A stone alleyway in an old Mediterranean hill village at first light

Scripture · Story · Table

There is more to the storyand it's time to have a deeper look.

Journey through Scripture and life one place, one story, and one table at a time.

Discover the landscapes, traditions, people, and foods surrounding the stories we have read our entire lives — and encounter them again with fresh eyes. Along the way, explore the experiences and everyday moments that shape our lives, too. Have a seat at the table. You belong here.

Begin the journey Why place matters ↓

The shoreline of the Sea of Galilee at dawn

Come and see.

32.8156° N 35.5900° E

Breaking Bread Along The Way

The Bible Isn't Just an Ancient Text—It's Another Country (and Who Doesn't Love to Travel?)

Two disillusioned disciples walking the road to Emmaus
Friends and fisherman breaking bread on the shores of Galilee
A forsaken woman in the wilderness, encountered by the God who sees
A heartbroken sister standing at the entrance to a tomb
Believers building community, breaking bread from house to house

The names of the lands may have changed over time, but from Iraq to Italy, the stories of Scripture unfolded in real places, among people who encountered God amid love and heartache, triumph and disappointment, much as we do today.

Breaking Bread Along the Way invites you into that world, from its winding Roman roads and bustling Middle Eastern marketplaces to the tables where people broke bread together in times of celebration and sorrow. It's also a place to ponder our deep need to belong, how life shapes us, and all the little moments in between. Through Bible studies, stories, essays, poetry, and the occasional recipe, we'll explore how the people of the Biblical world—and we ourselves—encounter God and one another along the way.

Pull up a chair.

Featured Journey

The Highlands of Judah and Jerusalem

And the word of the LORD came to me, asking, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” “I see a branch of an almond tree,” I replied.

Basalt stones along the shore of the Sea of Galilee — Almond blossoms are the harbingers of spring, announcing what is to come.31.81° N, 35.26° E

The Holy Land has a bloom that has heralded the changing of the seasons since Biblical times: the almond blossom.

Blooming in a Barren Season

Jeremiah 1:11-12

Ancient literature uses the almond as a symbol of life, prosperity, God’s reliability, and, yes, hope. God used this unassuming, delicate flower to illustrate His faithfulness to His promises of a new and fruitful season in seemingly barren landscapes. A notable example of this imagery is hidden inside the book of Jeremiah. As God spoke to Jeremiah, He offered him a riddle involving an almond (שקד) branch. "What do you see (שקד), Jeremiah?" In this wordplay, God instructed Jeremiah to watch for what was about to happen, while also pointing out that He keeps a watchful eye over His word. For this reason, the almond tree is sometimes known as “the watcher” or “the hastener.”

The irony here is that God was warning about the impending destruction of Jerusalem and how the nation of Israel was going to be taken into captivity to Babylon. However there was hope. After a season of suffering a long, hard winter of exile, God’s people would eventually come back to life again with new hearts. Their new hearts that had bloomed in a barren season allowed for God to lead them back home. Not to their old way of life, but home.

Read: Jeremiah 1:11-12 “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of an almond tree.’ Then the Lord said to me, You have seen well, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” Jeremiah 1:11-12, NIV
Explore: If you don’t read Hebrew, it can feel like there is nothing to see here. However, the word for “almond” in Hebrew is pronounced Shah-QED (שקד), which is similar in pronunciation and identical in spelling to the verb Shah-QAD (שקד ), meaning "to watch carefully, to be alert, diligent, awake, steadfast, and ready to act."
Taste: Hariri (Almond Milk)

“You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

Follow the road to the table (recipes) →

The Word

Discover the Story

Return to familiar passages and notice details that geography, history, and culture bring to life.

The Place

Walk the Ground

Travel through the villages, mountains, coastlines, roads, and ancient cities where Scripture unfolded.

The Table

Taste the Story

Experience recipes inspired by the foods, ingredients, hospitality, and traditions of the region.

