New Horizons on the Road: What's Growing at Saintly Journeys

There is a passage in the Gospel of John that has always moved me — two disciples following Jesus down a dusty road, and Jesus turning to ask them: What are you looking for? They don't have a tidy answer. They ask instead if they can come along. And He says simply: Come and you will see. That invitation is the heartbeat of everything happening at Saintly Journeys right now. 

This ministry is growing — not because it has all the answers, but because the road is wide enough for everyone who is still walking, still seeking, still asking.

There is much to share with you today. I want to walk you through each one with care, because each of these things matters — and each of them belongs to you as much as it belongs to this ministry.

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I. A New Home for Formation

One of the most exciting developments here at Saintly Journeys is the launch of a dedicated home for all of our formation training and study courses. We are in the process of moving everything — every Vineyard course, every Mentor Formation guide, every structured study — to a brand-new destination: www.saintlyjourneysfomationcenter.com.

Stay connected here at SaintlyJourneys.com for the official launch date announcement — it's coming soon.

This is a significant step. Having a dedicated space for formation work means that seekers who come looking for a course will find exactly what they need, without distraction. And it means this site, SaintlyJourneys.com, can remain what it was always meant to be: the front porch — the place where the conversation begins and the road opens up.

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II. Who We Are: The Door Is Always Open

Saintly Journeys Ministry was founded on a conviction that the invitation of Jesus Christ belongs to everyone — not just those who grew up in the right church, carry the right credentials, or have the right answers. The road is open. The door is always open. And the only requirement to walk through it is the willingness to come.

Whether you come from a non-denominational congregation, a Protestant tradition, a Catholic parish, or no church background at all — you are exactly the kind of person this ministry was built for.

Saintly Journeys does not ask you to change your tradition before you arrive. It simply walks with you wherever the road leads. This is not a parish ministry. It is not a denominational program. It is a companion ministry — rooted in Scripture, shaped by the Come & See spirit of John 1:39, and committed to the conviction that every seeker deserves someone willing to walk alongside them on the road toward Jesus Christ.

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III. The Root Ministry: The Vine from Which Every Branch Grows

Saintly Journeys Ministry is The Root Ministry — the vine. It is the parent from which every branch draws its life. Founded in July 2024 and registered as a Soul Center with the Christian Leaders Alliance, Saintly Journeys Ministry exists for a single, unwavering purpose: to walk with people on the road toward Jesus Christ.

The ministry is lay-led, digitally rooted, and ecumenically welcoming. It is not a parish program, a diocesan initiative, or a theological institution. It is a companion ministry — one man answering one call, walking alongside everyone God sends his way, from the first-time seeker to the lifelong believer who has hit a wall of silence.

Everything that grows from this ministry — the blog, the Formation Center, the Substack, the Men of the Vineyard brotherhood — draws its life from this one root. The branches are many. The vine is one.

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IV. The Pilgrim's Year: A Sacred Calendar for Every Pilgrim

I have heard it from so many of you: I want structure in my prayer life. I want to know what to read, when to read it, and how to let it actually form me — not just inform me. That longing is holy, and it deserved a real answer.

The Catholic tradition has long used a three-year lectionary cycle that moves through the Gospels and marks the great seasons of the year. I prayed over that structure, sat with it, and heard a quiet question rise up: Why not create something like that — but open to every pilgrim? And so, The Pilgrim's Year was born.

The Pilgrim's Year is a three-year cycle of gospel readings organized around five seasons of the soul's journey with Christ. Drawing from the Come & See architecture of John 1:39, the transforming walk of the Emmaus Road, and the Vineyard imagery at the heart of this ministry, the Pilgrim's Year invites every pilgrim — Catholic, Protestant, and seeker alike — into an unhurried, formational encounter with the Living Word.

The five seasons are: Awakening, Encounter, Formation, Mission, and The Fallow.

Each year follows a primary Gospel evangelist while weaving all four Gospels through the seasons. The readings are not merely texts to study — they are roads to walk, chosen to move souls from awakening all the way through to the holy rest of the Fallow, before the cycle begins again. More details on The Pilgrim's Year are coming soon.

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V. Our Patron Saint: St. Philip the Apostle

Every ministry that carries a name also carries a spirit. The spirit of Saintly Journeys Ministry is found in four words across two verses. The first was spoken by Jesus: Come and you will see (John 1:39). The second was spoken by Philip: Come and see (John 1:46).

Philip heard the invitation, believed it immediately, and passed it on — word for word — to a skeptic who doubted whether anything good could come from where Jesus came from. Philip did not argue with Nathanael. He did not present a theological defense or marshal his evidence. He simply said: Come and see. Three words. An open door. A trust that what Nathanael would find at the end of the road would be worth the journey.

