Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Support independent, faith-based journalism. Donate
Search Search this site

The spiritual practice of stacking stones

OpinionJayne Hugo Davis  |  July 26, 2015

Stacking stones claims ordinary moments of life for God and invites those who pass by to notice the holy ground on which they already stand.

Davis_Jayne_ColumnTruth be told, an altar was the last thing I expected to find at the end of a long hike. We were hot and sweaty, a bit worn out from the steep climb up the cliff side of Cinque Terre and the rugged descent to the sea below. The views of the Mediterranean had been magnificent at every turn along the trail. As the colorful houses hugging the rocky shoreline in Corniglia, where we began, faded steadily from view, reminding us how far we had traveled, the emerging roof tops and bright pastel facades of Vernazza jutting out into the blue water invited us onward, assuring us that there was much yet to be discovered.

The trail ended at the main street of the village. A small park sign pointed us to go left to the beach — at least that’s what we hoped the small drawing of a sun and shoreline below a few Italian words was trying to tell us. When a few steps in that direction led us into a cave, we began to have some doubts. But the bright light of the sun piercing a hole in the dark tunnel ahead of us and the presence of other travelers around us kept our imaginations and our weary legs moving ahead for a few more minutes.

Soon the cave opening in front of us framed a picture of the small pebble beach ahead. A place to rest, to be refreshed, to rejoice that we had finally made it to our destination.

With a large boulder for our beach blanket, we sat down and took in the beauty around us. That’s when I saw it. The unexpected altar. Off to the left in an outcropping of rocks along the shore. A stack of stones sitting atop a much larger rock, like communion trays on the communion table.

Davis_Photo_RocksI don’t know who set out the first stone there at the water’s edge. Or who balanced the second or the third or the fourth stone on top of it, or why. By the time I arrived on the beach at Vernazza, the stack of large, smooth stones had clearly become a bit of holy ground for many. Small stones lie scattered around, like coins in a fountain, an enduring echo of their prayers and wishes.

Why was I so surprised to come upon such an altar in this place? Like many who followed the trail before me I had finished a journey that was difficult at times. I had been protected from harm, emerged from the darkness of a cave to an amazing picture of God’s creation, in the company of my husband, my companion on the journey for the last 27 years.

That’s why people build altars, isn’t it? To give thanks and to celebrate. To stand in awe of God and remember what God has done. To hope and to pray for what God will do.

The spiritual practice of stacking stones claims ordinary moments of life for God and invites those who pass by to notice the holy ground on which they already stand.

What markers of God’s presence are you leaving behind on the trail for those who come after you?

The spiritual practice of stacking stones:

Find three stones of decent size, somewhat flat. They don’t have to be huge. Ordinary rocks from the yard will do. Stack them someplace, maybe on your desk. Maybe in your house. As you stack them, assign each a meaning — a stone for something specific that God has done, a way that God has provided, something for which you are grateful or hopeful or struggling. Each time you notice the stack, remember what each stone stands for and offer a prayer of thanks.

And when someone comes along and asks you, “What do these stones mean?” tell them the story of what God has done.


OPINION: Views expressed in Baptist News Global columns and commentaries are solely those of the authors.
Tags:columnsOpinion
Jayne Hugo Davis
More by
Jayne Hugo Davis
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Next BNG free webinar will survey global religious issues and human rights

      News

    • ‘Postcards from Babylon’ documentary tells a better story

      Analysis

    • Christian symbols and sedition at the Capitol: The church has work to do

      Opinion

    • What should pastors do if their members helped incite the Capitol riots?

