The Cross: 38,102 Miles, 38 Years, One Mission

by Arthur Blessitt

On May 17, 2008, Arthur Blessitt walked his 38,102nd mile in Zanzibar, off of the coast of Tanzania, completing a journey that began in 1969. Arthur started walking with a twelve-foot cross on December 25, 1969 and has successfully carried a large wooden cross into every nation and major island group of the world. This book reads like a travelogue as you journey with Arthur in country after country. Youll begin with Arthurs initial call from God to carry a cross from Hollywood, where he was known as the minister of Sunset Strip, across America to its capital, Washington, DC, and follow along across the nation and the globe.

Genres: Religion, Biography, Christian

221 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Arthur Owen Blessitt was an American traveling Christian preacher who was known for carrying a cross through every nation of the world.

Reviews

[Coleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2/4/09 - Apparently Arthur Blessitt is pretty well known for his cross-carrying mission, although I was unfamiliar with him until reading this book. The numerous places he's traveled, the numerous people he's met (both famous & not-so-famous) -- both very impressive. I enjoyed the pictures included at the beginning of each chapter, although the journal entries were a bit much. And while I greatly admire Blessitt for what he's done & continues to do today, I have to admit that this book was a little more "preachy" than I perhaps expected. Especially closer to the end of the book, it started to sound more like a revival for born-again Christians, and I have to say, that part turned me off quite a bit. I think his mission has been awe-inspiring & well-received & while it sounds good, there were a lot of details & stories that just sounded almost a little too fantastic & unbelievable to be realistic. Perhaps Blessitt really has been one of the lucky ones to be on the receiving end of various visions from God, but it's hard not to be skeptical of some details, even though I consider myself a fairly strong Christian. Undoubtedly Arthur Blessitt is a good speaker & I would likely jump at the opportunity to see him speak in person, but overall, the writing style was a bit disjointed & I think I would have organized a book such as this a little differently.

[Miriam Elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasnt too sure what to expect of this book. Arthur Blessitt was very famous when I was a teen. It was a good book, made me laugh and made me cry and certainly showed is love of Jesus. Lessons to be learned.

[Ruth]

A friend asked me to read this book so that we could discuss it. Arthur Blessitt is a personal friend of Paul Crouch and this book is endorsed by TBN. Neither factor is in its favor. Although the explicit Gospel *is* given at the end of the book (something I didn't expect and do appreciate), the rest of the narrative is infused with the sort of touchy-feely spirituality (and elevation of visions, dreams, and sign acts over the Word) that TBN is famous for. Seen strictly from a literary standpoint, this book isn't organized with any sort of structure that makes sense. Chapters neither follow a chronological nor a topical outline. Some stiff editing could have done the narrative a world of good.

[Caleb Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories, stories, stories! Not really organized though; I found myself blinking my eyes for like 3 seconds trying to understand where or when this story was, lol. All in all really cool story.
Best Qoutes:
"As we talked to other people in Sri Lanka we didn't talk about Christianity, Buddhism or Islam or Hinduism. We talked about Jesus."

"But while religion certainly may become a source of anger and animosity, Jesus doesn't need to stir people's anger. In fact I find that people around the world like Jesus and want to know more about him.

"I try to focus on Christ and the love and grace of God."

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me cry...a lot. Whether or not any of this is real or if it is all imagined, it is a beautiful story with and even more beautiful message; love and faith conquer all. Love for God, Jesus, man, your friends, family, enenemies, strangers, everyone and everything whether or not you believe them "deserving." Faith in God, His will, His plan, and His miracles. Try as I might, I cannot share this book with my atheist parents and family. Please, read this book so that I might share it with you and we can bask in God's love together. Amen.

[Amanda Bassett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book strictly on plane rides which was nice since Arthur's whole book is about traveling with the gospel. Arthur obviously loves the Lord very much, however, I did disagree with some of his doctrine. I also found his writing style a little too sappy and "hippie." Overall an interesting read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books was good, not great, but it did contain a lot of amazing, great stories. The author, Arthur, has an amazing life story, but I think he should have let someone else write the actual book. Still, I am glad I read about his journey and the miracles he experienced.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read, this is a true story of a man's journey around the world carrying a cross. Amazing!

[Sonia Reppe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Click here to read my review for Bookpleasure.com:


http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitep...

[Robi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have great admiration for this very devoted man.

[Pat Roseman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came to know the Lord as a result of this man's ministry, back in the 60's, so this book was very much like a walk down memory lane (even though much of it occurred after that time).

[Brcoad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book worth reading