Margaret Guenther is an Episcopal priest, writer, spiritual director, teacher, and grandmother. She is the former director of the Center for Christian Spirituality at The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church and priest associate at St. Columba's Episcopal Church in Washington, D. C. She begins this devotional paperback on the walkers in the Bible with the story of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden and ends with Jesus' encounter with the men on the road to Emmaus. "We are always on the way," she notes, "The point of all our walking (tedious or joyous, rambling or purposeful) is going home."
Other walkers covered here include Hagar, Abraham and Isaac, Moses, Mary and Joseph, Jesus and Mount Tabor, the Prodigal Son, Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, and Jesus on the walk to Golgotha. Guenther ponders the meaning of Thomas Wolfe's phrase "You can't go home again." She discusses the delicate art of looking back, the patience and courage needed for the long journey out of exile, the difficulty of the trip through unknown territory, the value of accepting the hospitality of others along the way, the wise use of detours, and the pleasures of walking with friends. It is gratifying to see how this biblical theme can be worked out in so many meaningful ways. Walking is not only good exercise but it is a spiritual practice for many people that can yield great benefits.