That is what Saintly Journeys Ministry says to every seeker, every day. Philip spoke these words first. They are his — and because they are his, the ministry that carries them also carries him.

It is a joy and a grace to name St. Philip the Apostle as the Patron Saint of Saintly Journeys Ministry. May he walk with us on this road, and may every pilgrim we accompany find, at the end of it, exactly what Philip promised Nathanael would be there.

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Thank you for walking this road with us. More is coming — and the best of it is still ahead. Stay connected here at SaintlyJourneys.com, watch for the Formation Center launch, and as always: you are welcome here, exactly as you are.

In the Come & See spirit, Randy Lay Evangelist, Saintly Journeys Ministry

Week 6: Finding Gratitude

 Psalm 100 - “We Are His People, the Sheep of His Pasture" 

 Read this slowly: 

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the lands! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD is God! It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name! For the LORD is good; his merciful love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

REFLECT (Reread it): 

 • This is a psalm of pure joy and gratitude. Even if you're beginning to pray, there are things to be grateful for. 

 • What does “make a joyful noise" mean to you? Does joy in prayer feel natural or awkward? 

 • “It is he that made us, and we are his." How does it feel to hear that you belong to God? Comforting? Strange? Hard to believe? 

 • “Enter his gates with thanksgiving." What are you genuinely grateful for right now—even in the midst of struggle?

 • This psalm was sung by people entering the Temple—coming home to worship. Where is "home" for you spiritually? Have you found it yet, or are you still searching?

RESPOND (Talk to God):

If you're feeling grateful: Tell God specifically what you're thankful for. Make a list—out loud or in your heart. Your health, family, and home. A friend who showed up when you needed them. The fact that you're here, praying, seeking. 

If you're struggling to feel grateful: That's okay. Be honest: “God, this psalm is about joy, but I don't feel joyful right now." “I want to be thankful; God can handle your honesty. Bring what you have, even if it's not overflowing gratitude. But I'm struggling. Help me see what's good." 

 If you're feeling like you don't belong: Tell Him: “The sheep imagery is nice, but I don't feel part of the flock." God meets you in that honesty, too.

Now, simply rest. 

 You don't need more words. You don't need to produce insights or feelings. Just sit in reality: 

 • You were made by God 

 • You belong to God 

 • God's merciful love endures forever 

 • God is faithful 

 Repeat quietly in your heart (or out loud): 

 "The LORD is good." 

 "His merciful love endures forever." 

 "I am his."

A Prayer for Week 6

Lord, After six weeks of seeking, questioning, listening, and learning, I come to this final psalm with whatever gratitude I can muster. 

Some days, thanksgiving flows easily. Other days, I have to search for it. 

 Help me to know—really know—that I belong. That I'm not an accident. That You made me, and I'm Yours. 

 Thank You for meeting me in these ancient words. 

Thank You for being patient with my questions. Thank You for Your merciful love that endures even when my faith wavers. 

 Teach me to make a joyful noise—imperfect, unrehearsed, but genuine. 

 Teach me to enter Your gates with thanksgiving, recognizing that gratitude is the path home. 

 And most of all, help me remember: I'm Your sheep, and You're my shepherd. 

 I don't have to find the way on my own. I just have to follow Your voice. 

 Thank You for these six weeks. Thank You for this journey. 

Thank You for meeting me here. 

 Amen

Week 3: Being Honest

Psalm 13: “How Long, O Lord?” 

 Read this slowly: 

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me for ever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him"; lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 

But I have trusted in your merciful love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me. 

REFLECT (Reread it):

• This psalm starts with raw, honest questions. Four times: "How long?" The psalmist is frustrated, maybe even angry. 

• Notice that the psalmist doesn't pretend to have it all together. Prayer isn't about being polite—it's about being real. 

• "How long must I bear pain in my soul?" If you've felt this, you're not alone. This is in the Bible. 

• The psalm ends with trust, but it starts with struggle. That's okay. You don't have to skip to the happy ending. 

• The struggles aren't obstacles to prayer; they're the raw material of it. Bringing your struggle to God's conversation is essential because it's the root of change and growth. When you name what's actually weighing on you—when you stop performing spiritually and start being real—you create the conditions for God to meet you where you are, not where you think you should be. You can't be transformed by a conversation you're not actually having. 

• So when you sit down with Scripture, don't sanitize your prayer. Bring the mess. God's not afraid of it. The psalm ends with trust because it started with struggle. That's where the Holy Spirit does His work.

RESPOND (Talk to God): 

 Ask God your "How long?" questions. How long will this loneliness last? How long until things get better? How long will I feel lost? Don't edit yourself. God can handle your questions. 

REST: You don't need to resolve everything. Sit with your questions. God is big enough to hold them with you.

