Day 9 - It Is Finished

Another early start.  On the bus by 07:30 AM because we were headed to the Temple Mount and there is always a line to get through security.  The early bird catches the worm and all that.

The Dome of the Rock

The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram esh-Sharif, a hill located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of the most important religious sites in the world. It is dominated by the easily recognized Dome of the Rock. Currently it can be reached through eleven gates, ten reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims, with guard posts of Israeli police in the vicinity of each.  Trust me, the security is tight.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism because they regard it as the place where God's divine presence is manifested more than in any other place and was the site for the first and second temples built by Solomon and Herod, respectively.

View through one of many archways

Moreover, the Temple Mount is located on Mount Moriah, the location of Abraham's binding of Isaac.

Among Sunni Muslims, the Mount is considered the third holiest site in Islam, the location of Muhammad's ascent to heaven. The Dome was completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest Islamic structures in the world.

Whew, enough background.  Let's talk about the experience.

Tight security and bag checks getting in.  Also, no bibles are permitted.  Women must cover their shoulders and arms down below the elbows and be

covered up to their neck.  There can be no touching of men and women while on the Temple Mount and they are definitely watching for this.  I saw one foreign couple taking a picture together with their arms around each other and someone came up and threatened to kick them out.

Apparently there is no removal or picking up of anything from the area either.  A member of our group (no names to protect the guilty) picked something up (small rock or leaf, not sure) and security confronted this person and made them drop it.

Near the end of our time on the Mount we saw a near riot.  On the way to the Temple Mount we passed some Jewish people, mostly younger, singing pro-Israel songs on the path up to the Temple

Israeli's with security on the Temple Mount

Mount after security but before entering the Temple Mount (where it is forbidden for the Jews to sing).  They were quite loud and stirred up and Hela said they were trying to incite the Palestinians.  Well, this group made it up to the Mount and had a large security escort surrounding them.  As we were leaving the area we saw an Imam with other Muslims meeting the group.  It didn't seem friendly.  We left.

The peace here is tenuous.  There are both plainclothes security and uniformed security everywhere for a reason.

Anyway, the Temple Mount is a huge, mostly open area dominated by the Dome of the Rock.  We walked around it, took a ton of pictures,talked and secretly prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and then left through the northeast corner.

A short walk away was the Pool of Bethesda.  We read the passage in John where Jesus healed a man

Inside The Church of St. Anne

here and then we went into the nearby Church of St. Anne, a Roman Catholic church.

The Church of St. Anne was built between 1131 and 1138, is located at the beginning of the Via Dolorosa and has extraordinary acoustics.  Hela asked for "Find Us Faithful" again and I relented and sang the chorus for her.  The sound was phenomenal.  Not wanting to stop and also having an earlier conversation about the song "In Christ Alone", Kim and I led the group in that song as well.  It was another special moment.  At least I thought so until a choir group from Indonesia came up and sang for us.  That was simply amazing.  I haven't found any video yet of "In Christ Alone" but I do have video of the Indonesian group singing:

From here we started following the Via Dolorosa.  Contrary to what you might believe, this road is still used just like any other road in the Old City.  It has traffic.  It has shops.  It has people trying to sell you something all the time, and it has crowds of people.

Pilate's Judgement Hall

Our only stop on the Via Dolorosa was at Pilate's Judgement Hall or praetorium, located in the Antonia Fortress.  After so many years it is located slightly underground. (Sidenote - This is still confusing, Some stuff is buried and some is still on top.  What's up with that?)  I was sitting there on top of the stones where Jesus stood, where my Savior was scourged for me, where His blood flowed on the cold hard stones beneath my feet.  This location was the beginning of the end in one sense but in another it was the culmination of God's plan for His people's redemption.  I cannot help but think of another song, "I'm Doing This For You".

