At the Wilson household, we try to treat every day as both a gift from God and a fresh invitation to explore something new. After nearly four decades together, Chris and I have had our share of adventures, including a few we’d prefer not to repeat, but each one shaped us. That’s life. One steady thread through those years has been our friendship with Joel Richardson. Joel is a best-selling author, an artist, a filmmaker, and a theologian, and we first met back in 2008 when he asked me to read the draft of what became his New York Times best seller The Islamic Antichrist. We’ve been kindred spirits since. Every year he makes his way to our home, and we fall right back into long conversations about world events through a biblical lens.
This year’s visit followed our usual rhythm—an outdoor adventure, plenty of catching up, and time with our church family. We decided on another trip to Harpers Ferry, a favorite spot for all three of us. It’s where the Shenandoah meets the Potomac and where John Brown’s raid pushed the nation closer to war. Joel does something daring almost every visit, like the winter he did an ice bath in the near-freezing Shenandoah. This year he stayed dry and kept his adventures to walking the river path and poking around the historic town. At one point, he and Chris ended up studying a stubborn little plant growing right out of a stone wall by the railroad tracks. Modern life being what it is, they pulled out a phone, snapped a picture, and let the app settle the debate.
The day was chilly enough that we ducked into the John Brown museum to warm up. Joel lingered over the displays, tracing Brown’s trail from Kansas, where Joel lives now, to Ohio, just miles from where Chris and I grew up, and finally to Harpers Ferry, where Brown’s life ended. From there we wandered through town, stopping at the chocolate shop—Chris can spot good chocolate from a mile away—and a few other places. Joel struck up a conversation at Magpie Pottery and had the owners laughing as he showed them videos of one of his odd Kansas pastimes: hurling himself into brush piles just to see what happens. By late afternoon, we were back home setting up for dinner with our church group, picking up conversations that feel like they never really pause.
Joel’s life has taken him to places most folks only read about. He has worked with the underground church in Iran, trekked through restricted regions around what many believe to be Mount Sinai, and guided groups through Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. He has been chased, threatened, debated, and stretched in ways that make our RV excursions look like lightweight recreation. But that’s part of what we love about these visits. He brings the world to our table, and we offer him a peaceful corner of it for a couple of days. We’re grateful for the friendship, the stories, and the reminder that adventure comes in many forms, whether it’s deciphering ancient inscriptions or simply walking the river on a cold afternoon with people you care about.
