We’re closer to our average number of weekly miles this week: 743.05. That takes us all the way across Tunisia and about three-quarters of the way across Libya. The terrain is still mostly desert. If we were making this walk for real we’d probably be a bit north following the coast of the Mediterranean Sea instead of taking the straight line through the sand.
The towns that we pass have all been here for thousands of years, since they grew around the oases. They are known for delicious dates (the fruit date, not the going-out kind of date).
The scripture for this Sunday is Acts 5:27-32. In it the apostles are accused of recidivism: doing again what they had previsously gotten in trouble for doing. Since in this case what they had got in trouble for doing was talking about Jesus they aren’t really planning to stop, even when the chief priest says “Hey, I thought we told you to knock it off.”
As we persist in walking through the desert we can consider where else God may be calling us to be stubborn. To keep going when it might be easier to stop. “Sorry, not sorry” says Peter, “We must obey God rather than humans.”
And since we made it half-way from our stop last week to our destination, our encouraging song this week is a modern anthem:
We’ve gotta hold on to what we’ve gotIt doesn’t make a difference if we make it or notWe got each other, and that’s a lot for loveWe’ll give it a shot
Oh, we’re half way thereOh-oh, livin’ on a prayerTake my hand, we’ll make it, I swearWhoa-oh, livin’ on a prayerLivin’ on a prayer
(–Jon Bon Jovi)