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Camino Legends: How the Sparking Tomb of James was Discovered by a Hermit

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The men cleared away the dense vegetation and discovered something amazing: the tomb of James. This is the heart of “the Golden Legend” and the beginning of the story of Santiago de Compostela.

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Camino Legends: Hispania is Way Out There

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Cold, rugged, tribal, self-sufficient, full of hardship, and barbaric. Hispania sounds like a long ball for a church plant. It also sounds like a job for a ‘Thunderboy.’ Discover the story of the Apostle James in Spain.

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Camino Legends: James Goes West (part 3)

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Explore the complex legacy of Saint James the Great, from the biblical "Son of Thunder" to the legendary "Moor-slayer" on the white stallion of Clavijo.

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Rabies is not the way to go (part 6)

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Not so long ago the treatment for rabies consisted of twenty or more painful shots into the abdomen delivered by a needle the size of a fencepost. This treatment is now obsolete, as I have (thankfully) discovered.

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Rabies is not the way to go (part 3)

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Rabies is not the way to go (part 3)

I rinsed with water from a hose. The clear imprint of teeth on my thigh would have made a dentist proud. But the wounds were also deep so they took a while to stop bleeding. Red streaks mixed with the water and dribbled down my leg and forearms.

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Stork Swarm in Mtowambu

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Stork Swarm in Mtowambu

Swarms of giant storks were suddenly everywhere. They were beyond counting. In the hundreds? For sure. Thousands? Maybe. Some circled slowly overhead, great wings outstretched. Many more rested, nested, and clattered their bills from poo-spangled trees. 

An Exceptional Experience: Students in the Biblical Heartland

An Exceptional Experience: Students in the Biblical Heartland

While not the excursion that we had planned, the Johnson University study-tour to Israel/Palestine turned into a real-world exercise. And the team responded magnificently.

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The Chicken of the Serengeti

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The Chicken of the Serengeti

Safari operators often speak of the "Big Five." This is a linger-longer from the blood-sport days. The phrase does not identify Africa's largest species, but rather the five most difficult/dangerous animals to hunt on foot.

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Noah's Ark in Africa

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Noah's Ark in Africa

In the story of Noah's Ark, a portion of the living world finds sanctuary in a pinch. I thought about that as our rig bounced down the steep track into Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

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The Eighth Wonder of the World: An African Mountain that became a Crater

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The Eighth Wonder of the World: An African Mountain that became a Crater

The land yawned like a Wyoming dawn. The opportunity in front of us was equally wide. We had a full day to spend in Ngorongoro Crater and I was pumped.

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Visiting Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

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Visiting Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

Zebras and wildebeests drank the muddy water, flicked their tails, rolled in the dust, and fussed with each other. It may have just been in my head, but somewhere I could hear the soundtrack of "The Lion King" playing.

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The Safari as Journey: My Introduction to Bush Country

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The Safari as Journey: My Introduction to Bush Country

We pitched our duffels and then ourselves into Saidi's knobby-wheeled truck. Saidi found the gear and we lurched forward. Our aim was to encounter the wildness of East Africa, God-willing, in a bloodless way.