Greetings in the name of the ONE who is “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed” (I Peter 2:8). But unto us who believe, HE IS PRECIOUS. For, the stone which was rejected by the builders is made the chief cornerstone (I Peter 2:6-7).

Christians often quote Psalm 118:24, sometimes flippantly or as a cliché. This verse has been set to song, and we often apply it to our present moment in time. Yes, every day is a gift from God, and we should rejoice and be glad in it! Amen. However, the greater context of this verse is far more profound. Here the Psalmist speaks of a SPECIFIC DAY, one ordained of the LORD: a day He has made, a day that cannot be annulled or altered. It is the DAY that the stone rejected by the builders is made the chief cornerstone (Psalm 118:22). That day, my friends, is the day when the Messiah returns to set up His Kingdom, to rule and to reign upon the Throne of David as the King of Israel and over the whole earth. It is on this day that the Messiah long rejected by the people of Israel is made their chief cornerstone. One day, Israel will wake up (Romans 11:26). One day, the nation will recognize her great transgression, and she will call for the true Messiah to come and rescue her from destruction (Hosea 5:15). And He will! It is His Resurrection from the dead that guarantees these future things so and certain. And we, Gentile Christians, can rejoice and be glad in this future day, for we shall rule and reign with Him (II Timothy 2:12, Revelation 20:6). And because by THIS DAY, God keeps His promises made to the people of Israel, we can most certainly trust Him to keep His promises made to us, His Church, namely: “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The day spoken of in Psalm 118 is a future day, and because of that certain future day, we can rejoice and be glad in every day leading up to it.

I often think about THIS PARTICULAR FUTURE DAY that the LORD hath made as I continue my walk across America. It is the hope of this future day that helps motivate me to put one foot in front of another. As I said to some folks on the side of the road just last week: “We don’t need another President or Trump 2024. We need a King to rule and to reign in righteousness, and that King is soon coming!”

Thanks to all who have prayed and supported us in this long walk: a work of faith, a labor of love, and a patience of hope. Heretofore, my daughter Bethany and I have walked approximately 385 miles from Cape Hatteras on North Carolina’s Outer Banks all the way to the junction of US Hwy 64 and Moons Chapel Road in Chatham County, smack dab in the middle of the state. It can thus be said that together we have walked HALFWAY ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA—along paved roads, dirt roads, fire roads, railroad tracks, National Forest trails, and even via two passenger ferries across open water. I praise God for my wife and my other children who walked with us for a whole week, for Carter Phillips (one of our former Team Yeshua volunteers) who took off work to come alongside and help for two whole weeks, and for Eric Trent who was with us last week and will be more so in the coming months as the Israeli backpackers aren’t traveling these days and Peru and Colombia are locked back down tight.

Along these byways and hedges, there have been at least 250 Gospel encounters: whites, blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, rich, poor, middle class, Democrat, and Republican. We have preached on some small town street corners, and at last 14 copies of God’s Word have been freely received as the only solution to our wicked nation’s grave spiritual problem. As far as I can remember, only two people have rejected a Gospel tract along the way. Moreover, I have yet to talk with a single person of any stripe or political persuasion who does not agree that America is in BIG TROUBLE when confronted with that reality. That’s a good thing, but NOT for those in power. All along the way, I am reminded of the words of the King to His servant in Jesus’ parable about the marriage supper: “Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage” (Matthew 22:9). That, my friends, is exactly what we are laboring to do.

Back on the very first day of this walk, it was blustery and a bit cold out on Hatteras Island. About two miles down the path from starting line at the original location of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, I recall STUMBLING as I stepped up onto a grassy berm and then back down into the sand. I was nursing an injured knee at the time, and it literally buckled under my weight. I remember the pain, and I remember thinking that if I wasn’t careful, there would be no long walk across America. By God’s grace, my knee has greatly improved since that day. This past week, we walked about 86 miles, and for the first time, I didn’t need to wear my knee brace. Many thanks to all who have prayed for healing.

