Pilgrimage: My Journey To A Deeper Faith In The Land Where Jesus Walked

by Lynn Austin

Paperback, 2013

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

Biography & Memoir

Biography

Fiction

Publication

Bethany House Publishers (2013), 240 pages

Description

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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member SherylHendrix

I received this book in the mail last night and have begun reading, and am already excited at the possibilities it gives me to reignite my passion for Christ. Christian fiction author Lynn Austin makes a trip to the Holy Land during a time in her life when she feels dry and far from God, and

utilizes various biblical passages from the Old and New Testament to compare and contrast the experiences of Israel in the wilderness and moving into the promised land with the believer's journey in Christ. At this point I'm barely into the book, but already love the message she received - it's not the wide easy way that leads to Christian growth and maturity, but the narrow way that leads to life. I'll probably update this review as I finish, but wanted to get something down immediately - I believe this one is a winner.

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LibraryThing member Sherry_Rummler

This book made its way into my mailbox at the perfect time. Going through my own personal struggles, I can easily relate to the author who felt on a quest of renewal in a parched and dry season. I was encouraged with her personal testimony and the prayers she cried out in each chapter. I felt

myself yearning for more and allowing myself to feel the pilgrimage along with her. Thank you Lynn Austin for bringing me back to my life verse (John 15:5) and reminding me that “being re-potted will allow room for growth.”

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LibraryThing member khamneithang

The Christian life is never easy, with all its ups and downs. No one is immune from the test of life. In a brutally honest account of her own patch of spiritual dryness when there is more doubts than faith, best-selling author Lynn Austin shares the deeply moving, deeply personal, story of her own

search for spiritual renewal in the Holy Land in her new book, Pilgrimage: My Journey to a Deeper Faith in the Land Where Jesus Walked.

Tracing her travels throughout Israel, Austin brings to life biblical characters through her vivid description and wonderful narration of the events that occurred at each place she visited along with her own insights and thoughts. What is strikingly clear to the reader is the depth of her conviction and emotion which comes through each page as she shares her most intimate and innermost thoughts.

Containing twelve wonderful chapters - Leaving Home and Ho-Hum, The Wilderness of Zin, The Judean Wilderness, Crossing the Jordan, Jerusalem, The Temple Mount, Holy Week, The Judean Countryside, Galilee, The Far North, Sabbath Rest and Going Home - Pilgrimage: My Journey to a Deeper Faith in the Land Where Jesus Walked is truly a book that will lead you to a deeper faith in Christ. Be sure to grab a copy, you will find nourishment for your weary soul!

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LibraryThing member mwortinger

I enjoyed this book by Lynn Austin. I've read a few of her other fiction books and like her style of writing. She had an incredible way of sharing and bringing to life her trip to the Holy Land with the reader. It was like being with her on this journey as she described the places they went with

feelings and thoughts she encountered throughout the journey. I would recommend this to anyone who is searching for a deeper spiritual relationship with God.

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LibraryThing member despond

This is the first book I read from Lynn Austin. She is a Christian fiction writer and I don't read much fiction for adults. I received this book as an advanced reading copy. It is a narrative of her travel to Israel. In it she weaves the places, with history, Scripture and her own applications of

what she has learned. According to the author this trip to Israel was to awaken her from the monotonous and dry Christian life she was experiencing. Her voice is clearly heard as she takes you to each of the Biblical places. Not only this but her writing is picturesque and helps you live that moment with her or back in Biblical times. I enjoyed and learned a few things about the Holy Land. My favorite chapters were "Jerusalem" and "The Temple Mount." I hope she writes more non-fiction in this format.

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LibraryThing member Cyndecat

Timely and wonderful - I was going through my own dry period and her journey helped me. Lynn Austin has written a travelogue of sorts - a journey of her body, heart and mind. She was in a dry spell where not even her prayers or her worship felt normal. She embarks on a journey to Israel to walk in

the places of the Bible. Her journey begins in the wilderness of Zin, a dry dusty desert that reflects her present spiritual life. The tour progresses through to Jerusalem and on to Galilee and the coastal city of Capernaum. Throughout the book she describes the countryside and the places that she goes in context of the stories from the Bible that occurred there. Her descriptions are so vibrant it makes you feel like you are right there with her. She often brings to light things about the story or the culture that aren't necessarily well known. Each destination in each chapter ends with a beautiful prayer praising God for the things she has seen and the knowledge or understanding she has gained from this experience. By the end of the book she is in a better place spiritually, rejoicing in the understanding she has gained from God through this journey. I would very much like to go on the same tour she went on. Even though the reader did not go physically on the journey I believe God will use her journey to minister to you as well.
I am so grateful that Mrs. Austin was willing to share her struggles with others. We feel less alone in our doubts and fears when we realize there are others who feel similarly. I'm reading through a second time to be sure I didn't miss any blessing God has to share with me!
I highly recommend this book!

