It’s been a couple weeks since I last posted a blog. That’s because my wife Darla and I were in Israel visiting the Holy Lands. I did post regularly on Facebook and Twitter using my PDA but blogging would have been far more laborious from the little keyboard.

I was reminded of something I learned long ago: travel is good for the soul. It is also good for the brain, too. I’d read about different stories and locations in the bible since I was a child, but visiting those actual places provided a rich context I could never have achieved otherwise. From the Sea of Galilee to the Jordan River to the Kidron Valley to the City of David, I was continually impressed and awed with how little we really know until we get out into the world.

Of course it isn’t just about geography. You can have an opinion about Israel, but until you’ve met and talked with the people who live there, you are missing important pieces of the intellectual puzzle. Someone once observed that we don’t see things are they are, but as we are. It is advisable to re-examine perceptual filters when traveling lest you filter out information and insights that don’t fit your pre-existing ideas.

I’ve traveled in a manner highly organized (as this trip was) and also made up an itinerary as I went along. I’ve found that for return on investment of time, an organized agenda enables you to see and learn more. The big benefit of going with the flow is the unexpected gem that you can find as a result. I’ve had a bit of a readjustment creating my own agenda now that I’m back (although “catching up” has provided me plenty to do…)

I hope you get a chance to travel this summer, locally or internationally and by whatever means possible. Think of it as soul enrichment.