Discovering Who Jesus Is: Seven Days on the Seven I Am StatementsSample

NASA Meets Napa

The very first spacewalks took place during the Gemini missions. On June 3, 1965, Ed White became the first American to walk in space when he exited his Gemini 4 capsule connected to a twenty-five-foot long, gold-tape-wrapped umbilical cord that fed him oxygen. He flew freely, moved around with the use of a zip gun, and took pictures. He was so ecstatic that he had to be told multiple times to come back inside when the scheduled EVA was over. He did so well on that mission that as a reward, he was assigned to the crew of Apollo 1, where he perished.

Walking might be the most dangerous thing you can do in space, but in your soul, not walking is the most dangerous thing. Jesus tells us in John 15:5 that he will abide in us, and we must abide in Him. When we stray from Him, when we don’t walk with Him, we are powerless and can accomplish nothing.

There are many places Jennie and I love traveling to, but I don’t know of any more relaxing place than Napa, California. It is by far the most chill. Something about an agrarian culture is instantly soothing. Being in a place like New York City is stimulating; you feel the energy, power, and intensity the moment you hit Broadway, the stem of the Big Apple. Napa has the exact opposite impact on me. I found my blood pressure would drop the moment we’d land at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport and walk past the statue of Snoopy and Charlie Brown.

Over the years, we have toured several vineyards. Mile after mile and row after row of perfectly planted, purposeful grapevines growing their sweet fruit would call to me to relax my shoulders and breathe deeply. On each of our visits, Jennie and I have felt ourselves settle into a deep rest—full of the joy in Christ, with each other, and through the beauty of our surroundings.

I have often thought of John 15 as we’ve soaked it all in. The grapes are only growing because the branches are connected to the vines. If you broke off any one of them, the life-giving sap would immediately stop flowing, and the branch would stop producing. It also is not lost on me that the vines growing up from the ground and following the trellis form a cross.

It is the same for you and me. We can only produce fruit as we walk with Jesus, allowing his life to flow through us. Paul describes it in Acts 17:28: “In Him we live and move and have our being” (NKJV). The goal is to abide. To constantly remain in Jesus and Jesus in us. To allow his strength to flow through us step by step. This constant connection of prayer and worship, meditation, and conversation gives us the power to avoid the dangers inherent in this life.

Just as in a spacewalk, there are hazards that can threaten your walk with Jesus—things that can trip you, snag you, and stop you.

With urgency and seriousness, you and I need to be on guard against anything that could compromise the purity of our connection to Jesus the Vine. Like an astronaut with a life-sustaining tether, we must never become complacent in our connection to the Holy Spirit. Or, as in space, the result could be disastrous. Hebrews 2:1 reminds us, “We must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (NKJV). He is the tether; we are the astronaut. If we are disconnected from him, we will drift off into the blackness of space.

If you listen to God as you walk with him, he will help you know what relationships, distractions, and preoccupations are holding you back from the fruit you are meant to grow.

I have found that nothing is as good for my soul as taking a walk with God. Literally. And without my phone. When my legs start walking, my thoughts start moving. I bring a piece of paper and a pen with me and take off. It saved my life when my daughter went to heaven, and still, to this day, it’s one of the best ways I can keep my soul healthy. I have shed more tears, prayed more prayers, had more great ideas, and found more clarity in frustration while walking than at any other time. I highly recommend it.

If you need something new in your walk with God, maybe just add a literal walk. In Genesis, Adam and Eve would walk with God in the cool of the day (3:8).

God still wants to walk with you today.

Response

What are you facing today that holds you back in your relationship with the Lord? Make a list of the things you need to discuss with God, and then take a walk with him.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your patience and love for me even in those times when I fail you.