Camino Chronicles

Skip Heiney
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It all starts with a single step. The Camino Chronicles is a personal journal from the trail, where host Skip Heiney shares stories and reflections from his walk. It's about more than just "shoe-leather stuff"; it's about finding God in the unexpected, learning from the challenges of the road, and applying timeless spiritual truths to our modern lives. Let's walk the path together.

  1. 4d ago

    Be Heavenly-Minded And Earthly Good

    A challenge to reconsider what it means to be spiritually-minded, using Psalm 33:8 to reveal that awe is actually God dwelling within us. Rather than waiting for heaven to experience God, the pastor encourages listeners to recognize God's presence working through them right now, inviting Him to move in their daily lives and through them to others. --- Good morning. This is Wednesday, September the 30th, 2026, and I welcome you to today's Camino Chronicle. So let's go for a little walk today along this digital path. Just a few minutes ago, I read a post on a website called Slow Strollers on the Camino. [laughs] It's for pilgrims who choose to not go as fast as others, thus slow, [laughs] and the increased benefit that you get of meeting other people. Well, it read today, and I quote, [laughs] "Today I met some new friends, two paramedics, three nurses, and a cardiologist, [laughs] and I almost met Jesus." Close quote. [laughs] Now, I don't know the details, but I think this pilgrim had a bit of a reality check on his walk. Maybe today's Chronicle can offer that to you, but without the trauma. The phrase, "Some people are so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly good," is widely attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., the 19th century American physician and poet. The idea is, of course, that folks who are spiritual are somehow not very practical or good. And this can only be supported by an atheistic system of unbelief because if one is a believer in God Almighty, that one knows that only God is good. So to do any good requires a move of God. That move is what any of us do when we do any good at all. Now, uh, just think about this for a minute. The next time you do a good thing, any good thing, that's a move of God in you, through you, probably for someone else, because He's everywhere. To, to believe in God requires one to be heavenly-minded because [laughs] that's the believer's identity and destiny, right? We're all thinking about our destiny someday of being with the Lord in heaven. Now, all of that to say, I was sitting in my hot tub the other night. It was after dark, and everything was nice and quiet, and the stars were lit up in full glory. I mean, I was, I was even able to track a few satellites as they passed high above. Like millions before me, I stared in pure awe of the heavens. The more you look at the stars, the more curiosity you seem to get, the, the more you imagine about how it all happened, [laughs] even though you, you know that God just spoke it all into being. The earliest human stargazers had no telescopes, so the eye was all they had. But to that vision, they surely added wonder and imagination and I'm sure some awe. A, a quick study of Psalm 33:8 reads this: "Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of Him." Oh, boy. This particular Hebrew word for awe means to abide, to dwell with, or, or to inhabit. So when you feel awe in the spirit part of life, you are feeling the presence of God Almighty. And in that moment, you are so abiding with or being inhabited by the Lord God. Now, today we use the, the word awe too often to just describe a big feeling. You know, so often saying about something that it was awesome when it had nothing to do with the Lord. Well, but then again, [laughs] I suppose it could. The song Our God Is an Awesome God, it's one of my favorites because the songwriter is trying to put into words how we feel about God. He's awesome. He reigns with wisdom and power and love. [laughs] He is amazing. He is, as one old preacher says, indescribable. [laughs] I get that awesome feeling sitting in the hot tub, looking at the stars, because I realize only He could have made them. I also get the feeling when I walk in the forest, or I feel the sand beneath my toes walking along the beach because, again, I'm actually touching God's creation. I love to lose myself in worship because of the awesome closeness of God I feel as I sing, a-as if He were right there with me, even in my breath. I remember so clearly the awesomeness of God that I felt when I was standing practically at the top of Mount Hood, well, at least as far as the ski lift would take me, looking out over the lowlands below, pondering how foolish it is for anyone to think this all just happened. You know, primordial goo somehow turning into earth and us. I, I love to think about heaven, and not just because I'm getting closer, you know, because I'm getting older. I love to think about my future because I know it will be amazing and it will be awesome. Now, rather than being so caught up with tomorrow, though, uh, in such that I might be of no good to anyone today, I find that the idea that God can and does actually inhabit me now, dwell with me now, and move upon and through me now, well, it excites me. It excites me to let Him do it. I, I don't wanna hold God back in any way i- in the right now. The thought that He is using me, working not just in me, but through me to help someone else, well, people, that's just awesome. Yes. Love God with everything you've got, and then go love someone else. You know, what the Bible calls your neighbor. And I'm pretty sure you're gonna have a spiritual experience that'll get your attention, the kind of experience that'll be worth giving Him praise and thanksgiving. Oh, boy. Now, here's something you could try, even today, right, right after this podcast is over. Think about how awesome God is, and put that thought, that thought about how awesome God is, put that thought up against any other thought you might have been spending time on. You got some problems? Hmm. God is awesome. You have some pains or sickness? Okay. God is awesome. You have some emotional hurts, some offenses, uh, those time wasters we all have, right? Well, wait. God is awesome. Financial issues? God is awesome. Doubts? Even about God? Oh my goodness, people, God is awesome. That's right. Every negative that you can come up with has to surrender to the positive of God Almighty, because He is awesome, and because He is here in the now, as well as in the future heaven we look forward to. Make today an awesome day, because your awesome God wants to show you some awesome good works through you to a bunch of other people. Yeah. Today's the day, folks. Go be awesome. Go let God out to some others. Hallelujah. Pastor Skip signing out.

