Our Lenten walk with Christ is finished. We logged 234 miles in the last week. Added to our other ‘walks’ we would have completed half of the Abraham Migration. Our total six week journey together was 2,078 miles. That itself is farther than the distance from Jerusalem to Rome (1843 miles). Alleluia! What an accomplishment! During our time together, we learned much about our spiritual and physical health.
For instance;
Keep watch for other programs brought to you by the Faith Formation team at St. James’. If you have suggestions for a specific program, please meet with us on the 1st Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. You will find the meeting link on the church calendar.
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Our journey is nearing its end. I wonder what our final destination will be. This week our faithful walkers logged 245 miles for a grand total of 1844 miles to date. We are well into the Abraham migration.
During our discussion this week, we were stumped by Proverbs 14:30 “A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot.” As we couldn’t explain what it means, we decided to consider it one of the many mysteries of the bible. If anyone has a thought, please feel free to put it in a comment for this week. Insights from our latest conversation
We have one week left to complete our journey, so don’t put those walking shoes away yet. If you would like to participate in our conversation, please check the church calendar next Monday for the zoom link. Our discussion begins at 7 pm and we’d love to hear from you. Some of us were playing catch-up this week, but 13 people reported 555 miles during the week, which brings our journey-to-date to 1,599 miles. WOW! Considering the journeys previously recorded, we can now add the Exodus route of 375 miles and be well on the way of the Abraham migration. We are truly covering a lot of ground, physically and spiritually and have much to celebrate as we continue.
Insights gained at our Monday evening conversation
I have always found joy in anticipation of a trip/journey I’m about to embark upon, whether it’s to a new location or a return to some place I’ve been before. I wonder what our next stage of the journey will bring those of us who are on Christ Walk. If you are curious also, join us next Monday at 7 pm for our Zoom discussion so we can get to know each other better. You can find the link on the church calendar. See you there! Our journey continued with 9 people 5 a total of 220 miles this week. That’s 24.5 miles/person for the week and 3.5 miles/person/day. Our journey-to-date has taken us 1,044 miles from Nazareth to Jerusalem, to Bethlehem back to Jerusalem and the via Dolorosa (journeys taken by Jesus) and Paul’s journey from Jerusalem to Damascus, then on to Caesarea, and his journey from Tarsus back to Jerusalem (Paul’s conversion and some of his teaching missions). What an opportunity this provides us; giving ourselves the gift of time with Christ-to learn from him and about him. Think about the lives changed as Jesus walked about his country teaching and healing, and as Paul spread word of the gospel (good news) throughout the world to the gentiles.
Insights shared this week:
Continue walking with us on Sunday after church. We’ll meet up at coffee hour and move on from there. You are also invited to join us Monday evenings for conversation and sharing ideas, even if you are new to Christ Walk. We hope you will include your children in this program. And don’t forget to report your miles to Denise Holl at drholl@yahoo.com by Monday each week. We’re on the move! Nine Christ Walk participants walked 223 miles (just over 3.5 miles per person) during week 2 of our journey together. This week alone, we would have covered the distance of the Bethlehem Challenge, 220 miles. Our total to date is 381 miles. Congratulations everyone and keep up the good work.
Insights shared from our Monday evening conversation:
A small, but mighty group walked for nearly an hour at the mall after church on Sunday, sharing stories and getting to know each other better. It’s nice to know we have options, depending on the weather. If you would like to join us after church each Sunday for a group walk, put on your walking shoes and meet up with us at coffee hour. And please come to our zoom discussion Monday evening at 7 pm. You are welcome even if you don’t choose to read the book or walk with the group. St. James’ participants in Christ Walk reported walking, jogging, working an exercise program, raking leaves and painting-yes, painting during the week. Such creativity is to be admired. All have challenged themselves by creating individual and spiritual goals for what they hope to achieve during the 40 days of Lent.
Eight participants in Christ Walk reported a walking a total of 158 miles during the first week; an average of 3.3 miles per person per day. Congratulations to everyone on this first milestone! In the book Christ Walk A 40-Day Spiritual Fitness Program by Anna Fitch Courie, we are offered several walking challenges based on scripture. For reference, the distance between Nazareth (Jesus’ hometown) and Jerusalem is 65 miles. The Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows) is 88 miles. The distance from Jerusalem to Damascus is 150 miles which reflects Paul’s journey and conversion of the road to Damascus. Insights shared at our Monday evening check-in included:
Anyone can join Christ Walk at any time. If you wish to walk or exercise on your own time, feel free to do so. If you would like add your miles to the group, you can email your weekly total to Denise Holl at drholl@yahoo.com. If you don’t have a fitness tracker, you can count 15 minutes of exercise time as 1 mile. We’ll meet for a group walk every Sunday throughout Lent. We’ll gather at Coffee Hour after the 10:00 service. We hope to see you at our Zoom discussion Monday evenings at 7 pm (zoom link is on the church calendar). You don’t have to buy the book to participate, but if you choose to do so it is available on Amazon. We’ll update our journal weekly, keeping track of our progress. You will also be able to follow our journal on our website as well as find daily inspiration on Twitter and Instagram. |
Anna Fitch CourieAnna Fitch Courie is an army wife, nurse, layperson, and the author of "Christ Walk: A 40 Day Spiritual Fitness Program" (Church Publishing, Inc., 2015); "Christ Walk Kids" (Church Publishing, 2016); "Sally the Comet (CreateSpace, 2015); and "Sally and the Constellations" (CreateSpace, 2017); "The Adventures of Cancer Girl and God" (Church Publishing, 2017); and "Christ Walk Crushed" (Church Publishing, 2019). Anna finds her calling where health and spirituality intersect. Anna is a registered nurse by training and has been working in the health care field for the past twenty years. More recently, she has been a consultant on building community coalitions on health. Anna is a graduate of Clemson University, the University of Wyoming, and Education for Ministry at Sewanee: the University of the South. She is currently enrolled at Ohio State University in the Doctoral in Nursing Practice program. In her spare time, she fights cancer, consults in public health, and runs Christ Walk, retreats, writes books, and blogs for "50 Days of Fabulous" and "Lent Madenss." In her dream world, she hikes the El Camino and Mount Rainier, sails, travels, cooks, reads, and attends every Clemson football game each season. Home is wherever the Army (and God) sends her. You can find her blog at Christ Walk (www.christwalk40day.blogspot.com); on facebook at www.facebook.com/Christwalk40day; on twitter @christwalk1 and on Instagram @christwalk1. |