“Everywhere is within walking distance if you have enough time.”
Time moves slower in Spain. No one is in a hurry. It takes some getting used to. You can sit for twenty minutes after your last bite and still have to get your waiter’s attention to ask for the bill. When he does arrive, he acts surprised, like “where do you have to be that’s so important?” And he’s right. The answer is nowhere. Unless, of course, it is time for a siesta.
This past week in Sevilla was enchanting. I love being surrounded by history. So deeply old and beautiful. Patty and I really needed this. To move at a snail’s pace. To linger and savor. To reflect, or not reflect. To just be here and take it all in.
And tonight we meet our group that we will be walking the Camino with. We’re nervous and excited, like the first day of school. This all feels so new and unknown.
A book I am reading encouraged me to write a note as I begin the Camino. “Why am I walking?” A question whose answer will surely change over the course of the journey. But honestly, I’m not completely sure why.
The timing feels especially relevant. We’ve completed twenty years of ministry at Church by the Sea. That alone is reason to reflect, to cherish, and to reminisce. Patty and I began in Laguna as newlyweds. And now here we are sending our second off to college in a few short months. A lot of life has happened in those twenty years.
But two years of Covid upheaval also feels like a good reason for the timeliness of this journey. So much change has happened in so short a period of time. So much relational upheaval. So much reshuffling, pivoting, adapting. To slow down last week was like a detox from all the constant adrenaline. Honestly, it was pretty hard at first. My soul is longing for still waters.
But what stands out to me most about why we’re walking the Camino is the central metaphor of pilgrimage. How each of us is on our own winding road through life. Each of us with a beginning, middle, and inevitable end. How the journey shapes us, molds us into who we are meant to be.
Finding myself at the midpoint of my own journey feels like an opportunity to consider the next twenty years. How is God continuing to shape me? Who does God desire me to be as a husband, father, pastor, a pilgrim? I love how Jesus welcomes us to travel with him on this narrow road and promises to shepherd us as we go. I am hoping to hear more of His voice and heart as I walk.
This metaphor of a journey continues to be the lens through which I see the future of church ministry. As people on a journey, traveling together through this life. Pilgrims, with light loads, lending each other a hand when the road gets difficult. Being shaped by the hardships, and celebrating together the joys and comforts at the end of a long day.
I’m excited to be here. I am grateful for each one of you. I am so full of joy to be on the road with you all. Pray for us as we go from here. We will be praying for you.
I sure love you guys!