  2. Sep 23

    Wait with Holy Expectation

    We resist waiting, but God calls us to wait on Him with active expectation. When we learn that waiting renews our spiritual strength and opens us to revelation, it transforms from frustration into anticipation of His promises. Imagine the wings of eagles lifting your spirit as you trust that the King is coming. --- Good morning. This is Wednesday, September the 23rd, 2026, and I welcome you to today's edition of Camino Chronicles. Join me in this, this little saunter [laughs] along the path of life. You and I probably share in the experience of an uncomfortable thing called waiting. Mm-hmm. Our real-world lives move at such a pace that we just don't like to wait. We don't like to wait in lines for anything. We, we don't like to be put on hold when calling someone. We don't like traffic and endless stoplights. Now, the list goes on, and I'm sure you have your, your favorite disliked waits. As Paul says in the Book of Romans, "I want what I want when I want it." [laughs] Well, now, that's my paraphrase, but it speaks well about how I feel about waiting for what I want. Th- this business of waiting runs smack into another wall I have to climb over called patience. I don't want patience. I want what I want, [laughs] and I'd prefer it to be soon. It's interesting that the words wait, waiting, and waited are used at least 149 times in the Bible, with lots of different applications to various situations. And the words patient, patiently, and patience, they're used at least 49 times. So it- it's pretty clear there is something to pay attention to here since God's Word addresses it some 200 times. Something to wait for with even a bit of patience to, to discover something important, something that would benefit us, emphasis on that which would benefit us, which is very much something I want. So digging into God's Word provides for us an amazing discovery, th- this thing called revelation, if we hunt for it and are open to it. You see, I find that when the Lord talks to me about waiting, He isn't asking me to be passive, you know, just hanging around with no purpose. God's kind of waiting is based on us waiting on Him so that He can arrange the things of life. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up as with wings of eagles," the Bible tells us. Spiritual renewal isn't passive. It's strength building, which means it's a very active thing. Just try to imagine all the ways the metaphor wings of eagles can be applied to your life. To get places, to find food, to escape something, or just to soar. Hmm. But there's another very important thing about waiting that we need to learn and live. It's in Psalm 1:30, verses one through six, where the pilgrims who would climb the hill ascending to Jerusalem would be all the while singing songs with melodies and harmonies, with stringed instruments or horns, and surely with united voices saying, and I quote, "I wait for the Lord. I have put my hope in His word," close quotes. This is not a passive waiting. It is very proactive. This isn't hanging around half asleep waiting for stuff to change. It's almost an infantry march of your spirit. Hope is the declaration of faith, which means hope is a war word. When I realize that Jesus Christ is coming again with an incredible and, and most wonderful agenda that includes me, [laughs] that connects to my soul. It invigorates my spirit. It, it makes me want to know more about it, and it causes me to be so much more expectant a- and full of awe and even fuller of hope as my faith activates, and I begin to believe that more is possible. [laughs] Because with Jesus, all things are possible. Can I get an amen? [laughs] Oh. So for a real-life application of this, next time you're in that line waiting, remember that Jesus is at work and start thinking about His coming a- and see if the time doesn't pass more easily, hmm? The Psalm said, "I wait for the Lord," and I'm learning by experience that sometimes the waiting I have to do in traffic, for example, works out for my benefit. It keeps me from having an accident had I not waited. Okay. There are many such preventions that the Lord's guardian angels have worked out on your behalf. So I, I hope you'll be able to be a better waiter as I'm trying to learn as well, and maybe renew your spirit by being much more expectant of what lies ahead. Because, folks, the King is coming. Believe it. Be patient. But wait with holy expectation, and the time will pass by better. Wow. God bless you today as you walk through this day expecting the best. Pastor Skip out.

