I've always loved traveling books. As a kid I read Peter Jenkins' Walk Across America and The Walk West and really wanted to do something like that myself. I've read Bruce Feiler's books (Walking the Bible, Abraham, and Where God Was Born) and again wanted to do it myself. Even Sunday Money with its trip around the country following the boys of NASCAR was enough to make me want to buy an RV and roll. I enjoy travel, even though I get to do so little of it anymore.
SailingActs is Linford Stutzman's account of the journey he and his wife took throughout the Mediterranean following the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul. From the purchase of their boat, christened the SailingActs, to each port of call that they (and Paul before them) make, to the end of the journey 15 months later, we sail with the Stutzmans to Israel, Turkey, and Greece in a quest to find out more about the man who brought the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Stutzman gains some valuable insights into the hazards of travel on the Mediterranean, hazards that were there in Paul's day just as they are today. Bad weather, government officials and their red tape, delays, the potential of shipwreck; Stutzman faced all of that, just as the apostle did thousands of years before.
I appreciate that Stutzman doesn't sugar-coat any part of the journey. When problems crop up, he tells about them. When parts break, we get to see just how hard it is to buy boat parts when you don't know the local language and the parts are for an older boat. The Bible only tells us of a few of the difficulties Paul faced in his journeys, but it's clear that there were a LOT more hurdles that he faced, but didn't write about.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - Linford Stutzman
While we were on the 15-month journey following Paul in the Mediterranean, it was especially rewarding to share the excitement and adventure with a number of guests who were able to join us for one or more days. In writing "SailingActs" I wanted to share the same thing with many others who couldn't actually join us. It is very satisfying to read a review that describes the book as doing that. Thanks!