Autumn Adventures

I’ve been pretty silent on the blog, but I’ve been having plenty of adventures in these autumn months.

Canning my mom’s famous salsa with four generations of my family (Grandpa, Mom, Cousin, Cousin’s son)

I spent a few hours exploring ArtPrize in downtown Grand Rapids.  This was one of my favorite pieces, called Cascade.

 

I headed west for a couple of weeks.  First, I spent time with my sister and brother-in-law in their new home in Colorado.

Mary and I drove up to Independence Pass, about 40 miles of mountain driving from their house.

It was peak color season for the Aspens and their vivid gold against the deep evergreens was spectacular.  For anyone wondering, late September or early October is an excellent time to visit—the weather and trees are beautiful and it is considered “shoulder season” so things aren’t so busy.

Mary is talented and made a video of our time together.  It features lots of footage of mountains, aspens, their canine companion, a gondola ride, and me awkwardly crossing a footbridge.  You can see it on her blog.

Next stop: Laramie, Wyoming.  This was a new state for me, and it was like no other place I’ve been to.

My reason for going to Wyoming: visiting my friend Allison, her husband, and infant son!  It was so good to see them!

Back to Michigan: an impromptu lunch at Crane’s Pie Pantry with my mom—apple dumpling and apple cider…yum!

An afternoon hike to Hoffmaster State Park

Lake Michigan from Hoffmaster’s Dune Overlook

Saugatuck Dunes Hike

To celebrate Labor Day, I took a hike I’ve been meaning to take all summer.  I grew up going to the beach at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, but I had never really hiked there.  My trusty Best Easy Day Hikes: Grand Rapids, MI told me that there is good hiking, too.  So this morning I packed a lunch and set out.  I took the South Trail, which the book says is 4.8 miles and the state park map lists as 5.5 miles.

The trail on the way to Lake Michigan was mostly through deciduous forests on a sandy, but firm, trail.

Shortly before Lake Michigan, the trail passed through the foredunes.

Almost to the beach!

On the beach, looking north.  You can’t make it out in the picture, but I could see Big Red (the Holland lighthouse) in the distance.  After snacking on the beach, I started out on the return trail, which travels through the foredunes and then zig zags up through blown out dunes.  This part of the trail was harder than the first part!  But looking back at the lake, the views were beautiful.



This is now one of my favorite dune hikes in Michigan!  It has a more natural and remote feel than a lot of the parks (no stairs, for instance) and the dunes are extensive.  I’d highly recommend it to anyone who wants to explore the dunes and is ready to climb through a lot of sand.

Goodbye, Grand Rapids

Tonight is the last night I will sleep in my apartment in Grand Rapids.  For the foreseeable future, it is the last night I will stay in GR as a resident, and not someone’s guest.  This is a sad night for me.  This is the place I became an adult.  I have lived here for 3/4 of my adult life.  I went to Calvin College here.  I went to Calvin Theological Seminary here.  I had my first call at Church of the Servant here.  Living in Grand Rapids has shaped me in so many ways. 
People love to hate Grand Rapids; some call it “bland rapids.”  It is not as big or as cosmopolitan as New York or Chicago.  But Grand Rapids has its own charm.  There are lots of wonderful places and things to do in Grand Rapids.  Let me share a few of my favorites with you:

• Calvin College—where I learned how to be a thinking Christian mindful of the broader world
• Oakdale Park CRC—the church I attended while I was at Calvin
• Ice skating at Rosa Park circle
• Little Africa Ethiopian restaurant—a favorite place my friends would go when we were at Calvin
• $5 student tickets to the Grand Rapids Symphony
• Calvin Theological Seminary—where I did the formal education part of becoming a pastor
• Monroe Community Church—the church that loved me through seminary
• Kava House
• Art Prize—most interesting and fun thing that has started in GR recently
• The Green Well—a favorite with some of my seminary-era friends
• Peking Wok (which has very sadly closed)
• Eerdman’s Bookstore—they have a great selection of discount Eerdman's books
• Concerts at Calvin College—why didn’t I go to more when I was a student?  They have really interesting artists
• The Festival of Faith and Writing—so many wonderful readers and writers gathered together
• Church of the Servant—where I became a pastor
• Summer concerts at the Fredrik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater
• Bethany Refugee Services and the hundreds of refugees that are resettled here every year
• Baker Books and Icons Coffee—wonderful bookstore and coffee shop really close to my house
• Kentwood Public Library

