Camino Chronicles

This message uses a medical discussion about pre-exposure prophylaxis as a springboard to explore how Jesus serves as the ultimate spiritual preventive treatment against sin. Discover how daily practices like Bible study, prayer, and walking in the Spirit act as booster shots for your faith, protecting you from the enemy's attacks. Embrace the pilgrimage of faith and find strength in knowing that Jesus both shields and heals.

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Hey, good afternoon, everyone. This is Wednesday, August 18th, 2026, and welcome to today's edition of Camino Chronicles, those little records I, I make along the path of life, right? And you'll notice I'm coming to you late today. Instead of being 10:30, I was coming back from Seattle this morning and had a glorious drive. The sun was out. Seattle is sure a beautiful place when the sun is out. [laughs] Oh, my. So listen, this just recently happened to me, so it's, it's fresh in my mind, and I, I've been pondering how God seems to just show up everywhere. Now, of, of course, we can see Him in nature, and we, we try to comprehend all the interconnected elements of, of life on this planet, and it's amazing. The, the whole creation is connected to a- and affected by all of creation. Now, some folks just call it science, but, but clearly it is all the work of God, a- and science just discovers how God does it. But God shows up not just in the stuff of Earth. He shows up in, in everything if you're paying attention. So for example, I was driving my car the other day, and I had OPB, that's Oregon Public Radio, had that on, and a discussion came on about a certain kind of PrEP, P-R-E-P, PrEP. But this doesn't stand for preparation. This stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Now, that's kind of a, a mouthful. Pre-exposure prophylaxis. I mean, it's, it's kinda like a vaccine such that when taken prior to an exposure, that's the pre-exposure part. So if you take this thing prior to an exposure of a very certain kind, it will, it will keep you safe or try to keep you safe from getting this particular disease, hopefully. Now, you might guess that this PrEP was talking about a sexually transmitted disease. It, it's so horrible that, that millions, if not billions of dollars have been spent to help fight it be- because so many, I mean, probably millions of people have suffered. This isn't about making a moral determination. It, it's about a medical one, a healing one. And, and one could surely say that a- all of medical practice is about healing the body or, or preventing disease if possible, and certainly not just the body, but the soul as well, the mind, and the emotions that we all have to deal with all the time. So having a PrEP, a pre-exposure prophylaxis, a preventive, would benefit us so much a- and greatly minimize the need we have to try and fix things. I mean, hey, it, it's just common sense. And I submit to you that the spiritual metaphor here should just explode in your understanding. The greatest disease in humanity is sin. Virtually all our problems are due to sin, which infects everyone, regardless of who or where. And since every human is going to be exposed ri- right from the get-go, wouldn't it make sense to have a pre-exposure prophylactic treatment? Well, certainly the cross of Jesus Christ did something supernatural for us. I mean, His blood was shed, and it provides a cleansing for those who believe in Him, cleansing of all sin, hallelujah, uh, such that the believer will not be judged and not be sentenced to eternal separation from God. [chimes] The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace and that by faith as we put our trust in Christ. But I find that I need a booster shot now and then. Uh, I need something better than just a later fix. I need a prevention. And I rejoice to discover that when I spend time with Jesus, He spends time with me. I discover that when I spend time in my Bible, it talks to my soul, and it keeps my mind in better places than when I spend all my time in worldly stuff. I discover that prayer is a better vaccine for my thought life- than reading about politics, for example. I discover that walking in the spirit of God is so much better than walking in the flesh, even though I'm such an expert at the latter and just a beginner in the former. Now, every pilgrim who starts a Camino will be confronted with discomfort, pain, and a lot of questions to the point of wanting to quit and returning to the so-called normal life. But as the pilgrim pushes on, something begins to happen on the inside. The body gets stronger. The soul begins to get victorious over all of the taunts of the enemy. Each one of us is on a pilgrimage every day. I mean, we are all on some path going somewhere. And we do have the power to stop. We have the power to change direction and to follow a newer, better path. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the best spiritual prophylactic we can use to prevent the enemy from deceiving us, tripping us up, and causing so much grief. Like that wonderful song now proclaims, I speak Jesus over everything in my life. I am protected. I am healed. In Jesus' name, I am saved. Hallelujah. But about now, as I'm talking, the voice of the enemy is shouting loud, questioning everything, pointing out all your failures, all your sins. But, dear pilgrim, the enemy of yours does not win. I've read the book. Jesus wins. And we who believe in him win. So, take your prep medicine and be pre-exposure protected. And rejoice, because taking Jesus will not only be preventive. He will absolutely fix everything in his time for your benefit. I mean, it's true. One thing about this life that we all seem to have in common is our determination to do life our way, regardless of what God says. And right at the very beginning, we did our own thing our own way, and we tried to avoid the consequences. It didn't work. It isn't working. I mean, we reap what we sow. But right now, today, each of us has the opportunity, supernaturally, to be connected to the Creator of all things, the Lord God Almighty, such that we can unburden ourselves. We can confess our sins, acknowledge them, admit them, and then rejoice in the wonderful forgiveness that he showers upon us. And we can walk down the road a better walk, a walk in faith in Jesus Christ or not. I pray today that you will choose life. Amen. God bless you this afternoon. Pastor Skip out.

So much of life is spent chasing after friendship, love, and commitment. But God flips the script—He's the one pursuing us with relentless love. Using the memorable slogan from a contractor's van, Pastor Skip reminds us that Jesus has never burned us, lied to us, or broken trust. The invitation is to stop running and simply trust the one who's chasing you.