  3. Sep 16

    Go With Him Two

    Pastor Skip shares a personal epiphany about hearing God's voice, drawn from a four-mile walk where he waited on the Lord. Using Matthew 5:41, he encourages listeners not to quit too soon when seeking God—going the extra mile personally and spiritually to receive what He wants to say. An invitation to try the practice of taking your own quiet walk to listen. --- Good morning, everyone. This is Wednesday, September the 16th, 2026, and I welcome you to today's Camino Chronicle. That's a, a record of some thoughts I've had, you know, walking along the path of life. Sometimes words connect with other words in a unique way, like the word discovery and the word epiphany. So discovery means, of course, something that is found or found out or noticed or, or realized. I think that most of us, when making a discovery of some kind, w- we pay attention to it based upon how notable or, or how valuable the discovery is. I mean, it's just common sense that the more valuable a discovery, the more we will hunt for more of it. And then this word epiphany. It means a, a sudden intuitive perception or, or insight into the reality or the essential meaning of something, and it often includes a, a spiritual connection. Now, you and I have had lots of discoveries in our lives, and with each one, we assess the value of the thing to see if we want to find more of it. Sometimes these discoveries lead to an epiphany, that sudden knowing in our soul. For today's chronicle, I want to share with you a recent epiphany I've experienced, [laughs] and it, it's about God. I think the Lord wants us to know more about Him. I think in our inner self, He is working to draw us closer. A- and if we can shut out the noise of the world, you know, long enough to listen, then we may begin to hear what He is saying to us. When reading the Bible, we frequently come to words like this: "And the Lord said," or, "The Lord spoke to so-and-so," or in the King James, "Thus sayeth the Lord." Well, in the New Testament, as early as Matthew 3:15, Jesus is responding to John the Baptist, and it begins, and I quote, "But Jesus said such and such." Matthew 4:4, "Jesus told him." Matthew 4:7, "Jesus responded." Matthew 4:10, "Jesus told him." Matthew 4:17, "Jesus began to preach." Matthew 4:19, "Jesus called out to them." Matthew 5:2, "And he began to teach them." And by the end of Matthew 7:28, it says, "When Jesus had finished saying these things." Just consider that all these statements made by Father God means He is actually talking to people out loud. [laughs] And please discover that in the Bible, the Lord is trying to talk to you. And, and now for the consideration of epiphany, that He is trying to talk to you even when you're not reading the Bible. Y- you see, I've discovered that the Lord talks to me when I'm ready to listen. Now, He may be trying to talk to me a lot more of the time, [laughs] but when I actually make it my purpose to listen to Him, well, He speaks. Last Sunday, I began a very short mini Camino. It's just a walk down a path, and I only went a little over four miles. It w- it was a walk along a trail near my home with the purpose of having some time with Jesus, just Him and me. I had some things on my mind that I wanted to say to Him, and that didn't take very long. We'll call that a prayer. Of course, I could have prayed anywhere, anytime, but let's face it, we usually don't. Our spiritual connections seem to do better when we fine-tune the frequencies, right? When we tune into God with our full attention. Now, again, we could probably do this a lot more than we do, but, but living life a- and, and being in the world, it just, it just clogs up our senses. So I'm learning to take short Caminos where I can isolate my soul to the Spirit of God. So last Sunday, I was on the trail, alone, of course, and I got through my list of things which I had to say, and then I waited upon the Lord for Him to speak to me, and He did a bunch. So I began to make some notes so I could reflect later. And this next one is, is the one that I have for you today. I didn't get the scriptural text during my walk, so I looked it up later because I was pretty sure what he was speaking to me kind of was sourced in or came from the scriptures. Turns out it was from Matthew five, verse forty-one, which says, and I quote, "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two." Close quotes. So when I got home and I looked it up, I realized it was a teaching that Jesus was giving about several things, about revenge, about turning the other cheek, about going to court. But after those things, he said, quote, "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two." Close quotes. One of my Bible commentaries explains that this is a reference to the custom of forced service in transport by a king's courier who could demand the service of others to carry out the king's business, which could not be refused. Hmm. Okay, that's for you Bible geeks who try to connect everything to the customs of the day. All right. But what I heard the Lord saying to me was that this little camino I was on was not a small thing, and that I would benefit more from two miles than I would from only one. In other words, "Skip, don't quit too soon. Don't stop before you hear from God. Don't let the inconvenience of walking or, or the interruption of your day, [laughs] or the cares of this world choke out the Word of God to your very own soul." But part of the epiphany was that I was being compelled, not forced, but compelled. Do you see the difference? Can you think of a time when you were compelled to, to do a thing, not forced to do it? I suppose our flesh cries out and tries to compel us to do lots of things we shouldn't do. But here I am talking about being moved upon by God's Spirit. Hang on one sec. Okay, I'm back. I can control a lot of things, but not when the door knocks. I was saying that I suppose our flesh cries out and tries to compel us to do lots of things we shouldn't do. But here I'm talking about being moved upon by God's Spirit, which in itself is an epiphany. I made a total of eight notes of specific things the Lord was offering me on that short four-mile saunter. [laughs] The purpose of today's chronicle is to encourage you to try this. It's, it's a kind of a spiritual fasting from the day's events by taking a walk alone, long enough to hear from the Lord, and then making some notes as to what he says. [laughs] And if you do, I'd love to hear from you what you heard from him. The Bible tells us that we overcome, in part, by sharing our testimony, and there's a lot to overcome in these days. Oh, boy. May the Lord bless you as you follow Him. Pastor Skip out.

