WWJD?
I think he'd start an immersion program. In essence that is what he did when he called his disciples. A full on living immersion experience. I think the church no longer is that immersion experience, it is more like dabbling... When I say immersion program what I'm speaking of is a similar model to that which I experienced while at WAS and that might be harder to explain right now but in my head it makes sense and now it is a matter of fleshing that out. When Jon Young spoke with us a month ago he said that he'd like to see an immersion program in every town.
More thoughts to come as they come to me but this here has a lot that I can work with and expand upon.
June 24, 2010
June 21, 2010
Graduation thoughts
This the short reflection I gave at my graduation from Wilderness Awareness School:
American poet Mary Oliver asks at the end of her poem "The Summer Day"
Tell me, what is it that you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
I know that for those of us who came to the Anake Outdoor School nine months ago we were seeking the answer to that question of what would we do with this wild and precious life? A journey that had many discoveries along the way...
So what did we discover?
1. Tracking isn't just something that happens in substrate or on the trees around us but it also means tracking what is going on inside our hearts, minds and souls.
2. Before coming to WAS we knew that the birds were always speaking but now we know that they have something to say.
3. Fire by bow drill or hand drill is no longer something that we always have to do solo, in fact, it often increases the chance of a coal when we work at it together.
4. And community is often broken up into two words "commune" and "unity", we often tend to emphasize the "unity" aspect of that word but the minister in me is more attracted to the "communion" aspect of that word meaning that it is about being present with one another especially when we don't always have "unity".
I've been asked by family and friends back in the Midwest "What will you do with this schooling?"
I don't think that they are asking the right question when I hear this. There's an implication that the stuff we are learning and have learned is something that we'll do later on. And I think I speak for my 30 Anake classmates when I say that we're already doing this, it isn't something that will happen later on. And in that way of doing and in that way of being... we have become more connected to our one wild and precious life!!
American poet Mary Oliver asks at the end of her poem "The Summer Day"
Tell me, what is it that you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
I know that for those of us who came to the Anake Outdoor School nine months ago we were seeking the answer to that question of what would we do with this wild and precious life? A journey that had many discoveries along the way...
So what did we discover?
1. Tracking isn't just something that happens in substrate or on the trees around us but it also means tracking what is going on inside our hearts, minds and souls.
2. Before coming to WAS we knew that the birds were always speaking but now we know that they have something to say.
3. Fire by bow drill or hand drill is no longer something that we always have to do solo, in fact, it often increases the chance of a coal when we work at it together.
4. And community is often broken up into two words "commune" and "unity", we often tend to emphasize the "unity" aspect of that word but the minister in me is more attracted to the "communion" aspect of that word meaning that it is about being present with one another especially when we don't always have "unity".
I've been asked by family and friends back in the Midwest "What will you do with this schooling?"
I don't think that they are asking the right question when I hear this. There's an implication that the stuff we are learning and have learned is something that we'll do later on. And I think I speak for my 30 Anake classmates when I say that we're already doing this, it isn't something that will happen later on. And in that way of doing and in that way of being... we have become more connected to our one wild and precious life!!
June 11, 2010
Holding On and Letting Go
So much to blog about... so little time in which to do so.
After giving the blog a fresh look and celebrating my 30th birthday yesterday, I'm more centered on the tasks that lie ahead...
Primary thing on my mind is that have transitioned back into a world that has not changed. The past 9 months have been one of true transformation and reawakening to my life's passion and now I step back into a world seeing it with new eyes but knowing that it will be making the same demands of me. What will I hold on to and what will I let go of in this transitional time?
Discerning how I will hold on to my vision: As one who walks the edges of the church (i.e. coyote, scout) and pulls folks out from time to time into a wilderness faith journey.
More to come....
After giving the blog a fresh look and celebrating my 30th birthday yesterday, I'm more centered on the tasks that lie ahead...
Primary thing on my mind is that have transitioned back into a world that has not changed. The past 9 months have been one of true transformation and reawakening to my life's passion and now I step back into a world seeing it with new eyes but knowing that it will be making the same demands of me. What will I hold on to and what will I let go of in this transitional time?
Discerning how I will hold on to my vision: As one who walks the edges of the church (i.e. coyote, scout) and pulls folks out from time to time into a wilderness faith journey.
More to come....
May 05, 2010
What is to Come, What will Be
Sitting here at the Lake House @ Lake Margaret and thinking about my blog....
I just deleted the A Place Apart blog after really nothing has been happening for nearly a year and I'm starting to contemplate just how much attention I want to continue to give to this blog.
In the beginning (5 years ago) when I started this blog it was riding a wave of new media formats that allowed me to put myself out there in regards to what was going on in my brain... Now I'm not so sure how that will continue. It also has a lot to do with my lack of time spent on the computer these past 8 months and I'm sure that once I get more settled somewhere I'll be able to come back to it more often. I'm not saying in any way that this blog is finished, it too is at a crossroad for how I'll use it in the future...
So with that I thought I'd post a little about what has been happening of late...
I have spent the past 2 months making some connections via outdoor education by sending my resume to a ton of places. I did get some bites but nothing has manifested itself yet. My wife presented me with the awesome challenge of starting to write down my vision of what it is I want to do with these skills and knowledge with the intent of being really serious about forming our own outdoor education/wilderness school/retreat center etc... in the Midwest.
So I am planning to spend some time this coming weekend in SW Oregon for a retreat of my own and begin to put some vocabulary flesh to this vision that is unfolding in my life.
If time allows then I will post that on this blog... until then I will be having the time of my life as we move into Scout Week, Survival Week and the last week together as Anake community.