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Good morning, everyone. This is Wednesday, August the 12th, 2026, and I welcome you to this edition of Camino Chronicles. [laughs] We tend to, to like those who seem to like us. For example, think back to when you went to school for the first time, and you were both anxious and excited. As you met new people, you, you checked them out a- and they checked you out, and there was sort of an emotional dance going on. What you were looking for, whether realized at the time or not, was a friend. The dance of emotions doesn't stop, of course, after the first year of school. [laughs] It seems to keep going all through life a- as we meet folks, and we always have our antenna up for meeting a friend. By the teenage years, we begin to look for more than a friend, m- maybe even a lifetime mate. Hmm. A- and many of, of us now are putting that off until the 20s and 30s, but it's still the same idea. The idea of dating is, is to see how well you dance together. I mean, do you even like each other [laughs] and that sort of thing. And then the commitment of marriage, well, that's supposed to be permanent. It, it's a- it's supposed to be able to weather all storms, and it's greatly enhanced when our spiritual lives are in sync so that we can have the benefit of God as well as each other. Well, this brings me full circle to the idea of a friend, plus a realization about love. Abraham, the faith father of the Israelites, he was so close to God that he was called a friend of God. A- and I know that the Lord wants to be our friend, your friend. He, He wants to meet you even [laughs] before your first day of school and be your friend forever. He's even seeking you out to be His friend. God is intentional about friendship, and He's committed to you. Now listen, it gets better. God so loved us that He gave His Son, Jesus, to be our Redeemer, to, to pay for our sin, as Jesus continues to pursue us every day. Now, if it is true that we tend to love those who love us, then we should really love Jesus because He so loved us first. Hmm. If you like someone who likes you, and then you fall in love with someone who is in love with you, and then you marry someone who is committed to you forever, hallelujah, as you become the very bride of Christ and inheritor of His glory, His honor, His majesty, and kingdom, oh my, it might help each of us to remember that God is pursuing us with love, not hate. He's pursuing us with love, not judgment. He's pursuing us with love. [laughs] Not much else, just love. [sighs] With, with all the-- this rolling around in my soul for the last few days, yesterday evening on my way home, I saw a work van. It was a contractor's van, and he had lettering on the side of his van with more than just his name and phone number. He had a slogan, and this slogan was designed, obviously, to get my attention and, and hopefully, uh, bring him some business. The slogan read, and I quote, "Stop chasing contractors. Start trusting one." End quote. What a tremendous slogan for a work van. "Stop chasing contractors. Start trusting one." I think that's pretty cool. It almost made me wanna have a project so I could call him. [laughs] But do you see the spiritual connection? There are so many things out there chasing us for our attention, for our time, for our money, [clears throat] even lots of things trying to keep us from a committed life of faith in Jesus Christ. Folks, there are so many things chasing you, and you've no doubt been burned in the past such that trust can be a tough thing, a tough thing these days to give trust. Y- you may have been burned by a church. You may have been burned by a pastor. You've probably been burned by a Christian friend. I get it. So trust is a big deal. But here is a truth: Jesus Christ has never burned you, nor has He ever taken advantage of you, never deceived you. He has never lied to you, and Jesus Christ has never broken trust with you. It is we who have broken trust with Him, a- and we have lots of others to blame for it, but never Jesus. So [clears throat] paint a new slogan on your soul. It could be this: "Stop chasing anything other than Jesus Christ. Start chasing Him because He is chasing you." [laughs] Amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Don't just chase after Him. Trust Him. Wow. Well, I don't know about you, but I feel better just thinking about it. May the Lord bless your day today. Pastor Skip signing out.

God designed us to need regular refilling from His Spirit. Using a car running low on gas as a powerful metaphor, this message explores how we all run empty and need to return to the Lord for a fresh fill-up. Whether through worship, prayer, Bible study, confession, or forgiveness—taking the cap off and turning toward God allows His Spirit to flow into our souls. The encouraging truth: we can't run on someone else's spiritual gas, but we each have direct access to the Source. When you feel your tank getting low, He's waiting to fill you again.

