WORLDS ARE FORMING

DAY 11: Wichita Falls to Austin.

I got out of Wichita Falls by 10. Got to Austin by 3:15.

Can I just say how great it felt to get out of the car?! Truly! Actually, the drive went very quickly, and I was able to get a few good phone calls in.

Seriously...a whirlwind. Got to Austin, got into the house (it is great...I'll get some pictures up in a few days), went to the store, had dinner with a friend, and headed to church. Fun to see so many folks who were excited to see me as well. It was the celebration for graduating high school seniors, and I had a small part to play in it, nothing too major.

Headed home, hung out with a friend for a little bit, and headed to the grocery store at 11:00. Hey, a man has to eat, right? I was excited at first...getting to buy my own food for my "own" kitchen for the first time in quite awhile...but soon hit an exhausted wall and decided to make it an abbreviated trip.

Went home and slept.

Just glad to be in Austin.

More to come in the next few days!

Much Love.
Josh

DAY 10: Santa Fe to Wichita Falls.

Dang.  It was a long day.  All I wanted to do was get to Austin.

All day, I thought, "Oh, I can make it...I'll push on and head down to Austin today."  By the time 9:00pm rolled around and I had been up since 3:15 at the monastery, I decided to be wise and stay in Wichita Falls.  I wasn't THAT tired, but it seemed to be the best idea.

The Blazer passed the 80,000 mark today.  So, of course, I got out and jumped on the side of the road, between Cline's Corner, NM and Santa Fe, NM.  That was fun.  Don't worry, I was safe, only one car passed me going 90 miles an hour.  No worries.

I seriously thought I was in Texas before I was today.  The mapquest map I had just had the start and end points, and I could not find my AAA map, so I just went with the flow.  Once I got to the "WELCOME TO TEXAS!" sign, I came to my senses, got a big smile, and took a little snapshot.  Definitely put on some Texas country on my iPod today.  Mmm.  Just to prepare.

Good to talk with the parents, CA, Don, Nick, and Tyler today, briefly! 

I think today, Texas became a reality.  My summer, once again, became a reality.  My love for Covenant and the folks there, a reality.  It's going to be a stretching and great summer, filled with struggle and growth.  I am excited for it.  My prayer today: Lord, make me a pastor.  I think that will be my prayer each day.  I am excited to see what God is going to do.

Wichita Falls, TX.  So near to Oklahoma, the are is called Texoma.  Sigh.  I could take it or leave it.  :)

SONGS OF THE DAY:
    ::I'm Ready...Tracy Chapman
    ::Inside...Neah Lee
    ::Sense...Pete Yorn
    ::What Wondrous Love is This?...Fernando Ortega
    ::That's Right (You're Not From Texas)...Lyle Lovett
    ::Wide Open Spaces...Dixie Chicks
    ::40 Acres...Caedmon's Call
    ::In The Palm of Your Hand...Allison Krauss

By early afternoon on Sunday, I'll be in Austin!  The journey is coming to a close!  It will be busy, as I have to settle into the house, be in the 6:30 service, help in the graduating Senior Celebration, and all that.  No worries.  I am excited to look into the faces of friends at Covenant, to give and get big hugs.

Oh!  I will put some monastery thoughts down in the days to come, OK?  I'll keep blogging (when I have the time), even after the trip, so you keep checking in. 

Much love,
Josh

DAY 7 to 10: Santa Fe to Abiquiu (in brief!)

Hello!

I am alive and well, and hope you are too! 

It has been an AMAZING past few days at Christ in the Desert.  I will write more about it later, I need to get back on the road for a long day ahead to Wichita Falls, TX or beyond.  I am almost in Texas!!!

Check out the photo album to the right for some commentary, OK?

I can say this: God is faithful.  Thanks for your prayers and phone messages.  Know that you were prayed for as well.

As we sung or spoke after each Psalm:

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end,
                                                        Amen.

More to come later, friends.

Much love,
Josh

For the next few days...at Christ in the Desert...

...and I will not be able to check the blog.  BUT YOU CAN!

I am sitting, having a late breakfast/early lunch at Santa Fe Baking Company, an eclectic and fairly inexpensive eatery Adam and I found last year when we passed through this way on our road trip.  I am sitting at the window, it is a beautiful morning, there is great art on the walls, and I'm relaxed.  Glory.  Santa Fe is a sweet town.