      Analysis


    Curated

    • Joanne Rogers, widow of ‘Mr. Rogers,’ dead at age 92

      Joanne Rogers, widow of ‘Mr. Rogers,’ dead at age 92

      January 15, 2021
    • Israel hopes to vaccinate Holocaust survivors to save and repay ‘treasured’ population

      Israel hopes to vaccinate Holocaust survivors to save and repay ‘treasured’ population

      January 15, 2021
    • Conspiracy theories and the ‘American Madness’ that gripped the Capitol

      Conspiracy theories and the ‘American Madness’ that gripped the Capitol

      January 15, 2021
    • Anti-Semitism seen in Capitol insurrection raises alarms

      Anti-Semitism seen in Capitol insurrection raises alarms

      January 14, 2021
    Read Next:

    Seminarian, CBF and Georgia church find fellowship together

    NewsJeff Brumley

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • In New York City, serving the homeless offered a clue for how to serve trauma victims during the pandemic

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • At Central Seminary, Durso inauguration moves to virtual platform

      NewsBNG staff

    • 10 prayers for 2021 (if we survive January)

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • Why ‘moderate’ churches fear telling it like it is

      OpinionEric Minton

    • Kentucky seminary receives Baugh Foundation grant to start Institute for Black Church Studies

      NewsPat Cole

    • American Protestants less open to sermons on race in 2020, survey finds

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • 3 current trends youth leaders need to know

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • 4 things you can do to counter the millions of Americans who are fully radicalized

      OpinionCorey Fields

    • Christian symbols and sedition at the Capitol: The church has work to do

      OpinionRhonda Abbott Blevins

    • ‘Postcards from Babylon’ documentary tells a better story

      AnalysisRick Pidcock

    • Give yourself some grace during the pandemic

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • What should pastors do if their members helped incite the Capitol riots?

      AnalysisAndrew Gardner

    • Seminarian, CBF and Georgia church find fellowship together

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Understanding the trauma and finding hope after the siege of the nation’s Capitol

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • New effort to repeal federal death penalty is beginning

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Why I long for the church of my youth

      OpinionRichard T. Hughes

    • ‘He being dead, yet speaketh’

      OpinionHarold Ivan Smith

    • Barna advice to pastors: Talk honestly about emotions and relationships

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Toxic masculinity, 24-hour news and complacency fed the Jan. 6 riots

      OpinionJohn Jay Alvaro

    • Trump administration pushes evangelical agenda through last-minute actions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Trump’s parting gift echos his immigration policies toward Africa

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • A lesson from 19th century North Carolina: Lost cause, lost opportunity

      OpinionGreg Jarrell

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Dear white Christians, are you done praying yet?

      OpinionNatasha Nedrick

    • SBC seminary presidents meet with Black pastors but don’t change position on Critical Race Theory

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • In New York City, serving the homeless offered a clue for how to serve trauma victims during the pandemic

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • At Central Seminary, Durso inauguration moves to virtual platform

      NewsBNG staff

    • Kentucky seminary receives Baugh Foundation grant to start Institute for Black Church Studies

      NewsPat Cole

    • American Protestants less open to sermons on race in 2020, survey finds

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • 3 current trends youth leaders need to know

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Seminarian, CBF and Georgia church find fellowship together

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • New effort to repeal federal death penalty is beginning

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Barna advice to pastors: Talk honestly about emotions and relationships

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Trump administration pushes evangelical agenda through last-minute actions

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Trump’s parting gift echos his immigration policies toward Africa

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • SBC seminary presidents meet with Black pastors but don’t change position on Critical Race Theory

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Q&A with Michael McMahon of the Hymn Society of North America

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Western Recorder, second oldest Baptist paper in America, to cease publication

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Letter to the Editor: No need to ‘call me back’ to my faith after supporting Trump

      NewsBNG staff

    • Clergy advocate to repeal death penalty in Virginia

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Denominational leaders denounce Capitol violence while evangelicals offer mixed responses

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • D.C. church hangs huge Black Lives Matter banners in view of Trump rally

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Pastors respond to unbelievable events at Capitol on Epiphany 2021

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Transitions for the week of 1-8-21

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Donors keep Judson College open for spring semester

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • 25 years ago this week, five Baptist churches were booted for affirming gay members

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Next BNG free webinar will survey global religious issues and human rights

      NewsBNG staff

    • With in-person disaster relief work curtailed due to COVID, Louisiana volunteers came up with a new idea

