Chris Adventure, Hospitality, Prayer

Day 2 of My Camino de Appalachia 2023

Maybe I should take a moment and explain my use of the phrase “Camino de Appalachia?”

The Camino de Santiago is a famous 500-mile pilgrimage across Spain to a cathedral which is said to hold relics from the apostle James.

The word “camino” in Spanish can be translated way, road, path, trail, etc. So “camino de Appalachia” might literally mean the Trail of Appalachia. But in my usage, I mean to imply the idea of pilgrimage and not just the literal path. For me, time on the trail has the simultaneous intention of integrating the physical act of hiking with a spiritual and prayerful journey towards deeper intimacy and connection with God.

Of course, the Appalachian Trail is simply a long hiking trail and not necessarily a destination for religious pilgrims, but I have found that many AT hikers do have para-physical motivations for spending time on this less ancient footpath.

Now, what I have found is that many of my days on trail begin in a very thoughtful, contemplative and prayerful manner but end with a focus on the physical challenge. So I love to enjoy solitude during the first few hours of each day’s hike until usually the lunch stop. At that point, I start longing for some good company and conversation to distract my mind from what can become a grueling effort to achieve my mileage goal. My 2nd day was one of those days that seemed a bit more difficult physically. My first good distraction that day was bumping into Tom at the Chestnut Knob Shelter (third photo) which is at an elevation of about 4400 feet and overlooks a valley called Burke’s Garden. Tom was an old codger of a hiker with some fun stories and a deep desire to tune into college football. He had an mp3 player with a radio tuner and was trying desperately to get the Tennessee (Go Vols!) game to tune in since he was from the Nashville area.

After having lunch and drying out a bit at Chestnut Knob, I hiked another 9 miles or so through a completely “dry” area (no water sources). Thankfully, I stumbled across a water cache that day where some trail angel had left a few dozen gallons jugs of water for hikers. If there’s a section of trail that is especially difficult for sourcing fresh water, occasionally, some magnanimous soul (often a former thru hiker) will stash a bunch of water like this near a road crossing. (fourth photo)

And just before dark, I made it to the Jenkins Shelter where I bumped into a fun couple from Greenville, SC who shared some great stories and general trail banter that got my mind off of the pain in my knees and feet! Before I knew it, we had been chatting for about an hour and I still needed to cook some dinner and put up a tent. ha! Floppy and Flower Power (second photo) were a real treat to hangout with at camp that evening.

Day two culminated in about 17 miles of hiking from the Lick Creek campsite to Jenkins Shelter which was near a creek that still had a bit of water flowing through. yay!

Chris Faith, Prayer, Random

Praying With Your Feet and Lectio Divina

Prayer.

It’s a crucial practice in the life of any Christian, right?

Matthew 6:9-13

This, then, is how you should pray:  “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Psalm 17:6

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

These are just a few of the scriptures that teach us about and call us to prayer.

The Appalachian Trail headed north from Max Patch

Perhaps my most profound experiences in prayer have come while I’m on a long hike or spending time enjoying God’s good creation. While I was hiking a long section of the Appalachian Trail this past summer, I learned how to “pray with my feet” on a whole new level. I’m sure the fact that I was hiking for 6-8 hours a day with little human interaction contributed to the sense of God’s presence. But it was also because I was intentional about praying along a certain theme or passage of scripture each day.

Often, as I am talking to college students or young adults about prayer, I suggest that they use scripture as a tool. Lectio Divina is a sacred practice of prayer-full scripture reading that I have found to be a great practice. Because, often times, we don’t know what or how to pray. Typically, the “beginner” level of prayer that most Christians practice is basically asking for things. So when you get through your list, then what?

Scripture can often be a guide and even a short of mirror that allows us to reflect on our lives in light of the Word.

Dallas Willard would frequently share his practice and habit of beginning each day praying the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father…”) or the 23rd Psalm and I have adopted that practice myself. Usually, I’ll break one of those “prayers” into bite-size chunks and meditate on the meaning and application for you life.

This is also where the Lectio structure provides great assistance. It’s an experiential hearing of God’s Word that often begins with a time of silence and preparation. We invite the Holy Spirit to speak…calling our attention to a particular word or phrase. Then we move from the Lectio (reading) to the Meditatio (meditation) and reflect on this Word, laying aside distractions. This then leads us to Oratio or response. Take time to respond in gratitude and worship. And finally, we come to Contemplatio (contemplation) and just spend some time with the reality of God’s presence and how that forms us throughout the rest of the day.

For many, putting prayer into practice like this can lead to real transformation…a sense of God’s presence continually. And when you’re aware of God’s presence throughout the day, life is prayer.

My own journey with prayer has taught me that it’s not so much about asking God for things (to change circumstances) but asking God to change us! To pray is to opt in to God’s agenda. Prayer is like an alignment of the soul. Yes, intercessory prayer should be a component of our praying but not the extent of our praying. And like any spiritual discipline, it takes practice.

Maybe that’s why “praying with my feet” has been such an effective way for some to grow in their faith and their sense of intimacy with Christ. Integrating prayer with the rhythm of my feet along a path teaches me to be aware and open to God’s Word and words as I journey further up and further in to the life of Christ.

Chris Faith, Prayer

Hiking the AT and Prayer

For the past few months, perhaps even the past couple of years, my desire for some kind of hiking pilgrimage was evolving from wishful thinking to an actual plan.

Originally, I was hoping to get to Spain and hike the Camino Santiago. But with traveling restrictions due to COVID-19 and financial limitations, that was not going to be an option.

#SolviturAmbulando

It is solved by walking.

This is a common phrase and hashtag you will see often as people talk about pilgrimage, especially on the Camino.

Many see prayer as merely asking God for things but I came to know prayer in a different way as I hiked up, down and through the southern Appalachians. Richard Rohr talks about prayer as “opting into the divine” and submitting one’s life to a union with Christ. Although I certainly spent time interceding for my family, friends, and circumstances…prayer became more like invitation. In prayer, we have the opportunity to participate with God in his project of redeeming and reconciling the world around us. Prayer should probably be more about God changing us than our own petitions for God to change the people and circumstances around us. There’s certainly a scriptural call to intercede and ask God to work, but as I was hiking, prayer became more about my own awareness of God and the abundant opportunities I have to participate in the life of the Kingdom.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus coaches us on prayer and challenges us to pray as if we would like for the way things are “in heaven” to be the way things are here on earth. “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

When you spend 8-12 hours a day hiking along a path, it is easy to focus on the creatures you see, the interesting plant life along the trail, the pain in your knee, the sweat dripping from your nose, the gnats and flies buzzing about…but as I re-developed the prayer muscle of my mind and heart I found that there was a sense of the Divine, of God’s presence all around me.

Now after returning to day-to-day life OFF trail it is even easier to be distracted from prayer. Yet I find that opting in with God through prayer can be as simple as directing my thoughts towards the One who invites us to live in constant awareness of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and all the goodness around us.

Backpacking on the AT taught me something new about prayer and how to be in constant conversation (speaking and listening) with God.