fpc missoula

the River flows…faith grows…life abounds

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home…sick…again

2 july 09 – missoula, montana

i shouldn’t be feeling this way.
wherever my mind has wandered since returning home…whatever has arisen from the depths of that constant internal dialogue in which we are all engaged (whether we realize it or not)…however i’m feeling – groggily awake in the middle of the night or the middle of [...]

Posted 8 months, 1 week ago at 3:51 pm.

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’small’ things…

23 june 09 – jerusalem (‘retreat’ day…aaah!)

as we wind down our remarkable time in israel-palestine, we have been given the second of two ‘retreat’ days…for rest, reflection, relaxation.
sounds like a good time for me to post some more seriously silly videos
the continued ‘discoveries’ of the ways and means of a civilization of [...]

Posted 8 months, 2 weeks ago at 4:02 pm.

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casinos & caves…scrolls & seas

22 june 09 – jericho, qumran/dead sea

from the heights to the depths.
on the road…from jerusalem to jericho.
visions of joshua and the people of israel marching and blowing trumpets like lunatics in the middle of nowhere…of a person who was held up, beat up, mugged and left for dead…
on the side of the road…from jerusalem to [...]

Posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago at 2:24 pm.

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stones (part II)

20 june 09 – bethlehem (church of the nativity, the international centre of bethlehem, kando)

a stone for a pillow…as hard as my head.
awakening abruptly to the thoughts still swirling around in my mind, wondering how it is possible to follow a day like the day before.
full of coffee and croissants, boarding the bus for the [...]

Posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago at 8:47 am.

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stones (part I)

19 june 09 – jerusalem (mount of olives, garden of gethsemene, kidron valley, the ‘old city’, via dolorosa – stations of the cross, church of st. anne, church of the holy sepulchre…Mark 14-15)

it began early in the morning, ascending the mount of olives.
it ended late in the evening, descending to the western ‘wailing’ wall.
in between, [...]

Posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago at 8:38 am.

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expectations…

18 june 09 – megiddo, caeserea maritima, jerusalem (Mark 10.32-45)

the sea of galilee was a beautiful grayish/greenish blue this morning.
the wind gently rustled in the trees and over the water. the birds sang their daily sweet songs, calling out to any who were listening to stop and drink in the beauty of creation. now-familiar faces [...]

Posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago at 3:23 pm.

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‘the midget’s gate’

16 june 09 – caeserea philippi (mark 8.27-9.1)
this is day 5 of our travels in galilee. and as we made our hour-long bus ride up to caeserea philippi, i had a remarkable revelation…
i am on information overload, and i need a break!
all of our visits have been interesting, illuminating, and insightful. shane has done an [...]

Posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago at 3:55 am.

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‘home sick’…

15 june 09 – sephorris and nazareth (basilica of the annunciation and church of st. joseph – mark 6.1-6)
i’m 44 years old. i’ve been on more group trips (both leading and following) than an average police officer makes stops at the local donut shop in the course of a year on the job (not that [...]

Posted 8 months, 4 weeks ago at 1:31 pm.

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‘who IS this guy?’

14 june 09 – boat ride on sea of galilee to kursi, en gev, jordan river (mark 4.35-5.20)

a quiet, peaceful night on the sea of galilee…water as smooth as glass…moon and stars reflecting off the surface…the night sky filled with incandescent light.
the wind gradually beings to pick up, as it does most nights in this [...]

Posted 8 months, 4 weeks ago at 1:30 pm.

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‘blessed are the cheesemakers?’

13 june 09 – mount of beatitudes and tagbha (Matthew 5.1-12; Luke 6.20-26; Psalm 37; Mark 6.30-52 — church of the multiplication of loaves & fishes, church of the primacy of peter)

sometimes, we say one thing, and people hear a very different thing.
sometimes, we hear something very different than what was said by another.
walking along [...]

Posted 9 months ago at 2:38 pm.

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