Beginning this afternoon, until early morning on Saturday, I will be spending time at Christ in the Desert, a monastery just outside of Abiquiu, NM.  Adam and I stayed there for a few nights last year, and vowed that we would return.  Our summers are pretty different (check out his link -- he is a busy guy), so the opportunity arose for me to come, and I hesitated for a minute, but could not pass it up.  Hopefully he and I will be able to head there again.

Theirs is an active worshiping and working community of men and women, and like Saint Benedict, they graciously welcome everyone as if they were Christ himself. 

Please pray for me as I worship and work and eat with them for the  next few days.  Specifically, please pray for the ability to rest and "be" there.  Also, for some sense of revelation and guidance regarding the ministry I will be serving with this summer.  I hope to read the rest of Buechner's Sacred Journey, as well as a good portion of Scripture.

Thanks, friends.  Know that I will be think of and praying for you as well.  I am grateful for you.

Stay tuned for pictures and a post on Saturday morning!

Much Love,
Josh

DAY 6: Boulder to Santa Fe

HELLO, FRIENDS!

So...today turned out to be longer than I had anticipated.  I took a detour, which took me about three hours longer.  This time, on purpose (no Nebraska's this time around).  We'll get to that later.

NOTE: Once again, I lost a bunch of pictures today, which is frustrating!  However, I do have a few to share...grr.

Woke up in Boulder, blogged briefly, ate some breakfast with Jenny, and hit the road by 9:00. 

THANK YOU, LORD.  Several times today, I had to stop and offer that aloud and in my heart as a prayer of thanks.  Seriously, it just hit me how grateful I was to be on the road, to have this experience, to be free, and to be deeply and tenderly loved by God.  Definitely had some great moments of silence on the road today.

Stopped in Colorado Springs to meet up with an old friend, Amy, and her husband, Tim.  I hadn't seen amy in about four or five years, and had never met Tim.  They are a great couple and you can just see Jesus in them.  That was encouraging  Amy and I worked at Twin Rocks between sophomore and junior year of college.  I am excited to see where God leads those two.  (We took a fun picture together too.  That would have been inserted here.  Just pretend.)

Before leaving Colorado Springs, I stopped in the Garden of the Gods.  WHOA.  Pike's Peak in the distance.   Orange, bronze, and white rocks contrasted the green grass and blue sky so vividly.  Got some great pictures...but...ya.  Took a brief hike around there (in my Rainbow sandals as opposed to my Chacos...details...) and headed out towards Santa Fe.

By the way: Still loving Peace Like a River.  Two tapes to go...

Public Service Announcement: Pueblo, Colorado.  Don't go there.   Nothing much there.

Anyways.  Instead of driving down I-25, I found a different route.  (This is where the detour comes in.)  I saw a sign that said 95 miles to Taos.  TAOS?!  Great.  I'd never been, heard it was supposed to be beautiful, so I went...because I could!  The drive to Taos was spectacular.  The Cimarron Valley was beautiful as I drove through it in the late afternoon.  The smell of sage and evergreens filled the clear air.  Loved it.  Saw a sign for Philmont, a Boy Scout camp, so I took another detour to get to it.  Several of my students prize Philmont as an important part of their lives, so I decided that it could be good to stop in and take a peek.

Taos.  Now, this is funny. I was excited to see the beautiful colors and the big sky that I had remembered seeing in tourist books a few years ago.  Slight problem.  I was remembering an ad for Mesa, Arizona.  Not Taos, New Mexico.  Sigh.  Taos was beautiful, but not what I had been expecting!  Ha.

Got into Santa Fe around 9:00 and went to check into my motel.  The clerk wasn't at the counter, and another worker came by, saying that the clerk would be back in 10 minutes.  Boo to that.  I was tired and just wanted to sit in my room.  So, I left, a little pissy, and found a motel to "borrow" free wi-fi from while I waited.   Went back to "my" motel.  Clerk was there.  My reservation was not.  I had a confirmation number and everything for that day and night....I had reserved it online.  However, they had no record of that.  It was a little dumpy motel, and I was already disenchanted with them, so I left to go to a motel with free wifi.  AND!  The motel I got was cheaper and nicer than what I would have had at the Best Dumpster Inn!  Glad about that.

