Sabbatical Times

Hey everyone,

I don’t think I can do any better than to repost a link from early in sabbatical time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1WrNisRhDU

I can’t wait to once again be part of “the gathering of spirits.

Almost home!

Rick

While I did direct CYF church conference, I also took a few sabbatical moments!

On the way,

Rick

I skipped church today. There,  I’ve said it. Confession is good for the soul.

But I have a good reason for such blatant truancy.

Over the years, the one Sunday my Dad could be counted on to stay home from Church was the Sunday before Independence Day when the men’s single’s final would be broadcast live from the All England Tennis Club in the London suburb of Wimbledon. Breakfast at Wimbledon begins at nine am. Eastern Standard Time. If it was a blow-out, dad would usualy make it to church by communion. But, if it was a good match, well…

For a few years we would watch together, but then I picked up a regular Sunday gig that put a crimp on my tennis spectating.

So today is Sunday. It is Independence Day in America, but our attention is focused on England. Around here today, the word “love” was heard more often than the word “freedom”. And at least one of us missed church. But really, it was a family tribute, of sorts. And, I don’t imagine it will happen again, soon.

Speaking of Sundays, and in honor of the folks at Christian Temple who always tell me where they were on Sundays when they were away from Baltimore, here is my Sunday accounting. I don’t have bulletin covers for each day, which will hurt my chances for a Perfect Attendance pin this year. But, Sundays have been fun.

Sunday, April 18th- Skipped church and stayed home, but spent the day listening to the CDs from the congregation. I think of it as kind of like a hymn-sing. No sermon but lots of special music.

Sunday, April 25th- Visited Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis with my brother and his family. A moving Youth Sunday service made me think of home. The highlight of the service may have been when one of the kids included a story in her sermon about her beloved swim coach who had been accused of sexual misconduct during the season. It was encouraging to hear this young adult talking about how her church and her personal faith helped her through this time.

Sunday, May 2nd- Worship was in the “Gospel Tent” at the New Orleans Jazzfest listening to the Zulu Male Ensemble sing “Down by the Riverside” while the storm clouds threatened but weren’t quite ready to unload.  Communion? Beignets and Cafe’ au lait.

Sunday, May 9th- Mother’s Day- stayed at home again but, uh, oh yeah, spent all morning preparing a fine Mother’s Day feast.

Sunday, May 16th- Visited the Catholic Community at Relay. The worship was lively, informal and filled with the spirit. Their Call to Prayer was especially moving.

Sunday, May 23rd- Visited Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Arnold, where Jayna was preaching. They renovated their building ten years ago to add a sanctuary, a Gathering Space and a wonderful Memorial Garden.

Sunday, May 30th- Spent the day touring Olympia, Greece. Again, it wasn’t technically church, but we visited a lot of temples and talked a lot about the Gods.

Sunday, June 6th- While technically, we weren’t in a worship service, but visiting the Acropolis has to count for something. Especially if one gets to stand on the very rock from which Paul preached.

Sunday, June 13th- visited Bethany Christian Church in Fort Washington MD. See last post for more details.

Sunday, June 20th- Company arrived the night before and well, you know, we started visiting over coffee and before long it was almost noon.

Sunday, June 27th- visited Catonsville Methodist Church and got to see a non-Disciple service of Baptism. I think those kids were kind of disappointed there wasn’t more water involved.

Sunday, July 4th- I guess that’s today.

next week we’ll be at Bethany Beach at CYF Conference…and so it goes.

I’ve really enjoyed the Sundays. But I’m kind of glad I don’t have to make the decision about whether to go to church on a regular basis. Even during non-sabbatical time, there would just be so many options.

Immediately upon our return from Greece we went down to the Church us Powells were all raised in to celebrate my sister’s sixtieth birthday. Back in the day, the church was small, but big enough. Today, the church is still small and still filled with that same spirit that taught me what it meant to be part of a community of faith. We started attending there when I was in the third grade, maybe 1965ish, when the gathering space shown below was brand new. We looked a little different then, than we do now.

By the way, after the party we went to a restaurant that used to be the local pizza joint before pizza joints were all franchises. Back in the day we loved this place and it wasn’t just because of the pizza. It was also because  they had both the Pong AND Pac Man video games. Very cutting edge.

A few days later my cousin and her family came to visit wanting to get a taste of Washington and Baltimore. I’ve always loved the trip down to see the monuments, even when it’s hot. I guess I’ve always felt comforted by the permanence those big old buildings make me feel, especially when things in the world get a little crazy. This year, those symbols of permanence looked a little different after being in Greece and seeing the ruins of buildings the people back then must have believed were just as permanent.

Greece was great, but like a good wine, it left an aftertaste that is bittersweet. How in the world did humanity let those great civilizations slip away? Who gave the orders to burn and destroy so many irreplaceable monuments? How long will this civilization we normally think of as permanent really last? From all the evidence, not forever.

But, look at how new worlds spring up in the ruins of the old, time after time. Our God of infinite patience seems never to tire of inspiring us to rebuild that which we have destroyed.