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LibraryThing member rjmoren

This is a very personal look at Lynn's journey to Israel. She was in a spiritually dry place and this journey helped her to regain her spiritual footing literally by following in Jesus' footsteps. It always helps to know of another's struggles in the same area you are experiencing. We all go

through these low places in our spiritual walk and discover God is still there, we are the ones moving away from Him. I enjoyed Lynn's scripture references for each guided tour they journeyed on. She did a great job of paralleling her spiritual walk with her physical pilgrimage to Israel. I enjoyed getting to know one of my favorite authors a little better. If you enjoy her books and want a bit of a personal glimpse at her life, this book is just what you need.

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LibraryThing member Violet_Nesdoly

A series of losses, disappointments, and unpleasant surprises have pummeled Lynn Austin. She is feeling bruised, spiritually dry, and, in plain words, depressed. And so she has high hopes for an opportunity to travel around Israel for two weeks:

“Spiritual renewal is what I long for … as I begin

this pilgrimage. I want to see the bigger picture of His plan and learn to accept His will in all things. I want to revitalize my prayer life. … Maybe I’ll be able to let go of my own will and face the changes in my life with joy and faith” – Pilgrimage, Kindle Location 97.

Pilgrimage is Austin’s account of that two-week trip. But it is much more than a travelogue. For in it she gives the historical background of each stop. She reviews for us the Bible events that happened in each location. She explains Bible customs from her knowledge enriched by research for the many biblical fiction novels she’s written. And she probes those Bible events and characters for insights and lessons she can take back with her into everyday life.

Some things I really liked about this book were the lyrical descriptions of modern sites in Israel as seen through Austin’s eyes, the review of what happened at each location, and the explanations of interesting customs that add richness and depth to an understanding of the Bible. And I gained an appreciation of the humanity of this author (whose novels I’ve enjoyed) as she shared openly about her life.

One aspect of the book that disappointed me, though, was the way Austin explained her situation and feelings in the first chapter and then, throughout most of her travels, she merely named the feelings she was grappling with (anxiety, discouragement, impatience, worry, etc) without relating them to specific incidents or triggers. It seemed like a type of “telling’ versus “showing” and didn’t have the impact one would expect that kind of memoir-writing to have. Perhaps a more engaging way of relating these personal incidents would have been to leave that list out of Chapter One and tell about these events in bits and pieces throughout her travels. As it was, I had to keep reminding myself why she was feeling so negative—Oh right, that list from Chapter One. When she did include stories of her life that her travels brought to mind, my interest immediately picked up.

Pilgrimage would make a wonderful read-along guide for people touring Israel. Many locations are chapter titles and of course digital copies of the book are searchable so no worries if your itinerary differs from hers, just search the location you wish to read about: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Joppa, Caesarea etc.

For anyone who loves Israel or hopes to tour the Holy Land, Pilgrimage is a good historical and devotional resource.

I received my copy of Pilgrimage as a gift from Bethany House (via NetGalley) for the purpose of writing a review.

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LibraryThing member JoyAnne

What a great book, I love everything Lynn Austin writes. This one brings to life the characters and events that occured. Incredible talent, heartwarming story.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

LibraryThing member heymay

This is a book that instantly transports you to the times and places of Jesus, with Lynn Austin's vivid depictions of Israel creating a wonderful travelogue. More than just relaying geographic details, Pilgrimage offers devotional thoughts interspersed with biblical accounts and cultural

explanations. This was such a rich book to read because it brought every destination to life, filling in the picture to provide a greater understanding of Jewish life to readers. There are so many questions and lessons in each chapter that it reads like a diary of what the author has learnt from God on each leg of the trip.

I love that there is a prayer to round out each chapter and that there are numerous Bible verses quoted to further explain God's Word. If I should never have the opportunity to visit the Holy Land, this book is a helpful stand-in by which I can go back and reread some of the descriptions provided. This book does not read like a textbook in that it's a personal account of the author's own experiences and encounters with God, which makes it even more accessible and meaningful.

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