  4. Sep 9

    Membership Has Its Privileges And Costs

    Using country clubs and exclusive restaurants as analogies, this message explores what it really means to be part of Christ's church. Jesus paid the ultimate entry fee, but there are conditions—faith, repentance, and baptism—that open the door to incredible benefits. The speaker invites listeners to stop merely observing and start participating in this exclusive fellowship, where a deep sense of awe awaits. --- Good morning, pilgrims. This is Wednesday, September the 9th, 2026, and I welcome you to today's edition of Camino Chronicles. As we saunter along. [laughs] What a great word, saunter. It, it's just so much better than hiking, huh? [laughs] Oh my goodness. John Muir, he w- he was that famous naturalist and noted backpacker in the Sierra Mountains. He once said, and I quote, "Back in the Middle Ages, people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land. And when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would say, 'A la Sainte Terre,' which in French means to the Holy Land. And so they became known as Sainte Terrerers or Saunterers." My French isn't very good. A la Sainte Terre became Sainte Terrerers, which became in English Saunterers. [laughs] Hey, I hope you appreciate the international insights I bring to this podcast. My sauntering along recently got me to thinking about a time growing up when my dad did something I had no way to appreciate, at least not at the time. He joined a country club. Now, kids, uh, yeah, kids, teenagers even, have little understanding of what the parents [laughs] really go through, and they often have no idea of how blessed they are if, as in my case, you now have the privilege of a private golf course to play on. Now, a bit later in life, I began playing racquetball, which I just loved, and I discovered that finding a, a, a racquetball court to play on, that could be very difficult. Well, I found out that the local Elks lodge had their own private courts, which I could play on as often as I liked if I joined the Elks lodge. Hmm. I began to learn the truth of that old saying, "Membership has its privileges." Hmm. A, a couple of years ago, my oldest son took me to dinner in downtown Portland to a very exclusive restaurant to which his company had a membership. Now, this particular membership costs the company something like $800 a year, something like that, I think, for which they get the privilege of making a reservation. And then you got to pay about $200 for a single meal. Yes, membership has its privileges and its costs. Something pretty amazing happened after Jesus was raised from the dead, after he breathed the Holy Spirit upon his followers, and after he left them again via the ascension into heaven. What happened is he set up his church, a pretty exclusive membership-only group for which he paid a hefty price to establish. The account in the book of Acts chapter two speaks of how this new church began to grow, telling us a little bit about the cost of membership. To get into this group, one had to, one, believe what Peter said about Jesus. Number two, repent of your sins. Number three, turn to God. And number four, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Well then, as they joined this church, the Bible tells us that they devoted themselves to four things. Number one, the apostles' teaching. Number two, fellowship. Number three, the sharing of meals together, in- including things like communion. And number four, prayer. It then says, and I quote, "A deep sense of awe came over them all," close quotes. And what follows is almost too much to comprehend. Look it up, Acts two, 43 to 46, and you'll see how truly awesome it was. The benefits of membership, you see, they're only enjoyed by the members who participate. I never would have enjoyed the benefit of playing golf at my dad's club if he didn't pay for it and I didn't go. I never would have benefited from the easily accessible racquetball courts offered by the Elks lodge if I didn't join, you know, pay the dues, and then go. I never would have experienced the wonder of a fancy meal at an exclusive membership restaurant someone else paid for if I didn't go order a meal. Hmm I hope you are sauntering along with me here and understand the analogies. Jesus Christ [laughs] has paid for us to be able to join a very exclusive club, which He wants everyone to join, and for whom He will pay the entry fee. But there are some conditions. Uh, I wonder today how many Christians actually have a deep sense of awe, have read the membership handbook, and would rather go to church with other members versus hanging out with the pagan worldlies. Hmm. I mean, I can promise you from personal experience that private golf clubs are more fun to play, [laughs] especially after the round. I can promise you that private sports clubs are more fun than open gyms and locker rooms, huh? And I can certainly tell you that a private dining, you know, with, with all the special attention one gets, it's much better than fast food restaurants. [laughs] What the Lord Jesus is offering us is way better than what we can muster up ourselves, and He paid the bill in advance. Oh my goodness. [laughs] Yes, the Church is an exclusive membership organization with an awesome here and now experience, hmm, but an even more awesome future rollout coming, coming soon to a location near you. But it ain't free to join, and there are some conditions. The cost of admission has been paid, but you still have to meet the conditions of membership. To have faith is to believe that Jesus is Lord. One cannot deny Him and claim to be a believer. A denier is what the Bible calls an antichrist. To repent, of course, is to turn away from sin and intentionally turn to God. Well, it is by grace that God gives you the power to repent. So, so even this so-called condition is, is one the Lord walks with you and provides, if you let Him and if you're obedient. That leaves having a sense of awe, reading the Bible, and going to church. Or not. You pick. He will provide if you let Him. [laughs] Hallelujah. Let's go on a saunter today with Jesus Christ. I hope you do. Pastor Skip out.

