Going Places with God: A Devotional Journey Through the Lands of the Bible

This book was great to have before a trip to Israel. used it like a devotion. Very insightful

Throughout different studies I've done of the Old and New Testament, the people and the land of Jesus seem so distant. It's often difficult to place myself there and feel a connection. In this devotional, God has provided this sense of connection that I have often missed. I have gained a better sense of Jesus' homeland, where he went and had my complacency challenged(Day 4). I ended Day 7 on my knees, confessing my "road to Shur" and thanking God for his sovereignty and mercy. I'm grateful to know that,like Jacob, I'm not alone in the pain of surrendering my will to God (Day 17). This book has been a blessing in my spiritual growth. Thanks, Wayne.

My parents were fortunate enough to travel to Israel recently. They stayed with a Jewish couple in Jerusalem's Old City, seeking to really experience the birthplace of their faith. My mom called me in tears one afternoon. She said that her belief was changing in response to the reality of what she saw in the places she visited. All of a sudden, her abstract faith, though very real, became more concrete in the stones of the Wailing Wall, the sparkling waters of the Sea of Galilee, and in the lowing of cattle in a stable in Bethlehem. Wayne Stiles bridges the gap between an abstract understanding of faith and the concrete reality of history and geography in Going Places with God. He walks the reader through the land of Israel using vibrant word pictures so realistic that one can almost smell the warm, dusty air. And he ties each biblically significant site to a relevant spiritual truth. If you want to truly experience the land where Jesus walked and grow deeper in your relationship with Him, this devotional is for you. I drank in every word. And each one helped to strengthen my faith.

This devotional book is spectacular. Believe it or not, I spent a week holding off on this review because I wanted precisely the appropriate word for that opening sentence. I gave up - "spectacular" will have to do. Wayne has accomplished in his work what few teaching pastors do and what virtually no devotional books do: the merging, to great benefit, of times, histories, locations, backgrounds, scripture references, and personal insights that result in that rarest of blessings, that palpable communion with the Holy Spirit that usually only occurs when a believer is reading their Bible and the Spirit moves to reveal something new to the reader. There are only a few teachers who, for me, can trigger my spirit's communion with the Holy Spirit simply through their teaching (interestingly enough, Wayne Stiles is one of those few - I could never get enough of Wayne's teaching); what a tremendous blessing to us all that Wayne's willingness and availability to be used by the Spirit has been conferred to his writing. This book is spectacular. I read it through when I first received it and am now reading it day-by day-by-page to my great benefit. I love being transported in time and space to the settings in the Bible and Wayne has done a very good job of taking us there. Bravo, Wayne!

The problem with studying the geography of Israel is that it can quickly become divorced from the life-changing truths of Scripture. After all, how do hills and valleys help you grow closer to God? Wayne Stiles has the answer to that in his new book. I am often asked what is the perfect follow-up to a trip to Israel. My typical answer ("read a Bible atlas") just got better: read and meditate on the truths of this devotional guide. What makes this book so good is that it takes "boring" details of Scripture and shows how they are profitable for life and godliness. Here's an example: Stiles shows how the geography of Joseph's brothers tending their sheep brought Joseph to slavery in Egypt and ultimately Israel's deliverance from famine. Unless you understand the geography, you won't fully appreciate God's sovereignty. The author draws from that just how we should relate to our sometimes bewildering circumstances. In another story, Israel has to travel all the way around Edom, and Stiles explains that in God's plan, sometimes the long way is the best way. I love too the way that Stiles draws beautiful word pictures. With him as guide, I picture myself one day walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and another day watching the sunrise from the Mount of Olives. A pastor for fourteen years, Stiles is a truly gifted communicator with a knowledge of where people are hurting today. One devotional will encourage you to increase your trust in the all-powerful God, and another devotional will challenge you to take heed lest you fall. Familiar lessons some, but brought to life from places in the Bible that you would never otherwise look. I love the geographical nuggets contained in this book, but the reason that I am recommending it to all of my friends and former students is this: Going Places With God will challenge you to live a radical, Christ-centered life. The book came out a week ago: I encourage you to buy it, read it, and buy a couple for friends.

Daily devotionals come and go. The market seems to be flooded with them. So, rarely does a devotional book come along that catches my eye. But Wayne Stiles' Going Places with God is not just another "daily devo." It's not a quick Scripture passage ripped out of context followed by a poem and a prayer. It's not some flowery writer's page full of rambling reflections. Nor is it an editor's repackaging of a dead saint's memoirs. Going Placing with God: A Devotional Journey through the Lands of the Bible is like a spiritual adventure . . . a biblical quest that takes daily steps into the world of the Bible. Wayne Stiles has walked the land, saw beyond the tourist traps, cut through the competing traditions, and produced an informative, thought-provoking, deep, unique, and exciting devotional. The daily readings in this devotional will be more than just an opportunity to put a checkmark on your daily devo duties. You'll feel like you've learned something . . . like you've been somewhere. The pages are filled with maps and photographs to help orient you to the land and to visualize the locations you explore through the devotions. A Scripture index and site/subject index make it easy to use in personal study or in leading devotionals. I honestly wish I could have had this book with me during my trip to Israel last year. There are places I visited where the biblical and spiritual significance escaped me in the chaos of the packed schedule. Every tour guide, every traveler, every pilgrim to the Land of Promise should attach Going Places with God to their itineraries. I do have one complaint, however. I wish Going Places with God came with a round trip ticket to the Holy Land! Oh well. No book is perfect. Maybe he'll include that in a second edition . . .