Kilts, skiing, Haggis, Robert Burns - why Scotland kicks you know what...

Edinburgh

St. Gilies, Edinburgh

Aviemore

                                             Carignorm Mountains, Aviemore

Inverness

                

                    Loch Ness Monster, Loch Ness, Inverness

Tyree

Glasgow

For ten days Marie and I backpacked around Scotland. It was perfect. God showed up all over the place. In every place we saw a different part of what makes Scotland, Scotland. We met people from around the world in Edinburgh. We saw incredible natural beauty in Aviemore, and the uniqueness of Inverness. The highlight of my trip was Tyree, a magical island off the west coast where we learned the meaning of hospitality from Emma, Lynn, Judith and Sandy - the latter, a couple who let us stay in their home. 

I will never forget it. 

Finally, we got to see the artistic edgy side of Scotland in Glasgow. Just before we got there we saw that Will and Kate were in Edinburgh for St. Andrews Universities 600th birthday. 

Because that’s the kind of place Scotland is- it appeals to backpackers, hikers, artists, theologians, authors, kings, queens, drinkers and thinkers...

The land of Robert Burns, JK Rowling, Mel Gibson's once great career, etc. 

I had the time of my life. In fact this whole year has been the time of my life. Yesterday Marie and a few friends we’ve made here went out lunch. Over lunch we started to realize that we only have 4 months left with one another. All of us almost started to cry. Later that night, I realized why this year has been so extraordinary. Yes, it’s partly because the excitement of living in a new place,new people, etc etc... obvious reasons included. But more so, because I suffered a sort of death in 2009. I never thought I would recover, and if I did, I knew I would never be the same. 

God, fortunately, is in the ‘hope’ business. As Rob Bell likes to say, “We know after every Friday there’s a Sunday commin’.” Simply meaning, it may look like a death, but we know it’s gonna lead to a resurrection. 

Everything about this year has brought me back to life. I’ve found a way to tap into joy, and not just a momentary every-things-going-right kind of joy. I mean the kind of joy Paul talks about in his letters from prison. “Joy is believing that God is up to something, even in this.” I don’t claim to have it all together, or to posses some kind of saint like humility... I’m broken. And life will still be hard, and it will still take work. I’ll fall. But hopefully I’ll keep getting up again.

All of my feelings about this year, were summed up in one early morning praise service I had with my ipod on the ferry from Oban to Tiree. At 6 am, alone, outside on the deck, watching islands pass on either side, I listened... 

“And what was said to the rose to make it unfold, is said to me here in my chest, so be quite now and rest... here is our King.”