Prof. Stacy, an ordained Baptist minister and dean of New Testament and preaching at the M. Christopher White School of Divinity in Boiling Springs, N.C., has crafted a beautiful little book, part travelogue and part devotional, with great photographs enlivening each chapter heading. Obviously a gifted preacher and story teller, Stacy brings to each of the several geographical chapters in Christ's life and ministry a warm, personal touch. His v?gnettes are thought-provoking, sometimes poignant, occasionally even uncomfortable in the immediacy with which they thrust the story of the gospel into everyday life. At the end of each chapter, there's a short list of discussion questions geared to elicit responses to the question, "So, what does this have to do with me, sitting here in 21st-century Missouri?"

Despite some occasional unfortunate lapses of fact, especially when it comes to Muslim history, this is a great little book for the pilgrim leader, the sort of devotional guide which would come in handy on the ground, where the eras and dynasties of unfamiliar history too often obscure rather than enlighten the first-time visitor. If I had to pack only one book published this year for a parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land, this little gem would be it.