Perhaps you’re wondering what’s over the hill? Well, it’s a phrase used to describe everywhere that isn’t The Field. Not just any old field, but the Field – a small gathering in Exmoor in the grounds of the Lee Abbey estate. That still doesn’t really answer my first question -what is over the hill? For me, it’s right here. Still more questions? Hmm, right, well ‘here’ is not simply a geographical location (which is currently Coningsby in Lincolnshire) but it’s more than that – it’s being. Still not satisfied? Hopefully we’ll explore together what that means. Also, good news – this blog has a few pictures in it! Huzzah!
Okay, so a fairly vague introduction so let’s start with a general update if you’ve been following the story about my encounter with the tarmac I had a couple of months ago. I’m doing pretty well (thanks!); I can walk a few miles now without too much discomfort which is great and my back can endure a longer duration standing or sitting without back support. My knee still feels weaker and my calf muscle still feels like a giant knotted mess however I start physiotherapy in a few day’s time which I’m looking forward to. Physically there’s continued improvement which is amazing! But, as you may have read in the previous blog, there has been some mental fighting going on against various undesirables. About three weeks ago, however, I found this thing called “The Field” at Lee Abbey which intrigued me and gave me a little spark -I spent a while trying to figure out what it was and what happens there before figuring out how I could get there to find out about it in person.
This is taken from their website:
The Field is a place where:
- there’s space and time just to be you
- there are five meals a day and it’s nearly always tea time
- the stars are brighter and the days are longer
- you’re surrounded by natural beauty to explore and enjoy
- God’s love is not just discussed but also experienced
- you come as you are, but leave someone different…
After The Field last summer one new camper said that her favourite moments were…
“Seeing a shooting star, meeting new people, the wonderful food, but most of all the feeling of being loved on this earth … it was amazing.”
It doesn’t say very much but it sounded good to me. It was intriguing. For me specifically I really wanted to get out and go somewhere, especially to a pretty place that also had similarly aged and similarly minded people. A place to love and be loved. That’s exactly what I wanted, and needed. So this gave me hope, inspiration and distraction from being ‘here’ to consider what I needed to do to be ‘there’.
Like I say, about three weeks ago I started planning to go to this Field but the obvious question was am I able to go? Firstly I’ve only driven a little bit in the last couple of months and this was about 280 miles away. My mum had agreed to let me use her car which saved me having to rent one (trains/busses would be more expensive and complicated) but there was only one way to see whether I’d fair well with the distance. Secondly it would be camping and could I sleep on the floor? I tried one evening to sleep on a camp mat on the floor and about 20 minutes later I had to abort that plan because it hurt my leg and back. I spent the next couple of days looking at inflatable mattresses and thicker foam/air camp mats but my mum sorted me out with that too! She brought back an aluminium canvas camping bed from my aunts that they used during lambing time (as a bed to sleep in the stalls with the sheep/lambs to make sure they’re ok). I tried a night’s sleep on the camp bed and managed to do it – it doesn’t rival the comforts of a sprung mattress bed but it would be suitable for camping. Thirdly I just needed to make sure I had all the bits I would need for camping -and as it was catered, all I needed was some clothes, sleeping bag and the camping bed. I was able enough to go. Good. So I booked myself a place for the second week of the camp, not knowing what to expect or what might happen…
The day came when I had to drive to Devon. Exciting! I had already packed about a week before leaving so that just shows how eager I was to get there. I planned to break up the journey by visiting friends in Rothwell, Kettering, first: I left about 8.30am to head across country (on roads…) to my friends’ house – except he wasn’t home, he was helping with a garage sale at his Grandma’s house, which is in the same village. I arrived around midday; it was a beautifully sunny day and as the car doesn’t have air conditioning so I was thankful to stop there for a little while to cool off and stretch my legs. It was wonderful to see Juliana and Edmund especially as Julie hadn’t seen me since May when I was in hospital looking reasonably awful (and in a lot of discomfort!). She mentioned the difference between seeing me then and now was incredible! I stayed there a couple of hours chatting with Ed’s family and resting (knowing I had several hours more to drive) but I left about 2pm to continue the journey down the A14, M6, M42, M5 and then various roads to Lynton, Exmoor. It was a long hot journey, beautiful in places and I only had three comfort breaks (food, water, cooling down, stretching legs etc) but I made it to Lee Abbey for about 6.30pm, just in time for dinner!
