Personal Topic #2


Church Hikes

When considering hiking as a meditative and therapeutic activity, I reflected back on the hikes my church, youth group, and bible study used to take. Hiking is a popular activity in my area, and really one of the few activities available, so it was a fairly common choice among groups like these. They used these activities to strengthen community and give individuals time to focus their thoughts without the commotion of the city. These "church hikes" all followed a similar structure: hike for roughly 45 minutes (or until arriving at a scenic view or peaceful stream), stop for the next 45 minutes and spend time alone with your thoughts, nature, and God, and then hike back down the mountain. These hikes, while structured and predictable, were always a refreshing break from life, providing community and shared experience, as well as an opportunity to be open and vulnerable in sharing those experiences. It is in nature that we tend to offer ourselves to experience. 

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