Everywhere is Jerusalem

by James C. Howell

Location matters.Christianity isn’t a batch of spiritual thoughts or metaphysical truths. It’s a journey of real people with their feet on the ground in real places. In Everywhere Is Jerusalem, James Howell takes you on a spiritual pilgrimage to significant places in the ongoing story of the Christian faith. You’ll go from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, from the Jordan River to Assisi, and from the Sea of Galilee to Montgomery, Alabama. Along the way, you’ll discover the profound connections between biblical stories and the places they happened. You’ll see how Christians throughout history have brought their faith to life worldwide, in their own cities and communities. And you’ll find God calling you to bring your own faith to life right where you are, right now.Part travelogue, part Bible study, this book will take you on a spiritual journey to the places that are most important in our faith, where you’ll discover that the most important place of all is the place where you are, right now.Components available to use this book in a small group study include a Leader Guide and video available on DVD.

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2024

Reviews

[Patty Corwin]

3.5 stars
I was the facilitator for a group study on this book, complete with videos, at my church. The book is interesting. But….. I found that the author packed so many ideas and places into each chapter, which made it difficult to find a big idea to concentrate on, especially in the latter chapters. I supplemented the material with YouTube videos of some of the places he talked about. This helped me understand the purpose of each chapter better, and I think the participants liked the extra information. Even though I had a leaders guide filled with questions, I sometimes thought that the questions really didn’t help us to understand the points any better.

I must say, the author/video presenter is very affable- it was easy to like him. But he needs to learn to focus better for the sake of his viewers and readers.

[Pauline]

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting of this book, but I found it very interesting, both for the variety of places Howell tells about from the Holy Land, various countries he has visited, and places close to home, as well as the spiritual lessons that go with them. It jumps around a lot but I like the connections he makes. It's not a book to read quickly - best read in small bits and then think about them.

[Gail Burgess]

Our Bible Study group turned this six chapter book into a twelve week study. At first I had expected a travelogue of sorts, but this is different. And once I actually realized tht each location provided a new area to explore, I enjoyed it more. So, for example, the visit to Nazareth was much more about the homes we all have as well as the home where Jesus grew up. Jordan was about all kinds of water -- not just Baptismal! It is a good study.

[Kyla Sikorski]

As for the actual book, this is 3 stars. Lots of disjointed content in each chapter and heading that did not flow well.

Add in the video and Bible Study group and it gains a star back. The videos covered a lot of the chapter in more of a sermon format that flows better than the book did. My Bible Study group had great conversations based off the topics presented.