Review of Trekking

[patricia MGBEMENA]

I would love to understand a lot from Maynard's perspective, such as why Christian churches lose their followers and why many feel uninspired by old norms which was carried out in the church.

[sayjil gordhan]

I’m glad you found Trekking insightful and accessible. I agree that more detailed daily reflections on the pilgrimage would have added a richer dimension to the story. Your balanced feedback is very helpful for others considering the book!

[Victor Nwabuisi]

I really appreciate how this book addresses the emptiness many feel with modern church practices. The idea of returning to simplicity and silence to deepen faith sounds like a refreshing way to reconnect with spirituality. Thank you for the great review.

[Chi Chiu Michael Mak]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Trekking" by Gene Maynard.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Do you feel empty? Have you abandoned “meaningless” Christian rituals? Do you want Christianity to fill the emptiness you feel? If you answered yes to these questions, Gene Maynard hopes to show you how to fill the emptiness in his book Trekking.

Maynard explains why traditional Christian churches lose their followers. Many people feel uninspired by old rituals, preaching, and entertainment in the church. They turn to other religions to fill the emptiness and feel closer to God. Maynard believes that our materialistic society causes our feeling of emptiness. We have so much but feel unsatisfied. We are missing a meaningful relationship with Jesus. Maynard maintains that a lifestyle of simplicity will allow us to be close to Jesus.

Marnard explains how the Quaker tradition of spending time in silence to contemplate enables one to listen to Jesus. The practice of self-isolation is also discussed. Christian history is filled with prophets, saints, and revolutionary leaders who practiced self-isolation to be closer to God. The author emphasizes the importance of minimizing our distractions so we can be inspired by God's message through spiritual contemplation.

Traditionally, Christians have made pilgrimages to contemplate readings in the Bible, focus on Jesus, and find a higher purpose. Maynard shares a few of his contemplative spiritual experiences from a five-week trekking trip on a 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail in Spain.

I enjoyed the author's style of narration. Easy-to-understand language was used to explain spiritual concepts. Their arguments were supported with biblical quotes, historical information about revolutionary movements in Christian churches, and examples of spiritual enlightenment through contemplative spirituality. The book was well-written, and the editing was professionally done. This contributed to my smooth reading experience. However, I was disappointed that the author did not provide more details about their trekking pilgrimage. I would have enjoyed reading a short diary of the trekking experiences, spiritual and physical, that were encountered each day. Reading about their daily experiences would have allowed me to experience a more authentic account of their 5-week trek on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail. Considering the above factors, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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Trekking
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I like how the book doesn't shy away from the hard truth that churches, like other organizations, experience churn. And a large reason is that people want to find external things to fill the emptiness, never mind that this has been, and will always be, a losing game.

[Seetha E]

I have read two books about the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail. I agree with the authors' ideas about how some religious leaders and their teachings often lack real connection to faith or spirituality (This is seen across most major religions). I also think that including a daily account of the entire trek would help readers connect better with the author’s message. Great review, as always!

[Helen Waziri]

What caught my attention in your review was the emphasis on simplicity and silence as ways to reconnect with Jesus, especially the idea of drawing from Quaker traditions and Christian self-isolation practices. That quiet, intentional approach to faith feels like something more people might need in such a noisy, fast-paced world.