Exploration & Contemplation

A few years ago I took my two oldest kids on a camping trip on the Stanislaus River in the Sierra Nevada mountains. As always when we go camping, exploring was a priority. It didn’t take any encouragement from me; the boys raced ahead. An irresistible curiosity drew them down the river, vaulting over rocks, cruising serenely over fallen logs. Just as I said “Be careful” (why bother with such a warning with young boys?) the younger one disappeared on the other side of a boulder. He hadn’t anticipated there would be such a big hole on the other side.

Their curiosity made them hurry to explore, but it also caused them to stop and contemplate things of interest. What’s in that puddle? Any fish in that pool? What’s under that rock? Ants, a beetle, a lizard, a snake. A snake?! Jackpot! We found an entrancing little rubber boa. The rewards of exploration and contemplation.

Exploring, just to experience what’s there. Turning over rocks, just to see what you find. That’s exploration and contemplation, which apply to the spiritual life as well. Follow a passage of Scripture downstream just to experience what’s there. Turn over some rocks and see what you find.  Exploration and contemplation. Some  have described the spiritual life in terms like these. Faith is an active passivity, it is exploration and contemplation.

I was sitting in a coffee shop practicing exploration and contemplation with Psalm 121 around the time my wife was diagnosed with a rare disease. The symptoms had been rather terrifying – life-threatening, in fact. With that in the background I was turning over rocks in Psalm 121 just to see what I would find. “I lift my eyes up to the hills; where does my help come from?” I asked questions: are the hills a source of danger or a source of help? I noticed things: often the Psalm says the Lord watches over you; there are indications of the nearness of God – he is the shade at your right hand.

I turned over rocks in the Psalm, I explored and I contemplated, and bam! God spoke. I was passive and God was active. I found the voice of God in the Psalm. God said, “It’s okay. I am watching over your life.” My wife has a rare disease, the churches I pastor are fragile, our future felt uncertain. How reassuring to hear the voice of the Lord saying, “I will watch over your coming and your going both now and forevermore.” This was passive activity, exploration and contemplation.

So when I applied for a generous grant to fund a sabbatical (time away from the responsibilities of ministry to focus on other important things), the proposal was based on Psalm 121: “I lift my eyes up to the mountains – where does my help come from?” which led to the theme of Exploration & Contemplation. I lift my eyes to look, to explore. I also lift up my eyes to contemplate what I see.  The grant also gives us the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore God’s world and his ways through international travel.

In Turkey we will get to know Constantinople…I mean Istanbul (Istanbul was Constantinople). We will also visit one of my good friends there. In Cappadocia, home to some of my favorite theologians of the early church, we will take the famous hot air balloon ride over the ridiculously shaped rock formations (look it up!). We will also hold a family worship service in one of the many ancient cave churches. From Kas we will take a two night boat trip on the Mediterranean. Then on to Albania, where we will visit with good friends and I will read, write, and pray. Before returning to the United States we will see where my family came from 300 years ago. We will search for the grave of Hugh Humphrey Nelson, my ancestor from twelve generations past, in the church yard of Penrith, England. Back in the US, we will visit with family and I will do some backpacking with a good friend back in the Sierra. We get to do so many fun things I almost feel guilty. Almost. We would never spend our own money on these things. Spiritual retreats bracket both ends of the sabbatical.

For the summertime, this blog will focus on reflections related to our exploration and contemplation prompted by the places we travel. I may have some other thoughts to share as well. Beyond the summer, if I choose to keep writing and you choose to keep reading, this will be a place for further thoughts on things of interest to me. If you choose to keep reading, then I will know that they are of interest to you as well.

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We begin on May 23. We can hardly wait for this season of exploration and contemplation.