Pilgrimage: My Journey to a Deeper Faith in the Land Where Jesus Walked

by Lynn Austin

We all encounter times when our spirit feels dry, when doubt looms.

The opportunity to tour Israel came at a good time. For months, my life has been a mindless plodding through necessary routine, as monotonous as an all-night shift on an assembly line. Life gets that way sometimes, when nothing specific is wrong but the world around us seems drained of color. Even my weekly worship experiences and daily quiet times with God have felt as dry and stale as last year's crackers. I'm ashamed to confess the malaise I've felt. I have been given so much. Shouldn't a Christian's life be an abundant one, as exciting as Christmas morning, as joyful as Easter Sunday?

With gripping honesty, Lynn Austin pens her struggles with spiritual dryness in a season of loss and unwanted change. Tracing her travels throughout Israel, Austin seamlessly weaves events and insights from the Word . . . and in doing so finds a renewed passion for prayer and encouragement for her spirit, now full of life and hope.

• ISBN10: 0764211188
• ISBN13: 9780764211188
• Publish Date: 5 November 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Imprint: Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 238
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lianne]

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publishers via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme in exchange for an honest review.

The book was really interesting and held my attention throughout. On the one hand it’s very much a travelogue of the author’s journey across Israel, complete with details about some of the historical places she visited and the history behind them. In many cases, she also connected the places with biblical passages and stories. I admit, my memory of certain books in the Old Testament is a little hazy so this book was a good refresher on that point. There were also some insight to Jewish customs and religious traditions included in the details of her travels, which was also very interesting.

I found the book to be very accessible as her spiritual journey is something that anyone, no matter what congregation or stream of Christianity he or she belongs to, can relate to or understand. It’s not a theological book so the core messages that come out of her writings is easy to understand and something the reader can reflect on. The author uses a lot of Biblical passages throughout the book which in a way invites the reader to join along in her meditations and reflections.

Pilgrimage overall was an intriguing and thoughtful book that takes the reader along with the author on a road of self-reflection and rediscovery. In a world that’s very busy and distractions coming at you from all sides, it’s a great reminder to slow down and reflect on our actions towards others as well as our own thoughts and faith. Christians from any denomination or congregation will get a lot out of this book.

This review was originally posted on caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/11/10/review-pilgrimage-my-journey-to-a-deeper-faith-in-the-land-where-jesus-walked/