Week 2: Finding Peace

 Psalm 46: “Be Still, and Know That I Am God" 

 Read this slowly: 

 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

Therefore, we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea. Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her right early. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah 

Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, he burns the chariots with fire! "Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth!" The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah 

 REFLECT (Reread it): • "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Not distant. Not absent. Present. • The imagery is chaotic: earth changing, mountains shaking, waters roaring. Life can feel like that. • But then: "Be still and know that I am God." In the chaos, there's an invitation to stillness. • You don't have to create the stillness yourself. It's a gift God offers. 

 RESPOND (Talk to God): What feels chaotic in your life right now? What mountains are shaking? Talk to God about the turmoil. Then ask Him to help you be still, even for just a few minutes. 

 REST: Repeat quietly to yourself: "Be still and know that I am God." Let your breathing slow. You don't have to fix anything right now. Just be still. "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - Psalm 145:18

Coming Soon: A Gentle Introduction to Prayer Through the Psalms

Six weeks. Six themes. One ancient prayer book that still speaks today.

If you've ever wanted to learn how to pray but didn't know where to start, this guide is for you.

Next week, I'm launching a free six-week prayer guide designed specifically for seekers and beginners—people who are curious about prayer but intimidated by religious language, unsure of the "right" way to do it, or simply looking for a gentle entry point into the spiritual life.

What Makes This Different?

This isn't a program that assumes you already know the vocabulary or have years of church experience. It's designed to meet you exactly where you are, with no prerequisites and no expectations.

Each week focuses on one accessible theme:

Week 1: Taking the First Step – Starting a prayer practice when you're not sure how
Week 2: Finding Peace – Learning to quiet your mind and heart
Week 3: Being Honest – Discovering that God can handle your real feelings
Week 4: Experiencing Wonder – Opening your eyes to beauty and awe
Week 5: Asking for Help – Bringing your actual needs to prayer
Week 6: Finding Gratitude – Cultivating thankfulness as a way of life

Why the Psalms?

The Book of Psalms has been called the prayer book of the Bible—and for good reason. These ancient prayers express every human emotion: joy, anger, fear, gratitude, confusion, and hope. They've been prayed by Jews and Christians for thousands of years, by people in every circumstance imaginable.

What makes them perfect for beginners? They're honest. Raw. Real. They don't ask you to pretend everything is fine or to use language that doesn't feel like your own. They teach us that prayer isn't about performing for God—it's about showing up authentically.

What You'll Need

• 15-20 minutes a few times each week
• An open heart and a willingness to try
• No religious background required

That's it. No theological degree. No fancy prayer language. Just you and a centuries-old conversation with the Divine.

A Personal Note

I know what it's like to feel like prayer is for "other people"—people who are more spiritual, more religious, more practiced. But prayer isn't about getting it right. It's about showing up honestly, wherever you are on your journey.

This guide is my way of extending a simple invitation: Come and see. Try it for six weeks. See what happens when you give yourself permission to pray in a way that feels authentic to you.

Mark Your Calendar

The free downloadable guide launches next week. Watch this space for the announcement, and feel free to share this with anyone who might be curious about taking their first steps into prayer.

Sometimes the most profound journeys begin with the simplest invitation.

Are you ready to take the first step?

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Want to be notified the moment the guide launches? Drop a comment below or make sure you're subscribed to receive updates from Saintly Journeys.

Want to Pray But Don't Know Where to Start?

Have you ever wanted to pray but didn't know where to start?

Maybe you've tried praying before but felt like you were doing it "wrong." Or you're genuinely curious about faith but don't know how to take that first step. Or perhaps you grew up praying but somehow stopped along the way, and now it feels awkward—even a little embarrassing—to start again.

I get it. Prayer can feel intimidating.

For years, I knew about prayer. I'd heard of various prayer practices, including something called Lectio Divina, which kept coming up in Catholic circles. But honestly? I had no real idea what it actually was or how to do it. It sounded mysterious, maybe even a little complicated—like something for monks or "serious" Catholics, not regular people like me.

Then came January 2021. My wife and I spent a couple of months in Florida during the winter—kind of testing out what would become our new home. I came across an online Lenten retreat offered by the Diocese of St. Petersburg: "Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina."

That retreat changed everything for me. This ancient prayer practice—one that seemed so mysterious before—suddenly made complete sense. It wasn't complicated at all. It was just a beautiful, simple way to let Scripture speak directly to your heart.

Over the next couple of weeks, I want to share this practice with you. Whether you're a complete beginner to prayer or someone who's been at it for years but feels stuck, I think you'll find something life-giving here.

Let me show you how to start. 

Follow and stay tuned more to come.

#Prayer #Spirituality #Faith #CatholicFaith #Seeking