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Good morning, everyone. This is Wednesday, August the 5th, 2026, and I welcome you to today's edition of Camino Chronicles. [laughs] So I'm driving along, and a bell goes off in my car, loud enough to get my attention e- even though I'm listening to the radio. And then a red light appears on my dashboard, whi- which I quickly see is a warning light about being almost out of gas. [laughs] Some folks call these red lights idiot lights, because only idiots wait long enough for them to show up. But, but wait, there's more. First of all, I actually have a gas gauge in my car, which I was obviously ignoring. [laughs] Secondly, here came the loud bell, whose only purpose is to get my attention, since I wasn't paying attention. Then third is the red light. That comes on when you're trying to figure out what the bell is for. All three of these things trying to get your attention. But wait, but wait. Then there is the fourth thing. There is an actual gauge on my dashboard which shows me not just how much gas is in the tank, that's the gas gauge, but there's another, another little gauge there that tells me how many actual miles I have left to drive on that tank of gas. If you've been counting, you'll see I actually have four things [laughs] all trying to help me not run out of gas. [laughs] Now, my next thoughts are, of course, how far is the gas station that I wanna use? Now, because I'm frugal, or cheap as my kids would say, I wanna get to Costco or, or even AM PM, because I don't wanna spend 40 or 50, 60 cents more per gallon at the pricier stations. Now, if I risk it, and I lose, and I run out of gas because the other ... the station I want i- is 10 miles away, and I only have gas for five miles, well, then I find myself either walking or hitching a ride with a friend using his gas. Hmm. Now, the spiritual metaphors here are so many, and I, I trust you've been seeing them ahead of me. But to get us on the same page, just, just think about that time when your spiritual tank was full, when you felt close to God, and you were enjoying life with Jesus. You were even out helping others. I mean, maybe you got filled up at a worship service with some good Bible teaching. It just spoke right to you. That was cool. Or maybe you got filled up at a home Bible study, where God himself came off the page and blessed your heart. That's so cool. M- maybe you got filled up at a prayer meeting, where someone who didn't even know you prayed that prayer [phone chimes] that was just for you. And, and the Spirit of God was strong, a- and you left empowered in faith. Oh, hallelujah. Or, or maybe you were just listening to some Christian music, going to work, a- and the Lord set up your day for amazing grace to flow from you to others. Oh, so very cool indeed. However it is that this filling happens, it is so wonderful. A- and it's so needed. In, in Matthew 5, Jesus tells us that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled. Hallelujah. Examples of that are in Acts chapter 9. Ananias tells Saul that it was Jesus who has sent me that you might receive your sight. That's the healing part. But he goes on to say, "And be filled with the Holy Ghost." In Ephesians 5:18, it says, "Be not drunk with wine," which is excess, "but be filled with the Spirit." Uh, the truth is, God wants us to be filled with His Spirit. A- and if we go to Him, He will fill us if we open the tank. Hmm. God knows that when we get full of Him, we go do the things that He wants us to do. A- and in so doing, we begin to use up the spiritual gas that He provides, such that we need to be refilled. Oh, look, this, this is such a great example of how the Lord works. Whether you look at the vehicle, you, or the gas, the Spirit, or the destination, the mission, or the miles per gallon used based on the speed or the range or the hills, it, it just, it just all makes sense. If the spiritual bell is going off, you need to get refilled in your spirit. If the red light goes on, you need to pay attention or, or risk running out of power. Every Camino, that is every path, every road traveled, will take some energy. And you and I are just limited in how much we have in our tank. But we can get filled up again, fueled up again. We can turn back to the Lord and ask Him for more of Himself so that we can go do what He wants us to do. Worship and prayer and Bible study and singing, I mean, even things like fasting and meditation, even things like forgiving someone and, and things like confession, all these things can begin to fill the spiritual tank. But here's the deal. [laughs] You can't get the gas in the tank if you don't take the cap off. And you can't get the gas in the tank if you just put the hose in and you don't turn the pump on. Now, here's another deal. Do take the cap off, do put the hose in, and do squeeze the handle and turn on the pump, and the flow of God's Spirit will happen to refill your empty soul. Wow. The reality is that we all need to be refilled. Now, how often may depend on how much your soul is being called upon to believe. How fast you're running toward empty depends on how much of you is being used. But the fact of faith is, and I love that little phrase, the fact of faith. The fact of faith is you're not alone. God is with you even if you run empty, and He's just waiting to fill you up again if you let Him. I said earlier, if I ran out of gas, I could just call a friend and let him take me somewhere, and I could run on his gas for a while. That's where my little spiritual example breaks down, because you and I can't be filled with somebody else's spirit. We can't run on somebody else's power. We need the Lord ourselves, each one of us individually, personally. And it, it's just a fact of life that we might run out of gas, but it's a fact of faith that if we return to the Lord, ask Him to fill us, and let Him fill us, He will do it. Wow. God bless you today, and I'm asking Him to bless you with a full tank of His Spirit so that you can go and tell others how to be filled. Amen. Have a great day today. Walk them with Jesus. Pastor Skip out.

The speaker uses a powerful swimming metaphor to explore how we navigate life's dangerous currents—temptations and trials that pull us away from safety. He argues that knowing Scripture is like learning to swim, giving us the survival skills we need until God rescues us. This message encourages believers to dive into God's Word as their lifeline.

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Good morning. This is Wednesday, July the 29th, 2026, and welcome to today's Camino Chronicle. [laughs] I had an urge to write the other day, [laughs] which I did, so, so here it goes. I've been reading a new book titled Faith Still Moves Mountains, written by Harris Faulkner, a TV news anchor, who, as a journalist, is someone used to doing accurate research. She tells 19 stories of God working the impossible, which she calls miracles, because they just seem so beyond the realm of coincidence. In other words, an only God kind of thing, a miracle. Now, one such story is about a couple of teenagers who go for a swim, and they get caught in the tide, caught in the currents, carried out to sea. And the story recounts how they are surely going to drown, exhausted after hours of fighting the current, but eventually rescued in the most beyond coincidence way. A testimony of a miracle of God. Hallelujah. Now, a- as I think back on this, it-- my mind fills with, with a message for the church. A message for parents, of course, but also a message for believers who may find themselves doubting God from time to time. When I was growing up, my parents made sure I learned how to swim. Why? So they could drop me off at the pool for long summer days and not have to pay a babysitter? [laughs] Well, sure. Or so we could go as a family to the ocean for a couple weeks and frolic in the, in the waves and learn how to body surf and avoid jellyfish? Hmm, well, sure. Parents want their kids to learn how to swim so they can have fun, for sure, but mostly so that they will be safe. I remember one summer I learned how to swim in riptide conditions. Riptides are very dangerous to most swimmers and, and should be avoided, because trying to fight the current just wears you out, and you can drown from exhaustion. But if you learn to go with the flow, that is, learn h- how to go with the current and not fight it, you discover that the riptide soon dissolves, and you can swim safely back to shore. There's a powerful spiritual message here. Life brings us lots of currents, lots of powerful forces pulling us this way and that way. Some of us are even found seeking them out on purpose just to discover the, the power and the mystery of the current, even if it is dangerous. Things like drugs, tobacco, and alcohol are three very popular ones, but I'm sure you know of others. These currents are not only attractive to us, but they're powerful enough to take us way far away from the shore upon which we are safe. So many find themselves resisting successfully, and they get back to shore okay. But too many find themselves fighting the currents, getting exhausted, and drowning. But God Almighty has an ocean of currents too, and His currents are also powerful enough to sweep us away. Now, I know my little analogy begins to fall apart, you know, kinda like a wave hitting the shore, but what I'm trying to say is we need to learn how to swim. We need to learn how to be in the ocean of the Lord, not just the waters of the world. We need to get to God, jump in, and learn His ways, learn how to swim, and learn how to float in Him. So back in my Navy days, they, they taught us a swim stroke they called the survival stroke. Now, they did this because over the years, sailors could find themselves in the ocean when their ship or their plane went down, and they want you to survive. Now, it's an easy stroke to learn, and it's very effective. It's kind of a modified side stroke if you are a swimmer, but it maximizes oxygen intake, and it minimizes energy and effort. It's kind of an overhand side stroke with a scissors kick, which you can do for a long time. You see, if you know there is water coming, my metaphor for life, and if you know there will be currents, m- m- my metaphor for trials and tribulations and everything else we don't, don't understand, well, it's wise to know how to swim in the currents. You, you may not have much choice about being in the water. [laughs] I mean, you may just get thrown in. But it's still a good idea to know how to swim. I recommend you learn the Bible stroke as a survival technique. Learning the Bible, that is knowing it, even memorizing it, is like putting on floaties. It's like learning how to side stroke through the hard times until Father, Son, and Holy Spirit show up to rescue you. Hallelujah. If you get caught in a bad current and you begin to lose energy and hope, you can call to mind the promises of God if you know them. And they will lift you up, they will feed your soul, and they will keep you until deliverance. Not all swimming in life is dangerous because sometimes we're swimming with the Lord. Sometimes it's the most glorious of times. I guess we could call that worship or prayer or fellowship. My point is, learn how to swim because the currents of life are real and so is the rescue of the Word of God, the Bible. Faulkner tells us 19 stories of God at work in the lives of regular people to save, heal, and deliver. She calls these miracles. Well, your Bible has many more stories, all showing us how to swim in the currents of life. May the Lord open your mind to His Word as you step into the water. God bless you today. Pastor Skip out.