About 80 miles later, I recall another BAD STUMBLE. I opted to use the Neusiock Trail as a roundabout route through the Croatan National Forest instead of walking a straight-shot busy highway through Havelock. What we stumbled into was a mess of swamp, mud, overgrown foliage, and frustration. I guess folks don’t hike that middle section very much.

Way on down the road in the little town of Comfort, North Carolina, I literally STUMBLED and dropped the cross. In my last update, I spoke of how I found comfort in Comfort as a lady who saw the cross fall brought out a bottle of cold and refreshing ice-water.

So yes, there have been some stumbles along the way. And like that grassy berm near Cape Hatteras and the black mud of the Neusiock, the STONE rejected by the builders who is made the chief cornerstone . . . He, too, is a STUMBLINGBLOCK in the path, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence” (I Peter 2:8). I love the Greek word rightly translated “offence” in this passage—SCANDALON. It’s the root of our English word scandal. The Lord Jesus Christ truly is a SCANDALON to both Jew and Gentile: a stumblingblock, a scandal, a snare, the moveable stick that triggers a trap. He is the TRUTH that offends us one and all, the only means whereby we can be made right with our Maker. Jesus Christ the Messiah is the ONLY WAY that leads to life. And that is how we must preach Him in these dark days. It serves no purpose in a wicked nation to present the Messiah as something we can just step over, walk around, or simply acknowledge. For He is none of these things. He is a rock of offense, and the choice is simple: We can either fall upon Him and be broken, just like that cross that fell down in the road when I stumbled in Comfort, or He will fall upon us and grind us to powder. Hey, I didn’t say it . . . Jesus Himself did:

“Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Matthew 21:42-44).”

There’s an old song by Michael Card that I love. It speaks of the Messiah as the STUBBORN SCANDALON. And all who come His way must be offended.

If the preaching of the Cross does not offend, then are we preaching the Messiah as He is in truth? I think about this a lot as I walk down the road. And, I have made it a point NOT to mince words and NOT beat around the bush when confronting folks in my path with the wickedness of America and Jesus Christ the Messiah, the only escape from the coming judgment. It serves no purpose to speak of America’s sin as a little thing or to speak of Jesus as a little thing in the path one can just step over or around. Back in the early days of Full Proof Gospel Ministries, when I was riding a bicycle across America, we used to describe our ministry strategy thus: Making the Gospel of Jesus Christ an UNAVOIDABLE ISSUE for as many people as possible. We make the Messiah an unavoidable issue when we preach Him as He is, a stumblingblock and a rock of offense. When we declare Him to both Jew and Gentile as the ONLY WAY to escape God’s wrath and judgment, He becomes at once to the hearer an unavoidable issue. As I have said more than a few times in Spanish to Hispanic folks along my walking route, including a father and son who were trying to get their mower started: “La esperanza es en Cristo. No hay otra esperanza.”

My friends, a stumble isn’t always a bad thing. For those of us who stumble at the stumblingstone and are broken, that stumblingstone becomes at once PRECIOUS (I Peter 2:6). And, those of us who believe upon Him need not make haste (Isaiah 28:16) or be confounded (I Peter 2:6, the fruit of haste). Hallelujah!

So yes, I have stumbled a few times during the first 385 miles of this long walk. I have also STUMBLED INTO a few things and STUMBLED UPON a few things. And none of this has proved cause for complaint or regret.

Interestingly, this walk has caused me to stumble into a reality quite opposite of what is conveyed by the wicked mainstream news media (the largest and most well-funded terrorist organization in the whole world) and our wicked government. The people of this country KNOW we are in big trouble. I don’t have to argue with them about this. They KNOW a payday is coming. As mentioned above, I have spoken to many folks of many different stripes and persuasions. About America being in big trouble I have yet to encounter any real disagreement. My friends, that is a good thing. And it means there exists an incredible opportunity to preach the Gospel, even if it means openly defying a tyrannical government to do so. When people know there is a BIG PROBLEM, there is no better occasion to declare the only really solution.