And of course, the people are such an important part of Grand Rapids and my experience here.  Professors and friends from Calvin College.  Professors, staff, and students at Calvin Seminary, where I was enfolded into community.  Other wonderful friends that I made during my seminary days.  Colleagues and congregants at Church of the Servant.  I wouldn’t be who I am without all of you all.
I don’t know where I am going to land in the future, but I am thankful for the ways Grand Rapids has shaped me, and I am excited to take that with me to my unknown destination.  Thanks, Grand Rapids.  Its been great!  

Thanks, Mom!

Recently my sister wrote this lovely post for “Papa Bear” (aka our dad).  I spent my Sabbath time this weekend camping at Lake Michigan Recreation Area, part of the Huron-Manistee National Forest between Ludington and Manistee.  While I was camping and hiking and reading on the beach, I thought about her post, and also that I didn’t only learn about the outdoors from my dad.  I learned a lot from my mom, too.

My campsite this weekend

Mom taught me that you always take your shoes off before you go inside the tent and you always sweep it out before you take it down.

Pizza tonka/hobo pie/sandwich cooked in a pie iron

Mom taught me how to cook not just in a kitchen but over a fire and camp stove.

Mushroom at my campsite

Mom taught me to spot the fungi and pay attention to details in the woods.

 

Reading at Holland State Park, August 2012

Mom taught me to read and to love reading (indoors, outdoors, it doesn’t matter as long as the book is good!).

Big Sable Point Lighthouse in Ludington State Park, April 2013.  I still like this one, even though Mom made us hike 5 miles through the sand to get there the first time (or so the story goes).

Mom taught me to love history and pay attention to lighthouses.

Porter Creek empties into Lake Michigan

Mom taught me all about the awesome state of Michigan.

White birch behind my campsite

 Mom taught me the difference between a white birch, white oak, and white pine tree.

On a hike in the Nordhouse Dunes National Wilderness Area

Mom taught me to be strong and confident so I can have adventures on my own.

Thanks, Mom!

Tahquamenon River Vacation

After the wedding last weekend, I continued farther north to Paradise! 

Paradise, MI is on Whitefish Bay of Lake Superior, just north of where the Tahquamenon River flows into the lake.

 

Whitefish Bay at the Rivermouth

I went for an outdoor, camping getaway.  I stayed at Tahquamenon Falls State Park’s Rivermouth Semi-Modern Campground.  It is a beautiful campground, right along the Tahquamenon River.  I also liked the semi-modern aspect—that means it is a rustic campground with vault (pit) toilets and water faucets, but no electricity or paved pads.  It is right next to the modern campground, so I was just a short walk away from a modern bathhouse with showers, which is my big campground criteria.

I spent lots of time watching the river in different weather and at different times of day, whether there was bright sun or drizzling rain.  I also observed a beaver in the river and a number of different kinds of birds.  I think that was the first time I’d ever seen a beaver in the wild and it was pretty cool to watch it right across the river eating grass and bushes.

The real reason for Tahquamenon Falls State Park is, of course, the famous Tahquamenon Falls.  They really are a beautiful part of God’s creation!  There are the magnificent Upper Falls, which are some of the tallest falls east of the Mississippi River.  The river is the orange/brown color because of tannin that leaches into the water from Hemlock, Cedar, and Spruce trees in the area the river flows through. 

Although the Upper Falls are the more famous ones, I actually think that the Lower Falls are more interesting.  They are a set of five smaller falls cascading down around a small island.  There are trails along one side of the river, but the better way to see them is to rent a row boat and take it to the island.  From the island you can get close to the falls and even wade into them when it is warmer and the water is lower.  You can also see the falls that are on the opposite side of the island from the trail.

