I got an invitation to a California wedding, and I love road trips. So June on the calendar became reserved for a western journey.
First Stop was an early morning visit to Pikes Peak State Park in Iowa, overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. I grew up in the shadow of this park, with many visits over the years. Now it was time to seek the top of the other eminence memorializing 19th century explorer Zebulon Pike.
After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. – Luke 8:1-3 [NIV]
This is a reflection that I shared with my colleagues at IFES/USA:
When it comes to women and money for ministry in the Gospels, we’re often referenced to the sacrifice of the widow’s mite. But these verses in Luke 8 present a much more compelling picture. (more…)
With all of my overseas visits in 2023, it wouldn’t have been a complete travel year without a road trip.
The first stop, as I headed east, was the Marion Wade Center in Wheaton.
On the way back from Indonesia in August I made a stop in Japan to see our son Brian and his family and, hopefully, catch a glimpse of the iconic Mt. Fuji.
A visit to the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center in Shizuoka was a very good place to start.
Just a month and a half before the 60th anniversary of his death, I had the privilege of visiting The Kilns, the home of C.S. Lewis in Oxford.
First stop was Holy Trinity Church – Headington Quarry, down at the end of this lane.
The longest trip of a busy travel year found me crossing the pacific. My last trip, I was just south of the arctic circle. This trip took me just south of the equator, 12 time zones away…
to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
Nome is justifiably proud of its gold mining heritage and the story of The Three Lucky Swedes. Gold mining is still going on today, though not so much during the winter months.
In March the big stories are high school basketball tournaments and the Iditarod.
The story of my 2023 Alaskan adventure began in 2018 when I accidentally ran into KICY radio station manager Patty Burchell at the Urbana Student Missions Conference.
We had a conversation about radio and before I knew it I had sort-of volunteered to help out the radio station in Nome when they are short-staffed during March high school basketball tournament time.
Traveling in January is not always fun but my trip to Oxford was great fun and the city is very photogenic. So I have many more photos. Here are a few more that I have not shared yet on the C.S. Lewis post and the Ashmolean post.
The best price for flights that I found was on Iceland Air. As with most international flights I arrived about 3 hours before takeoff. At both ends, O’Hare and Heathrow, there was no line to check in with Iceland Air, while there were huge lines for the other carriers.
I once read a quote by T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) where he used “archaeologizing” as a verb. Lawrence studied archaeology at Jesus College in Oxford so it was not surprising to find his desert attire on display, when I visited Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum.
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