O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. [Psalm 63:1]

Today, while driving from Atlanta to Nashville, I suddenly realized how desiccated my soul had become.

What gave me the grace to realize this was by spending time with my mom, my brother and his girlfriend, my friends Jeannie and Gary, and my cousin Beth and her daughter Sara. Each of them over the last few days has contributed to the partial rehydration of my soul - and I thank God and them for the refreshment I received.

My time with family and friends at the beginning of this Sabbatical has allowed me to reflect on three Scriptures: the Psalm above, Jeremiah 2:13 and John 7:37-39. The theme of my Sabbatical is now clear: the quest for Living Water. More on that later, but let me leave you with a song by the Boss which I played over and over this morning:

The River by Bruce Springsteen

Tonight I am having dinner with three friends from the Reformed Episcopal Church. Tomorrow the four of us are going to hear Tom Wright lecture on "Reading the Gospels for all they are worth".