I travel a lot and so I see a lot. Not so much touristy stuff. More the people of God in different settings. This can thrill the soul. Every trip abroad by a Jesus-follower should make a priority of visiting Jesus-followers in cultures so different from their own. But then some of best scenery sticks close to home and to the familiar. Here are some highlights:
#11 oxford dale budapest
My first ever visit to John Stott’s place in SW Wales (‘The Hookses’) was exciting for me – and made all the more so when I clicked what must be one of the best ever photos taken of the location.
#10 with peterson at raukokore
It was the final frontier in NZ for me. The East Cape. Perfect weather. Quiet pre-Christmas traffic. Beautiful vistas – but even they could not match what I saw when I stepped into a little church.
#9 langham delights
My very first training trip with Langham Preaching was to the Solomon Islands and Pakistan (with a 50+hr trip in between). First impressions stick and I still see these ones so readily in my imagination.
#8 on a date in chennai
Breaking the rules for these first elevens in that this one has already appeared – but I had such fun clicking and writing this post that I just had to include it again.
#7 marsden cross
2014 is a huge year for the church in New Zealand. Two hundred years since the gospel was first preached at this very spot. Each of my many pilgrimages has been precious for different reasons.
#6 madness in morocco
One of those times Barby and I did take a week together. Still chuckle about how the train trip to Stansted Airport (from London) cost more than the plane trip to Marrakesh.
#5 huia heritage
How does an unspectacular little valley become such a magnet for us as a family? Simply because generations have walked the same roads, lived in the same cottages, climbed the same mountains.
#4 two generations
The best scenery of all are the faces of our children and grandson from whom we are now separated. But these photos, replicating ones taken almost twenty years ago, bring great joy.
#3 thirty years and counting
Of course, the best familial scenery is my wife. We’ve been eyeing up each other with various levels of intent since before we can remember – and the beauty in these photos provide an ample rationale.
#2 the glorious south
For me, the south of the South Island will always provide the ultimate in natural scenery.
#1 images that stick
Having children so interested in our upbringing in India – and then so captivated by the two visits we have made together (in 2000 and 2010) will always provide the most memorable scenery.
nice chatting
Paul
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
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