SPIRITUAL GROWTH ON THE ROAD

 

I have been very fortunate and feel very blessed to be able to live this lifestyle on the road.

A very important part of my life on the road is my connection with God.  

I stay in contact with God throughout the day. First thing in the morning I say a prayer of thanks and ask for His protection for the day.  During the day I pray for friends and family that are in need or could use a little boost in their life.  I pray for healing for my friends that are sick or going through a particularly tough time. Many times I’ll stop somewhere along the way and sit for a little bit and do some meditation.  That’s my time to be quiet and listen to God.

I met a group called Your Jesus Journey (YJJ) in Quartzsite last year and they have been a huge part of my life and my spiritual growth. Thad Debuhr and his wife Kaila started this ministry about 2 years ago and they too live full-time in their RV.  Thad does a morning devotional everyday at 6am Pacific time.  It’s a great way to start my morning, listening to the Word and being part of a wonderful community. We do a monthly ‘all church’ meeting where we share testimonies, talk about upcoming gatherings, and share time of prayer.  

Earlier this month we held the 1st Pig-Out, Play & Praise gathering in Northern Idaho. We had about 100 people attend and it was an awesome long weekend.  Meeting new friends, worship time, baptisms, conversations around the fire pit and a pig roast!  What an amazing time had by all. The event was supposed to end on Sunday after we all attended the local church in town, but a few of us didn’t want to leave and extended it until Tuesday! I was eating leftovers for a week.

I am so glad to be a part of this wonderful church family.

yourjesusjourney.com

My home church, Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg VA, where I was baptized in 2015 and have learned so much is still a big part of my spiritual life. I watch online on Sundays and Wednesdays, when I have internet connectivity. Cornerstone is part of Calvary Chapel and I have visited several of their affiliated churches across the country including the place it was started in Costa Mesa, CA.  (The movie Jesus Revolution was based on Calvary Chapel).

The Senior Pastor at Cornerstone, Gary Hamrick, is an amazing teacher.  He teaches the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse. I’ve never met a better teacher and pastor.  I have learned so much from him and the other pastors at Cornerstone, especially Matt Denby and Jimmy Mullen. My walk with the Lord is so much better and clearer because of them.

cornerstonechapel.net

The first year on the road I did a weekly bible study with Gail, my brother and sister-in-law, Glenn and Kandi, and my favorite niece, Sarah. We used an app called ‘WordGo’ for readings and questions that we would answer and share about the impact these readings had or are having on our lives. Unfortunately due to life, kids and grandkids and work schedules, our time getting together for these bible studies came to an end. Hopefully we can work on fitting this back into the weekly schedule.  Beyond the study, it was just really nice to spend time with family, laughing and learning!

wordgo.org

I’ve had so many wonderful experiences on the road, but the most spiritual experience I’ve experienced so far has to be the time I spent at White Sands NM.  I took a few hikes out in the dunes and then found a beautiful spot away from everything and spent a couple of hours praying and meditating. I can’t explain the experience other than to say I felt closer to God than any other time in my life.  What an amazing place!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my friend Chris when writing about my spiritual growth. She is an incredible friend and has taught me so much. Whenever I have a question about the Bible, religious differences or need an explanation/clarification on something, she is my go to person (actually on any topic). She is incredibly smart and has an awesome way of explaining things. I am very lucky to have such a great friend!

I look forward to continuing to grow in my faith and share my experience, strength and hope with others.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!