A travel brochure is an important document handed out by travel promoters. Some are found on shinny paper and others splash their dazzling images in countless colorful pixels across the front of your television. They make one's brain drool and your hand reach for the nearest phone for the purpose of ordering a plane ticket.

A black and white video kept playing in my own brain-field, that pastor taking my brother into a real-time travel log. I'd had experience with the Bible in another time and place. But it'd been two good years since I'd darkened the doors of a church or flirted with Bible words.

The next morning, and for most mornings since, I've shaken my self out of bed early—before heading out for a day of working with school kids.These early mornings have been devoted to a covert mission, purposed for getting in touch with that ultimate trip my brother took beyond his known neighborhood.

What were the secrets hidden in that book I'd been blissfully ignoring?Had my brother checked into a life experience in a neighborhood unknown here?

I pulled a chair up to the dining room table, ready for an answer from the small Bible waiting to be opened. Where to start?

John. A thought that I was happy to entertain.

Matthew,Mark, Luke, John. After all he claimed to be an eye-witness (1John1:1).

Talk about being blunt. John isn't pulling any punches. He puts it out there right in front of your eyes.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. And the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (John1:1, NIV)

...to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12,NIV)

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John1:14, NIV)

Hold up there John! You're talking about a whole different neighborhood than where I live—this earthy one. Are you telling me there's more to one's life experience than meets the eye? Another neighborhood?

In earthy neighborhoods our bodies feed gray brain tissue with sensory input. We experiment with technological devises that give our senses a boost for the feeding of imaginary speculation. Still, all incoming information ultimately settles into the confines of our individual brains and is governed by synaptic connections.

There are windows we can open and let others catch a glimpse of what we are imagining. We call these windows words, language environments where thoughts are displayed like shadows on a wall.

People enter into such relationships frequently. They pick up a book or watch a movie and become captured by an author's word-created reality. The characters take on life and impinge on their sense of what is real and experienced. Words fill their brains with reality created by illusions—thoughts, emotions, pictures of experiences that live only within the confines of grey matter.

I was willing and able to spend significant time getting involved with the words and images in many Stephen King novels. They shook up my brain quit effectively and gave me a well-founded respect for unseen things. He wrote his mind-video into pages that interpreted experiences living in imaginary neighborhoods. The question always came up. Is there something I don't see? Something real?

An afternoon's journey into one of his books was always more captivating when I put my preconceived notions at arm's length. However, I must admit I kept them where I could grab them in case I needed some earthy neighborhood comfort.

So.What I'm thinking, John, is that I'm ready to take a ride with you in to a glimpse of that other neighborhood.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John1:14, NIV)

The Word came into a human neighborhood, the earthy experience, carrying his Father's DNA and revealing his Father's personality and character. In his Father's neighborhood something was moving. That movement placed earthy neighborhoods at the top of the Father's concern list. Since Jesus didn't consider equality with God as something to be grasped, the Son made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! As a result of this superhuman expression of love his Father exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name...(Philippians 2:6-8, NIV)

In Jesus' life we see the example of his Father's love expressed and experienced. He gave up his place in his Father's eternal neighborhood and inhabited a human body. (John1:14) He didn't try to use his Father's power to set up a earthly kingdom so that he could boast about his accomplishments. He didn't shut people down when they opposed him. Rather, he put his trust and hope in his Father's plan,and followed that plan to an end, in the death of his human body.Jesus now celebrates in his Father's neighborhood, in a new body given to him by the Father (Philippians2:9-11), as an example to all who will listen, because his Father wants to work blessing into human expression and experience.

As I read through John's writing about what he'd seen and experienced a whole bundle of questions began chasing each other around in my head.

I resolved to take on the journey with John as my guide. I wanted to find out for myself if there is truth to be found in this other neighborhood.

This journey was calling on my mind to open and allow the Word to speak from its own source, a source that was approaching me from deep within a never-ending way.

When we walk toward each other, meet and shake hands, there will be questioning, doubt,debate, but always the potential of an experience of  profound acceptance,compassion and joy. When we meet in that way we have all the options, we have the freedom to decide to accept or reject the offer of continuing in the relationship. At any time we can jump off,but we will always be welcomed back.

That was the attitude that gently spoke to my mind and talked my will into choosing to press ahead.