New Be-ginnings

My commitment to blogging rises and falls. Of late, I have had the excuse that I am moving to a new town, and into a new postion as rector of St. James' Episcopal Church, Knoxville, TN. Starting a new job has me thinking about all the things that I am going to get right this time. I am going to be more organized, prompt in communication, and maintain the perfect balance of all aspects of my life. Those are honorable tasks indeed. I often think of such things as a struggle; a mountain to be climbed.

Viewing my goals as a struggle leaves me more focused on the striving rather than the journey. It sounds rather trite, but life truly is about the journey. There are practical matters to be considered on any journey. We must know where we are going, plan to refuel, and take along many of the things that we will need. Such mundane things in no way require that we skip the scenic views along the way. As important as the goal, the way we travel matters greatly.

I often speak of our "way of being". I didn't invent such thinking, I am just taken with it. Traveling with children certainly keeps me in mind of the way we journey. My children can often be focused on being entertained as they travel. I usually don't mind this as I so often prefer not to be distracted. Maybe being distraced is just what we need.

As I start my new ministry here in Knoxville, I know that the journey is about relationships. The primary distractions are the voices in my head saying "work harder", "organize", or "do better". A phone call, an e-mail, or a knock at the door are not the kind of distraction that will take me away from my course. They are often the very things that will keep me on track. It is in those relationships that I will see more clearly where I am going. It is in relationship that I will see Christ at work; in others as well as in me.

Clarity and preparation are essential; relationship is paramount. Being aware of the view, and the beauty around me only adds to the journey. Even more, those moments remind me that I am not alone. My journey is not a singular one. I travel with fellow pilgrims. While I have goals to reach they are not ultimate. My being is rooted in doing the work of God, and being Christ to the world. In that sense, we are all where we need to be. We are beginning, and we have arrived.

I am here. I will always be at a place of new beginning, and I will always be continuing in the work that began long before me.