I hope it isn’t too late for us to learn some of the lessons of civlizations come and gone. But, if it is- and if our monuments, like those of old, one day fall- There will be others built to replace them, somewhere.

On the way,

Rick

In case anyone out there in cyberspace has stumbled upon this rather inactive blog site, here is the latest update. The lack of recent posts reflects my decision not to carry the old laptop into the land of antiquity. Now that we’re at least ankle deep in the world of 21st century Catonsville, allow me just to hit the highlights of what can only be described as a glorious trip. For more detailed stories of the trip, please plan to be in worship this fall…winter… and spring. Trust me, there will come a time when you will think- and maybe say aloud- “oh no, not ANOTHER story about Greece”!

Our trip might be described as a symphony in three movements (especially by a nerd like me)

First Movement- “Really old places on mainland Greece”, during which we toured places of antiquity throughout the country

Movement Number Two (which is often slower and more relaxing)- “By the Sea”, during which we stayed in a village that felt very remote and peaceful, but was only a few kilometers from a wonderful seaside resort on the Ionian Sea.

Third Movement- “Really old places on stunningly beautiful Greek islands”. This movement was like the first, except that the only way to get to some of these places was by boat…a really big boat.

These movements were connected to each other not by the raised baton, but by “Athens Interludes”- overnights in a city that juxtaposes the beauties of antiquity with all that is right and wrong about modern urban life.

So, here are some photos and reflections from each of the movements with some Athens woven through the piece. No one has time for the whole slide show. But I’d love to share a few glimpses along the way.

In the good old days, Athens was a smaller city, made up of the Acropolis, the fortification at the ‘top of the town’, and the Plaka, where people lived, worked and played.  The Acropolis is still up there in all its glory. But, now the Plaka is a rich, colorful, boisterous maze of shops, taverns and hotels that wind their way around tiny ancient stone streets. Each place of business has someone out on the streets inviting (yea, urging) people to come inside to shop, eat and drink. While we were in the process of getting seriously lost on our first day in Athens, someone invited us up to this rooftop for dinner. We climbed the steps, turned around and this is what we saw. Maybe sometimes finding the good stuff means getting a little lost first.

By the way, Gyro is pronounced “hero” in Greek and comes from the word meaning “round”. Other “by the way”- here is how you get your entree served when you order Sea Bass.

FIRST MOVEMENT- Really old stuff in Greece

Delphi- Contrary to what some of us think about ourselves, this IS the center of the universe- or what the Greeks might call the “navel” of the world. Legend has it that Zeus released two eagles, one to the east, the other to the west, and they met here in this spot, now known as Delphi (pronounced Del-fee). What is more likely is that the peaceful Mycenaeans had lived in this place for over a 1,00o years until a more war oriented culture from the north ovepowered them and took it for their own. Either way, Delphi was the site of a peculiar “fissure” in the earth (navel) that emitted vapors which would, well, make people high. Everyone wanted to get in on the action and turn Delphi into a Houka bar. But eventually the Greeks stationed a designated “Oracle”- a woman who would inhale the vapors, and then answer questions people brought to her. The Oracle became very popular, even though her answers to questions, not unlike today’s horoscopes, were phrased in ways that would guarantee their accuracy.

While it’s hard to separate fact from fiction, the money generated by the offerings people had to make before the Oracle would speak  financed what became an advanced city in a spectacular location. Delphi featured showers, baths, and a wonderful view of the countryside, as these pictures reveal.

ATHENS, TWO- The exent of this trip was just a cab ride. But it was a cab ride through downtown Athens during one of the almost nightly demonstrations they have in the city square. No one is ever sure what the demonstrations are for, but they call upon the creativity and courage of all who might venture to drive these crazy streets. By the way, the traffic is so bad in Athens that one’s permission to drive downtown depends on one’s license plates. The owners of even numbered plates get to drive to town on the even days, and likewise for the odd days. This has helped convince people to take the new subway instead of driving. I wonder how that would work in Baltimore? Here is a picture of one of our cab drivers and one of his thankful passengers, just as the knuckles were turning back from white to pink.

“BY THE SEA”

I’m not sure a short paragraph can do this part of our trip justice. Suffice it to say, thanks to the generosity of one of our former members, we were able to “bathe” ourselves in the life of an authentic Greek village called Neohori. From the moment the rooster senses the sun until it goes down again, it crows about every thirty seconds. The best water comes from the well in the village square. The bread is fresh, warm and ready each morning at nine. Every village has at least one “taverna”. And the view from the rooftop deck looks a little like this.

And this was the view we had out the window in the morning of the one-handed weaver fixing a chair.

ATHENS THREE- Every hour on the hour, they change the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament Building in downtown Athens. The ceremony is akin to the one at Arlington Cemetery, except, as you will see, for the uniforms and the fact that these soldiers will allow silly tourists to be photographed with them.

Oh yeah, and there is this building called the Parthenon. Wow!!!