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • 10 prayers for 2021 (if we survive January)

      OpinionErich Bridges

    • Why ‘moderate’ churches fear telling it like it is

      OpinionEric Minton

    • 4 things you can do to counter the millions of Americans who are fully radicalized

      OpinionCorey Fields

    • Christian symbols and sedition at the Capitol: The church has work to do

      OpinionRhonda Abbott Blevins

    • Give yourself some grace during the pandemic

      OpinionBrett Younger

    • Understanding the trauma and finding hope after the siege of the nation’s Capitol

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Why I long for the church of my youth

      OpinionRichard T. Hughes

    • ‘He being dead, yet speaketh’

      OpinionHarold Ivan Smith

    • Toxic masculinity, 24-hour news and complacency fed the Jan. 6 riots

      OpinionJohn Jay Alvaro

    • A lesson from 19th century North Carolina: Lost cause, lost opportunity

      OpinionGreg Jarrell

    • Dear white Christians, are you done praying yet?

      OpinionNatasha Nedrick

    • I’ve been accused of sowing hate

      OpinionKim Brewer

    • It’s past time to admit the hard truths behind the Capitol riots

      OpinionWendell Griffen

    • Truth Decay: Truth is interpersonal and covenantal

      OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

    • Why resisting gaslighting in the wake of sedition is self-care

      OpinionJonathan Davis

    • Four tools the church has to recover those who followed Trump’s siren song

      OpinionMichael Chancellor

    • Let’s make America great again

      OpinionTerry Austin

    • How to become the hope of 2021

      OpinionAmber Cantorna

    • Broken churches, broken nation: Will evangelicals ‘recalculate’ or rebel?    

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • We need to call Trump Christians back to the faith they left

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Remember that Epiphany ends with Herod’s terror

      OpinionAlyssa Aldape

    • We knew there would be a reckoning for religious leaders enabling Trumpism, we just didn’t know it would be today

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Do you see Jesus as a power broker or a liberator?

      OpinionSid Smith III

    • On Epiphany, let us resolve to go on

      OpinionPaul Baxley

    • On Epiphany, tend the light of Christ with truth and love

      OpinionGeorge Mason

    • Joanne Rogers, widow of ‘Mr. Rogers,’ dead at age 92

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Israel hopes to vaccinate Holocaust survivors to save and repay ‘treasured’ population

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Conspiracy theories and the ‘American Madness’ that gripped the Capitol

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Anti-Semitism seen in Capitol insurrection raises alarms

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Most Evangelical Trump Voters Didn’t Turn on Mike Pence

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • What four strangers of different faiths learned while living together during a pandemic

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • In waning days of Trump presidency, Department of Health and Human Services undercuts religious liberty protections in new final rule

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How House chaplain calmed tense hours in besieged Capitol with prayers for ‘God’s covering’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Supreme Court wrestles with Georgia college free speech case

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How self-proclaimed ‘prophets’ from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • For insurrectionists, a violent faith brewed from nationalism, conspiracies and Jesus

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Warnock condemns Capitol rioters in post-election sermon

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • A scholar of American anti-Semitism explains the hate symbols present during the US Capitol riot

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • SBC leader Russell Moore to Trump: Time to leave. ‘People are dead’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Catholic leaders, progressive and conservative, condemn the violence at the Capitol

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pro-Trump prayer meeting filled with calls for a ‘miracle’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • With his victory, Raphael Warnock becomes a member of a select club – pastor politician

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Faith groups among those calling for Trump’s impeachment after US Capitol occupation

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Warnock, Biden wins give twin thrills to religious liberals

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • As chaos hits Capitol, two forms of faith on display

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Warnock, pastor and politician, has role models who did both

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Sharpton: Firing officer who killed Andre Hill is not enough

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • As ‘Jericho Marchers’ descend on Washington, local faith leaders brace for attacks

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • African spirituality offers Black believers ‘decolonized’ Christianity

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Warnock, pastor and politician, has role models who did both

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2021 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS