By Elena McDowell
The Cross book is an encouragement to all those committed to their own walk of faith. It will also be enjoyed by others regardless of their religious views as an inspirational story of an ordinary man achieving the extraordinary. Arthur Blessitt carries a life-sized wooden cross through 315 nations and island groups in seven continents. He embarks on this epic journey in response to a call he receives from God while ministering on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood.
Blessitt took 38 years to complete his journey which began on Christmas day in 1969. He walked his final mile in Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania in June 2008. When people ask him how he managed to persevere, his answer is that he took the journey one step at a time. In fact this is the title of his first chapter. He says that the only way to accomplish any goal is to break it down into small steps and to take the first step.
He wandered deserts, climbed mountains and traversed jungles but this account is more than a travelogue. He chooses to assemble his experiences by theme rather than using chronological order. It is only his belief in his mission that enables him to overcome obstacles like death threats, beatings and attacks by wild animals.
Blessitt grabbed the attention of everyone who saw him carrying his burden on his back. This gave him the opportunity to talk to people of many different cultures and languages who responded to this symbol of the love of God. On occasion he addressed crowds of people in jam-packed squares while at other times he wandered alone in deserted areas.
He experienced many important historical periods in the course of his travels. He aided refugees flooding into Jordan from Kuwait prior to the first Gulf War. He was amongst the first people to go to East Germany after the Berlin wall came down. He spent time in South Africa prior to the demise of apartheid.
Blessitt met with many important leaders, from kings to presidents. He braved battling armies, walking through mine fields to pray with Yasser Arafat. He went to the Vatican as a guest of the Pope. His mission was always about the people no matter what walk of life they came from and he was as concerned about talking to peasants as to kings.
He never allowed challenging circumstances to divert him from his mission. In Ireland, IRA gunmen threatened to kill him if he continued to walk through Belfast. He was jailed a number of times, one of them under the fascist regime of Franco. When he was in Nicaragua he was dragged before a firing squad in the middle of the night. In Uzbekistan, the KGB arrested him and interrogated him for hours.
Photographs chronicle the steps of his epic journey and use of a handwritten font at times makes one feel that one is reading a personal journal. If you enjoy reading stories about the fearless pursuit of a mission, The Cross book will appeal to you. You will experience the journey with Blessitt as he faces all obstacles in his path with faith and manages to overcome them.
Blessitt took 38 years to complete his journey which began on Christmas day in 1969. He walked his final mile in Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania in June 2008. When people ask him how he managed to persevere, his answer is that he took the journey one step at a time. In fact this is the title of his first chapter. He says that the only way to accomplish any goal is to break it down into small steps and to take the first step.
He wandered deserts, climbed mountains and traversed jungles but this account is more than a travelogue. He chooses to assemble his experiences by theme rather than using chronological order. It is only his belief in his mission that enables him to overcome obstacles like death threats, beatings and attacks by wild animals.
Blessitt grabbed the attention of everyone who saw him carrying his burden on his back. This gave him the opportunity to talk to people of many different cultures and languages who responded to this symbol of the love of God. On occasion he addressed crowds of people in jam-packed squares while at other times he wandered alone in deserted areas.
He experienced many important historical periods in the course of his travels. He aided refugees flooding into Jordan from Kuwait prior to the first Gulf War. He was amongst the first people to go to East Germany after the Berlin wall came down. He spent time in South Africa prior to the demise of apartheid.
Blessitt met with many important leaders, from kings to presidents. He braved battling armies, walking through mine fields to pray with Yasser Arafat. He went to the Vatican as a guest of the Pope. His mission was always about the people no matter what walk of life they came from and he was as concerned about talking to peasants as to kings.
He never allowed challenging circumstances to divert him from his mission. In Ireland, IRA gunmen threatened to kill him if he continued to walk through Belfast. He was jailed a number of times, one of them under the fascist regime of Franco. When he was in Nicaragua he was dragged before a firing squad in the middle of the night. In Uzbekistan, the KGB arrested him and interrogated him for hours.
Photographs chronicle the steps of his epic journey and use of a handwritten font at times makes one feel that one is reading a personal journal. If you enjoy reading stories about the fearless pursuit of a mission, The Cross book will appeal to you. You will experience the journey with Blessitt as he faces all obstacles in his path with faith and manages to overcome them.
About the Author:
If you would like to know what The Cross Book and DVD are all about, check out this link to www.blessitt.com. Arthur Blessitt has carried the cross around the world in every nation and you can visit http://www.blessitt.com for more details.