REALLY OLD PLACES ON STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL GREEK ISLANDS

Seeing ancient Ephesus was a high point of the trip. There is so much they’ve already uncovered, but so much left to discover. I don’t think it got any better than this, though, when a singing group from Japan offered an impromptu performance in the largest amphitheatre of the ancient world, where Paul got himself in some serious hot water by telling everyone not to worship all those Pagan Gods. The video is too big to include in this post, but it was a wonderful moment.

Speaking of wonderful moments, this was another one. The view is from the top of the island of Santorini. No wonder so many films are shot on this location.

ATHENS, THE FINALE

In closing this post, I offer two images of Athens that are pretty universal in our wold. The first is of one of the dozens of kids we saw squatting on the street with their accordians, having been trained to play one song: “Never on A Sunday” over and over again. They play, look sad, and hope for some charity from the tourists. And they do this in the shadows of one of the most important cities in the history of the world.

The beauty of this place is that, side by side, both images reveal how far we’ve come, and how very far we still need to go.

Opa!

On the way,

Rick

Having taken the good city of New Orleans by storm with their sheer magnetism and fasion sense, Rick and Jayna Powell are prepared to do the same across the pond. Watch out Aristotle!

On the way,

Rick

se

This was the view my dad’s brother and sisters had as they waited for Santa Claus at the top of these steps in their home in West Plains, MO, 80 years ago. Since I’d  been told that Dad always made it to the bottom first by sliding down the bannister, I had to give it a try. It’s really steep.

Their home (pictured to the left) which was built sometime before 1920, was also built just a block up from the railroad tracks. So, when the great depression came to West Plains, I understand my grandmother would often give whatever food she had on hand to the “hoboes”  who wandered up from the tracks.

Now, between this house and those tracks, they’re building a homeless shelter for those who can’t even find an empty freight car to live in. The shelter provides a little food and some hospitality in the grand tradition of my sweet ole’ Grandma.

The Iroquois Native Americans say that “in every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation.” When it comes to bannister sliding and feeding the homeless in West Plains, it’s only been three generations so far. But, that’s enough to remind us all that no act, of either celebration or justice, is ever, ever wasted. I wonder how many of us have done something today that will be remembered some 80 years down the road. I’ll bet it’s more of us than we might think.

The plane leaves for Greece on Thursday!

On the way…

Rick

How lucky I was to get out of Memphis before the rains attacked Tennessee. While I was there, three kings were reintroduced to me.

B.B. was the first one. While this is his image on the jumbotron performing at the New Orleans Jazzfest (at 84), his restaurant still anchors Beale Street in Memphis.

Then there was the guy who moved into this house in South Memphis 1957 with his parents after having promised his mother he would get rich one day and buy her the best house in town. Elvis’  mortgage was $102,500.

And, finally, this is what James Earl Ray saw as he waited for Martin Luther King to step out of his room at the Lorraine Hotel on April 4, 1968. Martin finally came out the door with a friend on their way to dinner and was talking  to a very young Jesse Jackson who was standing in the parking lot below when he was shot.

I wonder where we would be if the last King had lived as long as the first one did?

On the way,

Rick

After seeing the farm and the fenceposts that once surrounded the house where my mom was born and raised…

And, after seeing the glorious barn where she and her cousins played as kids…

I visited the cemetery where my “Granny” is buried. The first tombstone that bore the name Richard Kirby was kind of cool.

But, by the time I got to this one (the fourth)

I decided it was time to leave before it was too late.

On the way,

Rick

Back when the call went out for CDs, the first repsonse came from a friend of Christian Temple in the form of an email with these lyrics attached. The email mentioned that this song was used as a musical tribute to a high school student who was killed in an automobile accident. I’d first heard the song at my brother’s surprise sixtieth birthday party two years ago. I heard it again last summer at the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) meeting in Indianapolis. And then, in the company of family and friends, heard it performed live last night in the sanctuary of St. Luke’s Methodist Church, again, in Indianapolis.

Here’s a youtube connection so you can watch and listen, too.

Thanks for being part of the “Gathering”!

Rick

Carrie Newcomer
The Gathering of Spirits
Chorus:
let it go my love my truest,
let it sail on silver wings
life’s a twinkling that’s for certain,
but it’s such a fine thing
there’s a gathering of spirits
there’s a festival of friends
and we’ll take up where we left off
when we all meet again.
i can’t explain it. i
couldn’t if i tried
how the only things we carry
are the things we hold inside
like a day in the open,
like the love we won’t forget
like the laughter that we started
and it hasn’t died down yet
chorus

oh yeah, now didn’t we
and don’t we make it shine
aren’t we standing in the center of
something rare and fine
some glow like embers
like a light through colored glass
some give it all in one great flame
throwing kisses as they pass
chorus

just east of eden
but there’s heaven in our midst
and we’re never really all that far
from those we love and miss
wade out in the water
there’s a glory all around
and the wisest say there’s a 1000 ways
to kneel and kiss the ground
chorus