There is another reality I have stumbled upon, a good thing and yet concerning. Most people aren’t wearing masks and playing all the CDC games because they fear a virus with a 99.7% survival rate. They do these things because they fear sticking out like a sore thumb or fear getting into some sort of trouble. And how do I know this? It’s simple. I am a complete stranger to those who see me walking down their streets. They don’t know who I am or where I have been. I have spoken to many folks in their front yards, at their mailboxes, or simply crossing their paths. And I have encountered folks of different colors, political persuasions, and socio-economic levels. People will talk to me. They are mostly friendly and sociable. They will shake my hand. They will stand within six feet of me as I explain what I am doing. Some will offer me refreshment. Some have insisted I take a few bucks to get a cup of coffee or something to eat. Some have even asked for a picture while putting their arm around me. They will receive Gospel tracts or Bibles from my hands. Now, I have seen a lot of masks on my walking route, but nearly all of these are lying on the side of the road. I think maybe three people we have spoken to were wearing a mask. Two of these were the father and son in the photo above, but the dad took his off during the conversation. And, he shook my hand before I left. The only other, I recall, was a teenager coming out of a building. All of this tells me two things. People don’t believe all the CDC fear pornography. Yet, they play along when in public because they fear their authoritarian taskmasters. Such is a very precarious place for us to be as a republic. It can’t last. I really am sick of all the dirty masks littering North Carolina byways. I see them every day. It’s sheer profundity. The environmentalists who claim to love the earth are the ones who push the Covid-19 fear porn and the masks the loudest, and it is the masks they love that now litter the earth they claim to care about. Some blunt words of Jesus come immediately to mind: “Ye hypocrites” (Matthew 15:7).

There have been a few PLACES we have stumbled into unexpectedly. In a previous update, Pounding the Pavement, I spoke of the small predominantly black community of North River and how I will never forget it. Many miles later, we also stumbled into Greenevers, North Carolina. This predominately black rural community in Duplin County was established in 1969 by the North Carolina General Assembly. Some would say we should have steered clear from that place. Some would say it wasn’t safe. But when folks say such things, it just makes me want to go check things out and see what divine appointments the LORD has in store.

I remember when I rode a bicycle across the United States about 18 years ago. Folks in South Dakota warned me about riding through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. “It’s very dangerous,” they would say. That reservation is pretty large, and because I was riding in that general direction, it would have involved many extra miles to go around, and I simply wasn’t willing to do that. What Jamie and I found through Pine Ridge, however, was the opposite of what we had been told. Oh yeah, there was plenty of drunkenness and drugs, and the place was pretty run down . . . but we had an open door to preach the Gospel. And folks were nothing but friendly toward us. A local pastor even put us up in his home, and I got to preach Christ to some teenagers outside a night basketball tournament. So, contrary to what I had been told, the ride through Pine Ridge Reservation proved a memorable chapter of that epic journey.

The same can be said of Greenevers on this long walk. Like North River, it proved a special chapter. There were many conversations with folks; Gospel tracts went out; and we met BJ who was very open and gladly received a Bible. I actually encouraged Bethany and Carter to walk up to a group of young people hanging out in their driveway. They looked a bit thuggish and seemed up to no good. I watched from a distance in case there was trouble. There was no trouble. Antonio from New York and his friends were nice and took Gospel tracts. So I must admit, we expected little when we approached Greenevers. We walked out of town with much about which we could rejoice.