Discover seven prophetic truths that build, stir, and cheer you up—from God's love and presence to His active work moving events in your life. Through a modern book on miracles and the Bible's record of prophecy fulfilled, learn how God is getting your attention and inviting you to stay on the right path.

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Good morning, everyone. This is Wednesday, July 15th, 2026, and I welcome you to today's edition of Camino Chronicles as we hear a little bit more about the path of life. Uh, if you can look back over your path of life and use spiritual eyes in- instead of just physical ones, you'll begin to see not just the trail, but also the intersections, those places where decisions get made and where consequences are revealed b- because they get lived out in real time. Life creates a record of its history. Now, I love the Bible because it is a record of history. Not, not just telling random stories, but showing us how things play out among real people in real situations. I love the prophetic words in the Bible too, be- because so many of them have actually come to pass just as they said they would. Some of our study Bibles have sections in them listing the, the prophetic words, those scriptures of record spoken long ago, and then they list the fulfillment of those words that came years later. Now, it's pretty hard to dismiss the facts, which is, which is why the record of history part is so wonderful. Now, in, in short, God says something will come to pass a- and folks at the time often dismiss it or they don't understand it or they just don't like it for some reason, until that which God said would come to pass actually happens. A- and there's so much of it. God has not been silent through the ages about what is coming or about whom. [laughs] Now, today I wanna share a bit of prophecy with you. The, the kind that has been said would come, has come, and will come some more. A- and this word prophecy, it- it's translated in the New Testament as words from God that will build up, stir up, and cheer up the listener. Now, we all need this, right? We all need to be built up [laughs] because there's so much going on trying to tear us down. We all need to be stirred up because weariness drains us into inaction, and that leads to leaving the path we're supposed to be on, leaving it all together. And we all need to be cheered up because there's so much sadness in this world. I- if we're not careful, if we're not intentional about it, we'll begin to believe the lie instead of the truth. Yes, we need to be built up in our faith. We need to be stirred up into action because of our faith so we can continue on with our mission, too often of which has been forgotten. And this business of good cheer, oh, it's much more than just a happy face or too much drink. One of the Bible translations of 1 Corinthians 14, that's where it lists what prophecy is, one of the translations says that these three are strengthened, encouraged, and comforted. So whether you go with build up, stir up, cheer up, or strengthened, encouraged, and comforted, excuse me, get, get out a thesaurus and look up all the variations of these words a- and see how powerful they can be if you let them. Hmm. Okay. With all of that for my introduction to today's chronicle, I was on an airplane Monday flying home from a wedding in Maryland, and I bought a book to pass the time, and this became for me an intersection. The title of the book is Faith Still Moves Mountains, and it's written by Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner. Journalists know how to research stories, and this is 19 true stories of recorded miracles in modern times. Oh my. Now, one could certainly dismiss them all as just coincidences, just random acts of molecular accidents. [laughs] But folks, that would take far more faith than just believing the reports, the testimonies, the actual eyewitnesses. Now, I haven't finished them all yet, but one thing is jumping out in a very prophetic way, which is what I really wanna hone in on today. Number one, you are not alone. Did you hear me? That's prophecy to you today. You are not alone. Secondly, there is a creator, God. Whether you can see Him, feel Him, or claim to know Him, the fact is He is real. And so number three, this God, whom we now call Jesus, because of the centuries prior foretelling, that is the prophetic word, and the centuries fulfilling birth, death, and resurrection, that is prophecy fulfilled, this God, this Jesus, loves you. Number one, you're not alone. Number two, He is real. Number three, He loves you. Now, number four, which is so hard to comprehend, but so plentiful in actual human lives, this Jesus is moving things around to get your attention. Let me say that again. The Lord God of Heaven, Jesus the Christ, is moving things around to get your attention. And therefore, number five, forget about all human-led re- religion for just a minute and try to grasp that God Almighty is in charge. Number six, and that He is working to get you on the right path and keep you on it, adjusting all the events of human existence, here it comes, for you. Oh my goodness. I finish with number seven, Jesus cares that much, not just about you, but for you. Do I need to review those seven prophetic words real quickly? Number one, you're not alone. Number two, God is real. Number three, He loves you. Number four, He is moving things around to get your attention. Number five, because God Almighty is in charge. And number six, He's doing all this just for you. Finally, number seven, Jesus cares that much, not just about you, but for you. Oh, my friend Ron Hiller used to say bluntly but lovingly, and I quote, "Read your Bible and do what it says." Close quotes [laughs]. That, that's kind of like coming to another intersection where we get to make choices about which way to go. My current reading of a modern book about miracles builds me up, stirs me up, and it cheers me up because faith still moves mountains. Hallelujah, glory to God, praise His name. Hmm. God bless you today. Pastor Skip out.

