It's been awhile since my last post. I will put up a couple of pictures soon, but have been spending the time reading, travelling with Worth and meeting local people with connections to water in the Jacksonville area. I've also had the opportunity to be in e-mail conversation with a couple of Old Testament scholars and they have recommended to me a book on the physical geography in the Bible. It is called the "Natural History of the Bible" and it is fascinating. The writer takes a look at each of the "areas" of the world that the biblical story includes from the point of view of their natural history and environment. For instance, the stories of Abraham, Issac and Jacob are examined in light of archaeological and sociological evidence for pastoral nomads living four thousand years ago. As one might imagine, having fresh water available would be a primary concern. Thus, it is interesting in looking at the stories in Genesis again, how much of the stories revolve around wells and water. From Abraham and Abimelech having a oath around a well (Beersheba, which actually means something like "well of an oath") to Jacob meeting Rachel at a well, water plays an interesting role in these narratives. It made me think, just a little, about how water plays a role in our narratives: from our own baptism to baptisms of our children, to how and when we learned to swim, to favorite moments on oceans, lakes and rivers. More later.