It is hard to know where to begin sharing with you about
my time here at Holy Island/Lindisfarne. I've now been
on the island for just over two weeks. I am well versed in
the proper way things are done and I have been able to
shape my personal living space in the small trailer next to
the house. I have an increasing sense that God wanted me
here to serve and to be further prepared for what God has
in store for me. At times, especially at night, I feel worn out.
But good times of sleep always seem to restore me day by
day. Just today I have caught up journaling about my first
week here. There were so many people, conversations, and
observations to reflect on and write about. Now that I am
caught up with the journaling, I feel I can move on with my
life.
There are so many things that have touched me: the rous-
ing chorus of birds that awaken me every morning; the
bark of the seals when the sandbar is exposed at low tide;
days of glorious sun with just a touch of chill in the air; un-
expected conversations over a meal that turn out to be sa-
cred moments; being excited to learn that the Boston Cel-
tics won the NBA championship several days after the event;
seeing how quickly meal washing up and room cleaning take
with another pair of hands; the stillness of the air when the
tide changes and the tourists have left the island; and short
naps in the afternoon after all the room cleaning is done.
I'll try to keep you posted in the weeks ahead. But it is hard
for me to get access to a computer.
Blessings, and all the best to you and yours,
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
A New Era of My Life Begins
I want to give you just a quick update of the last ten days.
I sense that one era of my life has ended and a new era has
just begun. I am excited about how the next period of my
life will slowly blossom.
On Thursday, June 5th, I had two hours of interviews with
representatives of the Church of Scotland about my inten-
tion to transfer my ordination in the Presbyterian Church
(USA) to the Church of Scotland. On June 24th I will be in-
formed by the Ministries Council of their decision whether
I proceed or not with the transfer of ordination.
Friday, June 6th, was a very hard day for me. I said my
goodbyes to so many people, packed up all my belongs
here, and prepared to leave St. Andrews, my home for
over four years. It was a hard day for me, but I got through
it all. I mourned the loss of a very special place full of good
friends, friendly surroundings, and precious memories. I
wondered if I would ever get over the sense of loss of this
very special place.
On Saturday, June 7th, I moved from St. Andrews to Holy
Island/Lindisfarne, a tidal island in the far northeast corner
of England. It was the ancient site of a vibrant missionary
community of women and men of faith that evangelized
the pagan people of Britain from the sixth century to the
tenth. A good friend of mine, a fellow doctoral student,
picked me up at 6am, prepared a wonderful breakfast for
me, and drove me to the train station. From the moment I
got on the train to when I laid my head down on my pillow
to sleep on Holy Island, I was engaged in rich conversations
with special people. I was so wrapped up in listening and
talking that I did not miss St. Andrews. Truly a new era
had begun, and I was eager to get on with it.
The past week has whirred by, and it has been delightful!
I am volunteering at the Open Gate, a Christian B&B on the
island. The staff of three seeks to provide hospitality to up
to ten people a night. I'll write more about them later. The
important thing is that they quickly accepted my offer to
volunteer to help them for at least seven weeks. Hopeful-
ly I can give them eleven weeks. My week was full of cut-
ting vegetables, washing dishes, changing bed linen, doing
laundry, washing dishes, cleaning toilets, preparing rooms
for guests, wahing dishes, putting out seed for the birds,
dusting, preparing coffee and tea, washing dishes, hoover-
ing (in American English, vacuuming), leading evening
prayer, washing dishes, and, over a meal, listening to peo-
ple share from their lives. It wore me out, but it was won-
derful!
Today was my day off-boy, did I need it! I'm back in St. An-
drews for a farewell party. I and the families of five other St.
Mary's PhD students are leaving St. Andrews during June
and July. It was a special time to have fun and say goodbye
to close friends. I am fortunate that I will come back to St.
Andrews every ten days or so. Tomorrow I will return to
Holy Island. It gives me much joy to be there! I will miss
the people here, but it is no longer an aching loss. That is
what being at Holy Island has done for me. I thank the
Lord that I am there!
Blessings, and all the best,
I sense that one era of my life has ended and a new era has
just begun. I am excited about how the next period of my
life will slowly blossom.
