Walk Across Alabama

I have enjoyed so much my daily walks and the things I get to think about and notice. This weekend I have been in Alexander City. On weekends when we have National Guard drill, this is where I stay. Alex City has an amazing Sports Plex which is basically a large park with all kinds of recreational facilities. It blends this with walking trails, ponds, and tons of trees. It makes it a pleasant experience just to walk through…and so a few notions came to mind as I took time to walk through this area. Mainly, I noticed the ways that God reveals His presence to us; and that He uses His creation to signal his all encompassing love.

As I began my journey, I came across a water wheel gently spinning through a stream. As its paddles dipped into the cool creek; it scooped up water, poured it over its top, and started the cycle all over again. Water has so many meanings; purification, life, and of course the symbol of our baptism. I was reminded of Christ who taught us that when we become His followers, one of the symbols is to be baptized. As we go under the water, or are sprinkled, it signifies our dying to our self and our old life and rising again new as Christ resurrected. On this afternoon, I remembered the new life given through Christ and the gift of my baptism.

The second thing I noticed was the tops of the pine trees. With it being spring, there are signs of new life flooding all around us. If you have allergies, then you are not impressed with the swollen tufts of pollen engulfing the trees. But, look closely- as this occurrence will be gone shortly…but as you gaze at the very tops of the trees, the styluses form small crosses. The tree branches seemingly raise their boughs in praise to their Creator. And near Easter, these pine trees take on the sign of the cross. What an incredible witness of God’s presence.

Thirdly, well this one will seem odd…but other things catching my attention were the cars, picnic tables, buildings, and all the things we haven been able to create. God made us with an incredible ability to make invent, dream, and create-something He knows all too well about. And so I was able to say thanks for the intelligence he gave us and the opportunity to dream and make items that help enhance our life experience. To take this one step further is to put these items in their proper place. All these things are God’s and belong to Him; he’s just allowed me to use them. I don’t have permission to hoard them for myself but rather to share and use them for His glory. 

So, just a few thoughts for you as we get closer to June 8^th. I know this is a bit long for a blog but just a few thoughts for the walk.

Just five weeks away!!!! See you on the walk.

My training plan is coming along well. I’m not rushing it although we are less than 8 weeks from beginning this journey. This week so far I have logged in 17 miles of walking- tomorrow I will add seven more miles to have a total of 24 for the week. Today was a light morning with just two miles and some different weights to mix it up. I am looking forward to my early morning walk tomorrow.

So, what does this have to do with callouses? The first two weeks of training, my feet burned after treking about three-four miles without stopping. The balls of my feet were on fire! I was so sore, I had to rest them on the following day. It’s like guitar players who have to build callouses on their fingers as they are playing before the strings stop hurting them. But now..the callouses are there and my feet no longer burn…it’s a great feeling.

But callouses are not always good. The scriptures warn against a calloused and hardened heart. Sometimes we can become so desensitized to the pain and suffering around us and see so much, that it no longer pricks us to reach out. The opposite side is that we are so isolated or boxed into our own worlds…that we don’t see…can’t respond and thereby become calloused. On a moral level, we can travel down a spiral of sin to the place that we can no longer feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit…our heart has become calloused.

For those of us walking, let’s keep the callouses on our feet -but realize that as we walk on behalf of families in Alabama who struggle under the weight of poverty, who have inadequate housing, and need the touch of Christ-we must keep our hearts soft and from becoming calloused. I pray we have compassion-which in Latin means “with suffering”- we empathize and also do the means necessary to help.

Blessings to you and see you on the walk!

Matthew 13:15 (NIV) For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.

