WALK TO EMMAUS

A million people around the world have attended a weekend Walk to Emmaus. I found Walk to Emmaus a tool that God uses for people to have a transforming relationship with Christ, and improve their relationships with others, and give them a heart for the world. The ten minute video explains the Emmaus movement, offers testimonies and exciting stories.

WALK TO EMMAUS

I have the honor and responsibility to be the spiritual director for the North Georgia Walk to Emmaus community. The Walk to Emmaus offers a weekend opportunity to rediscover Christ's presence in your life, to gain fresh understanding of God's transforming grace, and to form friendships that foster faith and support spiritual maturity.

A frequent comment is, “I have never felt so loved in my life.” Many people say that the weekend absolutely revolutionizes their life.

The weekend includes fifteen talks on the themes of God's grace, disciplines of Christian life, and what it means to be a community of believers. The Walk is wrapped in prayer and meditation, special times of worship, small group interaction, and daily celebration of Holy Communion.

The Walk begins Thursday evening and concludes late Sunday afternoon. Men and women attend separate weekends, which occur throughout the year. This Fall the North Georgia community has six weekend walks. Each weekend has a maximum of 36 “pilgrims” who are making the walk and about 70 “servants” to take care of them.

To get involved in Emmaus, you must have a sponsor who has already attended Emmaus. Nearly one million people nationwide have participated in one of these weekends since 1978.

You do not literally “walk” for three days, but instead emulate the experience the two disciples on the road to Emmaus had with the resurrected Christ, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35.

Below are the experiences of people from one local church in Alpharetta, Georgia.

SC to NC to GA to FL

Cissy and I have had an active and good week thus far, in spite of us being bothered by a cold and some type of stomach bug. We started off the week at The Reserve in South Carolina where I was the guest minister at ReserveWorship.

We spent the better part of Sunday afternoon with our first visit to Table Rock State Park. We were impressed by the beauty of the place with lakes and hiking trails along streams, besides cabins and camping available. Being outside in February on a sun-drenched day of 70 degrees was nice.

Travelling on a curvy road that led to North Carolina was an interesting jaunt. The road was filled with scores of motorcycle riders. A big surprise out on this road, seemingly “in the middle of nowhere,” was motorcycle cops. They seemed to be doing a brisk business of stopping bikers, apparently for traffic violations.

It is indeed a mountain top experience for a NC native to be back in his home state, even if only travelling through it for an hour or so. The air smells fresher, the scenery is more beautiful, and my spirit soars.

Back in Georgia, on Monday night we had an edifying experience to attend a Walk to Emmaus team meeting. As we build community among our team, we plan and prepare for a Walk to Emmaus retreat the end of March. This retreat is one of the best tools I know to revolutionize a person's life.

Tuesday night was an awesome outing to see “Kooza,” a production of Cirque du Soleil. We had front row seats that afforded an up-close view just a few feet from the performers. At one point one of them reached out to shake my hand. During one of the crazy skits, two clowns pulled me out of my seat and tried to “shake me down” to find a crown that had supposedly disappeared.

The whole show is spectacular, but the most incredible part to me was the “Wheel of Death.” The video gives somewhat of an idea, but does not really convey the size and height of the wheel and the acrobats' amazing stunts.



This week we have yet two meals to celebrate birthdays of two sons. Hmmm … at least with this intestinal bug we should not gain weight. Next week we head to Florida for a taste of the beach, and of course, alot of seafood.

WALKS

I have had some interesting and greatly varied walks in the last week. Last Wednesday afternoon, as the three previous days, I enjoyed a walk on a warm and sunny, but breezy Florida beach. I returned home to Georgia late that evening.

Thursday through Sunday I was a spiritual director on a women's Walk to Emmaus. This 72-hour retreat is not a literal walk, but it is based on the journey of two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 60 team members were dedicated to serve 20 “pilgrims” and show them the love of God through sacrificial acts, helping them to draw closer in their relationship with God. www.upperroom.org/emmaus/whatis

Cissy and I left home on a sunny Monday afternoon to have an overnight trip to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. By late afternoon we had checked into our room at Lake Junaluska near Waynesville, North Carolina. As we walked around the lake we occasionally noticed a few white flakes blow past us. By the time we completed our walk the flakes became more frequent and we realized it was snow. http://www.lakejunaluska.com/

Tuesday morning the snow flurries continued for several hours as the temperature dropped to 30 degrees. We followed our plan to drive to “Max Patch”, an often photographed scenic spot on the Appalachian Trail that can be reached by car on a gravel road after the pavement ends. By the time we reached the gravel road the road was completely covered by a white layer of snow. www.romanticasheville.com/hot_springs_hikes.htm

Once we hit a slippery spot and all four wheels drifted uncontrollably and dangerously close to the side of the road that had a sharp drop off. We decided we would have to continue to enjoy the magazine photos of Max Patch, and save our trip to the summit for some other day. When I could find a safe place to negotiate a turn, we headed back down the mountain.

We returned to Waynesville, and the snow stopped falling. We set off on a winding country road to reach the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, the Parkway was closed so we continued on toward Brevard.

We made a delightful 90 minute stop at the Cradle of Forestry in America National Forest Historic Site. First we toured the Forest Discovery Center with an exhibit hall featuring fascinating displays, including a ride in fire fighting helicopter simulator. Then we followed a trail through the woods that showed the log cabins which were the campus for America’s first school of forestry. http://www.cradleofforestry.com/

We continued toward Brevard with stops at Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls. From Brevard we headed to Highlands and on down the road back home.

WALK TO EMMAUS

Last weekend I served as a spiritual director on a Walk to Emmaus weekend. I attended one of these weekends about twelve years ago, and help with one or two “Walks” each year.

You do not literally “walk” for three days, but instead emulate the experience the two disciples on the road to Emmaus had with the resurrected Christ, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke 24:13-35.

Nearly one million people nationwide have participated in one of these weekends since 1978. The Walk to Emmaus is an adaptation of the Roman Catholic Cursillo Movement, which originated in Spain.

The Walk to Emmaus offers an opportunity to rediscover Christ's presence in your life, to gain fresh understanding of God's transforming grace, and to form friendships that foster faith and support spiritual maturity.

A frequent comment of participants is, “I have never felt so loved in my life.” Many people say that the experience absolutely revolutionizes their life.

The weekend includes fifteen talks on the themes of God's grace, disciplines of Christian life, and what it means to be the church. The Walk is wrapped in prayer and meditation, special times of worship, small group interaction, and daily celebration of Holy Communion.

Men and women attend separate weekends, which occur throughout the year. To get involved in Emmaus, you must have a sponsor who has already attended Emmaus. www.upperroom.org/emmaus