Second Course

So Nort, I am sorry China did not work out for you. However I am curious why you decided to go. You are not been a world traveller, am I right?

No, you're right. I am not a world traveller. Stick me in a small parish and I am content doing God's work in the world, at least I thought so. However, after many gratifying years of parish ministry, I began to feel a bit like the frog in the well, looking up and thinking maybe the world is more than the just a hole in the sky above. What was happening in the wider church began to impact me. Well, I guess it began with my divorce. That definitely shook things up. The world would never be the same after that. It seemed I lost a part of myself when Jenny left. I was more a "broken creature" than I thought.

I was very sorry to hear that. It must have been very difficult.

Thanks, Tad, and thank you for your email. Friends and congregants were there for me, too, for which I was truly grateful. I don't know how I could have gotten through it all without them. It did change the way I looked at the world! I began to see brokenness everywhere: in myself, my church, my country and the world. As you know the Episcopal church is in real turmoil over the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson. It threatens to split the Communion with African churches in an uproar. Also, our own country is no longer as dominant in the world as it was. This recent economic fiasco has wrecked havoc in the congregation with some members losing their jobs and just barely able to hold on.

Throw in global warming and you have a real witches brew of trouble.

In truth, the trouble is always there, always somewhere in the world. This may be a perfect storm, however. The world is really quite a fragile place. How it holds together at all amazes me. "But for the grace of God," I guess. I am sorry to sound so pessimistic.

No, I think we are getting a good dose of realism. It has been a real wake up call!

Unfortunately that call was made 2000 years ago and most of us are still asleep! However, the church is waking up in places here and abroad. I wanted to witness it somewhere and so I thought of a trip. The China opportunity made itself available to me.

But you never got there!

Well, I got as far as the airport in Shanghai. It was a first step. I am not discouraged. I would like to go back! What are your plans?