Another round of storms moved through the country and again ravaged the South East. Alabama once again took a beating. During the Good Friday service at church we were forced to stop in the middle of worship and move to a safer side of our building…the rain and sound of hail thundered on the metal roof as the sirens wailed. Fortunately, it passed over us with no issues. But today I received a call from a family. They live on the outskirts of Auburn and were calling on behalf of their parents. Just this past week they had paid off a mobile home for their family…on Friday night it was destroyed by the stom. When I asked how their home was as well, he commented that he had lost several shingles but he couldn’t tell if the structure had been compromised but it didn’t seem to be leaking. However, he was very frustrated. He carries home owner’s insurance. His deductible was rather high-$1000. The kicker is that there is a wind and hail clause and therefore….the damage isn’t covered. He is insured through AIG-the famous insurance bank that received millions of dollars in bail out money and took their corporate staff on a $400,000 retreat-that AIG. So, this family is helping their parents who are now homeless and dealing with the damage of their own home.

It is these situations that keep us walking, keep us praying, and help us know that the body of Christ must come together to serve. Will you walk with us?

It is Holy Week…a special week to be very intentional about what Christ experienced as He prepared to make the most sacrificial move the world has ever known. As we draw closer to Good Friday and Easter, we literally begin to follow Jesus’ footsteps. On Thursday night, I am attending a Sedar meal at the Auburn Wesley Foundation. This is the traditional Passover meal that was the core event during this time. Afterwords, I will be part of a watch service at my church and spend some time praying-remembering the exhaustion and confusion of the disciples in the garden as Jesus prepared for his persecution and death.

Following in Jesus’ footsteps- walking with Christ-demands and expects a level of sacrifice and commitment that only those who follow and serve can understand. Why is this? Not because of rules, expectations, or a list of do’s or don’t…but because of love. True love hurts. True love sacrifices. True love is vulnerable. And in the end, true love brings joy that words do not do justice.

As we walk in the footsteps of Christ through Holy Week, I think of our walk in June. The walk is not a cupcake experience. It will have it’s ups and downs, rain and sun, good days and maybe some bad. I’m not sure. What I do know is that we do this out of love. It is love for our brothers and sisters who are marginalized, love for those who are stuck in poverty, love for children who are the most susceptible in poverty situations. Jesus didn’t have a large list of rules-just two. Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. I pray we have the courage to walk with Christ as we walk across Alabama. Have a blessed Holy Week.

See you on the walk!

So have you been thinking about walking with us? Are you debating the entire walk, a few days, or just walking in your town…whatever fits you…it’s time to register and help us spread the word! Here’s how it works…go the walk site if you aren’t on it, then go to the tab called “Walkers”. Print off the registration form, fill out and send in. If you are going the entire distance it is a $50 registration fee. Less than five days is $15. If you are walking in your community, there is not a registation fee. The Walker’s Manual can answer all your questions. Plus we have segments like the Faq’s, Fundraising Tips, etc. You get to become part of our fund raising team with a large goal to raise $111,000. We are actually at close to the $3000 mark at this point. So, get registered and get ready!

Can’t wait to see you on the walk!

While I was in Iowa, we stopped at a Starbucks. As I was waiting for my 2 pump Grande Mocha, I peered down at the daily copy of the New York Times. On the front page was a picture of a large group of individual sized dome tents outside a small river in California. I mused about what seemed the modern day Hoovervilles-but then I glanced at the picture’s caption. That is what these were being called. As you may recall, in the early years of the Depression under Herbert Hoover, people had no work, had no money, were forced out of their homes,  and therefore set up small tent communities along railroad tracks and creeks. They became known as “Hoovervilles”. I was saddened to think that the same things were happening again and people were losing their homes.

The day we left Iowa was cold, gray, and some snow had begun to fall. It was dreary and a bit meloncholic. As we crossed a river in Des Moines, I looked through the barren trees along the banks and winced. Along the river were about 10 small domed tents huddled together with bits of laundry hanging from the tent lines. On top of one of the tents was a battered and dirty US flag. This wasn’t some picture in a newspaper-this was real. It painted a haunting image of what life is like for some people. When a thin piece of canvas is the only thing holding off the cold, when your neigbors can hear your conversation, when their is no bathroom or clean running water…and this is America in the 21st Century….does anyone see and does anyone care?