  5. Sep 3

    Babel, AI, and the Last Hour

    Tracing a line from the Tower of Babel to modern artificial intelligence, this message explores how human ambition to be like God echoes through history. Pastor Skip shares that we are living in the "last hour" and challenges believers to be spiritually ready—not complacent—for the sudden return of Jesus Christ. --- Good morning, everyone. Welcome to today's edition of Camino Chronicles. [laughs] And may I ask you to tighten your seat belts because, well, here we go. In the book of Genesis 11:4, it says, and I quote, "Then they said, 'Come, let's build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.'" End quote. Now, wait a minute. How'd they know that God would scatter them? Let, let me know when you find that answer. Then in verse five it says, "And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men had built." Now, this tower is called the Tower of Babel, and that comes from chapter 11, verse 9. And it's that great story about how man thought he could build a city on their own, reaching to heaven, making themselves famous. [laughs] That's what they say, they wanna become famous. I mean, it's kinda all about them, isn't it? Sorta like today. The word Babel means confusion, and it was probably referring to Babylonia on the Euphrates River. But the guy named Babel was the son of Nimrod, and he came out of Noah's line. And the word Nimrod means rebellion. [laughs] Confusion and rebellion. I mean, history surely is, is repeating itself today. I, I think we should caution parents, do not name your kids Nimrod. [laughs] Okay, let's fast-forward to when the Apostle John was about to write the book we call Revelation. It was about a king who's coming. Oh, hallelujah. John tells us right from the beginning, listen to this, I quote this, "This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show his servants the events that must soon take place." Close quotes. Wow. Now, this word soon is in the New Living Translation. In the King James Version, it says these things that must shortly take place. Okay, so take a pencil and cross that out in your Bible. Cross out the word soon or quickly and write, uh, uh, not... [laughs] In the King James it doesn't say quickly. In the King James it says, "Must shortly take place." Okay, sorry. So you're gonna cross that out and you're gonna write in quickly or suddenly. A- and that's a much better translation of the Greek. It... And in fact, in both my New Living and King James translations, there's a footnote by the word soon and it says quickly or suddenly. Now, this book, this book we call Revelation, it's from an encounter that John had with an angel of God. Oh my gosh, that'll get your attention. It happened or it was written in about 96 AD on the island of Patmos. Now, this same John was in the city of Ephesus six years earlier, about 90 AD when he wrote 1 John. Listen to this, 1 John 2:18, and I quote, "Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come." Close quotes. Well, what is this last hour? Well, it, it's the time, the period of time leading up to the second coming of Jesus. It, it's the time that we're in now. So here's the timeline. And although we don't know the, the dates, we do know the seasons. First, there will be a falling away, an apostasy the Bible calls it. Huh. Do you think that's happening yet? Second, then comes the catching away of, the catching away of the believers, the, the what we call the rapture of the church spoken of in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Then the Antichrist assumes power and sits in the temple trying to be God. And there's lots of discussion here as to whether it's a literal temp- temple or a symbolic or a figurative temp- uh, figurative one. That's all okay. The fourth thing happens though, this ushers in the seven-year period of time we call the Great Tribulation. Very sad times for those who are here. Number five, then the second coming of Jesus Christ when he establishes his rule and his reign for, number six, the millennial reign, his thousand years of... of rule on Earth. And then number seven, a perfect number, come a new heaven, a new earth, new people, new conditions, new Jerusalem, new temple, new light, and new paradise. Oh, glory. Hallelujah. Praise the name of the Lord. [laughs] Back in 1 John 22, he asks, "And who is a liar?" It gives the answer. Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ, anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. And that word antichrist means a adversary. John says that every spirit that does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world, and indeed is already here. In, in 2 John, he goes on and he says, "I say this," he was speaking about that we should love one another. He says, "I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body." Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist, adversary. Okay, hold that thought for a minute. There was a movie a few years back about a kid playing a game on his computer, where he took one side and the computer took the other, and they tried to conquer one another. It was a war game, right? Well, in this story, in this movie, the computer went nuts and actually took over America's nuclear missile capability, and was about to launch attacks, nuclear rockets and missiles all over the world. There was also, uh, that movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, it was called, where a computer named Hal went [laughs] nuts and caused a lot of trouble. Right now, there's a movie in the theaters called A House of Dynamite. Wow. It's about a nuclear missile that's been launched, and it's, it's gone rogue, and it's about to wipe out Chicago. Oh, my. And all the computers are trying to talk to each other and figure out what to do. Our current fascination with artificial intelligence, AI, is stirring up all kinds of concerns, a- and rightly so, I think. [laughs] I asked a friend the other day what he thought about computers being the Antichrist, and he gave me a very scholarly re- answer. He said, "Hmm." [laughs] I said, "Maybe they," meaning computers, "will become sentient." What a great word. Sentient means having the power of perception by the senses. In, in other words, conscious. It's characterized by sensation and consciousness. Well, my friend went on to call this the singularity. What great words, sentience and singularity. [laughs] Here are the three attempts to understand singularity. You ready? Number one, a singularity is a point where normal physical mathematical rules break down, or singularity refers to a boundary where existing models fail. They fail to describe what happens next. Hmm. Or number three, and according to that all-knowing truth called Wikipedia, [laughs] singularity refers to a boundary where existing models fail to describe what happens next. I guess you can see that when computers become sentient, they will not only have the power to perceive senses and to be conscious, whatever that means, but they will also reach this thing called singularity. Oh, boy. [laughs] Okay, let me try to connect all these dots. I love this. Number one, mankind is so selfish that he will attempt anything to become like God, like building a tower to heaven or a computer system that can do anything. Number two, our technology is advancing so rapidly that we, we're even beginning to fear our own technology. Our experts don't even know if they can control it once it [laughs] reaches a certain point. And number three, dear ones, we are in the last hour. Hopefully, we're preparing for the sudden and very quick return of Jesus Christ. So the Bible tells us that we should be ready, not be asleep, not be complacent, or in Bible-ese, not be fallen away. In 2 Peter 3:8, it tells us that to the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. [laughs] In other words, time is not something that controls God, but God controls and is beyond time. The Bible words, "The day of the Lord," refer to something absolutely [laughs] fantastic, something beyond amazing, something almost beyond our ability to comprehend. Words telling us that Jesus Christ is coming back a second time to rule and to reign as a king, and that just before He arrives on Earth, He will catch away those who believe in Him, and then He'll set up His earthly kingdom. Oh, I suggest you reread the Book of Revelation, and especially pay, pay close attention to chapter one, verse three, and I quote this, "God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the Church, and He blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near." End quote. In verse 17, He then says, "Don't be afraid." Folks, a king is coming, and it's gonna be terrific for us who believe. So get ready. Fill your lamps. Trim your wicks. Don't bury your treasures. Confess your sins. Pray in the Spirit, and then listen as Jesus tells you how much He loves you. [laughs] Wow. This is Pastor Skip signing out for now. If I don't see you next Wednesday, well, either Jesus came and got me, and quickly, [laughs] and we visit together in glory. Hmm. Or hey, maybe I just get out early to meet Him. It's all good. God bless you today. Bye-bye.

