow, three beautiful waterfalls and over 25 mountain goats in various groupings, and returned to our vehicle five hours later.  What a gorgeous morning - from a body shivering cold upon arrival to a warm and comfortable temp at conclusion.  Watching the sun arise over the mountain peaks was glorious, and God's creation shined in all its splendor.

Our laptop hard drive crashed soon after we left Ohio, and once it was repaired this week, we struggled finding our product key in order for microsoft office to be reinstalled, but providence smiled upon us today, and after two weeks of using the ipad (tough to type lengthy paragraphs on), we are up and running once again.

Skyped with Amy this afternoon and she is doing great.  No group this week, but one will come Sunday.  We plan on visiting her July 19-22 and then head for home.  She's found a Gulf Coast Gator Ranch we can visit!  And she's lining up some favorite restaurants for us, too.

With our morning hike, we flip-flopped our daily schedule, so we will be reading, praying and meditating after dinner this evening, or rather after we enjoy a peach cobbler mother made for us!

And I will be working on my sermon for July 14th, when I preach at Grand Avenue Christian Church (mom's church), using some of the new knowledge I've gained in researching, drafting and preparing for preaching.

Have a blessed July 4th.

July 2 - Montana

We begin another day in Montana with my mother.  Reading topic today was on delegation - for the blessing of ministry and the praise of God.  Great food for thought our sabbatical time ends and we all move on in our congregational ministry.

Lynne and I continue to help my mother around her home - sorting and cleaning, organizing and arranging.  We are in the process of sorting a few thousand photos - what a joy to look at, but what a task to go through!

We enjoyed a brunch yesterday with my uncle and aunt as we caught up with one another.

Weather - as many might want to know - Saturday's thunderstorm brought 1 1/4 inches of rain.  Nights have been cool in the 50's or so, and the days are getting warmer - high 80's with the forecast of 93 today.  Bright, bright sunny days.  We've been drinking lots of water!

So another day of prayer, study, renewal and helping mother!

Lynne and mom will attend a women's bible study today, too.

Day Forty Three

July 1st - the first day of a new month, and of a new regimen.  Awoke at 6am and after my personal routine, I read for an hour - reading both from Discovery and from my sabbatical readings.  Pastoral leadership was the topic of my reading this morning, what a calling and what a task.  I am blessed to be engaged in shared leadership at St. John's - shared with Pastor Adam and with our lay leaders. 

I witnessed an aspect of leading by example and humility yesterday.  My mother took Lynne and I to a local restaurant for brunch after our time of worship.  The place was owned and operated by a woman, who had established the place decades earlier.  In listening to our waitress and my mother, I learned that the owner was sitting at a table near by.  I learned what a generous person she was in her community.  Then I notice at one point how she got up from her meal to go close the swinging door to the kitchen - she could of had the waitress do it, she could have called out, for all to hear, but instead she quietly got up and closed the door, both to minimize noise of and sight into the kitchen.  Maybe only I saw her do that, but as I read about leadership this morning, the Lord enabled me to recall her leadership by example and in humility.

I will be preparing notes on leadership for my personal growth and for future sermons.

After my reading, I spent time in prayer, praying for my own spiritual health, for the spiritual growth of my family, and for the spiritual health of the congregation of St. John's.  Relying upon God's direction and patience, let us each devote ourselves to the Lord that we would be His sheep as we growth in faith and devote ourselves to serving people in His ministry.

Psalm 121 - our help comes from the Lord

Erich