Pouring Rain

It is pouring rain in NC, remnants of tropical storm Ida.

I am thinking of the hot sands of the Sinai where I will be on pilgrimage next week.

I also had a great lunch with my friend Rick Edens who, along with the Board and friends of the School of the Pilgrim, are shaping how to think about the long term strategy of the School of the Pilgrim.

For example: like Earth Watch, which works with service projects around the world for people who want to be on vacation while working for a project benefiting the world like counting sea turtles in Costa Rica, we can offer a service project per pilgrimage, e.g., work in a Palestinian refugee camp (www.earthwatch.org). This will enable people to go on pilgrimage, do a good deed for and with others, and also write this pilgrimage off on their taxes. The hope with the School of the Pilgrim is that we can keep costs down on future pilgrimages so it is affordable to the many, and not just to a few people.

Rick suggested a clergy renewal set of pilgrimages, in which both pastors, priests, and lay leaders go on pilgrimage.

Pace!

B