The purpose of this website is to enrich the spiritual lives of people like you by educating, equipping, and encouraging them in the practice of ‘holy walks.’ The spiritual practice that I call ‘holy walks’ is actually a kind of hybrid exercise. The ancient practice of praying the Psalms is at the center of ‘holy walks,’ but I’ve combined that with two other spiritual practices: prayer-walking and memorizing Scripture (or what I call, heart-learning).
I’ve been walking with Jesus for more than forty years—since my high school days—but I’m almost ashamed to say that I only began praying the Psalms about four years ago. Oh, I’ve always had my favorite Psalms, of course—just as I’m sure you have. And I’ve turned to various Psalms when I’ve gone through hard times. As a pastor, I’ve even preached on my share of Psalms. But praying the Psalms? For me, that’s only been a recent discovery. But what a marvelous discovery it’s been! The Psalms have transformed my prayer life, revitalizing and deepening my walk with God—and I believe they can do that for you as well. And the practice of ‘holy walks’ is one way to prayerfully engage with the Psalms.
My interest in the Psalms began when I chose to memorize Psalm 145 as part of my preparation for a sermon about the importance of praising God in our prayers. Shortly after that, I memorized Psalm 23 as I was caring for a congregant who was under Hospice care. Then came Psalm 8, Psalm 13, Psalm 84, and many others. I’ve memorized more than 40 Psalms so far, and I continue to learn a new one about every month or so.
Much of my memory work has taken place while walking my dog, Emma. What had always been a necessary chore (walking the dog) has now become a wonderful time to be alone with my thoughts—and with the Psalms. While a dog certainly isn’t a requirement for engaging in holy walks, they do make excellent walking companions. They keep us going out, no matter what the weather, and they don’t mind if we do a lot of talking! (Someone once said that, instead of making a New Year’s resolution to walk more, you should just get a dog; then you’ll walk every day for the next ten years! Great suggestion, in my opinion!)
Holy Walks 