Wow, time would fail me to speak of all the other interesting and unexpected places we have stumbled into—Johnsontown, Tomahawk, Tarheel, Rennert, the High Octane coffee shop in Aberdeen, a creepy abandoned prison and tuberculosis sanatorium off old NC Hwy 211, the Devils Tramping Ground in Chatham County, and Harpers Crossroads. With regard to the latter, it was cold and rainy this past Saturday. From the junction of Ronald Scott Road and NC Hwy 902, we wanted to at least make the 16 miles up to US Hwy 64, a good spot to resume this week. We didn’t expect many encounters, if at all, because of the weather and the nature of the backroads. Bethany and Eric started things off for the morning, and only about half a mile into their walk, they came upon Harpers Crossroads. It was simply a five-point intersection with a fuel station/grill and a garage. Outside the fuel station, however, there was a group of folks, mostly good ‘ole boys, standing and conversing, perhaps a Saturday morning tradition in that place. Eric approached and began to address the group about America’s impending doom and the Gospel as our only hope. No one objected, mocked, or laughed. Instead, they all listened humbly and took Gospel tracts. Dana, who was managing the adjacent grill, was in that group and afterwards insisted that Bethany and Eric come inside and get themselves something to drink out of the soda fountain. So right off the bat on a rainy day, we stumbled into an unexpected opportunity to preach in an unexpected place and left with an unexpected blessing. We only had one other encounter last Saturday, but Harpers Crossroads was truly memorable.

There have been some PEOPLE we have stumbled upon unexpectedly. Quite a few walking miles back, I found myself pacing down Lyman Road in Duplin County. I had pedaled that same rural road in 2003 when Jamie was pregnant with Bethany and I had just started that long ride across America. There were some severe thunderstorms that day; we only had one cell phone; and I got lost and separated from my wife in the SAG (i.e. Support and Gear) vehicle. A stranger helped Jamie find the trailer where we would be staying that night, and he went out to search for me in the storm. He found me and guided me to my wife. We were so grateful.

Back on Lyman Road in 2021, I actually ran into this same kind “stranger.” Actually, Bethany and Carter ran into him. I walked up with the cross as they were sitting in the SAG vehicle talking to someone in a van. I hollered, “Mr. Doug is that you? 18 years ago you helped me and my wife when I was pedaling a bicycle across America. Now I am walking across America. And that pretty young lady you are talking to was in my wife’s belly when you helped her find me that day. 18 years ago we had a serious talk about the Lord. And we are going to so the same again.” We spent a good hour with this man, and I gave him a leather pocket Bible to keep with him in his truck. I exhorted him to seek out of the Book of the Lord and read any free moment that he has. That man has had two strokes and three heart attacks since we met all those years ago. I said, “My friend, God has been very merciful to you. It’s time to get serious about the Lord.” Please pray for Mr. Doug. He said he had been telling someone about our encounter all those years ago just a few days before. He totally remembered us. Isn’t it funny how things like that work? I marvel at God’s Divine Hand of Providence.

In Moore County, I stumbled upon an old high school friend that I hadn’t seen or spoken to in 27 years! He and his family opened their beautiful home to us for two nights and showed us a level of hospitality that would put a lot of Christian pastors (who are supposed to be “given to hospitality”—I Timothy 3:2) in America to shame. We were so blessed, and I trust they were as well.

Twice, I have stumbled upon folks in their vehicles when I thought there would be trouble. Both times, I had my hand on my pistol and was ready to skin it (yes, this walking preacher is packing heat). I’ll spare you all the details and reasons why these encounters had the look of trouble. Suffice it to say that when a vehicle passes me, stops dead in the road, and then starts backing up at a high speed with little regard for any oncoming traffic, it looks like trouble. When a beaten-up old vehicle with cigarette smoke pouring out of the cracked windows approaches late in the evening in a sketchy community at drive-by-shooting speed, it looks like trouble. In both cases, however, I was pleasantly surprised and blessed. After a big truck with dark windows came to a sudden halt out of high-speed reverse, the window slowly started down. I reached for my pistol, but out the window came a hand holding two cold energy drinks, the high-dollar kind. This man man and his wife simply wanted to bless me with something to drink and appreciated what I was doing. I gave them Gospel tracts and made sure to tell them what the Bible says about those who give a disciple of Jesus Christ something cold to drink. These will in no wise lose their reward (Mark 9:41).

