August 10 SeaPres Update: A Hike and A Question

A Hike and A Question

I remember as we were driving to the trailhead that there was still one question I had not yet asked about our trip. That question though was like the hazy, haunting smoke from the Diamond Creek and BC forest fires we were driving into -- it was all around me yet too ethereal and distant in my mind to think much about.  

It was day four when the question became clear. I was navigating Cutthroat Pass alone (we tended to get spread out on the trail) when it hit me. As I approached the first cutback on my descent, I peered out over the ledge to see the startling 1,000 foot drop into the valley below, and all of a sudden it popped into my mind like the terror that was beginning to envelope my body: "how high are these peaks we’re going to be hiking?" And a related question (actually many) also came: "Will there be any sheer cliffs on this hike?" 

I've always been a big fan of questions, and even more so now. Questions allow us to explore, learn, grow, and often times to assess things before we experience them for ourselves. They open us up to possibilities and understandings that help us navigate what's ahead. I'm convinced we make better, more faithful decisions when we lead with questions. 

What questions are you asking in your life now? What are you curious about? What are your questions? 

I wish I had asked that one question before heading out on the PCT last summer, but even that was a learning experience. It didn't end terribly well (I'll share that story another time), but I lived to tell the tale, so that's got to count for something. 

"[Jesus] said to them, 'What are you talking about as you walk along?'"  Luke 24:17 (CEB)

Rev. Scott Lumsden
Executive Presbyter