There’s great power in a pathway. When out for a wandering walk, we’re more apt to follow a path than make our own. Though field and forest, mountain and meadow be open before us; we usually default to what is mown, paved, salted, or blazed. Those who first made these ways, whether deer, trader, courier, or civic planner, exercised tremendous power in directing future footsteps.
What’s true for traffic on land is also true for traffic in thought and feeling. Our hearts and minds tend to wander on the broad and banked pathways paved by those looking to speed all traffic past what might lead to heaven and onward to what most certainly will dead-end at the gates of hell. Following Jesus requires that every disciple take the next exit off the highway for the slower, narrower, and more ponderous path. As the wonderful summer months are now upon us, it would be good to consider how we might make the best use of opportunities to slow down and recreate a bit. To that end, two readings for this week’s discussion. First is an excerpt from Pirsig’s classic, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The second is A Forest Hymn; a poem by famed American poet William Cullen Bryant. Of the two, the poem is the more difficult read, but give it a shot. There’s a lot of encouragement in these two readings for our project of knowing and living a more authentic faith. I’m looking forward to the discussion!
Click here for Pirsig’s “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
