{"id":1894,"date":"2015-04-06T05:50:53","date_gmt":"2015-04-06T11:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/?p=1894"},"modified":"2017-02-22T20:11:27","modified_gmt":"2017-02-23T02:11:27","slug":"the-unlikely-pilgrim-im-diving-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/the-unlikely-pilgrim-im-diving-in\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unlikely Pilgrim: I’m diving in!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Well friends, I have some great news to share.<\/p>\n

Later this week, I\u2019ll leave on a long flight to the country of Jordan. I\u2019m going at the request and a guest of the nation\u2019s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.\u00a0 As part of a group of 12 writers, we are encouraged to reflect on the country\u2019s claim to be the other Holy Land. They want us to write on not just the landscape, but the people and the culture.<\/p>\n

In our company will some of the country\u2019s own government leaders who are working to achieve peace in the Middle East, harmony among the faith groups, and cross-cultural progress.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll also be given audience to the some the nation\u2019s prominent NGO leaders who are working with Iraqi Christian refugees, Christian ministries, and other peaceful-minded groups.<\/p>\n

The Jordanian<\/a> government is flying us into the country, feeding us, housing us, and giving us a fabulous tour of the sites: the Jordan River (where John baptized Jesus), Petra (remember Indiana Jones!), the Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo (where Moses saw the promised land), Jerash, Decapolis, Madaba (the Mosaic city), Pella (Jacob\u2019s wrestling spot), and the place of John the Baptist\u2019s last imprisonment \u2013 and beheading.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be spending Easter Sunday (the Eastern church<\/a> has a different calendar) in a Coptic Christian Church<\/a>. We\u2019ll visit an Italian hospital that is caring for Iraqi refugee children, and interview local church leaders. I\u2019ll spend time with Iraqi refugees<\/a>, Greek Orthodox and Catholic believers, and business owners. I\u2019m most interested in the story of how this country, surrounded by madness, stays sane \u2013 and protects it\u2019s Christian minority.<\/p>\n

It is the Middle East \u2014 and Jordan shares some defined borders with neighbors Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Saudi Arabia<\/a>. As I\u2019ve slipped this news to friends and family, I can tell right away that they think I\u2019m nuts \u2013 or at least a few degrees away from room temperature. But the country has long been a broker in the peace process. King Abdullah is continually working the phones, rolling out the carpet, and bridging the West, the Middle East, Muslim, Jew and Christian. And as a guest of the country, something tells me we\u2019ll be safe.<\/p>\n

It will be a fascinating opportunity in a unique time in history. But more than any other time in my life, I feel different. More than any other opportunity, this one rings of something greater. It\u2019s a pilgrimage to a story that I didn\u2019t know. Like the wise men who simply followed a star and asked a few questions, what will I find?<\/p>\n

Why me?<\/h1>\n

So you\u2019re probably asking, \u201cWhat gives you the privilege?\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s true. I\u2019m a sloppy writer, with odd spacing and documents that often scream for a proofreader. I\u2019m not building a big Internet presence and I openly disdain platform-building. And the question you ask sounds like the one I\u2019ve been asking too. \u201cWhy me?\u201d I am an unlikely pilgrim in this journey.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know<\/strong>. I could name a 100 other writers \u2013 check that, 1,000 others \u2014 \u00a0who could step into the role with better skills and a larger audience. I didn\u2019t ask for this. I didn\u2019t apply. I didn\u2019t even know the opportunity existed. But thanks to a long-forgotten connection with the Get Religion blog, a fan at the Associated Church Press<\/a>, and a willingness to jump at the last minute, they found me.<\/p>\n

But I don\u2019t want to be like Moses, handing the job off to Aaron. I don\u2019t want my lack of authority, or Klout score, or legions of fans, or links, or likes, or commenters, or readers to stand in the way. The door is open and I\u2019m jumping in.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t even know what I\u2019ll write, and will trust since this offer came out of the blue, that there\u2019s a bigger story that God has in mind.<\/p>\n

Preparation<\/h1>\n

Last week, I me with Louie, a Jordanian who lives near my home.\u00a0What a wealthy of information \"Louis\"<\/a>he was \u2013 and you\u2019ll hear more about him. But for every stop on my journey, he has a friend, or a niece, or a cousin, or a brother. He was raised a Christian in this country and has deep and meaningful roots in the multi-ethnic, multi-religious roots of this county.<\/p>\n

While there, I\u2019ll be looking for those who work together \u2013 side by side, and yet have different faiths.<\/p>\n

Of course, I\u2019m packing \u2013 and repacking. And come Thursday, I\u2019ll still forget something.<\/p>\n

But I never want to forget this moment, this time of great anticipation. I feel like I\u2019m standing in the great treasury of Petra \u2013 and my Father is helping me cross the divide to the Holy Grail.<\/p>\n

\u201cWalk by faith\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Walk<\/p>\n

Stand by!<\/p>\n

(If you are interested, please subscribe here<\/a> to receive my daily posts while I\u2019m there. You can always opt out.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well friends, I have some great news to share. Later this week, I\u2019ll leave on a long flight to the country of Jordan. I\u2019m going at the request and a guest of the nation\u2019s Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs.\u00a0 As part of a group of 12 writers, we are encouraged to reflect on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2375,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1010,1088,1195,1239,1268,1310,1325],"class_list":["post-1894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-holyjordan","tag-dead-sea","tag-jordan","tag-middle-east","tag-petra","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-sunni-islam"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Unlikely Pilgrim: I'm diving in!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This rings of mystery. It\u2019s a pilgrimage to a story that I didn\u2019t know. 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