Email from L.K.

I am not sure you will remember me, but I sat with you on a flight to Kansas City a few months ago. I have subscribed to your daily page of “Trail Thoughts” and just recently, have shared with others. I appreciate the opportunity to “focus” my thoughts before I start each day and hope it will give me the strength to face whatever the day may bring.

Email from M.M.
I have to thank you again for your book, which has been remarkable in its relevance to my life.
On April 17th the day after you gave it to me the ‘How shall we educate our children’ was particularly useful as I pondered the artistic travelling life of mine, that is not as financially rewarding as my banker, lawyer, doctor friends, it gave me a good angle on the living of life rather then just earning a buck.
Then on April 22nd I returned to Peru, to see my farm and contemplate building my house between two vast boulders and filling it with my books, paintings and furniture and your page ‘like living stones’ made me laugh out loud on the plane it was SO accurate.
Thank you again for the inspirational book - I have two more long treks in the next month and it is good to be out under the stars again.

From Trail Thoughts…
On February 13 of 1991, I received “a gift from God” that has given me “gladness of heart” ever since. It was on this day on the remote island of Vieques, off the east coast of Puerto Rico, that I discovered a daily Bible reading program that I have since followed every day.

The occasion was Ash Wednesday; it was also my son Alex’s birthday, and I was looking for a way to have a small family service at home in recognition of the first day of Lent. I decided to look through the Book of Common Prayer and there I found the two-year daily reading guide more or less hidden at the very end of the book. It was on that day that I received the inspiration to follow the lectionary every day; and I have.

It took several years before I began to see that the Scriptures were more real than reality itself and slowly I began to see all experience from a biblical perspective. God blessed me unexpectedly that day and that blessing has been renewed every morning when I open my Bible as each new day begins to break.

From Trail Thoughts…

In the spring of every year, hundreds, if not thousands, of enthusiastic hikers take their first steps on a 2,185 mile journey on the Appalachian Trail. Months of preparation have led to this moment. They have read books, bought equipment, packed food and talked to others who have come before them. They have diligently studied every aspect of the journey to come, and now they stand under the stone portal as they prepare to ascend Springer Mountain, the true starting point of the trail.

Yet no amount of study can prepare them for what lies ahead. Nature is beautiful and alluring and very hard. There will be sore knees, turned ankles, persistent thirst, lonely nights and lingering doubt. They will become exhausted from the searing summer heat in Pennsylvania, sudden lightning strikes in Virginia, downpours in New Hampshire, snow in the Smokey Mountains, or mud in Maine, and from unexpected obstacles of all kinds everywhere.

But, as they walk the trail and become hardened by its challenges, hikers will experience a change of heart and mind. With time and miles, a veteran slowly emerges; the novice at Springer becomes the confident and knowledgeable Thru-Hiker who will keep on striving to achieve victory over every large and small adversity. The postcard landscape of the armchair hiker has given way to a more profound understanding. What began as toil and trouble has become something akin to joy. The seasoned hiker overcomes through endurance and perseverance. In this respect, he is like the faithful pilgrim. Both are on a long journey; both must endure hardships; both are tested at every turn. And both keep pushing on to the goal, knowing that there is a prize to be won: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Email from E.H.

I want you to know that I read (Trail Thoughts) every day, and have for many months. It hasn’t been a full year because it sat on my bedside table until one day I was upset about a lawsuit in which I am involved, and I just opened it up. Interestingly enough, I was feeling frustrated because I kept praying to God for guidance and I kept getting dragged down more and more by this competitor who sued me. The page I opened it up to said something to the effect of when we pray to God for help and need answers; we don’t get the answers in our time, but in God’s. I was hooked on your book after that. I also read the Bible every a.m. and participate in two Bible study groups at my church. I am really enjoying understanding the Bible - some days more clearly than others. Well, with tomorrow being one year from the day I met you and received your book, I just wanted to let you know that you have impacted my life in a very positive way. God bless your family and you!

By Eric Kampmann excerpt from May 1 Trail Thoughts

It’s May and evidence of spring is everywhere. The gentle breeze summons up summer memories of green pastures, rolling hills, the songs of birds heralding the newborn day and the sound of gentle waves lapping against a lake’s rocky shore. The new season has banished the grays and whites of winter and the world has risen anew with songs and joy and love.

Time stands still and the sounds of laughter and music and dancing fill the soft evening air. The people have come out, joy is everywhere and music rises gladly up to the starry floor of heaven. So, “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving–He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.” (Psalm 147:7,8)