Clay in the Hands

I am so eternally grateful for this experience. The camino has proven to be one of the most physically challenging endeavors I have undertaken in my life. But at the same time, it has been such a powerful experience.

As in my previous posts, God has been teaching me, each day, to continue to trust in Him to provide. And He has continued to do so each step of the way – whether that be in stamina or direction or provision.

While finding a place to stay is a daily issue, God has opened doors to a place each day – maybe a few kilometers more than I wanted to walk, but none the less, a bed to sleep in and a shower to refresh.

I can honestly say, I have never hand washed clothes in my life, but when you only carry 3 days worth of clothing, you begin looking for a sink to wash in each day. Otherwise, you couldn’t stand to be around yourself.

One of the reasons I felt so drawn to this journey was to experience profound solitude and disconnect. The first 3 days were full of that. Because my Spanish is still not great, I really did not interact with fellow peregrinos (pilgrims) – which was OK with me given I came to experience the time alone with God.

But yesterday, I met George, a man from Belgium who speaks less Spanish than I do (I think) but speaks English. So that has been a great connection. Now today, I have met Javier from Spain. And along the way, I met a couple from Norway and now I will be rooming with someone from the Czech Republic. And each of them have a story and a very different perspective on life.

The lesson God is teaching me today is that, while solitude is crucial to our spiritual development, we were NEVER meant to make this journey alone.

The Camino Primitivo provides ample time for solitude and quiet, but it also provides time to connect with others – which is important. It has been amazing to see God at work in these connections.

As I visited with Mari from Norway, she listened to my sob story from day one and she lit up. She said, “That was me you were talking to!”

So to recap day one, I found myself without a place to stay. I called an Albergue and the hospitalero did not speak English. But he had 5 pilgrims in his car, transporting them from Grado to his Albergue in San Juan de Villapañada. So he handed the phone to someone who could speak English.

You guessed it, Mari was one of the pilgrims in the car. So as the 3 of us walked together for a time this morning, God revealed that connection. And it led to a beautiful discussion about faith.

That is one of many examples of the connections made. But again, the lesson is that we were never meant to make this journey alone.

Today, remember that you are not alone. And if you feel alone, remember that God is always with you and He provides people to walk this path with you. Maybe you just need to open up and be available to see who God will bring your way. Or maybe, you need to step out of your comfort zone and take the initiative. Either way, God created each of us for relationship – with Him and with one another.

¡Buen Camino!

Day three is in the books. I am learning how to navigate the process a bit better. Day one was somewhat of a train wreck with no place to stay after the 16 miles of walking. Even though I had a confirmed room in an Albergue (hostel), when I arrived, the young lady behind the desk just said, “Completo.” I showed her the email confirmation but still – “Completo.”

So I walked across the street, took my back pack off, sat down on a stone fence and tried to call other places, only to find my cell phone would not make in-country calls. After almost 2 hours on the phone with my provider, and my wife having to be the go-between, I was set. Part of the issue was in the middle of getting help, my phone died. So I had to find a place that would allow me to charge my phone.

Finally, with a working phone, I was able to call and find a place with a bed – the problem – another couple of miles up hill.

By the time I stumbled into the Albergue, it was 13 hours from when I started and I had not eaten anything all day. But Domingo, the hospitalero was extremely gracious.

Lesson learned, do not trust the online booking – – call ahead. I am now about to spend the night in my third Albergue and even have a place reserved for tomorrow night as well – WIN! Albergues are quite the experience. Each one has been different but it is basically a big room with a bunch of bunk beds and everyone just makes it work.

At any rate, I am still learning the lesson to trust and then today, God added a second lesson. Backpacking through northern Spain means you carry everything you need on your back for the two weeks. It is amazing how little we need when we have to physically carry it with us. Even with bare necessities, my pack has been weighing in between 25 and 30 pounds – depending on how much water is still in my hydration system.

But as I walked today, God began to speak to me and remind me how little it actually takes to live. We have added so much to our lives – especially in our culture – and so much of it does more to distract us from our relationship with God than to draw us closer.

Stripped down to God and me, there is little room to hide. God has made it clear to me that part of this time is to remove all distractions and things that get in the way of my relationship with Him so that I can hear His voice more clearly.

What keeps you from hearing His voice? I encourage you to make space and time in your life to set aside distractions so that you can hear Him more clearly.

¡Buen Camino!

I am a truly blessed man. I serve a church that values time for me to be away and allow God to renew my spirit. I have been blessed with a sabbatical to get away and focus on my relationship with Jesus.

Even more, I have a beautiful, understanding and supportive wife that is allowing me to do something that will challenge me beyond most things I have done in my life (as is already the case as I write this). For over 20 years, I have been drawn to a pilgrimage that has been part of thousands of faith journeys since the 9th century.

Today, there are many different routes to make it to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. But the first camino began with King Alfonso in the 9th century. So, being the purist that I am, I am in day 2 of the Camino de Santiago Primitivo. It is a 320 kilometer walk through northern Spain. For those (like me) that struggle with metric conversion, that is roughly 200 miles. If I stay on pace of 15 to 18 miles per day, I will arrive in Santiago in 13 days.

My hope over this period is to use this platform to share my experience as best I can. It will take months to fully process the experience, but each day I will spend time discerning what God is doing in my life and heart through this journey.

Day one was a day of learning to trust. I will hopefully have a post in the next day or two with all the ways God challenged me to trust Him, but for today, the word of God to me on day one was, “How about you trust in me and let go.” For those of you who know me well, you know that is an easy thing for me to preach and a very hard thing for me to actually do.

One of the sayings on the camino is, “the camino will provide.” The reality is, God will provide – every time.

There really is no map to follow – at least not one that really helps. So as the pilgrim walks, the eye is always looking for a yellow arrow or a shell turned a certain way. As I left Oviedo yesterday, this is the first one I encountered. It was to be one of hundreds along the way.

Just when the doubt begins to enter, “Did I take a wrong turn? Am I still on the path?” – there is an arrow or shell to assure that the pilgrim is making progress. More than once over the first two days, I asked, “God, I could really use a sign right about now” – and there it would be.

Be reminded today, God is in control and He simply asks you to trust Him. So often, the answer we are looking for is waiting for us when we simply turn to Him and trust.

¡Buen camino!

Today, our team assembles in El Paso to make the trek across the border to Juarez. This ministry began in 2006, and it is a blessing to serve the pastors and their wives in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Proyecto Fortaleza (The Strengthening Project), exists to “pastor” other pastors. We offer an overnight retreat at a hotel for the couples to come and be loved and ministered to while they take a break from their everyday challenges – at no charge to them. We focus on spiritual formation and marriage enrichment, two areas in which couples need help – especially in other countries where resources are limited.

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to serve with this ministry and see, first hand, how God works through our team to bring encouragement and strength to the couples we serve. God has blessed in that we have now been able to offer our ministry in other places like the valley of south Texas and the Dominican Republic. We are pursuing options in El Salvador and Spain as well. If you would like more information about our ministry, and how you can help, check out our website: http://www.thestrengtheningproject.com

The reason for my post today is this: I ask for your prayer for the couples that will attend this weekend. We have 39 couples registered – each and every one serving God in very difficult situations. Pray that they will find rest and renewal. Pray that their marriages will be strengthened – a healthy pastoral home is crucial to an effective ministry. Pray that our Father will restore the joy of their calling in powerful ways this weekend.

I will look forward to being able to share some of the stories next week.

Be blessed today!