An ancient stone road winding through hills at golden hour

A Reflection

The Familiar Strangeron the Road to Emmaus

There comes a time in all our lives when we find ourselves walking down the Emmaus Road. It is the road littered with the shrapnel of life blowing up in our faces. Shell-shocked and numb, we plod down this path on autopilot, assessing the damage. Our dreams lie in shards around us, and yes, some of those shards have found their way into us, too. Sometimes it was a private battle. More often than not, though, the dream died in the most devastating, public way. The divorce, the company failing, the diagnosis, the brutal betrayal, and the years of waiting and believing for what seems so easy for some to receive, but somehow out of reach for us. Seemingly unanswered prayers. Seemingly absent God.

And Jesus drew near...

Where did you go, God? This plot twist wasn’t in the script, and now we are lost on a road we never thought we would travel. When a Familiar Stranger suddenly walks beside us and invites us into conversation, we reply irritably, “Are you the only one who hasn’t heard what’s been happening lately?” (See Luke 24:18). Eventually, we come to a crossroads, and the Familiar Stranger who has been walking beside us seems ready to journey on. In that moment, we have a choice: we can let him go, or we can lean into curiosity and invite him in. “Come and have a meal with us.” And it is in that decision—to pause, connect, and break bread together—that everything shifts.

Luke 34:13-35

From Her Travels

Postcards From Along The Way

Photographs of places I've wandered and wondered...

A weathered wooden door in an old stone wall — Tuscany, Italy

Linen-covered tables in a stone courtyard

A cappuccino on a dark café table — Somewhere down a quiet Italian street…

A lamplit stone stairway at dusk — This is my idea of drinking in the morning.

An ancient olive tree in a terraced grove — Galilee, Israel

Follow the journey

At the Table

Every journey eventuallyfinds its way to the table.

Food has always been part of the story.

Modernity and "hustle culture" have caused us to lose the art of what it means to break bread together. We were meant to savor our meals and savor time spent with one another. Let's eat!

A rustic olive and herb loaf on floured linen — Recipe No. 01
Hariri (Middle Eastern-style Almond Milk)
Hang on...recipe coming!

Tuscan white beans in an earthenware bowl — Recipe No. 02
Hummus and Spiced Beef
Check back soon!

A honey, fig and goat cheese tart on an antique plate — Recipe No. 03
Can't Eat Bread? Try this rustic grain-free, gluten free-bread!
Check back soon!

Come to the table →

Kelly Joy smiling on the shoreline at golden hour

Follow along on Instagram — @breakingbreadalongtheway

Your Fellow Traveler

I'm Kelly Joy.

Someone once told me that the world wasn't big enough for me. I suppose you could say I'm fueled by wonder. There is always another place to explore or adventure to be had — even if it's simply discovering the newest coffee shop in town. I am drawn not only to new places, but to the people, cultures, and stories I discover along the way.

I've had a love affair with words and books since I was a little girl, and I've been writing ever since. I'm a teacher by profession, as well as a writer, storyteller, and curious, avid traveler. The world is not only not big enough for me, but it is also my classroom. With a background in Biblical studies and linguistics, I've had the privilege of learning from Biblical archaeologists and scholars both in the lands of the Bible and here at home.

When a child begins to learn Torah, the rabbi dabs honey on the first letter of Scripture to associate Biblical study with something sweet. Scripture is not supposed to be dry toast; it's the Bread of Life — flavorful, rich, and satisfying. I write Bible studies that immerse the explorer in the land, culture, history, and yes — even the food of Scripture.

I also write about life. The ugly, messy, beautiful, and raw parts of life. Like the disciples traveling along the Emmaus Road, we can all come to a crossroads when life blindsides us, and we are so full of grief that we don't even recognize when God is walking beside us. It's in the breaking of bread — with God and with one another — that revelation and healing come.

Through my writing, travel, photographs, and occasional recipes, I invite you to break bread with me. And by all means, invite some friends.

Kelly Joy

Letters From The Road

I saved you a seat at the table! Let's connect.

Occasional devotions, adventures, and recipes from the road.

A rustic table overlooking a Tuscan valley at golden hour

Come hungry.

For the Scriptures

For the stories

For connection

For whatever God has for us to discover along the way.

Start exploring