Sanctuary Stirrings

Through the courage and faithfulness of those who have gone before us, God calls us forward—to the steps of courage He is asking of us today. In this episode of 'The Journey with the Giant' podcast, Lori G. Melton and Robert Prince introduce fellow writer Kirstin Olson as she shares her transformative experience journeying with civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. Kirstin, a language teacher and recent empty nester, reflects on the profound impact this spiritual practice has had on her faith and personal life, revealing how Hamer's resilience and activism have inspired her to confront injustice in her community and embrace deeper worship. The discussion highlights the importance of walking with others in our spiritual lives and emphasizes the enduring wisdom gained from walking with giants of the faith. This enriching conversation encourages listeners to pursue a deeply intentional spiritual journey and honor the sacrifices of those who came before. Kirstin’s experience with Fannie Lou Hamer inspires us to step courageously into acts of justice, compassion, and worship in our own lives.📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer by Kate Clifford LarsonFannie Lou Hamer Testimony Before the Credentials Committee (1964), YouTube recording, 8 min.Precious Lord, Take My Hand Recording of Fannie Lou Hamer, YouTube RecordingAdditional Links:Watch on YouTube. Journey with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God by Lori G. MeltonJourney with a Giant Discussion GuideMusic: The Journey, Kevin Melton Productions, LLC, Copyright 2025For encouragement and resources to grow in your walk with God, visit thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram at The Sanctuary at Bear Creek.

Some relationships don’t just enrich our lives—they shape our souls. In this episode of Journey with a Giant, Lori G. Melton sits down with longtime friends Julie Blakely and Sherri Willett to explore the gift of spiritual friendship and the transformative practice of walking with giants.They share how their bond as “Abba Sisters” and the Celtic concept of Anam Cara (soul friendship) have deepened their spiritual journeys, offering guidance, encouragement, and accountability. Listen as they reflect on the influence of giants like Madeleine L’Engle, Evelyn Underhill, Henri Nouwen, Elizabeth Elliot, and Harriet Tubman, and how these figures have shaped their faith, personal growth, and the courage to live faithfully in community.This conversation is a celebration of the profound impact of companionship on the spiritual life and the giant journey and a reminder that formation happens best when we journey together.📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Anam Cara by John O’DonahueWalking on Water: Reflections on Faith & Art by Madeleine L’EngleThe Ways of the Spirit by Evelyn Underhill and Grace Adolphsen BrameAdditional Links:Click Here to watch on YouTube. Click here to download your free Sneak Peek of Journey with a Giant Journey with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God by Lori G. MeltonMusic: The Journey, Kevin Melton Productions, LLC, Copyright 2025For encouragement and resources to grow in your walk with God, visit thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram at The Sanctuary at Bear Creek.

Some conversations feel like opening a treasure chest and this week’s episode is one of them!This week on Journey with a Giant, hosts Lori G. Melton and Robert Prince welcome Sister Diane Zerfas, the Spiritual Formations Director at the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan— the one who first introduced Lori and hundreds of other students to the practice of walking with spiritual giants, for the first of a special two-part series.Listen as Sister Diane opens up about her own path with spiritual giants, her story-driven approach to spiritual direction, and the biblical and practical significance of companioning with these mentors.If you’ve enjoyed the previous episodes, you’re going to absolutely love this one!📚 Resources:Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship and Direction by David G. Benner—a great book if you are curious to learn more about spiritual direction.The Dominican Center of Grand Rapids, MI Click here to download your free Sneak Peek of Journey with a Giant Journey with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God by Lori G. Melton Click here to watch this episode on YouTube The Sanctuary at Bear Creek Retreat CenterMusic: The Journey, Kevin Melton Productions, LLC, Copyright 2025For encouragement and resources to grow in your walk with God, visit thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram at The Sanctuary at Bear Creek.

This week on Journey with a Giant, host Lori G. Melton and co-host Robert Prince welcome pastor and nonprofit leader Colin Tuggle for a heartfelt conversation about his transformative experience walking with spiritual giant Eugene Peterson.Through Peterson’s example, Colin found permission to slow down, embrace the long, hidden work of pastoring, and deepen his intimacy with Jesus. Peterson’s legacy—staying faithful in one place, resisting the lure of celebrity, and nurturing a local flock for decades—became a guiding light for Colin, both as a follower of Christ and a pastor.This conversation reminds us that even those who shepherd others need to be shepherded themselves. And that sometimes, the most transformative companionship comes not from the stage, but from the quiet, ordinary faithfulness of those who finish the race well.For more about Colin and his ministry, visit https://www.adkmission.org.📚 Resources Mentioned in This EpisodeA Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson by Winn CollierClick here to download your free Sneak Peek of Journey with a GiantJourney with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God by Lori G. MeltonThe Sanctuary at Bear Creek Retreat CenterClick here to watch the episode on YouTube.Music: The Journey, Kevin Melton Productions, LLC, Copyright 2025For more encouragement and resources to grow in your relationship with God and others, visit our website thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram at The Sanctuary at Bear Creek.

