Hunter Moon

Full moon setting Friday morning after a beautiful night on the deck.

ND Capital Run

ND morning run, back to the capital grounds passing buffalo, a horse and a 57million year old tree.

LCMS Bismarck

There are those groups that simply surprise me... The group seemed to large with very few times to really connect. Then something happens that surprises me, and suddenly we go deep and I discovery the mystery of God once again.

Blessings to the High School youth gathered in Bismarck to help with the Jr. High gathering.

Bismarck

My airport pickup turned into my tour guides since the hotel room wasn't ready.

Thus... we visited the State Capital and the Historical Center...

After ND traditional Dome capital burned down they raised the only skyscraper. Since there is no bedrock in the area this was very unique undertaking.

The 3rd floor has a room decorated with Monkey wood, a rare wood from CA that represents a third of the wood that was ever used, shipped here by mistake, but to expensive to move back.

If N.D. ever succeeded the US would be in trouble because of the huge energy supplies, the amount of crops that could feed the whole US, and the military strength that includes many nuclear warheads.

The state has two guns per every person.

It is illegal to collect leaves from the capital grounds, which has a collection of every tree in the state.

It is also illegal to collect arrowheads, “But my uncle has a lot of them but you will never figure out which one because I have 32 uncles in the area.” Says the boy.

Almost everyone is either a Norwegian or a German in ND. (Wonder about the Native Americans?)

There is a huge snow angle making contest, competeing for the world’s most record going on between ND and MI. (I had to confirm this one. --- 8,900 reclaimed Guniss Book of World records. Associated Press Article and pic!)

And I really don’t know if any of the is true but it

Step Out of the Traffic

"Step Out of the Traffic,
take a long loving look at me,
your High God."
-Ps 46:10 The Message

Traffic... I drive in it most everyday. It does fill ones mind with impatience, with judgment of other drivers, of thoughts for all the reasons I could already be doing the plethora of tasks that await me.

“Step out of the traffic.” --- As I set off on my Spiritual Director studies with the Christos Center, this seems to be words that keep coming back to my mind as an invitation, maybe a mantra, theme, or just plain common sense. We shall see. I cannot see much of anything with substance when impatient, judging, and full of imperative tasks. How can I see God without stepping out of the traffic?

• What is the traffic for today?
• How will I step out of it?
• What do I fear if I do step out?
• What will I find if I look towards God?

Thousand Oaks

A retreat in Mountains of Malibu with CA kids...

This was the last of 12 groups since AUG. Several were just for a day, but others lasted three or four days. All wonderful, all worth doing, but a bit of a blur at this point. Top that all off with a bout a month long sneezy cold. --- and the last two weeks, of itchy poison ivy, and the blur gets even worse. I am finally starting to feel back to some kind of norm

Other updates... Started school at the Christos Center, put the house up for sale, thus all spare time going into sorting, cleaning, selling, and not much blogging... or much running. Time to get back to both.

A Harvest Moon

Did you get up early enough to see the Harvest Moon setting in the west? It was worth the early morning!

And from a couple nights ago, moon in back, two inscrutably beautiful people.

morning run

Crisp morning!

Leaving Gillette

John and Bo, a cowboy and a rodeo queen. (50 years before Bo's Grandmother was the first rodeo queen for the county!) Great people, wonderfully hospitable, and I know I am out of the big city for a while. We drove out to a coal mine view before going to the airport.

Gillette, WY

Gillette, WY --- Growing Groups

Gillette, a fast growing town, as the energy capital of the nation. Coal, oil and natural gas, makes this a boom town. Every store I passed has "help wanted signs." I was told several times that if you loose a job here you can be working somewhere else within a couple hours. A lot of scowboy spirit still remains. Going for a walk I felt an outsider for not driving a pickup with two dogs in the back. Supper on Friday was with Bo and John. There as "cowboy" as they come, and felt honored to be eating steak with them.

Running.... not yet... cold, still lingering on. Maybe tomorrow.

Cher and Gregg!

Triva for the day!
My brush with fame.
The dome house and the main bedroom I stayed in...
formerly owned by Cher, and Gregg Allman.

Yes, I showered in Cher's shower.
(A rather sad commentary on what excites me in life. Next thing you know I will be reading PEOPLE magazine too! Am I becoming a shallow person?)

DaySpring Retreat Center

A great weekend with amazing kids just outside of Tampa Florida.

These kids "Rocked!"

Gandhi

Gandhi----

If you want to smell the aroma of Christianity, you must copy the rose. The rose irresistibly draws people to itself, and the scent remains with them. Even so, the aroma of Christianity is subtler even than that of the rose and should, therefore, be imparted in an even quieter and more imperceptible manner, if possible. —Mahatma Gandhi

How interesting that Gandhi understood the quieter, subtler beauty of Christianity.

How sad that Christianity often is presented in argumentative, protective, forceful, louder, and louder ways.

Maybe Gandhi understood Christianity better than many of us Christians.

Cert 49

Not a very good Blogger lately. Morning, Afternoon and evenings have been full, full, full.

House is listed for sale tomorrow. I have been teaching at Cert school number 49 (another great group) with a full blown cold… (poor me, I am a wimp when it comes to colds) and fly out in the morning for Tampa. Busy, yes, but doing what I love!

Sugar Mountain N.C.

Camp Lutherock on the side of Sugar Mountain. A Cert School group. This morning... 5:30am up, and then up the Mountain. We were on top for sun rise... and the cracks in the Inukshuk we built caught the sun! It was two years ago this morning I got up and walked... how fun to be on top!

more GRINERguys

Lyle, Tim, Joel, Andy, and David

GRINER

A rather nostalgic day, in Bristow, IA. As little ones, Grandpa Griner paid the $25 tuition for each of us to go every year to this same camp. Now a couple of us are Grandpa's...

Top of the world?

The top of the world?
–the highest point between the Rockies and the Andies with niece Hill'
–another amazing small group of kids

Milestone Blessing

Another Lee Valley, Black Hills, sacred ground, life-giving week… Another Black Hills 3 mile run!

In the mean time the rest of the team is busy in the midst of the Institute’s Milestones conference.

I appreciate the Milestones of birth, baptism, communion, even driver’s licenses and graduations. I also recognize that many of the most meaningful milestones I did not recognize until well after.

Blessings…
I remember well the official Bishop blessing that was given during a service for Dick, David and myself, a blessing of our ministry and work at The Youth & Family Institute. This particular blessing spoke kind words of Dick, of David, and… when he got to me I realized he really did not know me and made up words, at one point calling me one of the great “lone ranger” youth ministers of our time. “Lone Ranger!” I wanted to step forward and object. If anything the trade mark of my ministry has been the ability to equip and empower others. This particular blessing, meant to be a milestone, carried very little significance for me.

The days that followed took me to Chicago, where I was to speak for a youth gathering. On a walk down a street, a large, black woman, asking for $5 dollars, approached me. She gave me the story of her car breaking down and needing bus money. It was a good story, even believable, which is the art of the panhandlers. I have to admit it was not my nature to hand over money but for some reason I did. What followed was a hug, wrapped in her big arms, and a prayerful blessing. I wish I remembered the words. But this was significant.

I look back and realize now that my milestone blessing, the affirming of me, the affirming of ministry, was not to be the words of a Bishop, but were to be the words of women whose name I will never know, while on an unknown street in Chicago.

The 4th

"The wonder of children is they see new things and beautiful things and take them in."
-Father Richard Rohr

Stop, listen, quiet, observe, breath - all good reminders for a person with long to-do lists. Happy fourth!