I stood there as they tried Him for crimes He hadn't done

No one else believed it, but I just knew He was the one

I slid back into the crowd, trying to go unseen

But when Pilot cried out, "Beat him", He pointed straight to me

My friends, they all cheered me as I took the whip in hand

Placing stripes upon the back of this guiltless Man

The way He turned and looked at me from my mind I can't erase

And I'll never forget the look on His face

He said, "I'm doing this for you

And I will still love you when you're through

I'm doing this for you"

Though it took me by surprise when I saw love in His eyes

He said, "I'm doing this for you"

We sang the first verse of "Nothing But the Blood" before leaving and returning to the Via Dolorosa.

Continuing downhill, we transitioned from the Muslim Quarter to the Jewish Quarter and came out

Via Dolorosa

near the Western Wall.  We climbed a bunch of stairs (Kim was thrilled) and ended up in the Hurva Square where the group split up to have lunch at various cafes and shops in the vicinity.

After lunch we left the Old City through the Zion Gate noticing the plethora of pock marks from bullets dating to the 1948 conflict.  We loaded up on the bus and headed to The Garden Tomb.

The Garden Tomb and nearby Skull Hill (Golgotha) are a more modern interpretation (19th century) of the likely location for the crucifixion and tomb.  The traditional site where the death and resurrection of Christ are believed to have occurred is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Not to get into the weeds here but it's hard to argue at least with Skull Hill being a likely location for the crucifixion.  Even now the hill looks like part of a skull and it's located near an ancient road and one of the gates to the Old City.  Looking at the hill, reading the scriptures, and singing "Wonderful Cross" was a very moving experience.

Old photo showing the Damascus Road in the foreground
and Skull Hill just left of center (find the 2 eyes)

Next, we moved to the nearby Garden Tomb.  It is only 100 yards or so away.  It's hard to say if this is "the" tomb but it is a typical tomb of the period including a channel at the entrance for a round stone.  We took turns going into the tomb.  It is indeed empty.

This area has some secluded areas for gathering and taking communion together.  We did that

Communion in the small chapel

although we barely fit into the small chapel building.  This group of people has been such a blessing on the trip, it was especially sweet to take communion together.  After communion we sang the first verse of "He Lives" and the first and last verse of "It Is Well".  Did I mention visiting Horatio Spafford's American Colony location and museum one night near our hotel and getting a copy of the original song handwritten by Horatio?  Argg.  Too much to write.

It felt like the conclusion of a great day but we had one more place to visit, the "City of David" and Hezekiah's Tunnel.

Hezekiah's Tunnel, also known as the Siloam Tunnel, is a water tunnel that was carved underneath

Going through Hezekiah's
Tunnel

the City of David in Jerusalem and dates from the reign of Hezekiah and corresponds to the waterworks mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20 in the Bible.  King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians by "blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon, and leading them straight down on the west to the City of David" (2 Chronicles 32).

The tunnel leads from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam and it still

Inscription in Hezekiah's Tunnel

flows with water.  It is open for anyone to walk through so about 24 of us did just that.  We donned water shoes and headlights and trekked through Hezekiah's Tunnel, a tunnel that was chipped and hacked out of the bedrock almost 3,000 years ago.

So that also was a great end to our adventure, although Kim might not agree.  That's for her to say.

But not quite the end.

After supper we all gathered in the hotel one last time.  Reggie spoke briefly and we shared highlights and surprises for the trip.  I shared some and then Kim and I sang one last song as a farewell to our friends, both old and new.  It was difficult to sing.  I wanted to look at my friends when singing but every time I looked at one they were crying and I can't cry and sing.  Not possible.  So we sang and hugged everyone and went to bed - a little sad but a lot full of love for our friends and the ties that bind and mostly for a God that loved us first and continues to love us no matter the broken road.