Pastor Skip explores how prophecy builds us up, stirs us to action, and cheers us on—drawing from modern miracle stories and the Bible. He shares seven prophetic words that speak directly to today: you are not alone, God is real, He loves you, He's moving things to get your attention, He's in charge, He's working for you, and Jesus cares for you. A powerful reminder that faith still moves mountains.

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Good morning, everyone. This is Wednesday, July 15th, 2026, and I welcome you to today's edition of Camino Chronicles as we hear a little bit more about the path of life (laughs). If you can look back over your path of life, and use spiritual eyes in- instead of just physical ones, you'll begin to see not just the trail, but also the intersections, those places where decisions get made, and where consequences are revealed, b- because they get lived out in real time. Life creates a record of its history. Now, I love the Bible because it is a record of history, n- not just telling random stories, but showing us how things play out among real people in real situations. I love the prophetic words in the Bible too, b- because so many of them have actually come to pass, just as they said they would. Some of our study Bibles have sections in them listing the, the prophetic words, those scriptures of record spoken long ago, and then they list the fulfillment of those words that came years later. Now, i- it's pretty hard to dismiss the facts, which is, which is why the record of history part is so wonderful. Now i- in short, God says something will come to pass, a- and folks at the time often dismiss it, o- or they don't understand it, or they just don't like it for some reason, until that which God said would come to pass, actually happens. A- and there's so much of it. God has not been silent through the ages about what is coming or about whom (laughs). Now, today, I wanna share a bit of prophecy with you, th- the kind that has been said would come, has come, and will come some more. A- and this word, prophecy, i- it's translated in the New Testament as, "Words from God that will build up, stir up, and cheer up the listener." Now, we all need this, right? We all need to be built up, (laughs) because there's so much going on trying to tear us down. We all need to be stirred up, because weariness drains us into inaction, and that leads to leaving the path we're supposed to be on, leaving it all together. And we all need to be cheered up because there's so much sadness in this world. I- if we're not careful, if we're not intentional about it, we'll begin to believe the lie instead of the truth. Yes, we need to be built up in our faith. We need to be stirred up into action because of our faith so we can continue on with our mission, too often of which has been forgotten. And this business of good cheer, oh, it's much more than just a happy face (laughs) or too much drink. One of the Bible translations of First Corinthians 14, that's where it lists what prophecy is, one of the translations says that these three are, "Strengthened, encouraged and comforted." So whether you go with build up, stir up, cheer up, or strengthened, encouraged and comforted, excuse me, g- get out a thesaurus and look up all the variations of these words a- and see how powerful they can be if you let them. Hmm. Okay, with all of that for my introduction to today's chronicle, I was on an airplane Monday flying home from a wedding in Maryland and I bought a book to pass the time, and this became, for me, an intersection. The title of the book is Faith Still Moves Mountains, and it's written by Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner. Journalists know how to research stories, and this is 19 true stories of recorded miracles in modern times. Oh, my. Now, one could certainly dismiss them all as just coincidences, just random acts of molecular accidents (laughs). But folks, that would take far more faith than just believing the reports, the testimonies, the actual eyewitnesses. Now, I haven't finished them all yet, but one thing is jumping out in a very prophetic way, which is what I really want to hone in on today. Number one, you are not alone. Did you hear me? That's prophecy to you today. You are not alone. Secondly, there is a creator, God. Whether you can see Him, feel Him, or claim to know Him, the fact is He is real. And so number three, this God, whom we now call Jesus, because of the centuries prior foretelling, that is the prophetic word, and the centuries fulfilling birth, death, and resurrection, that is prophecy fulfilled, this God, this Jesus, loves you. Number one, you're not alone. Number two, He is real. Number three, He loves you. Now, number four, which is so hard to comprehend, but so plentiful in actual human lives, this Jesus is moving things around to get your attention. Let me say that again. The Lord God of Heaven, Jesus the Christ, is moving things around to get your attention. And therefore, number five, forget about all human-led re- religion for just a minute and try to grasp that God Almighty is in charge. Number six, and that He is working to get you on the right path and keep you on it, adjusting all the events of human existence, here it comes, for you. Oh my goodness. I finish with number seven. Jesus cares that much, not just about you, but for you. Do I need to review those seven prophetic words real quickly? Number one, you're not alone. Number two, God is real. Number three, He loves you. Number four, He is moving things around to get your attention. Number five, because God Almighty is in charge. And number six, He's doing all this just for you. Finally, number seven, Jesus cares that much, not just about you, but for you. Oh. My friend, Ron Hiller, used to say bluntly, but lovingly, and I quote, "Read your Bible and do what it says." Close quotes. (laughs) That- that's kind of like coming to another intersection where we get to make choices about which way to go. My current reading of a modern book about miracles builds me up, stirs me up, and it cheers me up because faith still moves mountains. Hallelujah, glory to God, praise His name. Hmm. God bless you today. Pastor Skip out.

While we like to be in control, Proverbs 16:9 reminds us that God directs our steps. This message explores how we justify our choices and challenge God's guidance, urging us to trust Him even when we can't see the bigger picture. Learning to flow with God's plan brings real peace.

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Hey, good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's Camino Chronicle. As we... You know, as, as we look at the path of life we're all on, huh, it's pretty cool. I mean, there's just no getting around it. God is in control, and we often don't get it. Hmm. Proverbs 16:9 says so clearly, "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Now, you and I are expert planners, especially for what we want. (laughs) We spend lots of time on researching how to get what we want. We can too easily get frustrated or, or even angry, hmm, when we don't get our own way. Now, th- this business of God being in control, I mean, it makes for nice theological discussions. But when it comes down to us, individually, well, we like to be in control. And, and we act like we know best. And we even challenge the Lord by questioning how things are going, hmm. We're quick to point out to God Almighty that this or that isn't right according to how we see it. We are quick to, to somehow put ourselves in the position of knowing what is right, even if we can't see the whole picture. Hmm. And then, when we do see the bigger picture and realize that there's more to it than we thought, well, we're not so quick to repent, or to apologize, or even to admit that we were wrong. What we're really good at is justifying our position, acting as our own defense attorney before the court of the Lord. Ha ha. Now, as a parent, do you remember when one of your kids would ask, and, and ask in an honest way, not fighting you, but would ask about why something was the way it was? A- and there was no way you could actually tell them, b- because they didn't have the maturity, they didn't have the frame of reference, they didn't have the experience. So you would say something like, "It's okay, honey. You'll understand someday." Hmm. Well, Father God is often saying that to us, "Someday, you'll understand. But for now, just trust me." Along the Camino, I've often gotten great peace just seeing a yellow arrow, because it shows me the way to go, especially at an intersection. And I've learned to trust the yellow arrows and just go that way. Now, I will admit that sometimes I wanna argue with it, pointing out that I think it may be wrong. Hmm. And then, of course, I have to choose to follow or not, and reap the consequences of that choice. For today's Camino Chronicle, the lesson is simply God is in control, of everything, all the time. Hmm. And he's given us lots of yellow arrows to follow, such as his Spirit and his Word, you know, the Bible, e- and even those remarkable times when he seems to speak to our inner man. And let's not forget the folks that he's put into our lives to also speak to us and help us make decisions. Yes, you will plan. And yes, God will direct. So, best to get the two in sync, so that his direction is a flow of life, not a correction of a path chosen. On a recent trip to Alaska, we walked to a glacier with a forest ranger lady, who was giving one of those great ranger talks, you know, and she gave us this quote. And, and, and I share it with you. I quote her. "Learn from the land, flow with the water, and respect all living things." Unquote. You see, our God, the Almighty One, made all the land. He placed all the water, and He spoke into being all living things. We would do well to learn to flow and to respect His creation, don't you think? A fellow by the name of Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force, and he was a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down 13 aircraft. He's best known for his memoir, God is My Co-Pilot, from 1943. It was about his exploits in World War II with the Flying Tigers and with the United States Army Air Force in China and Burma. The book was adapted as a film by the same name, released in 1945. It's kind of cool to think of the Lord God being that close to you, to being your co-pilot. But a few years ago, I heard a guy say, "If God is your co-pilot, change seats." Yes, we want to be in control, but it just seems to work better when the Lord is in control, e- even if we don't understand what He's up to. Th- that's why at, at DaySpring, our church in Banks, we've adopted the saying, "God is up to something." Because, well, we have tried being the pilot of our lives, and we've discovered that He's better at it than we are. Yes, God is up to something. So, let Him have His way. It just works better. Buen Camino, everyone. Have a great day. Pastor Skip out.