On Thursday, June 5th, I had two hours of interviews with
representatives of the Church of Scotland about my inten-
tion to transfer my ordination in the Presbyterian Church
(USA) to the Church of Scotland. On June 24th I will be in-
formed by the Ministries Council of their decision whether
I proceed or not with the transfer of ordination.
Friday, June 6th, was a very hard day for me. I said my
goodbyes to so many people, packed up all my belongs
here, and prepared to leave St. Andrews, my home for
over four years. It was a hard day for me, but I got through
it all. I mourned the loss of a very special place full of good
friends, friendly surroundings, and precious memories. I
wondered if I would ever get over the sense of loss of this
very special place.
On Saturday, June 7th, I moved from St. Andrews to Holy
Island/Lindisfarne, a tidal island in the far northeast corner
of England. It was the ancient site of a vibrant missionary
community of women and men of faith that evangelized
the pagan people of Britain from the sixth century to the
tenth. A good friend of mine, a fellow doctoral student,
picked me up at 6am, prepared a wonderful breakfast for
me, and drove me to the train station. From the moment I
got on the train to when I laid my head down on my pillow
to sleep on Holy Island, I was engaged in rich conversations
with special people. I was so wrapped up in listening and
talking that I did not miss St. Andrews. Truly a new era
had begun, and I was eager to get on with it.
The past week has whirred by, and it has been delightful!
I am volunteering at the Open Gate, a Christian B&B on the
island. The staff of three seeks to provide hospitality to up
to ten people a night. I'll write more about them later. The
important thing is that they quickly accepted my offer to
volunteer to help them for at least seven weeks. Hopeful-
ly I can give them eleven weeks. My week was full of cut-
ting vegetables, washing dishes, changing bed linen, doing
laundry, washing dishes, cleaning toilets, preparing rooms
for guests, wahing dishes, putting out seed for the birds,
dusting, preparing coffee and tea, washing dishes, hoover-
ing (in American English, vacuuming), leading evening
prayer, washing dishes, and, over a meal, listening to peo-
ple share from their lives. It wore me out, but it was won-
derful!
Today was my day off-boy, did I need it! I'm back in St. An-
drews for a farewell party. I and the families of five other St.
Mary's PhD students are leaving St. Andrews during June
and July. It was a special time to have fun and say goodbye
to close friends. I am fortunate that I will come back to St.
Andrews every ten days or so. Tomorrow I will return to
Holy Island. It gives me much joy to be there! I will miss
the people here, but it is no longer an aching loss. That is
what being at Holy Island has done for me. I thank the
Lord that I am there!
Blessings, and all the best,
Friday, June 06, 2008
The Great Disruption
It is 11:30 on Friday night. In six and a half hours a good
friend from Seattle, a fellow PhD student, will pick me up,
make me breakfast, and take me to the station to catch the
7:48 train going south. In a little more than two hours later,
I'll be at Holy Island/Lindisfarne. I'll write about what I will
be doing there in the weeks to come.
But right now I'm staring into the face of a great disruption.
I spent most of the day saying my goodbyes to a lot of people.
Most of the goodbyes were short and sweet, but there were
a few that I lingered to chat, putting off a little bit longer the
final packing. I just spent the last few hours packing and put-
ting most of my stuff in storage. So, I'll have stuff in both St.
Andrews and Holy Island.
To say goodbye to people I've cared about, to put my stuff in
storage, and to make a leap into the unknown of living in a new
and different place-all of that makes me feel overwhelmed
with a wave of disruption. I feel like I'm in a free fall and that
at any moment now I will lose it all.
That's when the words of David that I read early this morn-
ing come back to me: "Be strong, and let your heart take
courage, all you who wait for the Lord!" (Ps. 31:24). I take
comfort in those words.
Blessings to you and yours,
friend from Seattle, a fellow PhD student, will pick me up,
make me breakfast, and take me to the station to catch the
7:48 train going south. In a little more than two hours later,
I'll be at Holy Island/Lindisfarne. I'll write about what I will
be doing there in the weeks to come.
But right now I'm staring into the face of a great disruption.