There were lots of canvas tents arranged in different areas of the field -family tents, separate female and male tent areas, a large meeting tent connected to a kitchen/preparation tent, a “tent of meeting” and a chapel tent too. There were a few other structures such as the outdoor (sheltered) cooking/fire area, log store, toilets and showers. It’s like a little village community.
I joined them for the second week of camp whereas most of the campers had been there for the first week too. I met a few people in the first evening, such as the guys I was sharing a tent with, and I felt welcomed there for sure but it took a day or two to meet most of the people and to feel a part of the group -there are lots of quirky things that are Field exclusive (such as chants and calls when someone mentions a keyword, and some of the games) but you get used to it after a couple of days, especially as everyone there were really great.
Throughout the week there were planned activities such as beach trip to Woolacombe, wall climbing, zip wire, mountain boarding, archery, swimming in the sea, walks, Bible studies, book group discussions and crafts. Every evening there is an “Epilogue” to gather together for some worship, prayer and a talk -this week they were looking at Matthew 5 – 7, the Sermon on the Mount which includes the Beatitudes (from Latin beātitūdō, which means happiness or blessedness), whereas the previous week they had been talking about Old Testament law, specifically the 10 commandments. There are references to OT commandments in Matthew 5- 7 but they’re seemingly even more impossible to live out (apart from Jesus, see John 15:5 “apart from me you can do nothing”).
All very interesting and thought provoking. I should also add, the theme for the fortnight of The Field was “dwell” -such as in John 1:14, and, because it was mentioned more than once by the main leader, this word dwell comes from the Greek ἐσκήνωσεν (root σκηνόω) which means “to have one’s tent, dwell”. Here’s a definition from HELPS Word Studies:
skēnóō – properly, to pitch or live in a tent, “denoting much more than the mere general notion of dwelling” (M. Vincent). For the Christian, 4637 (skēnóō) is dwelling in intimate communion with the resurrected Christ – even as He who Himself lived in unbroken communion with the Father during the days of His flesh (Jn 1:14).
Alongside meals, elevensies and foursies that is pretty much an outline of what sort of thing happens at The Field. But then there are the less tangible elements too (love, community, fellowship, faith) which makes describing The Field quite challenging, but, without simply listing things I did, I want to circle back to the phrase I used at the beginning comparing “over the hill” with The Field.
Here’s a quick picture break before I go on…
Just a quick description of the location. Lee Abbey is a 280-acre site based in Exmoor, on the North Devon coast. You can just about see from these photos that the camping area is situated on a grass field nestled between the folds of the surrounding wooded hills. On the eastern hill is the main Lee Abbey building and out to the north is the Bristol Channel and across the water is Wales. There is a fair drop between the field area and the bay below, perhaps 30 metres or so. The bay is mix of both sandy beach and boulder field from the cliff erosion -good to know, right? And I know you’re thinking that the rock pool photo doesn’t look familiar to Lee Abbey -well you’d be right! It’s from Woolacombe (which was a short coach trip further around the coast).
So now the challenge. What is The Field? What is Over the Hill? I’ll start with the second question first.
Field goers coined the phrase “over the hill” to describe anywhere that isn’t the field. So that could be good or bad things -home lives, work lives, where you’re at with God or questioning, doubting, struggling, striving or thriving, relationships, family, friends -whatever the situation that we are living in or what life is currently like.
You might have a general idea where i was ‘at’ before I attended this grassy gathering but having just come back I can see parts that I already miss having crossed over the hill back to here and now. More than just the waiting and wondering what I’ll be doing once I’m fully recovered, what the next step will be in where I’ll be living and working, runs something much deeper and broader – I have been apart from creativity and community, perhaps I’ve focused more on doing rather than simply being, and maybe I’ve built glass walls that I couldn’t see but which have still created separation – like looking through a window you can see the whole scene but you can’t breathe it and no matter how much you press against the window there will always be a degree of separation between you and the real thing the other side of the glass.
