TRAVELING WITH THE LORD

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“An ancient spiritual maxim says, ‘Find God in all things.’ Jan Boys is one of those rare people who does. This engaging book about her travels (geographical and spiritual) invites us to think about our personal travels and reminds us that in the complexity of nature we can see the simplicity of God.”

Bernard Brady, Ph.D., Professor of Theology, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, author of A Spiritual Field Guide.

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Standing on a bridge over a turbulent river with shifting currents and swirling whirlpools, most people briefly glance down and see only water rushing below. Jan Boys studies the scene for fifteen minutes, and then writes about God’s presence in the tumultuous times of life. She finds God in the “everyday stuff of life.”

TRAVELING WITH THE LORD: An Emmaus Journey to the Pacific Northwest is both travelogue and treasure hunt. Drawn from the sights and sounds of two six-month journeys, Jan creates word pictures of places and events, describes how they relate to life, then listens and searches for the presence of God.

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For over thirty years Jan Boys, singer, speaker, and author has been involved in Christian music, coordinating religious education programs and bible studies, developing small Christian communities, and writing reflection and meditation books. Her passion during retirement is to leave a spiritual legacy testifying how God has been and is ever-present and active in her life.

Jan and Gene live in Old Bridge Village, a retirement community on the Caloosahatchee River in North Fort Myers, Florida. The We Be Blest III, their small trawler, when not cruising the waterways, is docked behind their home awaiting the next adventure. They have three married sons, four granddaughters and one grandson.

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TRAVELING WITH THE LORD

An Emmaus Journey to the Pacific Northwest

By Jan Boys

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Are you seeking God’s presence in your life?

Perhaps you’re retired or a traveler?

Do you long for greater significance and purpose in your journeys?

If so, then TRAVELING WITH THE LORD will appeal to you.

Be prepared to find the Lord within its pages,

and then listen for the still small voice of God.

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MORE ON TRAVELING WITH THE LORD

While standing on a bridge over a turbulent river with shifting currents and swirling whirlpools, most people stop for a few moments, glance down, and see only water rushing below. “On the other hand,” Jan Boys’ husband Gene observes, “Jan stood on the bridge over the waters of Deception Pass in Washington State for fifteen minutes or more, studied the turbulent scene, and then wrote about God’s presence in the tumultuous times of life.”

“Picking a Path Through Turbulence” is one of twenty-five reflective stories in TRAVELING WITH THE LORD: An Emmaus Journey to the Pacific Northwest. This series of reflections -- a bit of travelogue and treasure hunt -- is drawn from the sights, sounds, and events of the Boys’s two six-month journeys covering more than 37,000 miles. Jan explains, “I create word pictures of places and events from our trips, describe how they relate to life, then listen and search for the presence of God.”

While dry camping and enjoying the desert’s vibrant sunset, or craning her neck and tearfully gazing up at towering redwoods, or admiring massive majestic mountains, or savoring the tranquility of the ocean surf, God whispered and she heard, again and again. A sampling of the twenty-five reflections from the desert to the redwood forest, from the mountains to the ocean shore includes:

“Finding God in the Desert” ….... Rio Rancho, New Mexico

“Our Pilgrimage of Prayer” ……. The Grotto, Portland, Oregon

“On Waves and White Noise” … Olympic National Park

“Facing My Fears” …………….... Riding the Hiawatha Bike Trail

“Firm Foundations” …………….. Glacier National Park

“The Towering Cathedral” ……... The California Redwoods

“Never Forget Your Dreams” ….. The Black Hills Of South Dakota

“God’s Survival Plan” …………... Mount St. Helens Revisited

Jan describes this as “finding God in the everyday stuff of life.” She sees more than the sight or event itself. God uses it as a teaching tool, a parable to speak to Jan’s soul and to encourage her to listen for His still small voice.

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TRAVELING WITH THE LORD: An Emmaus Journey to the Pacific Northwest will appeal to those seeking God’s presence in their lives, to travelers, retirees, and anyone longing for greater significance and purpose in their journeys.

· Use these reflections and stories to hear the whisperings of God as Jan did.

· Use them as a travel guide. Visit the same places yourself, look around with new eyes, and see what God reveals to you.

· Use them as a steppingstone to enable you to find your own sense of purpose and ways to leave a legacy.

Jan encourages all of us. “We are pilgrims on a journey to our heavenly home. In all your own wanderings and experiences, travel with the Lord, look for Him in the everyday stuff of life, and listen for the still small voice of God. Come, take a journey and go TRAVELING WITH THE LORD.”

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MORE ABOUT JAN BOYS

Traveling was always a way of life for Jan Boys and her husband Gene. After marrying during graduate school at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Jan and Gene began their nomadic lifestyle, eventually living in eighteen homes in eight states in more than thirty-eight years.

As an alternative to finding a position utilizing her degrees in chemistry and education, Jan choose to be a stay-at-home mom while her three boys were in school. Jan recalls, “I was fortunate to be part of the vanishing breed of women who did not have to work outside the home.” Instead, she devoted herself to God, her family, the local churches and community. Volunteering was a major part of Jan’s life.

“Work for the Lord. The retirement benefits are out of this world!” For more than thirty years, Jan has been involved in various churches as a lector, musician, religious education coordinator and teacher, church ministry consultant, and a developer of ecumenical bible studies and small Christian communities.

“My passion during retirement -- my “dream” -- is to leave a spiritual legacy to my children, grandchildren, and beyond, testifying how God has been and is ever-present and active in my life. This instilled a purpose to our wanderings. I chose to travel with the Lord, to listen for the still small voice of God, and to bring His whisperings to the printed page. Since God can be found in people and places everywhere, our trip to the northwest then became an Emmaus journey with no set schedule, no set route.”

An Emmaus journey is a journey with the Lord, not necessarily to any particular destination. The journey is the destination. It is a time of traveling with the Lord: talking with Him, listening to Him, allowing His words to take root deep within us and set our hearts on fire. TRAVELING WITH THE LORD records these experiences.

Jan and her husband Gene are retired and live in Old Bridge Village, a retirement community on the Caloosahatchee River (the Intracoastal Waterway) in North Fort Myers, Florida. Their small trawler, the We Be Blest III, when not cruising the waterways, is docked behind their home awaiting new adventures and stories for her next book, REFLECTIONS ON THE WATER: Traveling the Waterways with God. They have three married sons and four granddaughters.

Jan’s other books include:

· Diamonds, Love and Lessons on the Lake ... A book of thoughts and meditations, printed with Jan’s calligraphy and her middle son’s artwork.

· Best of the Boys’: From Family Fare to Fabulous Feasts ... A cookbook passing on the food, faith, traditions and stories of the Boys family.

· A Seder Haggadah ... A complete program incorporating Christian traditions into a Passover feast.

· Other guides for prayers and activities during Lent, Advent and Christmas.

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