  6. Aug 26

    Choosing Life Over Cynicism

    When fear creeps in, it's often a sign we've forgotten who God is. A devotional about the fear of the Lord leads to a powerful reflection on how cynicism poisons our souls and why choosing optimism through Scripture is the antidote. Deuteronomy and Philippians offer practical steps to guard your thought life. --- Good morning, everyone. This is Wednesday. It's August the 26th, 2026, and I welcome you to today's edition of Camino Chronicles, as I tell you a little bit about the path that I'm on. [laughs] First, today, I wanna share, share something fr- from just last night. It was almost midnight when I was reading in my daily devotion titled New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. And I usually read this devotional [laughs] after midnight, in the very early morning, when God's mercies are completely new for me. He was talking about the emotion of fear, which caused me to remember the famous Churchill saying, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." [laughs] But Tripp said that fear in a believer is a function of forgetfulness to the degree that you forget who God is. Hmm. A- and then he offered what he called the solution to fear, which really made me pay attention b- because I certainly want my fears to be not only relieved, but just gone. He said, "The only solution to fear is fear." What? He went on to say, "When the fear of God overwhelms and controls your heart, it protects you from the paralyzing and debilitating fear of other things," close quotes. Oh, boy. So much to ponder there. Co- could this be true? Could it be that our fears would melt away if we really feared the Lord? Even trying to understand what that means. So then he directed me to Psalm 111, and the famous text found there, and I quote, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The fear of the Lord, the awesome respect one has for God Almighty, is the beginning of wisdom. Wow. I mean, there's a whole Camino for you right there because you really do want wisdom. You do. [laughs] You crave wisdom because every day reveals to you how much you need the wisdom of God. I mean, sometimes just to get through the day. Hallelujah. God provides. May we begin to fear the Lord and thus be recipients of His wisdom. Wow. That all came upon me last night. So now, for today's previously pondered Camino Chronicle, we'll see how the two connect. We are, all of us, emotional creatures. Uh, some of us maybe more so than others [laughs] but that's probably just that some of us are more willing to display our emotions. Hmm. I don't like some of my emotions. I found myself, the other day, not just feeling but actually being cynical, and I got sort of Jesus smacked, you know, such that I had to go home a- a- and dig a bit deeper into my own soul. I looked it up bec- because I was un-- I wanted to make sure that I was, uh, understanding something correct, what, what it means to be cynical. It means distrusting or, or, or disparaging the m- the motives of some other people. The dictionary says it's showing contempt and bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic. Oh, boy. I daresay there's no shortage of stuff happening in this modern age contributing to these feelings. I m- i- i- it's, it's like a poison, and a deadly one. So we need an antidote to this poi- poison. So here comes your vaccine shot, the antidote for being cynical. You ready? The antonym for being cynical is to be optimistic. Optimistic. Of course, we all know what optimistic means. Here are some of the synonyms of optimistic: believing positively, assured, bright, buoyant, cheerful, confident, encouraged, expectant, happy, high, hopeful, hoping, idealistic, keeping the faith, merry, on cloud nine, on top of the world, positive, promising, ray of sunshine, rose-colored, sunny, trusting, ha, even to utopia. [laughs] Optimistic. Now, listen, these are all more than just words of emotion. Because they lead, follow with me here, this is so cool. These words lead to actual behaviors, not just thoughts we have from time to time, but the issue here is what we do with these thoughts. Now, I may not know where all the thoughts in my head come from, but I am surely responsible for what I do with them, you know, whether I entertain them or dismiss them. Now, other people may contribute to the thoughts in my head. So it's kind of important that I surround myself with the right kind of people. And I'm sure you've noticed that the news today, you know, whether it's radio, TV, or in print, even online, it's a big contributor to what you think about. So think about this for a minute, okay? Think about what you think about and why. Let me repeat that. I want you to spend some time today thinking about what you think about and ask yourself why you're thinking those thoughts. Ask yourself, is it doing your soul any good? And if not, why keep entertaining it? It may not be possible to tune out all the voices that are causing you to think about stuff, but you can certainly be proactive in this. You can add in some positive voices. Now, you probably already know this, but I'll give you two really good proof texts from God that speak directly to this whole business. The first comes from Deuteronomy 30, verse 19, and it says, Oh, that you would choose life. And the second proof text is Philippians 4, 8, and it says, Think on these things. Now, I recommend that you look each of these Bible verses up. Look them up and, well, think about them. Take some notes and see if your choices in life, your behaviors, line up with what God says would be beneficial to you. Deuteronomy 30, 19, Philippians 4, 8, and read the list. And then ask yourself if your behaviors are lining up with what God's Word says would be beneficial to you. In fact, you could even make a list and put it on the dashboard of your car. Other people may even see it. Look, I'm not kidding. I typed up the list from Philippians and I put a copy on my fridge. And then I made another copy and I taped it to the dashboard of my car. I'm looking forward to a better thought life as I learn to obey the words of God recorded in Deuteronomy, choosing life. I pray that the fear of the Lord would dominate your emotions today and begin opening His wisdom to your soul, even as it has been working on mine. Wow. God bless you today, Pilgrim. Pastor Skip out.

