July 18, 2025
Good afternoon,
I have been asked to speak at St. Jacobs Mennonite Church for five minutes on August 24. It is on “wilderness” as part of their summer worship series. It is before the sermon. I can speak on anything about wilderness, but the coordinator said I may want to speak on our Camino experience. We went in September 2024, and it was a good trip. I would not describe it as a wilderness moment. I had wanted to go to the Camino Trail before I began at Poole in 2019, but Covid got in the way. I would have been deciding whether to be full-time at Poole. It would have been more intense.
I have had good and bad wilderness experiences. Jesus goes into the wilderness to be with God in prayer. His experience with the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane was tense and uncomfortable. I have done an 8 day silent retreat in Guelph, and some were peaceful, while others were very challenging to my soul/spirit. The year when both my parents died, and my best friend was difficult. Kendra Ellis’ death is another case of dark wilderness. Working with refugees in Thailand, listening to their pain and trauma was bad wilderness for us. And then there is Gaza.
Mary Oliver writes great poems about walking into the wilderness/bush/forest. It is a place of hope and love. They are celebrations of creation and diversity. Theyare calming, and everything is in good order. I could speak about that on that Sunday in August. I walk in the mornings, going along a trail or park. The Lions Trail in Floradale has nurtured my spirit for over thirty years. What to say ?
Below is a picture from on the Bruce Trail. The lookouts are amazing, and yet also scary. No railings, just straight down. What would you say ? You are part of my community of faith these days. I need your wisdom and guidance.
Please pray for me. It will also be my first time back for Sunday morning worship. I gave myself a sabbatical until September. Scary to go back.
Gaza, in prayer. Amen
Fred
black and white shadows
crush humanity’s freedom
am I complicit ?
Ponder Anew 