SONGS OF THE DAY
    ::Texas...Newcomers Home
    ::Say Hallelujah...Tracy Chapman
    ::Top of the World...Patty Griffin
    ::Serve Hymn/Holy is the Lord...Andrew Peterson
    ::Flowers in the Windows...Travis
    ::Broken...Seether featuring Amy Lee
    ::Drifting Too Far From the Shore...Emmylou Harris
    ::I Surrender...Vineyard UK
    ::All the Right Reasons...Jayhawks
    ::Live at Boulder Theater...Newcomers Home (the whole CD)
    ::Where the Streets Have No Name...U2

CHAPTERS OF THE DAY
    Acts 7 and 8.  Good stuff.

Ok, friends.  I am out for now.

Thanks for checking in!  Fun to talk on the phone today, too!  Sorry I haven't been responding to comments, I have been too tired by the end of the day!  I love getting them, so keep 'em coming1

As always,
You are loved.  Deeply!
Josh

DAY 5: Boulder.

Woke up this morning in a basement room with no windows and no alarm clock, so I did not know, or need to know what time it was.  This was glorious because I love to wake up to the morning sun streaming in my room at Princeton, but it was awesome to have no concept of time.  No, I was not kidnapped.  I slept in.  For Josh Cleveland, that means 7:45.  Sad AND great.

My friends Sam and Jenny made me several great maps and pages of directions for things to do and see around the Boulder area.  With friends like them, who needs AAA!  Since they both had to work, the day was mine, and I took to the town.

(Note: somehow, probably by operator's error, at the end of the day when uploading my pictures...I lost about half of them.  So, the photo album to the right of Day 5 is a little sparse.  Dang.)

Headed to Vic's Coffee in Louisville.  Small town feel, pretty cheap, and free wifi.  I was sold.  Worked on yesterday's post and just sat around.  Not driving 600 miles?  SO GOOD.  While online, I was also on instant messenger, and one of my former students from Texas, Greg, popped on.  I remembered that he attends University of Colorado: Boulder.  We hadn't spoken in several months, and hadn't seen each other in two years, but I thought I'd say hi and see if he wanted to grab lunch.  He was free, so we headed out to Half Fast Subs (say that three times fast).  So good to catch up.

After Greg showed me around the University campus, he headed off to work, and I drove around Boulder.  Stopped at Columbia Pioneer Cemetery, a site I just happened upon. 

Later, headed up to Chautauqua Park, at the foot of the Flatiron Mountains.  This took me up and into the hills a ways on winding mountain roads.  My car was about as happy with the steep hills as my lungs were with the change in altitude. Nevertheless, it was a sweet day for a drive.  I'm a chicken sometimes.  Was driving from point to point, and at one part of the drive, saw a sign that told me "You are in a Mountain Lion's home" and instead of getting out to enjoy the view, I sat in the car for a minute and then proceeded to drive.  Away.  The reality of it is that ALL of Boulder is a Mountain Lion's home, but the fact that I was in the forest highlighted that point.  So, I headed back down the mountain (where it was safe) and hung out at the park at its base. 

I have decided: Boulder is the Austin of Colorado, and that's fine by me.  Both are sweet eclectic towns.

 
I had heard about a Butterfly exhibit nearby, and knew it would provide some great pictures.  That, and the fact that I think butterflies are generally great (but get a little freaked out when they land on me).  So, I went to the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster and saw some amazing butterflies, birds, and plants.  They had one of my favorite flowers there: Angel's Trumpet (huge horn shaped, peach colored, beautifully scented tropical flower).  This was yet another touristy thing.  I don't feel bad about that fact, either.

Headed back to Jenny and Sam's to head out to dinner at Village Tavern in Broomfield.  Enjoyed a flank steak sandwich and caught up on life with those ladies.  We enjoyed the fact that we were together in Boulder, rather in Austin, for the time being. I am grateful for "old" friends and shared memories.  Just missed our friend Hannah!  (Ya, I was surrounded by women for most of my time in Texas.)  Picked up "Spanglish" expecting it to be a comedy, because Adam Sandler is in it.  While there were hilarious parts, it was quite deep.  I liked.

