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Book: “Footsteps that Echo Forever: My Holy Land Pilgrimage”

Book: “Footsteps that Echo Forever: My Holy Land Pilgrimage”

Last updated on: July 14, 2026 at 10:30 pm by Dave Armstrong

Book: “Footsteps that Echo Forever: My Holy Land Pilgrimage” 2026-07-14T22:30:43-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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The front cover photograph was taken by Margie Prox Sindelar on 23 October 2014 at Caesarea Philippi: the stunning location where Jesus designated St. Peter as the “rock” upon which He would build His Church, and gave Him the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:13-19).

[completed on 8 November 2014; 165 pages. Published at Lulu on the same day]

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[PAPERBACK: Amazon / Lulu] [PDF + ePUB: $9.99]

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“PERSONAL” INTRODUCTION

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I’ve written 47 books so far, and this one is my honest-to-God favorite. It’s special and unique, due to the subject matter, and because it was the result of a dream trip of a lifetime.

Secondly, I like it because it’s thoroughly soaked in the Bible, and that is my specialty as an apologist. This is a book for Bible lovers: a feast!

Thirdly, I am thrilled to be able to present some sections of my wife Judy (a very spiritual and “deep” person) explaining her intensely spiritual experiences at holy sites in Israel, as well similar expressions from Margie Prox Sindelar. These I consider (far and away) the best portions of the book, because they are extraordinarily descriptive: akin to the great Catholic mystics (whose works I recently compiled into a quotes book).

This was a central goal for me in this volume: to convey to readers exactly what it felt like at these holy places. The ladies did a far better job at that than I did, which is fine: as long as the goal is met (I love working with a “team”)! You can read examples of that in the online content for “Day Three,” but their reports / comments for Day Eight and Nine in Bethlehem and Jerusalem are (trust me) astonishing beyond words. They send a chill up and down my spine every time I read them.

This is also the book above all my other ones, where I really want to reach and touch readers’ hearts and souls.

MISC.

Introductory Facebook post about the pilgrimage and my conception of this book. [8-11-14]

Highly related paper: My Wedding Ring: Third-Class Relic [4 November 2014] [lists the 100 holy places I touched with my ring]

Dave Armstrong, Ross Earl Hoffman, and Margie Prox Sindelar discuss the pilgrimage and book on a two-hour episode of Deeper Truth, on Blog Talk Radio (11-7-14), with Donald Hartley. [play show at the very top of the page]

My visit to the Holy Land in 2014 and my book chronicling it, Footsteps That Echo Forever [35-minute interview with John Benko on The 4 Persons Podcast, 20 March 2025]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication (p. 3)

Introduction: Anticipating and Reflecting Upon the Pilgrimage Three Months Ahead of Time (p. 7) [read online]

Day One: 18 October 2014 [The “lay of the land”] (p. 15)

Day Two: 19 October [Mt. Carmel (Elijah) / Caesarea] (p. 21)

Day Three: 20 October [Transfiguration / Cana / Nazareth] (p. 23)

[featuring Judy and Margie’s profound spiritual experiences at Mt. Tabor and in Nazareth (read online) ]

Day Four: 21 October [Sermon on the Mount / Feeding of the 5,000 / Capernaum] (p. 33)

[Sermon on the Mount: Striking Topographical Facts: book excerpt]

Archaeological Interlude No. 1: Has St. Peter’s House in Capernaum Been Discovered? (p. 37) [read online]

Day Five: 22 October [River Jordan / Mount of Temptation / Ancient Road from Jericho to Jerusalem] (p. 43)

Archaeological Interlude No. 2: “Bethany Beyond the Jordan”: History, Archaeology, and the Location of Jesus’ Baptism on the East Side of the Jordan (p. 45) [read online]

Day Six: 23 October [Caesarea Philippi and the Primacy of Peter] (p. 69)

Archaeological Interlude No. 3: Sodom and Gomorrah: the Current Archaeological Trend of a Location North of the Dead Sea (p. 71) [read online]

Day Seven: 24 October [Feeding of the 4,000 / Miracle of the Demoniac and the Swine] (p. 85)

Archaeological Interlude No. 4: Has Joshua’s Altar on Mt. Ebal Been Discovered and Verified by Archaeology? (p. 87) [read online]

Day Eight: 25 October [Bethlehem and the First Christmas] (p. 101)

[read my article, The Spiritual Joy of Visiting Bethlehem (The Michigan Catholic, 26 Dec. 2014) ]

[see also a video of the actual manger, which is currently located in Rome]

Day Nine: 26 October [Church of the Holy Sepulchre] (p. 107)

[read my article, What It Feels Like to Visit Golgotha]

Archaeological Interlude No. 5: The Locations of Jesus’ Crucifixion, His Tomb, and the Route of the Via Dolorosa (p. 115) [read online]

Day Ten: 27 October [Ascension / Gethsemane / Mary’s Tomb / St. Stephen / City of David / Melchizedek / Hezekiah’s Tunnel / Pool of Siloam / Rachel’s Tomb / Mary’s Resting Place] (p. 133)

[see the video of the sunburst and remarkably flowing water at the Pool of Siloam; also a photograph of the sunburst below; also my article about our visit there, in Seton Magazine, 17 Dec. 2014]

Archaeological Interlude No. 6: City of David and Related Finds: The Exciting Cutting-Edge of Biblical and Jerusalem Archaeology (p. 141) [read the introductory portion and related comments, on Facebook]

Day Eleven: 28 October [Khirbet Qeiyafa / David and Goliath / Gamaliel and Paul] (p. 155)

Day Twelve: 29 October [Temple Mount / Pool of Bethesda / Birthplace of Mary / Fortress Antonia / St. Helena’s Church / Wailing Wall / Temple Archaeology] (p. 157)

[“Why I Walked on the Steps That Jesus Walked On (Holy Places, Relics, and the Sacramental Principle)”: (read online) ]

[see a video of our guide Meir More talking at the first-century steps leading to the temple, that Jesus would have walked]

Day Thirteen: 30 October [Dormition Abbey / David’s Tomb / Upper Room / Caiaphas and Peter’s Denials / Prison (Jesus and Peter) / Western Wall Tunnels] (p. 163)

Sunburst at the Pool of Siloam: 27 October 2014 (photograph by Margie Prox Sindelar), just as our guide read the passage of Jesus healing the blind man at this spot, and saying He was the “light of the world.” We have the whole thing on video as well: see above, under “Day Ten.”

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PURCHASE OPTIONS

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[PAPERBACK: Amazon / Lulu] [PDF + ePUB: $9.99]

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Practical Matters: This is the most comprehensive and multi-faceted Catholic apologetics blog: rated #1 for Christian sites by leading AI tool, ChatGPT. I offer more than 5,000 free online articles, fifty-eight books, and many scores of videos at the Catholic Bible Highlights YouTube channel (please subscribe!). If you believe my full-time apostolate is worth supporting, please seriously consider financially supporting it. PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: [email protected]. You’ll see the term “Dave Armstrong Bookstore”. To learn about the different methods of contributing (including Zelle and 100% tax-deductible donations if desired), see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information. Thanks a million!

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Last updated on 14 July 2026

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