If you have followed my blogpost for any length of time, then you might know that walking/praying a labyrinth is part of my spiritual practice.
My very first post about labyrinths was in 2010-- "Handmade rock labyrinths, listening, and a rule of life" There are 56 posts that mention labyrinths or are fully dedicated to labyrinths. There are posts about different labyrinths I have found in GA, NC, TN, FL. There are posts about World Labyrinth Day from several different years. You can search "labyrinth" on the blog and find them all. "Walking the path... my labyrinth experiences" is a post from 2014 about experiences up to that point. That was 12 years ago. I have had many more labyrinth experiences since then.
This post is entitled "The Making of a Labyrinth" as I share about a labyrinth I made recently for World Labyrinth Day. I have wanted to create a labyrinth for a long time. I have eyed my backyard and river stones for quite a while. Though I have helped build a labyrinth once with a garden hose for a retreat, I have not built one by myself. I take that back-- I have mowed partial labyrinths in my yard several times in both grass and leaves. :)
As the notion of creating a labyrinth grew inside me, I pulled up different models on my phone to get an idea of what to do. I knew I could only do a small one in the yard, so I planned to do a three circuit one. The Saturday prior to World Labyrinth Day I started. I placed rocks on the outside. Then I created the inside. I wasn't fully paying attention to what I was doing and noticed I had created a semi-heart shape. That was cool. It may not look like a heart to everyone, but it's close. (#SeeAHeartShareAHeart) Next steps were to keep going around and around. I didn't have enough rocks, so I used sticks to finish out the path. I don't know if you can tell by the pictures below where the sticks were. They were on the outside circuit.
On World Labyrinth Day, the following Saturday, I added more rocks.
The path is narrow in places, but it is walkable. There is a dip in the ground at the very beginning.
I recently mowed around it and weed-whacked the inside of the path.
Having a labyrinth in the backyard means I can walk it in the mornings with my coffee or in the evenings (often with coffee). It has allowed me to walk and pray more often. That has been good.
I don't see this labyrinth as a permanent feature, mainly because others share the back yard with me. They have been very gracious so far and haven't asked me to undo it. :)
Here are some photos of the labyrinth and the making of it. It's not perfect, but neither is the path of life. I am happy with the process and the result.
I haven't yet counted the rocks. It was a labor of love and an adventure to create this rock labyrinth.
Thanks for reading about it. :)
Debra
Here are photos of the process:
my model (top one)
how it started
next steps
Cliff enjoying the path
morning coffee
a squirrel enjoying the rock path
LINKS:
(There are MANY more links and resources out there from websites with articles and information, to videos, to books, etc.. These are just a few to get you started.)
I had a dream, a bucket list item, since I was a kid. It's an odd one, but it meant something to me. My grandfather "Papa" (Harry Guyton DeLoach) was Georgia State Forester back in the day. I heard stories of him going to Cuba to check out the pine trees and moving the Forestry Commission to Macon, GA. All my growing up life I wanted to go to the Georgia Forestry Commission in Macon. Why? Probably to connect with Papa.
Yesterday, that dream was realized.
What I didn't know is that the Georgia Forestry Commission is locked down behind fences with gates and a guard box. The guard told me one needed an appointment to get it. Oops. I had no idea what the place was like. I didn't know. We found a place to park out of the way and started calling. I called and got dispatch. I was transferred, but the call dropped and I didn't write down the number because I didn't have a writing utensil. I didn't give up though. I called back. I got someone else in dispatch and she was on site, as I was. Harper was an angel! I explained what I wanted and shared the dream of a granddaughter to visit the place that my Papa brought here from elsewhere in Georgia. She understood. She put me on hold and started calling different people. None were in their offices. Then she started on cell phones. She finally got Shanya who said she was available to escort us in. Woo hoo!
Shanya came to the gate by the guard house. I signed in with the guard and in we went. We went to the museum. I had hopes that I would find something connected to my Papa. I did. I found the dedication brochure for the Georgia Forestry Commission in 1952. His name was on that "Director Guyton DeLoach".
There were some old pictures and some of the old forestry magazines, but I don't think I saw him.