SONG OF THE DAY:
    ::Free...Neah Lee

It was a truly relaxing day, just what I needed!  Good to hear from friends and family today, too.  Thanks for checking in!  Tomorrow I head down to Santa Fe!  Only six hours of driving. 

As always,
You are loved.

Josh

Day 4: Jackson to Boulder

I ALMOST got sick of the car today.

Drove from 9:30am to 9:00pm with very few stops.  Seriously.  Almost 600 miles.  I do believe that this was my longest day of driving, ever.

Slight crisis: my iPod did not charge last night.  You know what that meant (gasp!) I had to listen to the RADIO!!!  Ha.  It was actually just fine, though funny because I had been preparing for the long drive by KNOWING I would have MY music to listen to.  Instead, I afforded myself plenty of silent time with the windows down during this, my long day of driving.  Did some singing and praying, too.  Got to hang out with Swede and Reuben and the crew in Peace Like a River, too. 

Favorite thought, of many,  from Leif Enger's Peace Like a River from today...jumped out at me, and how I too often forget the healing and redemptive work of God in my own life...

"Let an irreversible wound be knit back to seamlessness
and we wouldn't even see it, though we look at it every day."

I must say,the drive from north-west-central Wyoming to north central Colorado was not too bad.  I was expecting Death Valley and bones.  Instead, there were vibrant colored hills and valleys, snow, lots of sky, and a surprising amount of wild game.  It is the least populous state in the Union...and quite beautiful.  Glad I could venture through it.

A moment of silence: a good friend, whose name I dare not mention here, as this person loathes blogs...this C.A. initialed person actually, on C.A.'s own free-will, visited this blog.  Will wonders ever cease?  Thank you, C.A. for your humility and commitment to our friendship.  :)

HUMBLING MOMENT for Josh Cleveland. Did I tell  you I was going to go through Nebraska?  Riiiight...I didn't.  Because I didn't plan to.  Sigh.  Fun story.  I got into Cheyenne earlier than I thought, called my friends in Boulder to make dinner plans.  However, here's the deal: I was driving through the town of Cheyenne, off of the highway, and talking to my friend C.A., got back on the highway, assuming I was going the right way to get down towards Denver.  I had even been thinking, wouldn't it be funny if I were going the wrong way?  Aaaand...when I saw the mile marker #1 and a WELCOME TO NEBRASKA sign, I did a deep Dad sigh, laughed a little bit, and pulled off.  Funny, there was a great Marian shrine there.  One huge Mary and five or six smaller statues, an altar, and a few kneelers.  Glad I "found" it!  Snapped a few pictures, sipped on a warm Dr. Pepper, and headed back towards Cheyenne to get on my way towards Boulder.  Oh.  Did I mention?  I was FORTY-SEVEN miles off, each way.  Struggler!  Glad I was driving alone, not sure of many friends who would tolerate this!  Needless to say, I did not get to fulfill those dinner plans with friends.  Instead, I had a hot date with Wendy on the side of the highway.  (The restaurant, folks.)

Getting in to Boulder (Louisville, actually) was great.  Good to see old friends, Jenny and Sam (friends and former co-interns at Covenant).

Monday will be full of rest, reading, maybe a short adventure around the hills of Boulder, too.  Grateful to be out of the car!  As always, thanks for checking in, friends!  Keep saying hi!

Peace to all other travellers today.  Enjoy!

You are loved,
Josh

Day 3: West Yellowstone to Jackson

A day FULL of highlights.

*"Borrowing" free wi-fi from a nearby motel.  Sat outside there for almost two hours, the connection was so slow.  BUT, I got the post up, didn't I?

*Coffee at Freeheel & Wheel.  Great little place a friend recommended to me.  Kind folks, and my 16oz Vanilla Mocha helped to kick start the day.  New favorite barista: Kevin.

*Entering Yellowstone via the West entrance.  Within a two miles of entering, along the Madison River, I saw several bison and a huge bald eagle in its nest, in a lone fire-ravaged tree.  Beautiful.  However, I kick myself for not capturing that shot.  Early on, though I was excited about MY OWN schedule, I knew I had to make "decisions" on this day.  You know, it could be easy to stop at ever pull-out to capture "the" scenery, or pull over along the highway with every swish of a bison's tale.  I'm not going to lie, I stopped a lot, but knew I could not do or see everything in this day's journey.  Basically, I saw a very small part of this ginormous park, as I went south through Old Faithful and West Thumb.  Next trip: North and East.   Glad that those men and women in the early 1800's decided to use this as the launch pad for National Parks.