Sitting from even my comfortable office with all the modern day technologies at my fingertips…I wondered who was going to these families? Who is going to walk among the tents, sit inside them, and hear the stories of these families…who is going to care…does our faith and belief in Christ have anything to say to them? I hope it does.

I haven’t seen any “tent cities” in Alabama yet. But I’ve seen alot of shacks and alot of brokeness. Again, does our faith have anything to say to them? I believe so…and we plan to walk among them, take steps with them, and communicate a love that is immeasurable- as Paul writes in Ephesians 3:17-19 ” I and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”

We will walk together to share this love and to prevent the notion of “Hoovervilles” in our communities. We’ll walk to end poverty housing in Alabama.

See you on the walk! lisa

Jesus said, “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles” Matthew 5: 41 NIV. Back in the day when the Romans had occupied the land that we know as Jerusalem, it was a requirement to carry a soldier’s bags for one mile. The Jews despised this practice and the Roman government in general. So, imagine the shock that as Jesus talks about loving your enemies-he gives some concrete examples. You’ll show someone you love them when you go beyond the stated requirement and beyond the law.

I think Jesus was saying when you walk,  ”walk this way” -with an attitude of love. When I think about our walk, I am reminded that justice means simply taking something that is wrong and making it right. It is for the woman who hires a contractor, pays him up front, and then he never shows up to do the work or only half finishes it. It is for the predatory lenders like every Cash Advance place you see on the corner that is charging 400% interest and keeping people in poverty, not helping them…. so as we walk-we walk in the way of Christ and that is with love, compassion, and understanding. We aren’t forced-but definetely motivated because of His love.

Hope you are starting your training and I’ll see you on the walk!

“Give me your eyes for just one second…give me your eyes so I can see…everything that I keep missing…give me your love for humanity…give me your arms for the broken-hearted… the ones that are far beyond my reach…give me your heart for the ones forgotten…give me your eyes so I can see”   This song by Brandon Heath resonates with me so deeply. Someone once said “may the things that breaks God’s heart break my heart”.  As we plan to walk across our state I pray we can see. Although we don’t like to talk about it…even deny it exists….lack of respect, deep rooted racism, and disdain for others still unlike us is very much present. It may lie underneath the surface but it is there.  Walking across the state means recognizing its presence but also carrying a banner of love that calls us to go much deeper into continuing to understand and work to right the wrongs we see. The challenge is that to experience such a love- all of us will be required to sacrifice in some way…and that is so hard. What do I mean???? For example, if I want African American kids  and minority children to have resources for better schools…something will have to give…like I may need to tighten my belt and be willing to pay higher property taxes so all can win. An educated state benefits us all. In Sumter County and other counties peppered on the Alabama/Mississippi state line our schools are still legally segregated…white kids go to the small often under resourced academies and blacks, minorities, and poor whites go to the public schools and our resources are divided and another cycle of hate, distrust, and lack of respect for each other continues…That is just one example. And it is another reason we are walking…We pray for the eyes to see, and for arms to reach out. We walk and ask God to give us the “arms for the broken hearted…the ones that are far beyond our reach”.

God bless and see you on the walk!

‘Thinking about walking across Alabama…. so who really cares? Sometimes we can be so involved with what’s on television, the latest fashion sale at Old Navy, and what actor is getting what award….the we become oblivious to what is happening around us… In our community in Lee County 40 families were seriously affected by a tornado that hit two weeks ago today. But once the newscasters quit broadcasting and a day or so goes by…it is out of site and out of mind. It’s not that we don’t care, we just don’t see. Some of these families still are not in their homes and it will take months to get them back settled. It is the government’s job or the church’s job? Maybe it’s all of ours. So….all that to say that we at ARM are trying to see and then help people get in connection so that they can be a help-a real and tangible expression of Christ’s love. I pray we can look beyond the frivilous things that grab and hold our attention and enter into the experience of others-their joy and pain and truly express Christ. Those Christians…should be labled as a people who go out of their way to care. I pray we can…and this is why we are walking!

See you on the walk!