A new year is an opportunity for new things. Beginning on New Year’s Day I will post a daily psalm verse along with a photo that is a visual meditation on the text for me. The verse for January 1 will come from Psalm 1, the verse for January 2 from Psalm 2, etc. for 150 days, 150 psalms. The photos will generally come from my hiking on two trails: the Appalachian Trail (what I’ve done of it from Maine to Georgia) and the C&O Canal/Great Allegheny Passage Trail (D.C. to Pittsburgh).
Why? Being out on the trail has been a way for me to practice meditating on scripture and being attentive to God. For some reason observing the wild beauty of creation and the rhythmic pace of walking are windows for me to listen with my spiritual heart for God’s Spirit. The privilege of two walking sabbaticals in 2008 and 2015, one memorizing John’s gospel and the other praying the Psalms, has made its mark on my faith life.
Perhaps you are looking for a practice to help you pay attention to God’s voice and guidance in your life. If this 150 day journey seems helpful, please join me. To participate you may subscribe to my blog at https://elainedent.net or “friend” me on Facebook and watch for the daily links to blog posts.
Disclaimer: I am not a photographer (although in my second life I would like to be). I am posting mostly cell phone images. Perhaps it is not so much the skill exhibited (or not exhibited) in the photo as it is the attentiveness the photo evokes to the Holy One beyond. I encourage you to comment with your own photos that may throw open a window of meaning from different perspectives on the psalm verse for a given day.