  7. Aug 20

    The Ultimate Spiritual Prevention

    This message uses a medical discussion about pre-exposure prophylaxis as a springboard to explore how Jesus serves as the ultimate spiritual preventive treatment against sin. Discover how daily practices like Bible study, prayer, and walking in the Spirit act as booster shots for your faith, protecting you from the enemy's attacks. Embrace the pilgrimage of faith and find strength in knowing that Jesus both shields and heals. --- Hey, good afternoon, everyone. This is Wednesday, August 18th, 2026, and welcome to today's edition of Camino Chronicles, those little records I, I make along the path of life, right? And you'll notice I'm coming to you late today. Instead of being 10:30, I was coming back from Seattle this morning and had a glorious drive. The sun was out. Seattle is sure a beautiful place when the sun is out. [laughs] Oh, my. So listen, this just recently happened to me, so it's, it's fresh in my mind, and I, I've been pondering how God seems to just show up everywhere. Now, of, of course, we can see Him in nature, and we, we try to comprehend all the interconnected elements of, of life on this planet, and it's amazing. The, the whole creation is connected to a- and affected by all of creation. Now, some folks just call it science, but, but clearly it is all the work of God, a- and science just discovers how God does it. But God shows up not just in the stuff of Earth. He shows up in, in everything if you're paying attention. So for example, I was driving my car the other day, and I had OPB, that's Oregon Public Radio, had that on, and a discussion came on about a certain kind of PrEP, P-R-E-P, PrEP. But this doesn't stand for preparation. This stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. Now, that's kind of a, a mouthful. Pre-exposure prophylaxis. I mean, it's, it's kinda like a vaccine such that when taken prior to an exposure, that's the pre-exposure part. So if you take this thing prior to an exposure of a very certain kind, it will, it will keep you safe or try to keep you safe from getting this particular disease, hopefully. Now, you might guess that this PrEP was talking about a sexually transmitted disease. It, it's so horrible that, that millions, if not billions of dollars have been spent to help fight it be- because so many, I mean, probably millions of people have suffered. This isn't about making a moral determination. It, it's about a medical one, a healing one. And, and one could surely say that a- all of medical practice is about healing the body or, or preventing disease if possible, and certainly not just the body, but the soul as well, the mind, and the emotions that we all have to deal with all the time. So having a PrEP, a pre-exposure prophylaxis, a preventive, would benefit us so much a- and greatly minimize the need we have to try and fix things. I mean, hey, it, it's just common sense. And I submit to you that the spiritual metaphor here should just explode in your understanding. The greatest disease in humanity is sin. Virtually all our problems are due to sin, which infects everyone, regardless of who or where. And since every human is going to be exposed ri- right from the get-go, wouldn't it make sense to have a pre-exposure prophylactic treatment? Well, certainly the cross of Jesus Christ did something supernatural for us. I mean, His blood was shed, and it provides a cleansing for those who believe in Him, cleansing of all sin, hallelujah, uh, such that the believer will not be judged and not be sentenced to eternal separation from God. [chimes] The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace and that by faith as we put our trust in Christ. But I find that I need a booster shot now and then. Uh, I need something better than just a later fix. I need a prevention. And I rejoice to discover that when I spend time with Jesus, He spends time with me. I discover that when I spend time in my Bible, it talks to my soul, and it keeps my mind in better places than when I spend all my time in worldly stuff. I discover that prayer is a better vaccine for my thought life- than reading about politics, for example. I discover that walking in the spirit of God is so much better than walking in the flesh, even though I'm such an expert at the latter and just a beginner in the former. Now, every pilgrim who starts a Camino will be confronted with discomfort, pain, and a lot of questions to the point of wanting to quit and returning to the so-called normal life. But as the pilgrim pushes on, something begins to happen on the inside. The body gets stronger. The soul begins to get victorious over all of the taunts of the enemy. Each one of us is on a pilgrimage every day. I mean, we are all on some path going somewhere. And we do have the power to stop. We have the power to change direction and to follow a newer, better path. Our faith in Jesus Christ is the best spiritual prophylactic we can use to prevent the enemy from deceiving us, tripping us up, and causing so much grief. Like that wonderful song now proclaims, I speak Jesus over everything in my life. I am protected. I am healed. In Jesus' name, I am saved. Hallelujah. But about now, as I'm talking, the voice of the enemy is shouting loud, questioning everything, pointing out all your failures, all your sins. But, dear pilgrim, the enemy of yours does not win. I've read the book. Jesus wins. And we who believe in him win. So, take your prep medicine and be pre-exposure protected. And rejoice, because taking Jesus will not only be preventive. He will absolutely fix everything in his time for your benefit. I mean, it's true. One thing about this life that we all seem to have in common is our determination to do life our way, regardless of what God says. And right at the very beginning, we did our own thing our own way, and we tried to avoid the consequences. It didn't work. It isn't working. I mean, we reap what we sow. But right now, today, each of us has the opportunity, supernaturally, to be connected to the Creator of all things, the Lord God Almighty, such that we can unburden ourselves. We can confess our sins, acknowledge them, admit them, and then rejoice in the wonderful forgiveness that he showers upon us. And we can walk down the road a better walk, a walk in faith in Jesus Christ or not. I pray today that you will choose life. Amen. God bless you this afternoon. Pastor Skip out.

