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The LFMW

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The LFMW

The ten of us sat around the long wooden table. We looked like members of the board, but this was no committee meeting. Robert, sporting the "please-recover-my-body" orange of Kandoo Adventures, introduced himself as our lead guide. I liked him immediately.

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Ptolemaic puzzles (part 2)

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Ptolemaic puzzles (part 2)

I knew Kili was up there and quite close, its hoary head peering down. But from Stella Maris, it was impossible to discern where the giant lay. 

How do you hide a mountain? I thought. Especially the highest one in all Africa?

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A real star of the sea

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A real star of the sea

Stella Maris is Latin for "Star of the Sea." The phrase originally referred to Polaris, the brightest point of light in the constellation Ursa Minor (or "Little Bear"). As this fireball is fixed in a fluid sky, navigators use Polaris, also known as the North Star, for orientation.

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Elevated faith . . . and doubt

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Elevated faith . . . and doubt

"You know," Godfrey answered, still in reflective mode, "Some people say that Jesus climbed to the top of this mountain."

"Really?" I queried. I was curious where this could go.

"Yes. With his twelve . . . " He searched for the next word.

"Apostles?" I filled in.

"Yes. Apostles. They came here to pray."

An eclectic fellowship

An eclectic fellowship

Twenty-one Bible Lands Explorers from the United States and Mexico hit trail this summer in Israel-Palestine. In eleven days they managed to cover the ground from Dan to Beer-sheba. More importantly, these pilgrims came from from very different locations and stations of life. They gathered as strangers, but parted as family.

A tidy crew

A tidy crew

The advantages of exploring Bible Lands with a small group of friends are many.  Priorities and agenda are not dictated by company interests. The racket of commissioned group shopping and guide-kickbacks are eliminated. Heightened interaction with local culture is possible. Pace is whatever the fellowship decides. In short, the tyranny of the program is eliminated.

All Nations: Gethsemane and the Church

All Nations: Gethsemane and the Church

A visit to one of Jerusalem's most famous landmarks teaches us that there is no death without perseverance at Gethsemane and that there is no "Church of All Nations" without death.

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Slippers and a clothesline

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Slippers and a clothesline

“What does that do?” I ask, as I come up the trail behind a middle-aged woman. I eye a widget dangling from a ‘biner on her backpack.

“Wham-O’s new particle levitator.”

Fwooooooooot, I whistle. “It looks so different! I didn’t think they could compact it any more.”