The museum was a log cabin with TONS of cool stuff inside. It was named after Director Howard E. Bennett. It had a life-size Smokey Bear, some cool hands-on educational stations and then different sections about trees, pine cones, fires and fire protection, equipment, etc. The history, the information, all of it was interesting. Then there were some old machinery in a pole barn next door. They were cool too.
The pine trees on the property near the museum were tall and majestic. There was one old pine on the ground. It had a sign near it, but I couldn't read it all. I saw some cool 'shrooms too.
Shanya told us that the property was Camp Wheeler back in the day. They occasionally find old artifacts from those days. I had seen something about Camp Wheeler in the museum, but didn't read all about it.
Papa inspired me to love nature. His home was surrounded by pine trees. He told me stories of the forestry days. He went back to being a farmer when he stopped the forestry world.
There are a few more things on my Papa dream list to accomplish. Cuba has been on my bucket list since he told me about flying there to check out the pine trees. I also want to go see him on the wall at the Georgia Forestry Hall of Fame in Athens, GA. I hope to one day accomplish both of these.
Below you will find information about the museum, the Georgia Forestry Commission, and my Papa (Harry Guyton DeLoach).
History of the Georgia Forestry Commission (PDF) [This document let me know the years my grandfather was director: "H. Guyton DeLoach was appointed State Forester in 1949 and retired in 1960."
I preached yesterday at Burks UMC. The topic and title was "Peace and Hope". The scripture was from Romans 5:1-8 (CEB).
The music by Roy Treiyer and Bradley Bee and the band were perfect for the service, as they typically are.
I knew one of the praise band songs, "Holy Spirit". The last song was new to me, but a powerful song and Bradley ended it with a "rip" on the piano. It was "Sing Wherever I Go" by We The Kingdom.
Lyrics:
All my life, all I know God's been good, good to my soul Mountain high, valley low I'm gonna sing wherever I go
Said all my life, all I know God's been good, good to my soul Mountain high, valley low I'm gonna sing wherever I go
God is for me, He's not against me I will hold to the plans He has for me When I'm broken, He will fix me I will call on the name of the Lord
Said all my life, all I know God's been good, good to my soul Mountain high, valley low I'm gonna sing wherever I go
He's my heart song in my sorrow He's my hope and my strength for tomorrow And when the storms rise all around me I will call on the name of the Lord (here we go)
All my life, all I know God's been good, good to my soul Mountain high, valley low I'm gonna sing wherever I go
Said all my life, all I know God's been good, good to my soul Mountain high, valley low I'm gonna sing wherever I go
I got joy, joy, joy Deep in my soul I will sing, sing, sing Wherever I go
All my life, all I know God's been good, good to my soul Mountain high, valley low I'm gonna sing wherever I go
All my life, all I know God's been good, good to my soul Mountain high, valley low I'm gonna sing wherever I go
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I enjoy preaching. It gives me life. It has since my first sermon in 1989. It has been a gift for me to be able to pulpit supply preach during my Voluntary Family Leave of Absence (VFLOA). My preaching averages out to almost once a month. When my schedule allows, I fill in for colleagues primarily in the UMC and the ELCA.
I have recently preached at Burks UMC three times-- Pentecost Sunday in May, a week ago in June and yesterday.
Here is yesterday's sermon. The transcript isn't always the exact version of what gets said in a service, but it is fairly close and gives you an idea. I invite you to read it, to see if anything catches your attention.
Peace!
Rev Deb
Sermon:
“Peace and Hope” Romans 5:1-8 (CEB) June 14, 2026 (3nr Sunday after Pentecost) Burks UMC
Will
you pray with me?
"God, open our hearts and minds
so we can fully receive the Truth we need to hear today. Kindle your Truth in
our hearts so others would see it revealed through our lives. Following Christ
we pray. AMEN.". (Prayer for Illumination)
As
we dig into today’s passage, here are some questions for us to consider:
·Where
do you need hope? Where do you find hope?
·Where
do you need peace? Where do you find peace?
·What
gives you hope? What gives you peace?
Verse
1 tells us that we have peace through Jesus Christ. It seems straight forward
and easy enough, doesn’t it? Yet, how do we access that peace?And before we can answer that question, maybe
we need to define what peace is.