This week on Journey with a Giant, Lori turns the microphone towards her co-host, Pastor Robert Prince—and what a conversation it is! Robert opens up about his own season of spiritual apathy and the surprising ways God reawakened his heart through journeying with two remarkable spiritual giants.His first giant, John O’Donohue, ushered him into the beauty and depth of Celtic Christianity, sparking a faith renewal that led to a life-changing pilgrimage to Ireland. His second, Thomas Merton, invited him into the gifts of solitude, silence, and experiencing God’s presence in creation. Together, these mentors—one a poet-philosopher, the other a contemplative monk—have shaped Robert’s spiritual life, creativity, and ministry in profound ways.Along the way, Robert shares moments of awakening, the practices that keep him rooted, and how walking with giants can help each of us draw closer to Jesus. Whether you’re just beginning to explore the idea of spiritual giants or you’re already on the journey, this episode will leave you both inspired and eager to discover your own companions for the road.Join us—and discover what might happen when curiosity leads you to communion.----------Resources Mentioned in This Episode:Overcoming Spiritual Apathy poem PDF, Prayers of R.E.S.T. by Asheritah Ciuciu, pg 229For more information on Robert or his ministry, visit recognizingthedivine.comClick here⁠ to download your free Sneak Peek of Journey with A Giant⁠Journey with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God⁠ by Lori G Melton⁠The Sanctuary at Bear Creek Retreat Center⁠Music, The Journey, ⁠Kevin Melton Productions, LLC⁠, Copyright 2025.For more encouragement and resources to grow in your relationship with God and others, visit our website ⁠⁠⁠thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com⁠⁠⁠. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram at ⁠⁠The Sanctuary at Bear Creek⁠⁠.

Are you ready for an adventure of faith? Reach out for the Savior’s hand. Today it begins! You’ve been hearing about walking with spiritual Giants for years, a mysterious practice somewhere out in the distance. Today, we finally get to bring it to you. Welcome to the Journey with a Giant series!In this introductory episode, listen in as host Robert Prince and I introduce you to the concept of spiritual giants and the purpose behind this new podcast series. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look as I share my inspiration and the transformative experience I’ve had walking with spiritual giants. You’ll learn about the theological foundation in Hebrews12:1-2, where we uncover the treasure chest of faithful believers who have lived before us and the influence that they are meant to have on our current faithjourneys. You may even begin to identify your own spiritual mentors, as the Spirit brings this discipleship practice to life in you! Click here to download your free Sneak Peek of Journey with A Giant Journey with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God by Lori G MeltonThe Sanctuary at Bear Creek Abide Retreat CabinMusic, The Journey, Kevin Melton Productions, LLC, Copyright 2025.For more encouragement and resources to grow in your relationship with God and others, visit our website ⁠⁠thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com⁠⁠. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram at ⁠⁠The Sanctuary at Bear Creek⁠⁠.

After a month away walking the Camino de Santiago, we’re back! Listen to this episode, for some of the most powerful moments of that sacred journey—and how you can enter into a spiritual pilgrimage of your own, even if you never leave your neighborhood.Walking a pilgrimage stretches your faith, deepens your dependence on God, and reminds you of your true identity as pilgrims. Whether you’re planning a trip or simply longing for a closer walk with God, this episode is for you! Plus, exciting news about the Journey with a Giant book release and new tools coming your way soon!Resources mentioned in this Episode:Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan. This classic was written in the 17th century by pastor John Bunyan while he was imprisoned for his faith. Like the apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament while imprisoned, John Bunyan wrote this classic while imprisoned for his faith. I bought a small copy to take on our trip but wasn’t able to fit it in my backpack. I think the Lord wanted me to have plenty of space to experience my own pilgrim journey while I was gone. Now that I’m home, I am reading it slowly. Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 1300s, is another pilgrim’s tale less dreamy than Pilgrim’s Progress. A fellow spiritual director recommended it to give even more perspective, with more real-life scenarios to our lives as a pilgrimage.Camino Booklet: A Summer Pilgrimage Reflection by Lori G Melton. Free downloadable PDF recounting Lori and her husband’s 15-Day Camino pilgrimage; this guide will lead you on a sacred pilgrimage of your own. The Joy of Saying “Yes” to God’s Invitation: How God’s Invitations Lead to Abundant Life, Last month’s newsletter articleJourney with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God by Lori G MeltonThe Sanctuary at Bear Creek Abide Retreat CabinFor more encouragement and resources to grow in your relationship with God and others, visit our website ⁠⁠thesanctuaryatbearcreek.com⁠⁠. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram at ⁠⁠The Sanctuary at Bear Creek⁠⁠.