--- id: 20160801_travel_addiction title: BLOG - Travel Addiction category: Biblical Life Counsel predicted_narrative_arc: wanderlust-to-worship-of-creator sentiment: Wonder emotions: - Adventurous - Grateful - Worshipful keypoints: - Childhood Niagara Falls trip taught both awe and the safety of guard rails - Vickie's love of travel initiated Dean's "addiction" to new experiences - Mature travel replaces protective rails with an open mind against apathy - Israel, though in a hard neighborhood, is experienced as a safe place to see God's world - The real craving is to admire God's creation — He is bigger than we can comprehend summary: > Dean Rush traces a lifelong travel appetite from a childhood Niagara Falls trip through global exploration in later years. He reframes the "addiction" as desire to admire God's creative works — concluding that God is bigger and more creative than we can ever comprehend. tags: - blog - human-resources - travel - creation - wonder - israel - niagara - aging - worship - dean-rush sycophancy: 0 truth_score: 8 entropy: 3 sample: false consent: owner_approved agent: blog created: '2016-08-01' updated: '2026-09-09T00:00:00Z' vault_stage: 07_CODEX headwaters: BLOG prefix: BLOG enrich_status: ok enrich_blockers: [] enrich_method: manual pipeline_filename: BLOG_2016-08-01_travel-addiction.md source_kind: blog_article proposed_topic: Wisdom lane: Wisdom voice: desk active_voice: desk voices: - desk routing_source: carbon corpus_topic: Wisdom content_status: active date: '2016-08-01' share_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/travel-addiction source_url: https://deanrush.net/blog/travel-addiction site_category: Human Resources archive_month: 2016-08 description: > Dean reframes travel addiction as hunger to see God's wondrous works — from Niagara guard rails to an open mind that resists apathy in later years. --- # Travel Addiction **Author:** Dean Rush **Original post:** [deanrush.net/blog/travel-addiction](https://deanrush.net/blog/travel-addiction) **Archive month:** August 2016 · **Site category:** Human Resources > Voice note: Everything under **Dean's article** is Dean's original prose (lightly cleaned of HTML/image artifacts only). Sections marked **Biblical foundations**, **Scholar sidebar**, **Takeaways**, and **First-time learner** are enrichment for Asker / first readers — not Dean speaking. --- ## Biblical foundations (preface) Dean confesses a hunger for new places and then names its true object: admiring what God has created. The enrichment below frames travel-as-worship for a first-time Bible reader. | Dean's claim | Scriptural undercarriage | | --- | --- | | New places awaken awe and healthy adrenaline | The heavens declare God's glory (Psalm 19:1); the earth is the Lord's (Psalm 24:1) | | An open mind guards against apathy of staying put | Lift up your eyes and see who created these (Isaiah 40:26); consider the works of God (Job 37:14) | | God made the world possible and is bigger than we grasp | In the beginning God created (Genesis 1:1); His greatness is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3) | | Desire to see His works is fitting worship, not mere tourism | Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them (Psalm 111:2); since the creation of the world His attributes are clearly seen (Romans 1:20) | --- ## Dean's article ### New Experiences! ![Travel image from Dean's original post](https://deanrush.net/Portals/0/images/article/1_thumb_Unknown-1_1024.jpg) When I was a child I remember my parents drove from Indiana to New York and visited Niagara Falls. It was exciting and somewhat scary for a youngster to see the magnificent power of the falls. There were guard rails keeping us from the getting too close to the edge of the roaring river below. The barrier was there simply to protect us from falling to a dramatic death. I remember those guard rails because they produced a feeling of safety in an strange environment. The unfamiliar environment has taught me to love the shot of adrenaline that comes with every new experience. My wife initiated the addiction because she loves to travel. > **Scholar sidebar — Awe with rails** > Scripture never treats creation's power as tame: Job hears God out of the whirlwind; the disciples fear a storm Jesus must still (Mark 4:35–41). Dean's childhood rails are a small picture of wisdom — approach wonder without presumption. Psalm 19:1 still stands: the skies preach God's glory; travel can be one way of listening. ### The Education Experience Continues As my life has progressed to advanced maturity I have explored many other parts of the world previously unknown to the farm kid who visited Niagara Falls. Awareness of each new destination brings more anticipation of an educational experience and adventure. As a senior citizen, I now see traveling and exploring new points as a passion. The protective guard rails at Niagra Falls are replaced by an open mind that protects me from the apathy of being satisfied in my present location. I realize I enjoy the experience of meeting new people and seeing new sights. I am comfortable now traveling to the Middle East where many see only danger. Although Israel is in the crosshairs of every other nation in the Middle East, it is seen as the safest place to travel in the world. > **Scholar sidebar — Open mind against apathy** > Isaiah 40:26 commands lifting eyes to the created host and asking who made them. Dean's "open mind" is not relativism; it is refusal of settled boredom. Meeting new people also tracks the biblical dignity of neighbors made in God's image (Genesis 1:27) — travel as education, not escape from responsibility. ### Realize that God Made Our World Possible I want to see and experience as much as I can in these last few years of life. Actually, it is not the travel that I yearn for as much as the desire to admire and ingest all that God has created. We can assume that there are more sights to see than we will have the time to experience. I have finally realized God is bigger and more creative than we can ever comprehend. If there is an addiction, it is to experience the wondrous works that God has created. **In Him** **Dean** > **Scholar sidebar — Addiction renamed as worship** > Dean deliberately renames the craving: not miles logged, but God's works. Psalm 111:2 says the Lord's works are great and studied by those who delight in them; Psalm 145:3 says His greatness is unsearchable. Romans 1:20 adds that creation makes divine attributes visible — so travel that ends in worship is aligned with how God meant the world to be read. The finite traveler will never finish the gallery; that unfinished list itself teaches humility. --- ## Takeaways 1. **Niagara as origin story.** Childhood awe and safety rails begin a lifelong taste for unfamiliar places. 2. **Vickie lit the fuse.** Dean credits his wife's love of travel with initiating the "addiction." 3. **Rails become an open mind.** Later life trades physical barriers for intellectual openness against apathy. 4. **Israel against the fear map.** Dean refuses to let popular danger narratives cancel first-hand seeing. 5. **Creator, not itinerary.** The true object of desire is God's wondrous works — He is bigger than we comprehend. --- ## First-time learner ### What is Dean saying in one sentence? Travel hunger is finally about worship — getting out to admire the world God made because He is bigger and more creative than we can grasp. ### Why does this post matter biblically? Because creation is meant to be noticed (Psalm 19; Romans 1:20). Dean turns tourism talk into theology: the unfinished list of sights teaches that God outruns our schedule. ### Key verses to read with this post - **Psalm 19:1** — The heavens declare the glory of God. - **Psalm 111:2** — Great are the works of the Lord; studied by those who delight in them. - **Psalm 145:3** — His greatness is unsearchable. - **Isaiah 40:26** — Lift up your eyes and see who created these. - **Genesis 1:1** — In the beginning God created. - **Romans 1:20** — God's attributes clearly seen in what has been made. ### A simple practice (Dean's challenge made concrete) This week: (1) go somewhere slightly unfamiliar (a park, museum, neighborhood, or trail), (2) name three created things out loud and thank God for each, (3) pray Psalm 145:3 before you leave. ### How this feeds Ask Dean This post is seed material for questions such as: *Is it okay for Christians to love travel? How does creation lead to worship? What does Dean mean by travel addiction?* Answers should keep Dean's voice primary and use the scholar notes only as supporting biblical scaffolding.