Life and living is a work in progress, which takes exactly one lifetime. ‘Strive’ and ‘make every effort’ to live how Jesus taught (Luke 13:24). Especially after a week briefly looking at Kingdom living in the Epilogue sessions at The Field (Matthew 5 – 7). So it’s good to think about those things “over the hill” which maybe need some attention or continued progression, or just thankfulness of blessings and deeper understanding of the Father’s heart.
There were a few amazing moments that I want to share from my time and experience that week.
- Firstly, arriving there for the first time was amazing. The drive through Exmoor was nice but getting into Lynton was via a twisty road which was great. When you get out of Lynton for the final mile to Lee Abbey you head down the Valley of Rocks, surrounded by fern-filled slopes, with views of the rocky towers and the rugged coastline before crossing the cattle-grid and entering the Lee Abbey estate. It’s a very good destination.
- During the week a couple of the lads had some upsetting news, which they shared with us all as family. On the Thursday night after a contemplative Epilogue session there was a memorial time under the fire shelter – a log had been halved, hollowed and tied together so that paper messages could be placed inside before it was burned on the fire. The inscription on the log simply said “Jesus wept.” John 11:35. After the two brothers placed the log on the fire together, one of them spoke a short prayer and just as he ended the prayer the log split open in two, as the bindings holding the log together had burned off, and sent an array of embers up into the night sky. It wasn’t planned, but the timing and imagery was powerful. A voice or two started singing “10,000 reasons” and one by one the whole group was singing together. It was all deeply moving and very beautiful.
- There were some stunning night skies, absolutely packed with stars on a clear night. Two nights in particular stand out when I spent time outside, walking, playing my tin whistle, wandering, wondering and simply being.
- The first night, which was after the memorial, I just walked along the road (which in places I couldn’t see because of the trees) which was so wonderfully peaceful -there was only a slight breeze and it was a warm evening. I sat down somewhere along the road, picked up my whistle and played”10,000 reasons”, accompanied by the sound of a host of chirping insects.
- The second was the Friday night, the final night, and we had just spent a couple of hours worshipping and praying together during the last Epilogue which finished sometime near midnight. It was then that some people had gone down to the beach to light a campfire by the sea. The sky was studded with stars and often a meteorite would race across sky with bright white trails while the sea gently lapped against the shore. Laughter, joy, love, peace, sharing time together; the perfect ending.
- On the Wednesday there was a worship session – just turn up and play together, which was amazing! It was a simple acoustic group with a couple of guitarists, a djembe drummer and about 15-20 people singing and it was gloriously rich! Really organic worship with so much close harmony, depth and passion. I love music, and musicians, and this was incredible – big highlight.
Like I mentioned earlier there are the things that were done -walks, conversations, games, singing, meals together which are easy thing to describe, whereas there are the less tangible parts that were great too -faith, love, joy, compassion, kindness, positivity, humour etc. There was an obvious loving and serving attitude amongst the team not only providing entertainment but cooking, cleaning and keeping the fires going (as well as a lot more: praying, book club, Bible studies, Epilogue sessions, and of course making time for each other and for campers). A real loving community -which I think is far more integrated than just a group of people working together. It’s very desirable.
Can I describe what happens at The Field in a couple of sentences? No… See how much I’ve written already! Would I go again? Yes, I want to be there and with those people (it seems that Field goers tend to keep going back each year) because everyone was interesting, creative and genuine. It’s a mix of people, backgrounds, talents and skills all coming together in this one place and it’s good. It’s a good representation of The Church having both diversity and unity in Jesus Christ.
I really loved that I had the opportunity to meet so many talented, incredible and inspiring people in such a wonderful place. Of course I’d like to spend more time with such lovely people, playing music and singing together, praying together, creating and simply being together which is why it was sad to leave, but is was a great blessing to be a part of.
On the journey home I was listening to Iona and there was one song in particular that resonated with me as well as being thematic to the week. You could change the words from ‘beyond these shores’ to ‘over the hill’ – wherever I am or wherever I go, God is forever with me, surrounded by His unfailing Love. Always. No matter how vast the ocean, how high the mountains, how deep the valleys, He is here.
“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
Beyond These Shores – Iona
Beyond these shores
Into the darkness
Beyond these shores
This boat may sail
And if this is the way
Then there will be
A path across this sea
And if I sail beyond
The farthest ocean
Or lose myself in depths below
Wherever I may go
Your love surrounds me
For you have been before
Beyond these shores
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