I also hiked between the falls.  The trail follows the river, sometimes high above the river and sometimes right alongside of it.  It is about a five mile hike, so I used a shuttle service to spot me to the beginning and hiked back to my car.

One day I also drove up to Whitefish Point, which extends up into Lake Superior.  The stretch of Lake Superior to the west of Whitefish Point (to the Pictured Rocks area) is one of the most dangerous areas of the Great Lakes.  There is a museum about the many shipwrecks in the area on the Point.  We went there when I was kid on family vacation, but somehow I was picturing the shipwrecks happening because of horrible storms and ships alone at sea.  Actually, many of the shipwrecks happened because of collisions with other ships.  I also found the additional buildings really interesting, especially a volunteer who does a lot of diving on shipwrecks.

 

All in all, it was a great vacation.  I was blessed to be able to get away, have some quiet, and enjoy the sunshine, rain, and outdoors.  I came back feeling much calmer and able to engage life.

We Will, God Helping Us

I just came home from a vacation to the U.P. (Michigan’s Upper Penninsula).  One of my best friends got married in St. Ignace (just across the bridge) this weekend.  We had all of the usual wedding “stuff”—pretty dresses, special hair, a rehearsal dinner, wedding party photos, a ceremony, reception dinner, cake cutting, and dancing. 

The happy couple!

The thing that really stands out to me about this weekend is community.  Liz and I are part of a group of friends that she also asked to be in the wedding.  We all lived in Grand Rapids for a while, but many have moved away—Chicago, Laramie, St. Ignace.  We miss spending our Saturday evenings watching TV and having deep discussions with each other (yes, those two things can happen simultaneously, but are not necessarily related).  We miss having holiday parties together and celebrating birthdays (birthday dinner before a Good Friday service and birthday cake after, yes we did that once).  We miss laughing and crying as we did life together.  We have walked together through the rigors of grad school and ordination, finding and starting new jobs, and relationships progressing from dating to marriage to pregnancy. 

This weekend was a beautiful reunion for us.  Four of us drove up north together and then we stayed in a hotel suite together.  We watched parts of random movies on cable, explored St. Ignace, celebrated the coming children, and laughed together.  It was a wonderful continuation and renewal of our friendship and the community that has meant so much to us.  

     

Friends with the Mackinaw Bridge!  (I'm behind the camera)

This community is important for my own life in many ways.  And it is also important for the health of the new marriage that we witnessed and celebrated.  Even though our culture often says that marriage is all about two people, marriage doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  Marriages need community, too.

The groom had a group of friends and family gathered, too, along with many people from the churches that he serves.  Together, I hope all of these communities take seriously the promises we made as part of the wedding:

“Families, friends,

and all those gathered here

with Jeremy and Liz,

will you support and care for them,

sustain and pray for them

in times of trouble,

give thanks with them

in times of joy,

honor the bonds of their covenant,

and affirm the love of God

reflected in their life together?”

We promised “we will.”  We will, God helping us, live out these promises.  We will be a community that will support this couple in their marriage.

As their symbol of unity, we celebrated communion together.  This is common in Lutheran weddings (Jeremy’s Lutheran).  It was a beautiful act of worship to celebrate how Christ brings us together in love.  We are united with Christ in baptism.  And through Christ, we are united to each other.  Some are united in matrimony, and we are all united in the Church.  This unity was the joy we celebrated this weekend in a wedding ceremony and late night chats.

The St. Ignace lighthouse outside the reception site

Photos from several friends, shared on Facebook, except for the final photo which is a personal photo, all May 2013.

Easter Chives

We are coming into the end of the Easter season—this Sunday is Ascension Sunday, the last Sunday of Easter.  During the last five weeks the church has been celebrating the resurrection and the new life that we have because of the death and resurrection of Christ.  I love Easterseason.  We didn’t celebrate it in the churches I grew up in.  We just got the glory of Easter’s morning and evening service.  Then things became rather non-descript until 40 days later, Ascension Day comes along.

