Bristol to Seattle: a journey of scientific curiosity and christian faith: Waiting for the world to fall

Thank-you to 'Jars of Clay' for the blog title which I stole from their song. Despite my progress at work I ended this week with that sense of missing something, waiting for the world to fall like I was expecting it to. I spent most of the week worrying over renting out my flat, not specific worries, just the 'did I lock the front door?' type of worries that take hold of us all. My mind just kept drifting back to the flat whenever I let it roam. Juxtaposed with this cycle of anxious thoughts I've been thinking on two of the Psalms of Ascent. I've been working my slow way through these psalms for months, they pick up on many themes which Christians walk through as our faith grows. I've been reading Eugene Peterson's book 'A Long Obedience in the Same Direction' which has a chapter commenting on each psalm. Psalm 131 and 132 have been living with me through the unease of the last week. For me Psalm 131 is an interesting one ' I do not concern myself with great matters or things to wonderful for me'. This isn't really a statement a scientist can make we spend our days slowly but surely delving into the ways of creation which is a great matter and one far too wonderful for me. This aside I like the image of us slowly growing to be able to love God for himself not love God because of what he does for us like a child as it's weaned learns to love it's mother for herself not for the milk she provides. Psalm 132 talks about Israel's journey with God. Peterson makes the point about our need for a biblical memory that we can use to make decisions (as oppose to just relying on the decision making data we have stored in our lifetime), and what a way to live based on the memory of thousands of years of relationship with God.

Anyway, it turns out you can out-walk worries if you walk far enough... A four mile walk along the Burke-Gilman trail (old train line now cycle path) wasn't quite long enough, but getting a lift to the University District and meandering my way back another four miles, whilst shopping and generally noising around, did in fact out walk my worries. Here are a few photos from my travels...

This is the local (2 miles away) shopping center

The Americans have finally cottoned on to gurgle jugs
(I say finally based on my American friends who hadn't
heard of them 12 years ago)

This is the Burke-Gilman track

This is the University District Farmer's Market
which was closing down before I got there.

mmm... a refreshing iced
lavender cream earl grey!

This the University of Washington campus

Some of the buildings on campus

and another building...

pretty fluffy pink flowers

a waterfall clock

With deer and bear

cat and ?

bird and ?

and salmon!

This morning I went to a Congregational Church in the University District. This was a large church and as such it wasn't easy to speak with anyone. The music was good, some pieces sung by a trio of women who pulled off some nice harmonies and complicated round, with a big congregation the hymns had some oomph, but not what I'm used to... I think I have been spoilt by Cairn's Road, it may not be perfect but it's close!

My landlady has a pear tree that has been busy dropping pears for the last week. To fulfill my pear eating obligation I made pear pancakes for breakfast and pear and ginger cake for general eating. As if that wasn't enough I also baked some bread and made Calzone...My bread had not one, not two, but three sessions of rising at room temperature (I was following instructions on the back of the packet); the bread took all afternoon to make and I am now quite tired but I am munching the end off my freshly baked loaf!