Book review: The Sacred Journey

Book review: The Sacred Journey


In a strange sort of way this book reminds me of me. I’m a wanderer, although as I get older, it sometimes seems strange to say that. It’s getting harder to get around; more ‘stuff’ seems too important to not take along, and the thought of sleeping on the ground makes my back scream out in agony. But as I read this book, I wanted to pack a (very small) bag and set out with old and blistered feet and new and tired eyes.

Since this is part of the Ancient Practices series, I was a little surprised to read that it wasn’t a ‘Christian book’, in the sense that the author draws from the wisdom of many religions. And that certainly increases the appeal: pilgrims aren’t limited to being Christian, and it’s a wise man that learns from others, even if they don’t always dance to the same drummer. Besides, Jesus didn’t start out as a Christian: He was born a Jew. And when Abraham started his wandering, Judaism wasn’t known yet.

And as Foster points out, God seems to have been very much in a pilgrim mode as He led His people from place to place, ‘living’ in a tent for generations before allowing the temple to be built for Him.

I was actually hooked by the ‘test’ offered in the prologue. As I evaluated my answers and the reasons for answering the way I did, I found myself looking forward to seeing the answers revealed in the following pages.

This is one of those books that I found difficult to put down, but at the same time, it was difficult to keep reading. I wanted to read more of what Foster had to say, but I wanted to stop and savor every morsel of the delicious meal that he had offered up to the company of pilgrims wandering with him on the Sacred Journey.

Bottom line: I like the Ancient Practices series, and this book is my favorite from the series. (4.5 out of 5)

This Book was provided free by the publisher, with the expectation that I would write an unbiased review.