I spent most of the day saying my goodbyes to a lot of people.
Most of the goodbyes were short and sweet, but there were
a few that I lingered to chat, putting off a little bit longer the
final packing. I just spent the last few hours packing and put-
ting most of my stuff in storage. So, I'll have stuff in both St.
Andrews and Holy Island.
To say goodbye to people I've cared about, to put my stuff in
storage, and to make a leap into the unknown of living in a new
and different place-all of that makes me feel overwhelmed
with a wave of disruption. I feel like I'm in a free fall and that
at any moment now I will lose it all.
That's when the words of David that I read early this morn-
ing come back to me: "Be strong, and let your heart take
courage, all you who wait for the Lord!" (Ps. 31:24). I take
comfort in those words.
Blessings to you and yours,
Thursday, June 05, 2008
An End of an Era
I am grieving an end of an era of my life. Saturday, the day
I leave St. Andrews for Holy Island, is quickly approaching.
How quickly the time has passed has staggered me. It is the
people here that I will miss the most. I am grieving the loss
of them in my life.
I've been going through doing a lot of things here in St. An-
drews for the last time: the last morning prayer, the last Sun-
day church service here, my last day of volunteering at the
Ladyhead Bookshoppe, my last dinner at Dean's Court, the
final home group meeting, the last pancakes and hot choco-
late I have from the North Point...so many things that sup-
ported me and nurtured me over the past four years. That
era of my life is coming to an end the day after tomorrow.
And yet I have glimpses of a new era that is just beginning.
Today I met with Church of Scotland representatives for
interviews. They will let me know of their decision about
the transfer of my ordination on June 24. I felt good about
the interviews, and would hope that there is a place for me
in the Church of Scotland. My time of doing volunteer ser-
vice with The Open Gate on Holy Island is a fitting way to
begin a new era in my life.
I grieve the door of the past four years closing behind me,
but I am becoming more aware of a door opening in front
of me, one brimming with new adventures of a different
sort.
As always, I covet your prayers on my behalf.
Blessings to you and yours,
I leave St. Andrews for Holy Island, is quickly approaching.
How quickly the time has passed has staggered me. It is the
people here that I will miss the most. I am grieving the loss
of them in my life.
I've been going through doing a lot of things here in St. An-
drews for the last time: the last morning prayer, the last Sun-
day church service here, my last day of volunteering at the
Ladyhead Bookshoppe, my last dinner at Dean's Court, the
final home group meeting, the last pancakes and hot choco-
late I have from the North Point...so many things that sup-
ported me and nurtured me over the past four years. That
era of my life is coming to an end the day after tomorrow.
And yet I have glimpses of a new era that is just beginning.
Today I met with Church of Scotland representatives for
interviews. They will let me know of their decision about
the transfer of my ordination on June 24. I felt good about
the interviews, and would hope that there is a place for me
in the Church of Scotland. My time of doing volunteer ser-
vice with The Open Gate on Holy Island is a fitting way to
begin a new era in my life.
I grieve the door of the past four years closing behind me,
but I am becoming more aware of a door opening in front
of me, one brimming with new adventures of a different
sort.
As always, I covet your prayers on my behalf.
Blessings to you and yours,
Sunday, June 01, 2008
The Next Step
Finally, I am certain of my next step. Next Saturday, the
seventh of June, I will leave St. Andrews and move to Holy
Island/Lindisfarne. I will be doing some short-term volun-
teer service at the Open Gate, the hospitality house of the
Community of Aidan and Hilda. The latter is a dispersed
Christian community that draws from the rich heritage of
ancient Celtic saints and seeks the renewal of the Chris-
tian Church in Britain in these days.
Ever since I first made contact with the Community in
early 2004, I personally have been renewed by five re-
treats at the Open Gate. So it is a thrill for me to serve
where I have been truly blessed and nurtured in my life
in Jesus. I have informed the small staff that I promise to
be there June and July, and I hope I can do longer. They
will have me preparing rooms for guests, cleaning toilets,
changing bed sheets, doing meal preparation, and being
available to help in any way people who stop by. I will be
working with a hostess and a couple who are the wardens.
