Facebook, The Mob, and The Holy Land

In just a few days I will board a plane for the experience of a lifetime.  Last fall I was invited to join a Pastoral Pilgrimage to Israel.  An incredibly generous foundation provides an opportunity each year for 20 pastor-types to take a trip to the Holy Land to see the setting of the greatest events in history as well as experience a time of rest and renewal.  Our leader told us the plan for each day is "to do something, to do anything, and to do nothing."  Each morning we will meet for breakfast and then head out to tour a Biblical site.  Around lunch we will return to the hotel and we are free to do whatever we want for the rest of the afternoon...see more stuff, relax by the pool, meet local people, nap.  In the evening we meet for dinner and communion and call it a day.  The first week we will lodge at a beautiful hotel a few paces from the Sea of Galilee.  The second week we'll stay in a Catholic retreat center in the heart of the Old City of Jersualem.  I still can't believe I'm getting to do this.

As part of the experience, they strongly encouraged us to "unplug" as much as possible.  At first the thought of this freaked me out.  As time went on I began to crave it.  So I've made the decision to leave my laptop at home.  Mostly I am feeling the need to step away from e-mail and Facebook.  My plan right now is to ignore both the entire time I am there.  I admit I am still taking my Blackberry...might send out a Twitter each day just to say hello and let you know what I'm doing.  But I plan to leave it at the hotel as we venture out each day.  If so moved, I might find an internet cafe to blog out some thoughts and perceptions a time or two.  But compared to my normal internet addiction, I will be stepping away.  I'm going to try to breathe for a while in an unconnected world.

I do think a couple people on the trip who volunteered to be "trip photographers" might be uploading some photos to a trip blog while we are there.  If you are interested: www.2009pilgrimage.blogspot.com.

So what does the Mob have to do with all of this?  Last night I was busy searching Amazon.com and loading some electronic books onto my Kindle for the trip.  Lately I have been so interested in reading about Chicago's twisted history so I found a great book to take along called: "Chicago Assassin: The Life and Legend of 'Machine Gun' Jack McBurn and the Chicago Beer War of the Roaring Twenties."  I happened to be e-mailing a friend of mine at the time (see...internet addiction) and happened to mention my book selection.  She wrote, "Of course you are choosing to read a book about gun slinging blood and gore as you visit the birthplace of Jesus Christ.  Of course you are."  OK, it didn't seem so strange until she said that.  But oh well, guess that's just who I am. 

So I am taking the mob, leaving Facebook behind, and heading off to the Holy Land on Sunday.  Grace and peace to all of you.

Comments

[gretchen]

wow! sounds like an incredible trip with just the right amount of rest and site-seeing

(Todd and I just had a 5 minute conversation about whether it's "sight" seeing, because you're seeing it, or "site" seeing, because you're seeing different sites....ultimately, we decided that sight-seeing would be redundant....)

We'll be praying for your trip!

[Debbie]

That sounds great Tammy! Congratulations! You deserve it. Have a great time of relaxation and exploration including mob study.