Pilgrim’s Progress: My Story Too? with Jim Miller – G26060401

We’re all on a journey —each of us and all of us.

But what’s the nature of this pilgrimage? Are we more like tourists on a cruise ship or slaves on a forced march? Is there any meaning to our story —any definitive goal? What should we keep in mind as we travel? Is there anything we need to pack in order to arrive safely? 

These are among the most important questions any of us will ever ask. 

Join us June 29 to July 3 as we invite a magnificent literary classic to lead us in a week of reflection on life and faith. John Bunyan’s PIlgrim’s Progress, written in an English jail and published in 1678, is the story of a man on a journey –his quest driven by a most daring hope but thwarted at every turn by unseen dangers and fearsome events. 

In short, it’s the story about your journey, your life. Our lives together.

It’s hard to overstate the astonishing impact that John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” has had on a global audience over the past 350 years. C.S. Lewis refers to it as a classic that “has astonished the world.” 

Robert McCrum, in an article in the British newspaper, The Guardian, places it first in his list of “The 100 Best Novels Written in English”. 

Charles Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) wrote a commentary on this book that begins with this paragraph:

             Next to the Bible, the book I value most is John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s

             Progress.” I believe I have read it through at least a hundred times. It is a

             volume of which I never seem to tire; and the secret of its freshness is that

             it is so largely compiled from the Scriptures. It is really Biblical teaching

             put into the form of a simple yet very striking allegory.

Why not add this book to your reading list this year –and join us for a week-long reflection on Bunyan’s story and its relevance to our own. And what better place to have this engagement than in the stark and inspiring beauty of Ghost Ranch? 

Each morning we’ll gather from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for a focused reflection, engaging the highlights of Bunyan’s story and considering the claims of the Christian faith.

Rev. Jim MIller, Ph.D., longtime Presbyterian Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Tulsa, leads our discussion. Jim currently serves as an affiliate faculty member teaching New Testament at Dubuque Theological Seminary in Iowa.   

Afternoons and evenings are free for hiking, horseback riding, swimming, reading, conversations and the like. 

Come, join in the quest —and share in the deepening of friendships! Come, ponder how Pilgrim’s journey mirrors our own.