For more information on the Open Gate and the Commun-
ity, see their website: < http://www.aidanandhilda.org/>.
Holy Island/Lindisfarne is a tidal island on the east coast
of England, just below the Scottish-English border. There
is a causeway between the island and the mainland that
is open for roughly six hours two times during every 24-
hour period. It has become a place of modern-day Chris-
tian pilgrimage because Christianity was brought by mis-
sionary monks from Iona to the island in northern Eng-
land in the sixth century. During the second half of the Sec-
ond millennium many Celtic Christian women and men
ministered from there, taking the Gospel all over Scotland,
England, and Wales. So, it really is a holy place. Further-
more, it has gained a reputation as a place to watch birds.
It truly is a great place to be.
Volunteering with the Open Gate is a great way for me to
make the best use of my time while I wait to see what will
happen with me and the Church of Scotland. . I have a signi-
ficant interview with the Church of Scotland next week. I
hope I can gain a better sense of what lies in store for me
as I continue in the process. I have no idea what the next
few months will be like or where I will be. But at least I
know what my next step is, and that means a lot to me. I
want to be active in a ministry while I wait. There is the ad-
ded benefit that I won't have to pay for housing or food be-
cause the Open Gate will provide that for me. Plus Holy Is-
land will be a great environment to work on my thesis. I am
ever more grateful that I have more time to work on it. I
have ideas pouring into my mind. It is fun!
I am enjoying how my summer is shaping up during this
transition time from university research to parish ministry.
A week ago I was anxious about my immediate future; I did
not see anything taking shape. But now I am taking my first
step. As always, I covet your prayers.
All the best, and blessings to you and yours,
seventh of June, I will leave St. Andrews and move to Holy
Island/Lindisfarne. I will be doing some short-term volun-
teer service at the Open Gate, the hospitality house of the
Community of Aidan and Hilda. The latter is a dispersed
Christian community that draws from the rich heritage of
ancient Celtic saints and seeks the renewal of the Chris-
tian Church in Britain in these days.
Ever since I first made contact with the Community in
early 2004, I personally have been renewed by five re-
treats at the Open Gate. So it is a thrill for me to serve
where I have been truly blessed and nurtured in my life
in Jesus. I have informed the small staff that I promise to
be there June and July, and I hope I can do longer. They
will have me preparing rooms for guests, cleaning toilets,
changing bed sheets, doing meal preparation, and being
available to help in any way people who stop by. I will be
working with a hostess and a couple who are the wardens.
For more information on the Open Gate and the Commun-
ity, see their website: < http://www.aidanandhilda.org/>.
Holy Island/Lindisfarne is a tidal island on the east coast
of England, just below the Scottish-English border. There
is a causeway between the island and the mainland that
is open for roughly six hours two times during every 24-
hour period. It has become a place of modern-day Chris-
tian pilgrimage because Christianity was brought by mis-
sionary monks from Iona to the island in northern Eng-
land in the sixth century. During the second half of the Sec-
ond millennium many Celtic Christian women and men
ministered from there, taking the Gospel all over Scotland,
England, and Wales. So, it really is a holy place. Further-
more, it has gained a reputation as a place to watch birds.
It truly is a great place to be.
Volunteering with the Open Gate is a great way for me to
make the best use of my time while I wait to see what will
happen with me and the Church of Scotland. . I have a signi-
ficant interview with the Church of Scotland next week. I
hope I can gain a better sense of what lies in store for me
as I continue in the process. I have no idea what the next
few months will be like or where I will be. But at least I
know what my next step is, and that means a lot to me. I
want to be active in a ministry while I wait. There is the ad-
ded benefit that I won't have to pay for housing or food be-
cause the Open Gate will provide that for me. Plus Holy Is-
land will be a great environment to work on my thesis. I am
ever more grateful that I have more time to work on it. I
have ideas pouring into my mind. It is fun!
I am enjoying how my summer is shaping up during this
transition time from university research to parish ministry.
A week ago I was anxious about my immediate future; I did
not see anything taking shape. But now I am taking my first
step. As always, I covet your prayers.
All the best, and blessings to you and yours,
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