Camino Chronicles.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's Camino Chronicle as I'm back (laughs) after a couple weeks of actually being on the Camino del Norte in Spain. I had a wonderful time with two of my granddaughters and survived the 105 degree heat wave. Oh my goodness. For today's Camino Chronicle, I want to declare to you, a king is coming. Now, I've been saying that a king is coming for quite a while, and I get mostly blank stares. Look, I- I'm not trying to pick a fight. I- I'm not trying to sound weird, but I am alarmed by the indifference, not- not just in the, in the world, but especially in the Church. People seem so dominated by their own lives, uh, all the tasks of the day, all the concerns for family and health or, or whatever, that being concerned about Jesus' return isn't given much attention. Excuse me. Sort of like the cry wolf story. So, it gets forgotten. Look, I get it. We are all self-centered. We're all self-concerned, self-absorbed, selfish people. Even when we try to be other centered because of how we, we have to do that, we want to be in charge. I want to offer you a new way of looking at this subject. Not only is the king coming, according to the Bible, but this king is going to set up, establish, and rule his kingdom. Excuse me. But I get ahead of myself. We Americans don't think well of the idea of a king. We fought a revolution to get free from one, and we act like we don't have a king over us now. (laughs) Saturday is July 4th, and for us Americans, it's our Independence Day. That alone should give you pause. Are you really independent today, or do you realize that you do need some help? If a kingdom is the realm of a king, well then what do we call our multiple governments? We have a national government and state government. We have county governments. We have city governments. We even have things like HOAs to rule over us, homeowners associations (laughs) ... gone wild. Now, look, I'm sure you can think of more, but businesses i- in our capitalist society surely establish kingdoms, as do all the nonprofits. I mean, even the churches are well-infused with internal government oversight. Hmm. Back in the Old Testament, there is the sad tale of a people who actually asked God to give them a king so that they could be (laughs) like the pagan nations around them. Now, the Lord was wanting to be their king, but they rejected Him as such, and they even wanted to do away with His government of them by what were called the judges. Well, so God gave them over to human kings. Now, what follows is the record. History tells us how it went. There were some good kings and... with things going better, but there were so many bad kings that the people grew to despise their situation. I- it's interesting to me that when things are going well for us, w- we tend to ignore the Lord. Then when things go badly, especially if they go very badly, th- the people rent their clothes, they try to repent, they get fervent in their prayers for deliverance and help. All of this history, of course, set up the first coming of Jesus Christ, the New Testament, and the record of God's amazing grace as the Bible unfolds for us some information about what is to come. Well, what is coming? A king is coming, a king who will rule and reign supremely, sovereignly over his domain, which will include, well, everything. (laughs) Before we try to understand this king or his coming or his kingdom, let's go back and look again at what a kingdom is and see if you are part of one or, or have a kingdom of your own. I mean, how many kingdoms can you think of? Is your home your castle? Is your business or your job set up as a kingdom? Are your sports teams not kingdoms of their own? I mean, face it. You are surrounded by kingdoms, and you yourself spend a lot of time trying to establish your own kingdom. Your ideas of what is moral get defended by rules and regulations, laws, if you will, that you establish- Hmm. ... and are willing to submit to, which are the ways these kingdoms work. Town councils become kingdoms, as do our volunteer organizations, you know, like the Lion's Club. Your neighborhood associations are kingdoms. I mean, the list is almost endless. Think about hurt feelings as somehow your sense of what is right gets violated and how strongly you can defend your rights. Hmm. After all, this is America. All our political goings-on are simply kingdoms in conflict, each trying to win the day so that they can rule. You see, this is a reality, that kingdoms exist, and that we not only participate in them, excuse me, but we often get into emotional blowouts by some perfe- perceived kingdom offense. The human way seems to be universally structured to establishing and maintaining kingdoms everywhere. This actually gets me very excited because as I look at history and all the failures of the human way, and then read about Jesus Christ who will come again to this planet and establish His kingdom, His rule, well, come on. It's (laughs) it's going to be supernaturally better than the way we're running the place. (laughs) It's gonna be so good, the enemy doesn't even want me to give this message. (laughs) The Bible is very clear. A king is coming, and we're told to be ready for him. Folks, I look forward to sharing more about this with you in coming Camino Chronicles, so stay tuned. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, which should make us who are concerned about kingdoms ask, "Which way, what truth, and what kind of life?" Wow. What sort of kingdom will it be? Wow. Come soon, Lord Jesus. Pastor Skip, signing off.

A pastor reflects on his upcoming fourth Camino pilgrimage with his granddaughters, exploring what it really means to start living. He unpacks how a Morgan Freeman commercial and Rick Steves' travel stories point to a deeper truth: Jesus is calling us to abundant life. His practical encouragement is simple—take a long walk and talk honestly with God about everything on your mind.

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Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's edition of Camino Chronicles, where I look at some of the things that happen to us along the path of life. If I look a, a little bit dark in the screen, it's because I'm coming to you from my new apartment and haven't quite worked out the lighting yet. But anyway, you get the idea. Now, this will be my last Camino for the month of June because I'm actually leaving in a few days for Spain again to walk another Camino. And I'm rejoicing because this time, I'll be joined by two of my granddaughters. (laughs) What a wonderful blessing it is for a grandpa to get to spend such focused time with his grandkids, with all day for two weeks to discover the sights and the sounds and the people and the foods (laughs) and the countryside of Spain along the Mediterranean Sea. I'm looking forward to all the encounters during the day, and then all the retellings of those encounters when we get together in the afternoon and evening. Can you even imagine, huh? Now, some folks have asked me, "Why am I doing this?" And then they ask again, w- "Why are you going again?" since this will be my fourth time on Camino. In the past, I've tried to explain it as an unction, just something that one has to do. I've tried to explain it as a spiritual adventure, sort of a calling, which I said was a God thing, something He was compelling me to do. But the other day, I got a better answer. (laughs) I was watching TV, and a commercial came on. I can't even tell you what the commercial was presenting, but I so remember the actor doing the presentation. Here on my TV was the famous Morgan Freeman pitching some product. I can't tell you what, but he had one of the best punchlines of all time. He looked at you right in the eye, the camera coming in close so you could almost feel it right where you were, and he said something like this, "It's time to start living." At least that's the way I remember it. Maybe I'll see that commercial again this weekend, pay better attention to what he actually said, but I think you get my point. It's time to start living. One of my favorite shows on public television is a travel log by Rick Steves. He goes all over Europe, seeing the sights and recording the sounds, meeting the people, encouraging his viewers to keep on traveling. For one of his shows, he went to Middle East, and he talked to young people, both Israelis and Palestinians, asking them about their lives and their hopes and dreams. He, he wasn't doing a news broadcast about the war or, or politics really, just about how they felt about life. And these young people expressed the same hopes and dreams that you have, to love and be loved, to raise a family, a- and to be at peace, and to get to that place where they too could, as Morgan Freeman said so well, to just start living. Y- you may not be on the Camino in Spain, but you are surely on a path going somewhere. M- my prayer is that you will be on that path that the Lord has for you. The, the word camino in Spanish means path, or, or better it means way. In Spain, it's called the Way of Saint James because it honors his travels across Spain to share the good news of Jesus Christ. James, you see, told the folks that Jesus Christ is the way, that they should follow Him if they wanted the peace that passes all understanding. So here's what I recommend if you wanna start living, and you don't have time to go to Spain to do it. (laughs) Go for a long walk and talk to God. Make the walk long enough that you can tell Him everything that's on your mind, everything. You'll probably have no problem thinking of stuff you wish He would fix in your life, so just tell Him. He, He can handle whatever it is you got. It would be nice if you could thank the Lord for all the good stuff, but it is really okay to get honest and tell Him what's really on your mind, all the problems, all the confusions, all the doubts, even all the complaints about how you don't think He is doing this Earth business the right way. Hmm. Uh, at least according to you. If you will take this walk soon and repeat it a few times over several days, you will either be drawn in closer to Jesus Christ or you will shut Him down by your stubborn selfishness. Now, I know about this on both sides, (sighs) and learning to abide by another old saying, "Let go and let God." The thing is, it just works if you let it. You see, even the commercialized television pitch is presenting a truth, perhaps unintended, but still truth. It's time to start living, and the voice that's calling you to start living is Jesus. And the other voice, the one telling you to ignore the Lord, well, we know who that voice is. Wouldn't it be fantastic if you and I could connect the two recommendations, one from Rick Steves to keep on traveling and the other from Morgan Freeman to start living? As we discover the absolute wonder of the abundant life God has for each of us by grace through faith. Ha- hallelujah, I can't wait. No, wait, I've already started. Hallelujah. This walking with Jesus really works. (laughs) God bless you today. Pastor Skip out.

