Contact: Janis Backing, Publicity Manager, Moody Publishers, 312-329-2108, janis.backing@moody.edu
CHICAGO, March 27, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- A Bible scholar who has led more than 70 trips to Israel and the Middle East is inviting travelers to join him for the adventure of a lifetime ... a 30-day journey that traces the footsteps of Jesus, exploring the world in which He walked.
You don't even need a passport.
Thirty Days in the Land With Jesus: A Holy Land Devotional (Moody), takes readers on a month-long spiritual expedition through the Holy Land and the Holy Bible, led by renowned author and guide Dr. Charles Dyer.
"The more you are able to place the events in the life of Jesus into their proper historical and geographical context, the more you will understand the message of the Bible," Dr. Dyer explains.
Reading our geographical understanding into the Bible can lead to a misunderstanding of the story, the author says: "When you read about events on the Sea of Galilee, you might mistakenly picture a much larger body of water -- Lake Michigan, for example. Or when you read about Jesus' baptism on the Jordan river, you might substitute the Mississippi or some other river you think might match the grandeur of events in the Bible."
Showcasing vivid photography that brings to life the ancient sites that framed the earthly ministry of Christ, Thirty Days in the Land with Jesus helps bring into sharp focus the stories recorded in Scripture as readers actually see the spots where they took place.
"God chose this seemingly insignificant part of the world to do some of the most significant things ever done in human history. I want people to experience the land because ultimately it takes them into the Bible," Dr. Dyer says.
However, he adds, the purpose of the book is not merely to help readers understand the Bible more accurately: "As important as that is, my desire is to help people fall more in love with the God of the Bible as they journey through the land with the Son of God."
Dr. Dyer concludes, "I'll really feel like this book is a success if people walk away saying, 'I understand the Middle East more. I understand the Word of God more. And I want to be more like Jesus Christ.'"
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Charles Dyer is professor-at-large of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Ill., and host of "The Land and the Book" radio program. An Old Testament scholar as well as an authority on Middle Eastern history and religion, he is a licensed guide to Israel and has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East over the last two decades. Dr. Dyer has authored many articles and books on the Middle East and the Old Testament, including A Voice in the Wilderness, and The New Christian Traveler's Guide to the Holy Land.
Order review copies of Thirty Days in the Land With Jesus and schedule interviews with the author by contacting Janis Backing, publicity manager for Moody Publishers, at 312-329-2108 or janis.backing@moody.edu.
