May 2011 Liturgical Hike - Reflections

The Holy Spirit is often described as a holy wind and so we were filled to overflowing with the Spirit on May 1st as we blew our way around the Dorothy Stewart Trail.  I seem to recall a line from Winnie the Pooh that goes something like this - it was a blustery day in the hundred acre wood.  As a kid I never thought of it as being cold too but as you can glean from the photo above it was indeed cold on May 1st on our liturgical wanderings.  Possibly if you live in Northern New Mexico you remember this unusual May 1st.  But our small band was prepared for the weather and we were grateful for the opportunity once again to worship in the wilderness.

It also just happened to be the third anniversary of Worship in the Wilderness and I have learned a great deal about worshipping out of doors in that time.  Among those things is that most folks are fair weather hikers - I have come to understand and appreciate that.

Blessings to you all and I look forward to seeing you this summer on the trail!

Jon+



 

December's Liturgical Hike: Reflections

Once again we had a beautiful day for an Advent hike today. We hiked the Dorothy Stewart Trail which is actually in Santa Fe itself and a bit of a hidden treasure. It was a glorious early winter day as you can see from the photo above, such a strikingly blue New Mexico sky.

We will continue to hike through the winter months, weather permitting, so plan to join us on the first Sunday of each month.

Also, it seems that there is plenty of interest in two things we've been talking about recently. The first is beginning a "Green" Bible study using a new edition of the NRSV Bible called The Green Bible which is published by HarperOne. We will likely begin meeting in January so stay tuned for more details. The second is a snowshoe hike sometime this winter. This hike would be in addition to our regular first Sunday of the month and I think will likely be in February or possibly March, again stay tuned for more details.

Finally, as we move through the remaining days of Advent my prayer is that each of us will be "awake" to the Holy in our lives in all of the many ways that it is present to us each day. May you and yours have a blessed holiday season!

Blessings,

Jon+

P.S. one of the things I mentioned today was a new, to me, organization called Advent Conspiracy which has been getting some good press in online Church circles this season. Advent Conspiracy seeks to recenter our consumerist attention in four ways: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All.

December's Liturgical Hike

On Sunday December 7th we will be hiking the Dorothy Stewart Trail, weather permitting. Right now according to Weather.com Sunday is to be mostly cloudy with only a 10% chance of precipitation. I hope you can join us for a wonderful Advent liturgical hike.

For those of you who have not hiked the Dorothy Stewart Trail before, it is an easy and relatively short hike within Santa Fe which has some beautiful views of the city below and the mountains above. This should be a pleasant hike during the busy Advent season.

We will meet in the St. Bede's parking lot at 9:00am and leave there at 9:15am. We'll then drive to the St. John's College visitor parking lot "trail head" and begin our hike there and return there.

I look forward to seeing you December 7th for our one and only Advent hike.

Blessings,

Jon+

P.S. As always be sure to bring plenty of water and at least a snack. Also, please be prepared for the weather which can change quickly. Friendly and trail wise dogs are welcome on this trail, although I believe they are expected to be leashed.