About cruising
Why cruise? Well it’s not all you may imagine it to be. Of course everyone wants to visit the destinations, but touring, and actually learning can be more of a brusin‘ than a cruisin‘. Instead of breezing along popping grapes, you’re up early, rushing out to meet your group and gone all day. Your next 8-12 hours is more like the title of Watchman Nee’s book; ‘sit, walk, stand.’
We took our first cruise ever, back in 2015, and loved it! It started in Athens, Greece, (Acts 17) so we went in a few days early and visited the Parthenon, Mars Hill and the markets where Paul preached. We sailed to Ephesus (Acts 18:19) the next night, and to the island of Rhodes the next. Afterward, it was Santorini, (the isle of Greece you always see with the white buildings and blue domes) and Kataklon (site of original ancient olympics, Napoli, Pompeii and mt. Vesuvius’ volcano) and flew home from Rome. This time, we are doing it differently, and in reverse. Not the ship in reverse gear but uh…never mind.
Why cruise? The best part is learning so much! If you don’t have a good tour and guide, you just walk around wondering what stuff is. That’s why in Israel only, we hired Ofer, a private tour guide. (We took the ship’s tours at other destinations) He was very knowledgeable, and became a new friend. We taught each other a lot! Three days of bi-directional sharing and learning. When we parted at the port, we were all three heart-heavy and he said “I love you guys.” We love him too, our new friend in Israel.
Ofer
Why cruise? It’s true, it’s not the cheapest way to go. But the cheap route isn’t always best. By the time you do all your arrangements for hotels, plane fare from place to place, airport runs and taxis, tours, hauling bags and keeping them secure between check-ins and outs, and all the extra stress, and don’t omit the need to eat, you will pay anyway. Oh, and did I mention the lines through immigration? Cruising, you needn’t mess with any of that; you just go and learn! The valuable insight we gained from that first cruise has served us well in serving others, and visiting Israel has made the Bible more real than ever. Thank you for coming on this journey with us!
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Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. It’s been great reading and viewing!
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Mom often said that I was cruisin’ 4a a bruisin’. It sounds like you are going to have to take a vacation after this trip… Whew!
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Truly has been a wonderful trip, Sir. Thank you so much for sharing.
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