My Love Affair with Pilgrim

I began my love affair with John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress when I found Barbour’s unabridged edition complete with marginal notes and Scripture references. Hearing Bill quote Bunyan in sermons piqued my interest, but reading this classic and looking up each Scripture gives substance for my Christian growth. My daily thirst for following Christ is satisfied as I discover Bunyan’s creative details of the joys and pitfalls any Christian experiences. Bunyan’s characters, the places, the journey itself all have meaning and contribute to knowing what it means to be a Christian in a world that’s not a friend to grace. Each time I return to this book I find fresh food, for it’s like reading and re-reading the Bible. I always learn more about who God is and who He wants me to be.

Do you understand the Christian life, what it means to follow Christ? I’m not alone when I answer that question with a tinge of doubt. Like me, you also need a guide during your life’s journey – to find meaning in daily struggles. Yes, we read our Bibles and we pray for God to guide us. And yes, we practice Christian fellowship with other believers. In reading The Pilgrim’s Progress along with Scripture I connect my personal life with Pilgrim’s journey to the Celestial City. Pilgrim struggles with doubt and fear, but he also seeks what’s right and good in order to please Christ his Savior. Companions who travel alongside help him trust and rise above inner struggles. These are examples for me to follow.

The format of my book, Journey with Bunyan’s Pilgrim, [yet to be published] is wrapped around the genres of Bible study and personal devotions, with the structure of a six-day week. In thirteen weeks, each day includes a reflection on a portion of Bunyan’s book, how this section connects Scripture with personal experience, and a question for the reader to answer in thoughtful journaling.

Prepare yourself for an exciting journey. As you read The Pilgrim’s Progress, you’ll encounter obstacles, snags, and people who won’t support you, but you will also have rewarding fellowship with some special travelers. Come along and journey together with my companion book (when it gets published). You’ll not regret it. This is no usual travel book.