St. Cuthbert’s Way - Over the past month I have been rereading an amazing book called ‘Jesus Freaks.’ It is a book of compiled stories of countless people who have made sacrifices and endure hardships, torture and even death for the sake of Jesus Christ. It is a challenging book because it causes me to think about what I think of as the hardships of my life and how in comparison I am not sacrificing or laying down anything for any reason, especially not for the sake of Christ. I am very content to have my choice of churches like I have my choice of restaurants. I thoroughly enjoy being able to bless my food in public and not wonder if I am being reported to a Christ hating government. I have never had anyone ask me to deny my faith or their were going to injure my children in front of me. I have lived a very comfortable existence for the sake of Christ. I don’t want to offend anyone or step on any toes so I don’t make a stand with family or friends. The furthest I have traveled to tell someone about my faith is to get in my car and drive to a local restaurant. Sure, I have been on mission trips but that is as much of a vacation as it is a mission trip. I take a lot of things for granted. This book has continued to help me see that and I would highly recommend it if you need a reminder. This summer while I was in England I had the chance to take a trip to the northern most point of the country and hike through the border region and into Scotland. I found this hike in a travel guide and then researched it before I went. It was called St. Cuthbert’s Way. I wasn’t sure why, but I thought it sounded like a cool thing to do for the end of my summer before I headed back to Texas. So I packed up my backpack and bought my bus ticket and left for the starting point, Holy Island, England. When I arrived I purchased my map and some necessities for the hike and started out. The hike was 62 miles and I had allotted four days and three nights to get ‘er done. As I made the hike I read the guide book to follow the trail that was set out for me. It was well done and their were markers along the way to encourage me that I was going in the right direction. Each night I would hike through a town and get a bite to eat and then throw out my sleeping bag a little bit further outside of the town. The sun came up each morning at 5am and set close to 9pm, so I would rise and shine with the sun and hike until dusk. I went through dense forests, huge foot hills, a couple of certified mountains, and some picturesque villages. The more that I read about the trail the more I learned about its namesake. St. Cuthbert was a Scottish monk that had started his ministry at the age of fifteen in Melrose Scotland. Through out his life he had served in one function or another of the church in his area. He had a real passion for sharing with others who Jesus Christ was and what He had done in his life. As a result St. Cuthbert moved through the countryside setting up and pastoring churches. He continued his church planting ministry until he assumed leadership of the entire region. From his new home on Holy Island he was the shepherd of the region and would travel to teach and share the love of Christ. The path that I took for the four days of my hike was a path that he walked routinely to minister to his flock. He went through dense forests, foot hills and mountains often to bring the truth of the scriptures to those that hadn’t heard. As I hike I praised God for the men and women throughout history who have gone to whatever lengths necessary to make the name of Christ known. I stopped at five of the churches that St. Cuthbert had started in the 1500s and saw their testimony to what an impact one man can have for the kingdom of God. How one man can be filled with the passion of Christ and count the cost and lay it all down to bring Him the glory. In this time of Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for those that are spreading the name Christ today and remember to be one of those people.