God of the Desert Places

My week of continuing education was with a spiritual director at Ghost Ranch, the Presbyterian conference and retreat centre in New Mexico. A generous endowment years ago affords the clergy at St. Paul's opportunities to participate in events which require money for travel. The fourteen hours of travel by "trains, planes, and automobiles" leave me exclaiming "never again!" but perhaps lengthy travel days are like childbirth. If you didn't forget some of it you would never go through it again.

Not only have I appreciated Ghost Ranch programs on two separate occasions, I am smitten by the desert landscape. This facility sprawls over several thousands acres of high desert (6500 ft.), on a former cattle ranch given to the Presbyterian church in the 1950's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Ranch Ghost Ranch has become increasingly popular as a movie set, including the first part of the most recent Indiana Jones film and 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe.

This time I stayed at Casa del Sol, the retreat house two miles from the main campus. It is a simple adobe building renovated to house a few guests.

As you can see, it is winter in northern New Mexico, although we enjoyed eight sunny days. The view of the extinct volcano called Padernal is from the living room window. Despite a whopping cold I managed a couple of hikes in spare time, including up Box Canyon. The icicles are at least ten metres high, to give you some perspective. The view from Chimney Rock is to pine and juniper trees on the plateau below. And there were cactus here and there peeking out from the snow. A click on the photos will give you a larger image.

I love it when I can talk and learn about God, as well as experience God in the natural world. Hey, God has a tradition of interesting work in deserts.

I am grateful for the Schammerhorn Fund which makes this possible.