Walking a dog can be beneficial both physically and spiritually... :)
Part of my new job is walking a really gentle and rather well-behaved dog... a lot. Twice daily, for 30-40 minutes. This is nice as it means that although it's a little chilly outside, I'm definitely getting my exercise, something I wasn't really exercising enough self-discipline to do before.
On Sunday, I was thinking about how to incorporate spiritual things into something like that, because in general I don't think it's right to "work" on Sunday...however, "walking the dog" is something that needs to be done and I would do it even if I wasn't getting paid for it. I was thinking of how on EBibleFellowship, just over a week ago, a girl asked Chris McCann whether it was okay to exercise on Sunday. I guessed his answer before he gave it and I thought it was a neat answer. He said that well, we can exercise by taking a walk to pass out tracts and use that time to evangelize.
"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come." 1 Timothy 4:7-8
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." Isaiah 58:13-14
So, on Sunday morning when I thought about taking the dog for his morning walk, I realized that I could use the time I spend walking the dog to both pass out "Does God Love You?" tracts, and memorize Scripture. I decided to begin trying to memorize James 1.
I've been writing out a set of verses on looseleaf paper each day, and working on them, because as much as I'd like to just bring my whole Bible with me, it would be kind of hard to walk with an open Bible in one hand and dog leash in the other... especially when more often than not I have to pick up after the dog, and the weather is also pretty chilly here. Writing the verses out on paper also helps my memory somehow.
I think I finally have the whole chapter committed to memory this morning. Somehow I managed to get James 1:1-10 on Sunday, James 1:1-20 yesterday, and James 1:1-27 today.
Almost every day I run into other people who are walking dogs, and they will often say "Good morning" or ask what kind of dog it is. This is a beautiful opportunity to offer these folks a "Does God Love You?" tracts. Today was the first day I brought tracts with me, but unfortunately also the first day that I didn't run into anyone during the walk. It was a beautiful day to be outside, though.
On Sunday, I was thinking about how to incorporate spiritual things into something like that, because in general I don't think it's right to "work" on Sunday...however, "walking the dog" is something that needs to be done and I would do it even if I wasn't getting paid for it. I was thinking of how on EBibleFellowship, just over a week ago, a girl asked Chris McCann whether it was okay to exercise on Sunday. I guessed his answer before he gave it and I thought it was a neat answer. He said that well, we can exercise by taking a walk to pass out tracts and use that time to evangelize.
"But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come." 1 Timothy 4:7-8
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
"If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." Isaiah 58:13-14
So, on Sunday morning when I thought about taking the dog for his morning walk, I realized that I could use the time I spend walking the dog to both pass out "Does God Love You?" tracts, and memorize Scripture. I decided to begin trying to memorize James 1.
I've been writing out a set of verses on looseleaf paper each day, and working on them, because as much as I'd like to just bring my whole Bible with me, it would be kind of hard to walk with an open Bible in one hand and dog leash in the other... especially when more often than not I have to pick up after the dog, and the weather is also pretty chilly here. Writing the verses out on paper also helps my memory somehow.
I think I finally have the whole chapter committed to memory this morning. Somehow I managed to get James 1:1-10 on Sunday, James 1:1-20 yesterday, and James 1:1-27 today.
Almost every day I run into other people who are walking dogs, and they will often say "Good morning" or ask what kind of dog it is. This is a beautiful opportunity to offer these folks a "Does God Love You?" tracts. Today was the first day I brought tracts with me, but unfortunately also the first day that I didn't run into anyone during the walk. It was a beautiful day to be outside, though.