Pastor Skip reflects on his upcoming fourth Camino walk, this time with his granddaughters, and explores what it really means to start living. He challenges listeners to take a long walk and talk honestly with God about everything on their hearts—not just what they want fixed, but all their questions, doubts, and even complaints. This is an invitation to discover the abundant life God offers as we walk His path.

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Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's edition of Camino Chronicles, where I look at some of the things that happen to us along the path of life. If I look a, a little bit dark in the screen, it's because I'm coming to you from my new apartment and haven't quite worked out the lighting yet. But anyway, you get the idea. Now, this will be my last Camino for the month of June because I'm actually leaving in a few days for Spain again to walk another Camino. And I'm rejoicing because this time, I'll be joined by two of my granddaughters. (laughs) What a wonderful blessing it is for a grandpa to get to spend such focused time with his grandkids, with all day for two weeks to discover the sights and the sounds and the people and the (laughs) foods and the countryside of Spain along the Mediterranean Sea. I'm looking forward to all the encounters during the day, and then all the retellings of those encounters when we get together in the afternoon and evening. Can you even imagine, huh? Now, some folks have asked me, "Why am I doing this?" And then they ask again, w- "Why are you going again?" since this will be my fourth time on Camino. In the past, I've tried to explain it as an unction, just something that one has to do. I've tried to explain it as a spiritual adventure, sort of a calling, which I said was a God thing, something He was compelling me to do. But the other day, I got a better answer. (laughs) I was watching TV and a commercial came on. I can't even tell you what the commercial was presenting, but I so remember the actor doing the presentation. Here on my TV was the famous Morgan Freeman pitching some product. I can't tell you what. But he had one of the best punchlines of all time. He looked at you right in the eye, the camera coming in close so you could almost feel it right where you were, and he said something like this. "It's time to start living." At least that's the way I remember it. Maybe I'll see that commercial again this weekend, pay better attention to what he actually said, but I think you get my point. It's time to start living. One of my favorite shows on public television is a travel log by Rick Steves. He goes all over Europe seeing the sights and recording the sounds, meeting the people, encouraging his viewers to keep on traveling. For one of his shows, he went to Middle East and he talked to young people, both Israelis and Palestinians, asking them about their lives and their hopes and dreams. He, he wasn't doing a news broadcast about the war or, or politics really, just about how they felt about life. And these young people expressed the same hopes and dreams that you have, to love and be loved, to raise a family, a- and to be at peace, and to get to that place where they too could, as Morgan Freeman said so well, to just start living. Y- you may not be on the Camino in Spain, but you are surely on a path going somewhere. M- my prayer is that you will be on that path that the Lord has for you. The, the word camino in Spanish means path, or, or better it means way. In Spain it's called The Way of Saint James because it honors his travels across Spain to share the good news of Jesus Christ. James, you see, told the folks that Jesus Christ is the way, that they should follow Him if they wanted the peace that passes all understanding. So here's what I recommend if you wanna start living, and you don't have time to go to Spain to do it. (laughs) Go for a long walk and talk to God. Make the walk long enough that you can tell Him everything that's on your mind, everything. You'll probably have no problem thinking of stuff you wish He would fix in your life, so just tell Him. He, He can handle whatever it is you got. It would be nice if you could thank the Lord for all the good stuff, but it is really okay to get honest and tell Him what's really on your mind, all the problems, all the confusions, all the doubts, even all the complaints about how you don't think He is doing this Earth business the right way, hmm, u- at least according to you. (laughs) If you will take this walk soon and repeat it a few times over several days, you will either be drawn in closer to Jesus Christ or you will shut Him down by your stubborn selfishness. Now, I know about this on both sides, (sighs) and learning to abide by another old saying, "Let go and let God." The thing is it just works if you let it. You see, even the commercialized television pitch is presenting a truth, perhaps unintended, but still truth. It's time to start living, and the voice that's calling you to start living is Jesus. And the other voice, the one telling you to ignore the Lord, well, we know who that voice is. Wouldn't it be fantastic if you and I could connect the two recommendations, one from Rick Steves to keep on traveling and the other from Morgan Freeman to start living, as we discover the absolute wonder of the abundant life God has for each of us by grace through faith? (laughs) Hallelujah, I can't wait. No, wait, I've already started. Hallelujah, this walking with Jesus really works. (laughs) God bless you today. Pastor Skip, out.