At Church of the Servant, we celebrate Easter for the whole season.  Our art is white and gold and full of joy.  I get to wear my white stole.  We sing hymns about the resurrection and its impact on our life.  It is all about new life from death.  We were dead to sin but alive in Christ (Romans 6:11). 

I was reminded of this miracle by the neglected pots on my balcony.  I neglected them last fall.  I just let the plants die.  I never cleaned the pots.  They have been there, brown and shriveled for months and months.  I was dreading cleaning it all up and considering not planting anything this summer.

A couple of weeks ago we got rain and more rain and more rain.  Some of it managed to get onto my covered balcony and into at least one of the pots.  The weather slowly warmed past the freezing mark.  And I noticed something remarkable.  There was a dash of green sprouting from those shriveled dead leaves.  The chives that I grew last summer had come back to life.  It was a little resurrection. 

That bright burst of green coming up gave me hope.  It reminded me that my God says, “See, I am doing a new thing! / Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? / I am making a way in the wilderness / and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).  I don’t know exactly what new things God is doing and will do in my life. I do know that God is doing a new thing.  Just like my Easter chives.

Personal photo of my Easter chives, May 2013.

Birthday Gift to Myself

This year for my birthday, I took myself on a little vacation.  I went to Ludington, a lovely little town on Lake Michigan with a great state park.  I stayed at the Abbey Lynn Inn, which was a beautiful historic home with wonderfully hospitable owners (and delicious breakfasts!).  If you are looking for a place to stay in Ludington, I would recommend it!  I did some hiking, hung out at my B&B, read, took pictures, watched the sun set over the lake, and just rested.  

I am thankful for the time and space to take some time away, breath fresh air, and come back more relaxed!

UK #4: The Wedding

Wedding Flowers

While I was in Poole, I was privileged to attend J's wedding.  J and I were teammates when we were both English teachers in China.  We left China the same year, and she moved to England shortly after while I started seminary.  A bit over two years ago, she met a British man and they decided to get married.  It was an pleasure to see her so filled with joy on her wedding day, and I am thankful that I was able to observe a British wedding.  This post is a collection of reflections on the experience.

A wedding is an example of both the great similarities between British and American customs, but also the great differences.  We hold many core customs in common (as opposed to say, China, where customs are drastically different).  But there are also differences.  For example, in a British wedding, the bridesmaids walk down the aisle ahead of the bride, but then sit in the first row of seats, along with the bride's parents.

With other China friends at the reception

Overall, it seems like a British wedding may be slightly less of a production, and less commercial than an American one.  It is possible that isn't a fair statement, since I only observed one wedding and it wasn't completely typical, but that was my overall impression.  Things like napkins printed for the reception aren't done.  There is less emphasis on the bridesmaids and groomsmen.  There are fewer parties before the wedding.  One of the parents often makes the wedding cake (a fruitcake is traditional), in this case the groom's mother--and it was really good.  

I really appreciated the Church of England wedding liturgy.  One of the things that struck me about it is how thoroughly Trinitarian it is.  There was no mistaking what this marriage is founded on and what it is about.  I also really appreciated that in the very beginning of the service, the congregation was asked "Will you, the families and friends of G and J, support and uphold them in their marriage now and in the years to come?"  I think it is an important reminder that no couple should enter a marriage alone, but they must remain rooted in a community that will encourage and support them.  I will be borrowing this or something similar when I do a wedding.

First dance

I was also impressed with the way the wedding was planned and led when they knew that a significant portion of the guests are not practicing Christians.  It was a profoundly Christian in liturgy, songs, and readings.  Nothing was watered down.  Some of it might not have made complete sense without some knowledge of Christianity.  But the officiants didn't use it as an occasion to evangelize explicitly.  They let people enter, in a way, the life of faith.  To observe what it looks like to start a marriage as "a cord of three strands." I hope and pray that everyone sensed the love and joy of the bride and groom, but also their church and faith community.

Merry Christmas!

"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:6-12).

Photo is of a nativity scene made in Nepal.  I purchased it at Global Gifts last year.