Wilderness Travel Devotions July 26

 Wilderness Travel Devotions

July 2026

Altars Under the Sky

Dorothy Wells Pease

With God on the Hiking Trail

Nathan Chapman

The first week of prayers are from the Mountain Section of Altars Under the Sky. 

HIGH COUNTRY LABYRINTH

HIGH COUNTRY  LABYRINTH

PRAYERS

     When I built the labyrinth back in 2020, I began to write haikus and poetry while meditating in the center.  For nearly 5 years that poetry lingered in an unfinished blog.  Upon inviting my church women's group out for 'labyrinth luncheon', I took the time to clean up the weeds, and then dedicate the following month to put that poetry into my prayers.  Gradually you will see the various painted rocks appear as I 'build' the labyrinth words over the next 30 days.  Photos taken over the years will be included. Don't confuse the date of the prayer with the date listed under the haiku.  I am simply using the haikus in the order they were written back in 2020.  

Rocks:  Be Still, ...and Know God.
The stones above the entrance are memorial stones to family and friends who
have passed in the last few years. 

 

Sometimes the poetry written is too long to include in the prayer picture.  Here is one written early on (and adapted frequently) that I would say as I entered the path.  The poem concentrates on experiencing the labyrinth time with ALL the senses. 

LABYRINTH PRAYER

Be still. (Breathe deeply)

Be still and feel God’s presence

Within and all around.

Be still and see God’s glory

In Creation that surrounds.

Be still and hear God’s voice (whisper)

In the birdsong overhead (silence that surrounds)

Be still and smell God’s fragrance

In the wildflowers that abound.

Be still and taste God’s goodness

In the abundance of the fertile earth.

Be still and touch God’s love

In all life everywhere.

Be still, be aware, be conscious of God

Within and all around

Be still….and KNOW God.

Be still and EXPERIENCE God.

Be still. (Breathe deeply)

4.29.20 Adapted frequently

Rocks: Family, Center plants

Rock: Peace

Rock: Friends

Rock: Forgive

Rock:  Thanks

Rocks: Heal, USA as a Nation

Rocks: Habitat for Humanity and CHRPA

LISTENING for GOD

I walk the winding path

Out from the labyrinth center

Away from a time of prayer,

and I listen…

I listen for the voice of God.

My eyes are virtually closed

But my ears are open,

Ready….. receptive to hear your voice.

How do you speak to me this day, Lord?

Chickens cackle and ravens caw

Geese honk alonside the

The songbird choir

A hawk’s cry pierces the air

against the constant pidgeon coo

My ears sense the low hum of a fly

as it wings past my head.

Do you speak, O God…

In the crunch of my footsteps on the dry grass

or the rush of wind in the trees?

The braying of the mule or the barking of neighbor dogs?

The drone of cars far off on Wingville road,

the roar of an airplane passing overhead,

or the whistle of train on distant tracks?

I pause and listen...

Lawn mower music

The throb of a generator

The pounding of construction

Encouraging sounds of people back to work

during the pandemic threat

Words of hope from you, O God?

In the diversity of sounds…

I pause and listen

For you speak in a medley of ways

to a diverse world

We each must hear for ourselves…

So I listen, Lord.

May I hear what you have to say

And then, may I act…

May I put your words to life

In obedience

I come to the end of the path

and as I open my eyes

I focus on the stones written...

“Be Still and Know God”

Be still and hear God.

Be still. Listen.

God is speaking.

Amen.

Rock: World

Rock:  Listen

Rock:  Baker Community

Rock:   Praise! and Lord's Prayer

Bovine Conversation

I had a long chat today

With a black angus cow -

I from my labyrinth center

She from under the tree

Her friends had left

And she alone remained

Staring at me with curiosity.

I began to speak…

gentle words of inquiry

She replied with low moos

I spoke to her my Spanish Bible verses

She replied...in her own cow language

She came over close to the fence

And we continued our conversation.

Slowly she began to move away,

But when I began to shift away,

singing out from labyrinth center…

She paused as she heard my song.

Frozen, she listened, eyes locked on me

When I stopped walking and singing,

She responded,

Plodding off with a chorus of moos

Just to demonstrate that she, too,

Could sing and walk as well. (6.22.20)

Rock:  Heiwa - Japanese Peace

Rock: Shalom (Hebrew Peace)

Rock:  Salam (Arabic for Peace)

Rock:  Shanti (Hindi for Peace)

Rock: MNP Ukranian “Myr”

                                   NYE – Congolese Peace

Rock: Ke - Navajo for Peace

Rock: Perdamian - Indonesian for Peace

Rock:  Heping - Chinese for Peace

Rock:  Braille for Peace

Memory stones for Jay Carr and Bill Fessel placed.

Rock:  Tutkium - Innuit for Peace

Rock:  Amani – Swahili for Peace

Rock:  Pace - Scottish for Peace

And that's it for my labyrinth prayers....for now!!  

A BOOK of UNCOMMON PRAYER, Apr-May 2026

                     A BOOK of UNCOMMON PRAYER

100 Celebrations of the Miracle & Muddle of the Ordinary

10th Anniversary Edition

by Brian Doyle

   

     To begin 2026, I decided to use a rather 'out of the box' devotional book, somewhat in jest perhaps of the Book of Common Prayer, used in many churches in the Protestant faith.  Doyle seeks the ordinary events, people, and places in our lives that we often don't stop to pray for in the midst of healing and intercession.  Some of the prayers are thankfulness for the smallest of things. The author doesn't hesitate to 'call it like it is' while remembering that love transcends all.  After a break for Lent, I continue in this inspiring little devotional. 

     At times, when I perceive an uncommon prayer of my own, I have interrupted Doyle's prayers, attempting to use his style in my verbage. Those days are bordered with red.  Each day includes a summary haiku of my writing, a photo illustration (often internet sourced when not my own), and my own daily prayer embedded in the praying person.  

ONE OF MY OWN!

As we enter the month of May, more of the 'uncommon' prayers are my own as I am nearing the end of Brian Doyle's book.  But what an inspiration to look for prayer in all the "fun places"!

And the above is the 'last prayer' in the book by Doyle.  I will finish out the month of May with my own 'uncommon prayers' - you'll see plenty of flowers since everything is popping into bloom and I LOVE IT!

And with the end of May, I sign off on Uncommon Prayers!  I have enjoyed my introduction to Brian Doyle and look forward to reading some of his other books.