*Yellowstone truly is teeming with wildlife.  I was encouraged by how many bison seem to be thriving there.  Also saw Elk, Moose, Foxes, Eagles, Hawks, Chipmunks, Swans, etc.  No bears for Josh today.  Purposefully turned on worship music for most of the day, as it was all I could do, being surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of Yellowstone.

*Old Faithful was a little anti-climactic, but beautiful, nonetheless.  Met a great older couple from Belfair, WA, a retired dentist and dental assistant.  Fun chat.  I could not imagine being at Old Faithful during tourist season!  It was packed out enough, as it was!

*New favorite river: Lewis River.  Some shots in today's photo album.

*DID I MENTION?  I took upwards of 300 pictures today.  I'll spare you the slide show, but I wish I could put more than I can on here.  Let me know if you want to see more.  I'm excited to make a hard-copy album and prints of some of these!

*I LOVE THE GRAND TETONS.  I have heard people call them majestic before, and truly, they are majestic.  As a good friend, NJvS might say, they are AMAAAAAZING.  I had to stop often to try to get a good shot.  At one point over Jackson Lake, I stopped, and, so enjoying the sights and the worlds forming in my heart, I screamed across the lake those things I needed to scream.  Hey, I was alone (I hope) and it was good therapy.  Interesting to hear them echoed back at me, now that I think about it.  But it was really really good.  I am grateful for grace and the counsel of God's Holy Spirit today.

*Funny, I could not find my way into Jackson Hole.  So, I gave up and headed down into Jackson just before sunset.  Found my Days Inn for a good rate AND wireless internet.  Glorious.  I've had the hook up with motels so far.  Only one more motel to stay in, in Wichita Falls (that could be the downfall of my moteldom).

*Dinner at Snake River Brewing Company, inexpensive, and the best Pesto Chicken Panini I've had.  Noticed in the local paper an ad for The Granary, and that they had live jazz music with a sprawling view.   Gained quite a bit of altitude climbing into the hills of Jackson, and it was well worth it.  Along with the grand view, I had a something-I-can't-spell-or-pronounce-fruit-mousse to celebrate some generous news from this place.  Savored it, savored the view, savored it all!

*GOT AN ENCOURAGING CALL FROM DEAR FRIENDS, ROBERT WILSON MITCHELL AND HIS DELIGHTFUL WIFE, HEATHER.  I love everything about them.  Praying for you, friends!  THAT was a true highlight.

ALBUMS OF THE DAY:

::Not to Us...Chris Tomlin
::Illuminate...David Crowder Band
::Spring Concert 2005...Princeton Seminary Choirs

VERSE OF THE DAY: John 4:13-14
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

OK. Today was the first with no familiar hugs or faces.  Looking forward to more of those soon, but today was a good one, full of independence, plenty of time to talk with Jesus. 

IN A WORD, based on today's journey...if you haven't been to Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons or Jackson...YOUMUSTMAKEPLANSTOGO!

A long long drive to Boulder tomorrow.  Wyoming...we'll see what I think about you.  I like your parks, but will I like the rest?

Praying for you, friends.  Glad to know you.

You are loved,
Josh.

DAY 2: Missoula to West Yellowstone

Today = amazing.   After waking up early and preparing more for my day's journey, I headed upstairs and spent some quality time with Dan over coffee in their great, bright living room.  Seriously, their house is perfect for them -- lots of light, beautiful wood floors, and simple.  Tracey joined us and we talked long about seminary and ministry and life.  I am grateful for the friendship we share and our common history.  Following breakfast, we had a little photo shoot and after being blessed and sharing hugs, I headed to the public library to blog about the day before.  Spent a little longer there than I had planned, but it was well worth it.

Heading East on I-90, the weather was perfect, I had the windows down and was enjoying the cool mountain air.