God be with you till we meet again

By His counsels guide uphold you

With His sheep securely fold you

God be with you till we meet again

God be with you till we meet again

'Neath His wings securely hide you

Daily manna still provide you

God be with you till we meet again

Till we meet, till we meet

Till we meet at Jesus' feet

Till we meet, till we meet

God be with you till we meet again

Sola gratia,

Randy

Thoughts on My Trip of a Lifetime

It's Saturday morning, April 1st, we've been home for 2 nights and jet lag is finally waning.  I went back to work yesterday morning as did Randy, and people keep asking me, "how was your trip?"  Such a simple question, but the answer, not simple at all.  I mean, this was no ordinary trip, it was , at least for us, the trip of a lifetime.  And...it wasn't just about traveling and seeing a new place, it was also a time for spiritual renewal and contemplation.  A time for focusing on our relationship with Christ and each other.  No, it was no ordinary trip, and Yes, it was indeed a life-changing experience.  I thought I might just give you some highlights of our time in Jordan and Israel. A woman's perspective on the culture and sights. Randy has done a great job of documenting our time over there, but I want to give you something a little different, perhaps a taste and look at the people and cultures we experienced.  I know many of you who are reading our blog will never have the opportunity to actually visit in person, but if you ever get the opportunity take it and go.  You will not be disappointed.  You will not be the same.

So, here's some random thoughts , enjoy:

1)  The food-OH my goodness, the food.  For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed our meals in both Jordan and Israel.  It was a little odd to see a salad bar spread for breakfast, though.  Most meals were served in the hotels we stayed in, except for lunches. It was buffet style, with bread, salad, hot entrees and desserts.  Salad bars were my favorite.  Fresh vegetables galore and of course, the staple of Israel and Jordan, HUMMUS.  Randy and I both love hummus, so it was part of every meal for us, well lunch and dinner.    The best hummus we had eaten.  Fresh peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, the oranges were phenomenal.  Native to Israel, the oranges were sweet, juicy and delish!  There was normally fish and chicken on the hot entree bar in some form or fashion.  Fried foods were very limited, barely any to speak of in fact.  Most meats were grilled, saute or roasted.  The chicken, however, was predominately dark meat, not really my cup of tea, so I stuck with mostly the salad bar.  The bread, though, OH MY, it was always good.  Thick, soft pita breads and lucious rolls of whole wheat, rye, and some white bread.  Delicious.  So, what about the desserts?  In my opinion, the desserts were very good in Israel, but Jordan desserts reminded me of what we had in Eastern Europe.  They look so yummy on the outside, but then you take that first bite,  it was like they forgot the sugar or something. Most, if not all the hotels we stayed in Israel were "kosher" serving hotels.  There was no milk, just soy, which did make the desserts a little different than what we are used to in the states, but Randy and I still managed to find PLENTY to eat and we didn't go hungry.

2) Safety & Security-I was asked many times, "Did you feel safe"?  Or, weren't you worried about security and safety?  Well, the answer is , Yes, I felt safe (except one time), and NO I wasn't worried about my safety.  I know where I'm spending eternity, I felt secure and safe the entire time we were in Jordan.  We did have a police officer who traveled with us, just in the event we were harrassed as American tourists, or whatever might come up, but I never felt "unsafe".  Would I travel to Jordan alone, NO, of course not, but being wise and traveling in a group was completely a safe choice.  Security in both Israel and Jordan are unbelievable compared to American security.  There were checkpoints throughout the countries, and even a metal detector/scanner in our hotel in Amman.  They take security very seriously which helps American tourists feel safe and at ease about visiting.  I was only nervous about my safety and my husbands safety when we were on top of the temple mount.  It is the most controversial spot in all of Israel and under Muslim control .  There were many, many armed guards, I'm talking MACHINE guns people, and countless other plain clothes guards that we didn't see.  Women were not allowed to have their knees, elbows, or necks uncovered nor were we allowed to touch our husbands or they us.  It was a little odd.  There happened to be a group of young jewish men on the temple mount the day they visited, and that made the uneasiness a little greater.  The Muslims don't want Jews on their HOly site, and these Jews were singing/chanting and doing whatever they could to incite a little ire in the Muslims that day.  Tensions were tight, and it was just a little uneasy for me, but, nothing happened, and that was an isolated event that was in fact a non-event.

