Cruising with the Bishops

During the Special Convention of the Diocese of San Joaquin, I was asked to be the driver and chaplain for the Most Rev. Katharine Jeffert Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA. Quite an honor and privilege for a simple guy like me. I was able to spend a lot of time and ask a bunch of questions in the private moments spent driving around the valley. Despite the high roles that bishops play in the church, these are regular people who are thrust in extraordinary positions and doing best they can.

I had the same experience with Bishop Jerry, our new provisional bishop. I travelled with with to pick up furniture for his new digs in Stockton. Just a regular guy. What blew me away was when he reached in his pocket, while driving, for a tin of snuff, took a little pinch to put in his cheek and kept talking. Not something I expected... AT ALL! I'll have to admit that I lost concentration to what he was saying for awhile until I gathered my composure to what I witnessed. I had to process the moment.