Later that same day, as it was getting dark, the window slowly rolled down on an old car creeping at drive-by speed. Again, I reached for my pistol. The rough-looking man stared at me for a few seconds and then asked: “Are you walking for JESUS?” I replied, “As a matter of fact I am sir.” He exclaimed: “Praise the LORD. That is just great. Thank you for what you are doing.” He and the girl inside took Gospel tracts. I guess you just never know who you might stumble upon and to whom you might prove a great encouragement. These unexpected encounters brought to mind Jesus’ warning in John 7:24: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Late another afternoon, I was in Robeson County and getting close to the Hoke County line. I ran into two Lumbee gentlemen in a large ATV beside the highway. It turned out to be a father and son, and the son had been involved in ministry for a number years. He had attended a Lumbee Bible College just down the road. We talked a bit about the mess that is the United States, and then that preacher warned me:

“If God has told you to walk across America, make sure you do what the LORD has told you to do and don’t get distracted or stray from the path. Do you remember that old man of God who was told by the Lord to go preach against idolatry in Israel and was told not to turn aside or even stop to eat or lodge along the way? Don't be like that man who didn’t do what God told him to do and was eaten by a lion.”

In those moments, I thought about how most Christians aren’t even aware of that obscure but very relevant story in I Kings 13. If anything, it was immediately apparent that this Lumbee preacher knew his Bible, and I needed to listen up. He kindly exhorted me that afternoon, and the LORD truly used it to convict and strengthen my resolve. The essence of loving one’s neighbor as himself is telling him what he NEEDS to hear, not necessarily what he wants to hear. Go see for yourself in the context of Leviticus 19:18, the very verse Jesus cites when He sums up the second table of the Law in Matthew 22:39.

I walked away praising God for that preacher in my path. Not far down the road, I passed the old Bible college he had once attended. I smiled when I saw the name on the side of one of the academic buildings, a subtle tribute to the prince of preachers.

Again, time fails me to give testimony of all the interesting people we have stumbled upon—old friends and new, strange folks, friendly folks, folks open to the Gospel, and a whole bunch of folks who know this country is in BIG TROUBLE. They don’t need a crazy, wild-eyed walking preacher to tell them.

I’ve mentioned PLACES we have STUMBLED INTO and some PEOPLE we have STUMBLED UPON. Indulge me a few more minutes, for there has also been a strange PHENOMENON we have STUMBLED OVER at least three different times. The same kind stranger from 2003 pictured above with Jamie and his huge red angus bulls still has a herd of those beautiful creatures today. After bidding him farewell on Lyman Road, I continued my walk and eventually passed his field, a real deja-vu moment. Far off in the distance I saw those Red Angus on the edge of the woods. Suddenly, they started running toward me, lowing and groaning at a strangely high volume. The whole herd ran up to the fence as if to watch the preacher walk by with his cross. It was very strange, and I was reminded of the cattle attached to the cart that carried the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel after it had been captured by the Philistines. Those cows lowed loudly as they walked (I Samuel 6:12). Some days later, the same thing happened to Bethany and Eric with a mixed herd of cows and horses. They all ran from a far distance up to a fence to watch the cross walk on by. Yet again, this past Saturday in the rain, a huge herd of Jersey cattle did the same. I don’t know how they saw me from such a distance, but they did; and they came running fast. At the fence, they all lined up and watched me as if to say, “Stop and share a word with us preacher.” LOL. In those moments, I thought about how even creation and the creature groans under the curse of sin and waits for redemption and the manifestation of the Messiah (Romans 8:20-24). Even America’s cattle know this old wicked country is in trouble, and they came running when they saw that cross, the only solution to our nation’s great big SPIRITUAL PROBLEM. The Great Commission as it appears in the Gospel of Mark says bluntly: “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every CREATURE” (Mark 16:15). I thought about that and just had to stop while those Jersey cows stared at me, all lined up on the fence. I read aloud those glorious words from Romans 8 and said: “My bovine friends, the Messiah is coming. The Messiah is coming! Hold fast! Creation’s redemption draws nigh.” Then I continued on down the road. These cows ran along the fence and followed me until the corner of the field stopped them. I had stumbled into a strange phenomenon, but not a crazy phenomenon. It’s something that shouldn’t be a surprise to those who know their Bibles.

