American evangelical Christianity hasn’t historically emphasized pilgrimages. It’s a practice as distant from the minds of young Christians as the far-off places that men in shaved heads and sandals visit. But the Ramp somehow felt like a pilgrimage–and I don’t know if anything could have prepared me for what I experienced at that radical ministry in an otherwise unassuming corner of rural Alabama.
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Guest Post: “The Death Clock” by Stephen Garner
This blog was originally posted on my father’s blog, https://hikerdude.wordpress.com. It’s not like I am in a hurry for 2020 to end but, I got a head-start on my New Year’s resolutions recently. I read a preview from an upcoming book called, Win The Day, by Mark Batterson. Not only did it whet my appetite […]
Billy Humphrey’s 4 Meditation Keys (pt. 2)
In our fast-paced, consumerist, interconnected, microwaveable, express-delivery primed culture, slowing down to rest feels like the most /un/natural thing in the world. It puts me in mind of a mile-long freight train just putting on its breaks. Have you ever heard the diabolical screeching? That’s that’s how strongly my mind resists coming to rest!
What’s that? You would still like to try? OK! It’s difficult but not impossible.
The Roaring 20s 2.0: Thoughts about 2020 and a New Decade (Guest post by Stephen Garner)
Almost 100 years ago, the world, and especially America, experienced an exciting economic boom. Everything seemed possible through the new modern technologies, such as the automobile, movies, radio, the telephone, TVs and airplanes. Society broke with many long-held traditions and embraced great change. The popular TV show and movie, Downton Abbey, helped many of us […]
My universally effective secret tool for reaching friends and neighbors
I’m going to tell you one of the most effective tools I’ve found for the work that I do over here in the Middle East. What if I told you it’s also effective in America as well? Would you want to use it? It transcends cultural boundaries. It opens up hearts. It reaches over denominational […]
Two Secular Trends You Should Practice as a Christian
1. Minimalism – (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/what-is-minimalism/) Minimalism takes the focus away from what we have and puts it on the meaning that we get from the things we do have. Pastor and conference speaker Louie Giglio once joked, “Is there anything in the world more anti-Jesus than a storage unit?” (Don’t get offended—I said joked!) Seriously, no […]
“Provoked” (Healing pt 13) // A Day in the Life
I’ve been provoked. I’m angry. I have a righteous indignation. It all started in one of the city’s many malls the other day. I was getting another charger for my cell phone (hopefully one that won’t break this time) and some groceries. As I finished, I was walking toward the taxi line to head back […]
Guest Post: “How I Became A Hiker Dude” by Stephen Garner
It is my great pleasure to feature Stephen Garner for the first time. I hope you enjoy my father’s unique blend of biblical insights, illuminating anecdotes, and punny repartée. Our numerous hikes together over the past decade have then a powerful connecting force during my young adult years. Read more of his work at https://hikerdude.wordpress.com/. […]
Three Guaranteed Steps to Know God’s Plan for Your Life
Have you found God’s plan for your life? Wouldn’t it be nice if every one of us got a letter in the mail when we were 17 years old telling us exactly what we were made to do? I definitely did not, yet the journey has been both winding and incredibly satisfying. I hate to […]
Guest Post: “There is Surely a Future Hope” by Heather Leigh Greene
[Orig. pub. Oct. 23, 2016 on Ramblings of a Bluestocking] Ok, let’s be raw. I’ve always been a very driven person. In college, I knew what degree(s) I wanted, where I would be in ten years, what kind of job I wanted, and what kind of man I wanted to marry. However, if you haven’t […]
Are You at Sea Level or See Level?
It’s not often that an offshoot of the Allman Brothers Band starts a conversation about God‘s revelation. I went hiking last week of my father in Shenandoah National Park. As we tackled a particularly steep 800ft ascent, my father began laughing as the iPod he was listening to shuffled across a song by the band […]
Travel Journal: Thailand
My connecting domestic flight was delayed in the Bangkok airport. Tired and ready to be at the conference as I was, I felt the strong pull of the secluded food court. I had not gotten used to the exchange rate of US dollars to Thai baht, so I didn’t realize until I was signing the […]