Interview with Richard Littledale, author of In Step With God

From Noah to Elijah through to the Magi and the disciples, the Bible is full of stories of people who have made long or short walks that have had an impact on themselves and others. In his new book, In Step with God, Richard Littledale encourages you to put on your walking boots and join him on 101 devotional ‘walks’ through the Bible.

Richard, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I was born and brought up in Berkshire, coming to faith at the age of 16. I was privileged to spend 35 years of my life as a Baptist minister. In 2022 I retired from pastoral ministry to concentrate on my roles a writer and broadcaster.

Why did you decide to write In Step With God?

The Bible is a vast landscape, with mountain vistas, steep valleys, dark forests and long, twisting roads. It is very easy to get lost within it, or alternatively to fly over it like an international traveller, seeing only those landmarks which are big enough to see from the air. I describe the chapters in the book as being ‘like micro-windows opening onto the vast vista of Scripture’. This book is a closer, and more manageable look at the Bible.

Who have you written this book for?

I would like to feel that it will appeal to those who know the Bible a little and would like to know it more. I have written it especially for those who feel intimidated by the vastness of Scripture and would like to approach it in bite-size portions.

There are lots of devotional books available, what makes your book different?

This book encourages the reader to feel what is going on, like feeling the surface of the ground through the soles of your feet when walking. It is unique, in that it specifically encourages the combination of reading and prayer with walking. Unusually, for an author, I am encouraging the reader to put it down regularly, so that they can go out for a walk to reflect on what they have read.

All your devotions focus on a walk or steps made by someone in the Bible. Whilst there are some stories we can all bring to mind, were there any that really surprised you or helped you look again at a particular story?

It is the smallest walks which surprise me the most. In the book we reflect on the boy Samuel who walks the few steps from one part of the temple to another to deliver a grave message to his mentor, Eli. Equally, we join Hur as he walks a step or two to the side of Moses to help hold up his staff during a battle. In the New Testament, we make the short journey with Martha from the kitchen to Jesus’ side so that she can give him a piece of her mind! I never really expected to write about these ones!

As part of the devotions, you often invite people to take a walk themselves. Why is walking so important to our spiritual journey?

For me, walking is often therapeutic. During the early months of my bereavement, for instance, it allowed me to push out some of my sadness through the soles of my feet. Not only that, but often our very best conversations with friends or family are had when on the move, walking side by side. Why not try it with God?

What would you say to someone who is currently finding it hard to engage with God’s Word?

I would say that they are not the first and will certainly not be the last. For me, writing this book allowed me to engage my heart and my brain with God in a way that I had started to forget, and I hope that reading it will do the same for them.

What was the most challenging element of writing this book?

The most challenging thing was selecting which 101 walks to cover. It is clearly a challenge at which I failed - since I wrote 105 of them by mistake!

And what was the most rewarding element of writing this book?

To walk alongside Mary Magdalene as she walked from the garden of Gethsemane or alongside John as he stepped onto the streets of the New Jerusalem was a real privilege, and I would not have missed it for the world.

What do you hope readers will most get out of reading this book?

My sincere hope is that the book will act as an eraser to rub out the line between what they read in Scripture and what they see as they walk and reflect. God is in both, and I believe he wants nothing more than to meet us in both.

In one sentence, how would you describe In Step With God?

In Step With God is an invitation to walk through the pages of Scripture and out into the world without ever breaking stride.

Is there anything we can pray for you?

Just recently I wrote a description of what I call the Now Ministry, and I share it with you here. Please pray that I can live up to it.

To help wherever I can

To encourage however I can

To write beautifully

To broadcast thoughtfully

To rest appropriately

To finish well