A week ago, I was enjoying vacation time with extended family in New Mexico and Colorado. I love spending time there – mostly because of those family members, but for other reasons as well. I love green chile sauce, huevos rancheros and Aunt Shirley’s red chile enchiladas. I can’t get enough of the sagebrush, vanilla-scented Ponderosa pines, painted deserts and pink-hued canyon walls. In the 1930’s, artist Georgia O’Keeffe settled in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and spent her days chasing those big sky landscapes she called “the Far Away.” Her ability to capture those landscapes in her art makes her one of my favorites as well.
In March, at our First Congo spring retreat on “The Geography of Grace,” we talked about vista points. Vista points are places where your vision is clear and far-reaching. Spiritually speaking, vista points are those moments in life when we are blessed with a clear perspective on where we are, who we are, and why we are here. I was thinking about vista points last week while overlooking Albuquerque from Sandia Peak (elev. 10,000+ ft.).
I’ve also been thinking about vista points as I approach my first anniversary as your Pastor for Congregational Care and Mission. I just want to thank you for the ways our ministry together clarifies my sense of who I am and who God calls me to be. Thank you for the ways you care for me, Pastor Steve and Pastor Nick, and our families, by making sure we have time set apart so we can get a clear perspective on who we are and why we are here. Vacation was a blessing for me, in part because it reminded me how blessed I am to come back to First Congo.
I hope you are finding some vista points in this season as well, literally or spiritually (or both). I look forward to seeing you at church!
Your friend and fellow servant,
Pastor Kathryn Kuhn
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