Here's where some tragedy strikes.  I was trucking along and singing, enjoying some breathtaking scenery, when all of a sudden, I noticed a red streak out of the corner of my left eye.  Turning my head quickly, as I stopped my fine duet with Emmylou Harris, I noticed, in  a flash, that bright red streak coming straight at my car.  THUNKTHUNK.  Beak first, some poor bird hit my car door right below the window.  I looked in the rear view mirror, and no joke, saw feathers flying and a lifeless bird carcass bouncing down the highway.  Sadder sad.  Kind of funny, I think that very well may be my first casualty ever.

Weather went back and forth as I made my way east, between bright and sunny and dark and rainy.

Listened to tape two of Enger's Peace Like A River.  As I mentioned yesterday, I am hooked.  He is a skillful writer who mixes his literary skill with thoughts on faith and the life of a struggling family.  Today, the quote which struck me most was by the main character's younger sister, Swede, speaking about the importance of story and of what each individual's story means for the whole of their life.

Swede asks, "Is it hubris to believe that we all live epics?"

She, a nine year old poet, wise beyond her years, loves Story.  Our generation, too, loves story and is hungry to connect with others' stories, and to tell our own unique Story.  No, it is not hubris, it is not prideful to believe that we live the epic life.  We are our stories, and we are what we have chosen to do with the stories God has given us.  Think how Jesus taught: though life experience, story and mystery.  Not that this trip of mine from Bellevue is aimed to be an Epic, but in some ways, I think, I simply want to share my story with you because I believe that God is active in the details, in the mundane, in simplicity.  It is my hope that my stories will become epics of encouragement and a witness to the simple activity of God.  And, I hope it helps you to share your own simple stories.  Any thoughts on Swede's quote?

Got to talk with Mom, sister Rebecca, Don, Lindsay, and Hannah.  Great to hear their voices.

It was nice to not worry about a schedule today, and to be able to stop and take pictures at my leisure.  Take a peek at the Day Two photo album.  There are some beautiful scenic shots and a few of the Cravy's and I.

Once i got into West Yellowstone, I made a few phone calls, and went to a great BBQ dinner -- it was neither better nor worse than Texan BBQ -- just different.  I had the Mad Dog.  Sausage on  a bun covered with beef brisket.  Really good.  Friend Andrea, who lived in West Yellowstone last year, serving in ministry, recommended it to me.  Thanks, Friend!  After dinner, I watched a great sunset and headed to watch the Yellowstone IMAX, hoping to prepare me for tomorrow's journey.  Made me feel like a real tourist.

SONGS OF THE DAY: For some reason or another.....
    ::Groove is in the Heart...Dee Lite
    ::Thousand Miles...Caedmon's Call (had to listen twice.)
    ::Teeth in the Grass...Iron & Wine
    ::Shackles...Mary Mary
    ::Improv...Waterdeep/100 Portraits
    ::Crazy Love...Paul Simon
    ::Better Man...Pearl Jam
    ::Airline to Heaven...Billy Bragg & Wilco
    ::The Valley Song...Jars of Clay
    ::Redemption Song...Bob Marley
    ::Where Could I Go But to the Lord...Emmylou Harris
    ::Bittersweet Memory...Blue Merle

I hope you are well, friends.  Again, let me know how I can pray!

Till tomorrow.

You are loved.
Josh

DAY 1: Comments on Your Comments...

Rather than responding to each individually, or by email, I'll do it briefly here.  Thanks again for saying hi.  Keep 'em coming, and don't be shy.

Mom: Thanks for the blessing, I am well.
Brett Hilary: I have missed your wisdom.  I will hold on to that quote.
Karolina: So glad you are still in Austin, let's do play!
Nick: Brother, I am grateful for you daily, too.  Travel well.
Andrea & Dean: Montana sends hugs back and sends its love to all the Great Lakes.
Amy: Email.  Coming!
Bru-omai: Dang it.  I left my AC/DC in Princeton.  I miss you, brother.
MFK: Missed seeing you when at home.  In August, for sure, ok?
Susie: Thanks, friend.  Thought of you when hanging out with NB.
David: Thanks, brother.  May your time with Kristin be rich.

There are links I should update on my site, but I need to hit the road.  Sorry, to those of you with blogs...I will link you someday!

Keep the comments coming!

You are loved,
Josh