The Joy of Walking

By Bill Pence

As I sit and write this early on a summer morning, I see several people run by our house. I’ve never enjoyed running myself, although many do, but I do very much enjoy walking. Between walking Clara, our two-year-old Alaskan Malamute, a few times daily, and my own afternoon walk, I try to get at least 5 miles of walking in each day, weather permitting.

I occasionally enjoy walking with friends and having good conversation. I miss walking with my friend Neil, who I walked about 6 miles with on a trail in town over a two-hour period on Wednesday mornings for a few years after I retired. I miss talking to my Dad on the phone on my afternoon walks, and still think of him as I pass the place early on my regular route where I asked him through tears, on perhaps our last phone call, if he was looking forward to seeing Jesus. I wanted to be sure. He was.

I enjoy walking with Clara through our neighborhoods and running into old and new friends, one in particular who took an early liking to Clara (who always has a supply of Greenies with her), and the feeling is certainly mutual. I enjoy walking in the park across the street from our home, marveling in God’s creation as I watch people playing disc golf.

I want to share three brief thoughts about my purpose in walking:

Health – In addition to getting Clara some exercise as we walk (a tired dog is a good dog!), I look forward to the exercise I get by walking. Again, I strive to walk 5 miles a day. I track my progress (daily, weekly, monthly and year-to-date), on the health app on my phone. If the weather is such that if I can’t walk, I have the option of using our exercise bike, on which I can do my daily devotional reading while I bike.

Growth – My afternoon walk is almost always on a route just over 2 miles in length that I complete in 38 minutes, so it’s not a big-time commitment. I listen to a sermon or conference message for the first half of the walk, usually using the Ligonier Ministries app.

Prayer – The last part of my walk is devoted to prayer. I use the ACTS model:
A – Adoration
C – Confession
T – Thanksgiving
S – Supplication

I love to pray while walking in God’s beautiful creation.

Are you a runner or do you enjoy walking more? Either way, you can grow and pray as you exercise.

Bill Pence is a St. Louis Cardinals fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at his local church. He is a life-long learner and his passion is to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential.

His favorite book is the Bible. Romans is his favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being his favorite verses. Other favorite books are The Holiness of God, and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. Bill enjoys music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns, Christian hip-hop and classic rock.

Bill is married to his best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Seminary. Both have written a book. Bill’s book is, Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the work place. Tammy’s book is,  Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon.

Feature Image by Audrius Vizbaras from Pixabay