Let me conclude this update with one of my most interesting STUMBLES along the first 385 miles of THE LONG WALK. It was an unexpected stumble into my past. Last Saturday afternoon, the rain was coming down hard; and I just wanted to get to US Hwy 64 so we could pack up and head home for the weekend. The quickest way to US 64 cut a little back to the northeast and would add distance when I resumed, but it was the straightest shot to that highway, so I turned onto Moons Chapel Road. I didn’t really intend to walk that road; the route kind of takes shape on its own each day. For some reason, the name Moons Chapel rang a bell in my mind, and I starting searching the old filing cabinets in my head to discover WHY as I ambled up and down the hills of that country lane. Suddenly, it hit me, and I was sure. I had been to that little church long ago, way back in the summer of 1992; and it was there that the LORD began to work on my heart and show me that I was a religious hypocrite and unconverted. It was at Moons Chapel during a revival service that I first stumbled at the Stumblingstone and the Rock of Offense that is the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel. A year later, I quit trying to find a way around that SCANDALON, and I fell upon it, and I was broken. The LORD saved me during a revival at a little church down in Trenton, Florida on July 21, 1993. And what is the PROOF that He began to draw me in 1992 and saved me in 1993? The PROOF that these things are so is that I am living, by His grace, a life of repentance toward God and faith in my Lord Jesus Christ still TODAY, nearly 30 years later. When I walked up on the church building, I remembered it like it was yesterday. In the parking lot, I shed my wet poncho, changed my socks, and loaded up the cross. We headed home for the weekend. What a fitting place to stop, and what a fitting place to resume when Bethany and I head back down to the route tomorrow! I have since sent a message to this local body that reads:

I distinctly remember the LORD using the brief time I spent at your church to ultimately bring me to repentance and faith. I was 16 years old. And, the LORD brought all that to mind yesterday as I walked by the old church in the pouring rain. The LORD saved me back in 1993. I walked away from medical school aspirations and surrendered to the ministry. I was blessed to attend Southern Baptist seminaries in Wake Forest, NC and Mill Valley, CA. And since, it has been a great privilege to serve Him with my family as foreign missionaries in Nepal, India, and Peru, and to have preached the Gospel in more than 50 countries around the world.

I pray those folks get that message and are as uplifted as I was when I walked by their church in Chatham County.

This week, I am going to take it easy, a sabbath week of sorts. The knee is doing much better, but it needs a break; and Bethany has some annual school testing to complete. We are planning to go out for one long day as home is only about two hours from where we quit walking. Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will try to get from Moons Chapel to Sandy Creek Baptist Church on Sandy Creek Road in Randolph County. It was at that church planted along Sandy Creek back in 1755 that a spiritual awakening and revival broke out in the southern colonies during the First Great Awakening. That sudden awakening resulted in the planting of hundreds of Baptist churches all over the South in the years to come, an amazing work of God. I think some of the old buildings are still on the property, and I believe the old preacher so instrumental in that revival, Shubal Stearns, is buried there. I want to spend some time at that spot praying for this country and petitioning the courts of heaven to grant us spiritual awakening and revival like what once took place in this land. If we had a spiritual awakening amongst the people of America, our wicked government would lose its power. The tyranny would fade away because the people would then fear God instead of men. Maybe the LORD will be gracious and grant us such a thing, even just a brief respite. He certainly did it for the wicked Kingdom of Judah during the reign of Josiah and before the flood of judgment that came at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon. He did it in Ninevah too at the preaching of Jonah. May God Save the United States!

Lord willing, I will host a live prayer event at this spot sometime tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday, April 28) if you want to join on FB (JesseandJamieBoyd).

If this walk across America and these testimonies are, or have been a blessing to you, please consider financially supporting our ministry to the Jew first and also to the Gentile. Anything you can give is a blessing that will be used faithfully and with account. All contributions are tax-deductible, and donating online is very easy. Thank you in Jesus’ name.

So there you have it, an ode to a stumble . . . actually many stumbles along the way.

For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus the Messiah,
Jesse Boyd