Menu
Location
My Account
Login
Of Falafels and Following Jesus

Stories from a journey through the Holy Land

by Nathan Brown

  • If you have travelled to the Holy Land, this is your invitation to share again in the journey.
  • If travelling to the Holy Land is on your bucket list, what better way to get a taste of the journey?
  • If travelling to the Holy Land seems unlikely, join the journey without leaving your local or regional community.
  • If you follow Jesus, this is your invitation to re-visit the stories and realities of the life of Jesus.

Since the time of Jesus, visiting the places of His life has held a fascination and attraction for His followers from many parts of the world.

This is the story of one of those journeys, encountering and reflecting on the stories themselves, as well as the realities of visiting these places today.

From the familiar to the unfamiliar, from ancient stones to contemporary tourism, from bird-spotting to market-shopping, from the rugged wilderness of Petra and the Dead Sea to the sparkling waters and lush valleys of Galilee, Of Falafels and Following Jesus is a story of re-discovering the stories of Jesus and the Bible, and how this journey changes and challenges us as we seek to follow Him as His disciples today.

Nathan Brown, Michelle Villis and Brenton Stacey travelled together from Australia as part of a larger tour group. They each grew up with the stories of Jesus, but are continuing to learn to read—and to live—these stories again.

Contents:

  • Map: the Holy Land
  • On the lake
  • Where this journey begins
  • DAY 1 From Amman to Decapolis
  • Decapolis: Picking up the pieces
  • DAY 2 From Amman to Petra
  • Mount Nebo: A snake on a pole
  • Machaerus: Solace for lonely souls
  • DAY 3 From ancient rocks to the Dead Sea
  • Dead Sea: A promise of healing
  • DAY 4 From the Dead Sea to Jerusalem
  • DAY 5 Jesus, Son of David, Son of Abraham
  • The Valley of Elah: New pictures of a familiar story
  • Bet Guvrin-Maresha: The good oil on a dark night
  • DAY 6 From Masada to Sabbath
  • Living water: From a dead sea and a muddy river
  • DAY 7 From Herod to Jesus
  • Bethlehem: In the Shepherds’ Field
  • DAY 8 Of tunnels, temples and museums
  • Being a woman
  • DAY 9 Through Samaria to Galilee
  • Jacob’s Well: Making “wrong” disciples
  • Outside the Green Line: Jesus on the margins
  • DAY 10 Around Galilee and the North
  • Sea of Galilee: Power to calm a storm
  • DAY 11 From Magdala to Jerusalem
  • Magdala: Hearing the call
  • DAY 12 From the Mount of Olives to Mount Zion
  • The Mount of Olives: His love in a garden
  • Of endings and low places
  • DAY 13 From a temple to a tomb
  • Communion: An everyday remembrance
  • Of new beginnings and high places
  • DAY 14 From familiar to unfamiliar
  • From tourists to pilgrims
$24.95

ISBN: 9781925044881

Format: Paperback

STATUS: AVAILABLE TO ORDER (item is either in stock or quickly/soon obtainable from supplier)

Pages: 208

Reviews and Endorsements

[Endorsement]
While rich with culture, entertaining anecdotes and fascinating history, Of Falafels and Following Jesus is much more than a journey through modern Jordan and Israel. We are urged to turn our backs on holy places — to be witnesses to what Jesus has done, telling His story and following His example of disciple-making, building a movement of justice and mercy. - Dr Peter Roennfeldt, author, Following Jesus
[Endorsement]
Pilgrimages are deeply personal and often transformative. Nathan Brown and his collaborators have shared their intimate stories of spiritual and cultural shifts as a result of visiting Israel, Jordan and Palestine. I was moved by these stories and, as I now re-read the scriptural texts, each encounter includes the smells, sounds and feelings that the authors so thoughtfully crafted. -Dr Lisa Clark Diller, Professor of History, Southern Adventist University
[Endorsement]
Nathan Brown and his fellow travellers have delivered an interesting and inspiring account of their travels through the Holy Land. Their vivid writing style brings these places to life! A stimulating read that draws one not only deeper into the world of the Bible but also into some of the challenges we face in contemporary society. - Dr Kayle de Waal, head, Avondale Seminary, author, Mission Shift
[Endorsement]
“In the same place where Jesus called a tax collector to collect His stories, Jesus has obviously called Nathan Brown to do the same. An exquisite writer, Nathan takes us into the holy sites, yes, but most of all, into the holy stories—of Jesus, of Scripture. This is a beautiful travel book and an inspiring memoir, all in one.” —Dr Andy Nash, owner, Tabgha Tours to Israel, and author, The Book of Matthew: Save Us Now, Son of David
[ Bookshelf Review ]
Of Falafels and Following Jesus is equal parts travel journal, devotional, history lesson and spiritual reflection, with a little bird-watching thrown in for good measure.
And, yes, this book has multiple authors: Nathan Brown invited two fellow travellers to reflect on the journey with him. The voices of Brenton Stacey and Michelle Villis offset Brown’s thoughtful but analytical—and occasionally cynical—voice, with some of their insights providing the emotional heartbeat of the book to balance Brown’s more intellectual, probing style. It can feel disjointed at times, with some chapters covering territory already explored, but the disruption is compensated by unexpected richness and diversity of experiences and viewpoints.
But Brown is definitely the lead tour guide here. Those who are familiar with his writing will recognise his signature approach: descriptive but unpretentious prose that leads the reader through streets and tunnels, temples and tombs with a healthy dose of introspection and self-effacing humour. More importantly, Brown acknowledges the materiality of the Holy Land’s geography, politics and people, but his real gift is in finding the deeper realities: that holiness exists in moments, not places; that stories can be inhabited, not just told; and that following Jesus means journeying in perpetual paradox, where worship and the sacred are both “too much and never enough,” and “religion, even at its best, is only ever a mixed blessing.”
Brown calls his readers to invest in this journey, but the good news is that you don’t have to leave home to do it. This is the implicit message in Of Falafels and Following Jesus: that following Jesus into the Holy Lands can and should happen in our homes and our workplaces, from daybreak to dusk, by recognising that the sacred exists in time and community rather than space and geography. Travelling to the Middle East requires time, money, planning, good guides and good health, but these are just shadows of the investment all Jesus-followers need to make daily, and intentionally, as disciples of Christ.
This thoughtful and thought-provoking book will help any traveller—or armchair traveller—navigate an ancient land in modern times, reminding us to embrace its people, history, religions, and their many bewildering contradictions.
—Dr Lindsay Morton, Lecturer in Literature Studies, Avondale College of Higher Education

Write a Review!

✪✪✪✪✪

Please register or log in to your account to leave a review.

 



What's Popular: 

 $250 voucher giveaway 

Free Shipping Offer FaithStream TV