From Glover to Governor, Dark Moon Rising

Wow, what an up and down week for the state of South Carolina. Last Monday Lucas Glover won the US Open Golf Championship. He hails from Greenville, SC (Actually, Greer) and graduated from Clemson. The TV announcers made a point of talking about his humility, being a southern gentleman, and how nobody from SC had ever won such a Major Golf Championship. He and his wife fell in love when they were both 15 and have been married for 6 or 7 years, if I remember what I heard. I do know he said he and his wife have been "soul-mates." He's a class act and a great representative of South Carolina.

Then there's Governor Mark Sanford. SC went from one of its finest hours with a favorite son in Lucas Glover to one of its most shameful in Sanford. I think Jenny Sanford is a classy lady and has acted as best she can: firm with hope, not smiling by her husband in some fakey photo-op. I hope he was in Argentina to break it off, but, from what I hear, Jenny didn't want him down there at all. What a dunce. I already thought so because of his not accepting the stimulus money in a state that needs teachers to do their jobs, and has the hghest unemployment rate in the nation. What was he thinking - oh, now we know and what with. I know we're all human and I'm surely a long way from being perfect. I also know that sanctification is a God-given grace, but we have to cooperate! When was the last time you saw somebody blush? We are headed over the precipice in slack living. We need Jesus and a heavy dose of responsibility - sounds like United Methodist theology to me - personal piety and social holiness. From Glover to the Governor, what a bummer!

Bears Up There or Lions Down Here

I left yesterday afternoon for 6 nights away, dashed to Asheville, stopped at an Ingle's and bought supplies then drove through the swirling mists of late afternoon to Mt. Mitchell - my Fortress of Solitude though I'm certainly no Superman. The rhododendrum were in perfect bloom and the temp was 30 degrees cooler than Columbia. I got to the peak at 8:45 pm, 15 minutes before closing - ready to unpack, cook some supper, and put on my reading light, crawl into my sleeping bag to read myself to sleep. But... the campground was closed.

I went back down to the ranger station and asked, "What's up!?" He said that they had several hours earlier shut down the camping area because of BEARS. Several Black Bears had ripped into an occupied tent, no injuries, and two cars - trying to get to food. Therefore, the campground is shut down for the next 9 days. I thought about heading to one of the National Forest roads 5 miles up that you can camp at, but bears could eat my Mini Cooper with too much ease. So I traveled last night up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Crabtree Meadows. I've camped and hiked there since college days. It's not as high in elevation, but the scenery is nice. One problem - it was raining cats and dogs, and I've done the put-up-the-tent- in- the- rain deal before. So, with wondering what to do in my heart I went to Spruce Pine and ate at the Burger King, hoping the weather would let up. It got worse and worse. SO... I called Cindy and said, "I'm coming home, it will be late, don't be frightened." It rained all the way home until 15 miles from Columbia. I crawled into bed a little after 2 a.m. with a weird afternoon and evening's journey under my belt. I did get to feel the 58 degree air and see the balsam and douglas firs, the swirls of clouds, and the flowers, but I'm back!

But today it's been one phone call and email after another and another about either ill or well-intentioned dragons in churches, screwy decisions, and making interpretations about the Book of Discipline. Power and control people have been sharp on my heels all day. Here is where I am right now: I rather be eaten by the bears up there than by the lions down here. What does that mean? If you have ever had to work with people, especially church people - you know. I may just pack up my car and head back up there, though it won't be the same if it's not Mt. Mitchell. I know I can still read my Bible, novels, and eat all the junk food I bought sitting comfortably on my sofa and just not go to work. But thanks to having a cell signal here and a computer, the work comes to me. On Mitchell I'm all alone except for God. So, stay tuned, the mountains are still calling and I'd rather be eaten by bears up there than by the lions down here! Ever felt that way?

The Mountain is Calling!

The tyranny of the urgent things is killing me. By this time every year I have already been to Mt. Mitchell at least 3-4 times, but not this year. Cindy's mother has been sick and in and out of the hospital at least 5 times in the last three months so that's been a priority. Appointment-making for the Cabinet was tough this year with so few retirements and churches cutting salaries out from under positions. There were fewer moves but more attention needed and received for each one. Lately, I've been under the gun of trying to make a R-1 Visa application work for a new Korean pastor. We have to resubmit all kinds of info and I've pored over detail after detail because we really need this to work out. The Korean pastor is a model of faithfulness. He gave up being a medical doctor in Korea making $300k to being a full-time local pastor here with a Duke M.Div. making in the $30k range. He's a great guy and that church is going to grow!

Conference whipped me, not at all for the usual reasons. It wasn't the parliamentarian bit although I can't have a brain-break when I'm trying to follow all of the discussion and anticipate what amendments or motions might be made. Actually Conference was pretty bland, except for the good preaching and the hoopla over the consitutional amendments. I'm glad we came out 85% to 15% against the worldwide UMC ones. A lot of my energy at conference went to clergy in the Columbia District. I was all over the map literally with 3 trips to McLeod's Emergency Room in Florence, to driving back after a conference session to see one of the clergy in a Heart Hospital in Columbia. There hasn't been any let up since last week. Cindy's mother was back in the Emergency Room, one of our clergy had a heart procedure, another had a purported mild heart attack and hospitalized. Another's mother died, and another former clergy died yesterday. Wow! I'm praying for everyone to get healthy and stay that way!

So, this coming Tuesday (Cindy doesn't know yet, so it's iffy), I'm headed to Mt. Mitchell to be alone, sit and read, hike out to Mt. Craig, and stoke the fire. Yes, at 6684 feet, you need a fire even in June. As John Muir said, "The moutains are calling and I must go!" Where do you go to to escape the tyranny of the urgent?