The Sacred Journey by Charles Foster

The Sacred Journey is about taking a walk, a long walk, otherwise known as a pilgrimage. But this is no metaphorical journey. This is not a book about having the heart of a pilgrim while staying home. For the author, the sacred journey is literal, on your feet, in your shoes, and going.

After reading the first few chapters, I had to set the book aside, not because it is hard to read or boring. It is neither of those. I set it aside because I was offended. I resisted the idea that God favors the nomad. I let those early chapters wrestle with me for a time and then renewed my reading of it.

By the end, the author had persuaded me to believe that there is nothing like a good pilgrimage to discover the richness and fullness of the kingdom of God. It may be that the author’s wry wit, numerous quotes, scriptural references, and personal stories convinced me, or it may be that what he wrote eventually resonated with my own “walking spirit.”

Whatever the case, this is not one of those typical “journey” books that makes a person feel good about their own spiritual formation. For this reason, I say read it and be challenged to risk the taking of a walk.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program.