Weekly
we pass the peace of Jesus Christ to one another in worship. What is it that we
are sharing? Jesus greeted the disciples with the expression “peace be with you”
in several Scriptures.
John
14:27—Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
John
20:19, 20—after Jesus’ resurrection, he went to the upper room where the disciples
were behind a closed door, Jesus appeared and said “Peace be with you”. He then
showed them his scars and said again, “Peace be with you.”
Jesus
is offering the disciples “peace”—tranquility and calm in times of chaos,
grief, uncertainty.
That’s
the peace we offer one another. It’s a peace that brings us together in unity,
it is a peace that shows we are reconciled to God and one another, it’s a peace
that transcends understanding.
Peace
is a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
Peace
is used in opening and closing greetings in the writings of Paul and others.
Now
that we’ve looked at what it is, how do we access it? How and where do we find
it?
Peace
begins within us, in our inner beings. When we slow down, reflect on Scripture,
engage in other spiritual practices, we can experience peace.
Breath
prayers are a way to breathe in deeply and meditate on Scripture, focus on God.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Or “Peace, be still.” Are ones that are my
go-to verses. Let’s try the breath prayer. Breathing in, say the first part: “Peace”.
Breathing out, say the 2nd part: “be still”. Take deep breaths and
repeat it a few times.
Praying
a labyrinth can give us peace as we walk in to the center praying about the
people and situations on our minds. In the center we can “be” for a moment. In
walking back out we can give thanks to God for the things that come to mind.
That time with God always gives me peace. I enjoy the labyrinth we have here at
Burks, on the back of the property. It’s easily accessible and a good place to
even sit and “be” on the benches on the outside of the labyrinth. Labyrinth
prayer walk times are a top spiritual practice for me. So much so, that for
this year’s World Labyrinth day in May, I made a labyrinth out of rocks in our
back yard. It’s small. It doesn’t take long to pray it, but it offers me peace.
my rock labyrinth in my back yard
We
will find peace as we let go of the things we cannot control.
We
can find peace in nature—whether it is a special place or listening to the
birds outside. Being in and observing nature offers us peace. It calms us.
Maybe
there is another way that you find peace. Think about that. Do it.Engage in conversation with others to find
out their peace practices.
Last
week we sang “Praise ye the Lord” together.
We
could sing “Peace like a river” (I’ve got peace like a river in my soul) and do
the motions, but we won’t. J I will admit that I enjoy the
songs from “old” and VBS.
Hope.
Hope
comes at the end of a list in today’s passage in verse 4: “Endurance produces character and character
produces hope”. The endurance mentioned is through difficult times and
situations or trouble. So, basically, hope comes to us through the hard times.
That’s counterintuitive, right? We grow in hope as we go through difficult
times. How can that be?
Perspective.
It’s about perspective. When we are going through difficult times, we can recognize
that the situation, the moment isn’t the entire picture. We can look beyond the
circumstances, we can offer gratitude for things and people in the midst of
whatever we are going through.
Noticing
a birds’ nest with eggs, seeing the first hummingbird of the season, watching
the sunrise, seeing the plants bud and bloom. These are things that can offer
us hope.
Acts
of kindness offer us hope in humanity. As we do things for others and see
others doing things for others, hope grows.
I
mentioned offering gratitude. Some people keep a gratitude journal. They write
down 1-3 things a day for which they are thankful. Think of one thing right now
for which you are grateful. Write it down. (Ask people to share.) As we reflect
on gratitude, hope can not NOT grow.
Being
in community with others offers us hope. We share our struggles and our joys
with one another.
Romans
12:12 (CEV—Contemporary English Version) Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never
stop praying.
As we practice peace and hope, we grow in peace
and hope. Not only will they become a part of us, they will overflow into the
lives of others.
As
the band comes to set up, I will share one more verse with you from Romans
15:13 that brings together today’s themes. Write down the reference. Look it up
later.
Romans
15:13--May the God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Repeat it.)
Romans
15:13--May the God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Will you pray with me?
God of peace and hope, we don’t always feel peace
or hope. However, we believe that peace and hope can be ours. Help us find ways
to live into peace and hope, to be beacons of peace of hope for others. Fill us
with the joy, peace, and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. DD 6/14/26
