Song of Songs 8:6-7
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a raging flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
all the wealth of one’s house,
it would be utterly scorned.

Is love an innate characteristic to us as humans or is it learned?

Physical attraction plays a big part in our relationships with people.

A common theme of our culture is that sex = love. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?

How does the world around us play a part in how we learn to express love and what we perceive to be love?

Talk about the differences:
Physical response vs. emotional vs. psychological vs. spiritual
Eros vs. storge vs. agape vs. phileo

How can you improve your ability to love?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Gal. 5: 22, 23a

What happens if you try to focus on only one of these characteristics?

Have a good night’s sleep at Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood City.

Start: 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
End: 3560 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City CA 94061
Google Map
Miles traveled this mission: 49
Total miles traveled: 3668

Website

Time for next mission: 11:00 AM PDT. Sleep in.

We hope you’ve had a positive experience in silence today. In sharp contrast to the quiet and solitude you’ve experienced, head to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for an evening of loudness.

Start: 19480 Bear Creek Rd. Los Gatos CA
End: 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Google Map
Miles traveled this mission: 19
Total miles traveled: 3619

Website
Wikipedia Article

Time for next mission: 10:00 PM PDT

Relationships are difficult, and often it’s hard to say the things we need to say. Various family members have prepared letters for you to read, so find a place on the center grounds to read your letters, and if you’d like, write your own.

Time for next mission: 4:00 PM PDT

Enter into the seventh day of the sojourn, we’ll be experiencing a day of rest as a silent retreat at the Presentation Conference and Retreat Center in Los Gatos. You’ll have the chance (yes, the chance) to spend the day in silence. Among the silence, you will go on self guided walks through the stations of the cross, a prayer labyrinth, and other options to explore some of the spiritual disciplines which we usually push out of our busy lives.

Start: 3560 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94061
End: 19480 Bear Creek Rd. Los Gatos CA
Google Map
Miles traveled this mission: 32
Total miles traveled: 3600

Website
Wikipedia: Stations of the Cross and Labyrinth

Time for next mission: 2:00 PM PDT

Special thanks to Jake and Nikole for writing our blog posts and sorting through tons of pictures, respectively. Couldn’t do this without them.

Right now, we are in the vans heading for Peninsula Covenant Church in Redwood City. It’s ten at night here on the west coast, and all of us are wiped out. Not a lot of strenuous activity, or walking for that matter, but there was a ton of food, and it was wicked cold,

We awoke at the campsite again this morning, dusty, and wishing that all of us could have done laundry. Personally, I had a rotten morning due to a pair of broken glasses, a freezing cold shower, missing shampoo, and sore back from sleeping on some pretty big rocks. Soon however, everyone’s misery faded away as we saw that we could pack up the tents and move out from the camp ground. Our first mission of the day was to return the tents to Modesto Covenant, a decently long drive. After the drop off, lunch was to be had, so we made a quick stop at a variety of fast food joints.

When the next mission was posted, it said that we would go to the Covenant Village of Turlock, which was a retirement home. There we would meet with a few of the residents, and sit down and talk about a different spectrum of love- marriage. When we arrived, all of us could see the allure of a retirement home in California. The entire space was covered in lush. green plants, fountains filled with vibrant, blue water and a calmness that was only beaten by the rolling valley in Yosemite.

When we finally got to meet the people that we would talk with, we were split into three groups, so as the conversations would be a little more intimate. The couple that I got to meet with had been married only nine years, and were both previously widowed. Another lady that I spoke with had been widowed, but was previously married for 65 years. Over all, the three provided insight that none of us kids could have even though of previously. It truly was a reward to be able to talk to them all.

After lemonade, cookies, and goodbyes we headed out for our next mission. The van ride would be over an hour, but it would be worth it. We were headed back into San Francisco to walk over the Golden Gate Bridge. Before that however, we would eat. We stopped at at Thai place, and I must say the food was bountiful and delicious. Once our stomachs were full, the Bridge beckoned for us to come.

Walking across, the winds were intense, but the view of the entire city made it all worth it. After the cold, out next mission came out, we would be staying at the church in Redwood City. It just so happens that the van ride is over, and we are just now pulling into the church parking lot. I hope we all get a goodnight sleep. Night all.

~Jake~