  8. Aug 12

    Stop Chasing—Start Trusting

    So much of life is spent chasing after friendship, love, and commitment. But God flips the script—He's the one pursuing us with relentless love. Using the memorable slogan from a contractor's van, Pastor Skip reminds us that Jesus has never burned us, lied to us, or broken trust. The invitation is to stop running and simply trust the one who's chasing you. --- Good morning, everyone. This is Wednesday, August the 12th, 2026, and I welcome you to this edition of Camino Chronicles. [laughs] We tend to, to like those who seem to like us. For example, think back to when you went to school for the first time, and you were both anxious and excited. As you met new people, you, you checked them out a- and they checked you out, and there was sort of an emotional dance going on. What you were looking for, whether realized at the time or not, was a friend. The dance of emotions doesn't stop, of course, after the first year of school. [laughs] It seems to keep going all through life a- as we meet folks, and we always have our antenna up for meeting a friend. By the teenage years, we begin to look for more than a friend, m- maybe even a lifetime mate. Hmm. A- and many of, of us now are putting that off until the 20s and 30s, but it's still the same idea. The idea of dating is, is to see how well you dance together. I mean, do you even like each other [laughs] and that sort of thing. And then the commitment of marriage, well, that's supposed to be permanent. It, it's a- it's supposed to be able to weather all storms, and it's greatly enhanced when our spiritual lives are in sync so that we can have the benefit of God as well as each other. Well, this brings me full circle to the idea of a friend, plus a realization about love. Abraham, the faith father of the Israelites, he was so close to God that he was called a friend of God. A- and I know that the Lord wants to be our friend, your friend. He, He wants to meet you even [laughs] before your first day of school and be your friend forever. He's even seeking you out to be His friend. God is intentional about friendship, and He's committed to you. Now listen, it gets better. God so loved us that He gave His Son, Jesus, to be our Redeemer, to, to pay for our sin, as Jesus continues to pursue us every day. Now, if it is true that we tend to love those who love us, then we should really love Jesus because He so loved us first. Hmm. If you like someone who likes you, and then you fall in love with someone who is in love with you, and then you marry someone who is committed to you forever, hallelujah, as you become the very bride of Christ and inheritor of His glory, His honor, His majesty, and kingdom, oh my, it might help each of us to remember that God is pursuing us with love, not hate. He's pursuing us with love, not judgment. He's pursuing us with love. [laughs] Not much else, just love. [sighs] With, with all the-- this rolling around in my soul for the last few days, yesterday evening on my way home, I saw a work van. It was a contractor's van, and he had lettering on the side of his van with more than just his name and phone number. He had a slogan, and this slogan was designed, obviously, to get my attention and, and hopefully, uh, bring him some business. The slogan read, and I quote, "Stop chasing contractors. Start trusting one." End quote. What a tremendous slogan for a work van. "Stop chasing contractors. Start trusting one." I think that's pretty cool. It almost made me wanna have a project so I could call him. [laughs] But do you see the spiritual connection? There are so many things out there chasing us for our attention, for our time, for our money, [clears throat] even lots of things trying to keep us from a committed life of faith in Jesus Christ. Folks, there are so many things chasing you, and you've no doubt been burned in the past such that trust can be a tough thing, a tough thing these days to give trust. Y- you may have been burned by a church. You may have been burned by a pastor. You've probably been burned by a Christian friend. I get it. So trust is a big deal. But here is a truth: Jesus Christ has never burned you, nor has He ever taken advantage of you, never deceived you. He has never lied to you, and Jesus Christ has never broken trust with you. It is we who have broken trust with Him, a- and we have lots of others to blame for it, but never Jesus. So [clears throat] paint a new slogan on your soul. It could be this: "Stop chasing anything other than Jesus Christ. Start chasing Him because He is chasing you." [laughs] Amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Don't just chase after Him. Trust Him. Wow. Well, I don't know about you, but I feel better just thinking about it. May the Lord bless your day today. Pastor Skip signing out.

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About

It all starts with a single step. The Camino Chronicles is a personal journal from the trail, where host Skip Heiney shares stories and reflections from his walk. It's about more than just "shoe-leather stuff"; it's about finding God in the unexpected, learning from the challenges of the road, and applying timeless spiritual truths to our modern lives. Let's walk the path together.

Information

  • Creator
    Skip Heiney
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Skip Heiney
  • Show Website
    Camino Chronicles