3)Highlight of my trip-This is by far the most difficult question to answer.  I have thought and thought about this.  Honestly, the only way to answer this is to separate the question into parts.  Here goes, A)  Spiritually-The mountain top experience for me, spiritually, well, it's still hard to narrow it down to one.  Mt. Nebo, standing on the site where Moses was allowed to see the promised land, but not get to go to the promised land, wow, humbling.  The places Jesus walked, talked, etc., they were all amazing.  However, for myself, the Sea of Galilee was the mountaintop experience for me.  Riding on that boat, singing and worshipping on that boat in the middle of that Sea, that was the pinnacle.  There is absolutely no doubt Jesus was ON the Sea of Galilee.  It was mentioned so many times in the Bible and we know that he not only rode a boat on the Sea, but also walked on the water.  He taught all around it's shores, HIS footprints are all over that place.  That is what made the Biblical words fly off the page for me.  Reality hit me like a wave from the sea.  Yes, this was my highlight.  I loved the Sea of Galilee and I love thinking about Jesus sitting on that boat beside me teaching me about His word, His truth, Him!  I felt very close to Him especially in that place.  Some people in our group said that the trip helped the words of the Bible leap off the page in Technicolor.  I think that is an accurate description of me and my "Sea" top experience.

B)-  Personally-Again, not as easy as you might think.  Everything we saw, everywhere we went had a purpose, a reason for us to visit.  Whether it was Moses, Abraham, David, Saul, or Jesus and the disciples every place was significant.  For me in a personal way, not a braggadocios way in any manner, but personally, I LOVED singing in St. Anne's cathedral.  The acoustics were probably the best we've ever experienced, and the song, "In Christ Alone", one of my personal favorites, the words and tones reverberated around the chapel like nourishment to my body.  The sound and echos long resonate in my spirit.  Every hair on my body felt like it was standing on end, just an incredible experience.  Then, we had the pleasure of listening to a group from Indonesia sing How Great Thou Art, again, cold chills.  This was a true highlight and blessing for me from the trip.  I love music, I love to sing, I love the Lord, and it just all came together in a chorus of delight for me in the middle of that chapel.  WOW, AND WOW!!!!

C)-Most relaxing and low key spot-the Dead Sea.  What an experience and oh what memories.  The sea is so full of salt, flotation is not an option.  You float as soon as your body gets into the water about knee high.  My legs just went out from under me without any help.  It was so odd, but so neat at the same time.  The hardest part was laying still, not fighting the water so as to not splash any water in or near your eyes.  It was very dangerous to get into your eyes, or if you swallowed the water.  It was a great experience and I absolutely loved sharing this special memory with the man I love the most on this earth.  We will treasure our time at the Sea and the memories we made.

I apologize that this has turned into a novel.  I will close for now and thank you for reading and your patience as I go on about the awesomeness of our trip.  If you get the opportunity, GO, save up and GO.  So worth it and so wonderful.  Unforgettable---that's what it was!

Day 8 - Our Intercessor

A man praying at the Western Wall

Our day started with a 05:45 wake-up call.  We were all on the bus and ready to go by 07:30 AM just like our guide, Hela, wanted.  She's a sweet lady with a ton of knowledge but slightly pushy.  I think all guides have to be a little annoying at times to stay on schedule around here.

We headed first to the Western Wall in the Old City.  The term Western Wall is used for the section traditionally used by Jews for prayer and it has also been called the "Wailing Wall", referring to the practice of Jews weeping at the site over the destruction of the Temples.  It is a section of the retaining wall originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple by Herod the Great.

The Old City, or Old City of Jerusalem, is a 0.35 sq. mile area within Jerusalem that hold most of the key religious sites.   The Old City is roughly divided (going counterclockwise from the northeastern corner) into the Muslim Quarter, Christian Quarter, Armenian Quarter and Jewish Quarter. The Old City's monumental defensive walls and city gates were built in the years 1535-1542 by the Turkish sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and they are quite impressive.

When entering the Old City you must pass through security similar to an airport except in this case they are staffed by armed IDF soldiers.  Security is good.  You can bet even if you can't see them they can see you.

Honestly the Western Wall didn't do much for me.  I know the Jews believe that this is their most holy site for prayer because it is the closest to the former Second Temple. (destroyed by the Romans).  I think that is sad.

I thank God that I don't need a wall for access to the throne of grace.  I don't have to trust in the high priest interceding for me on the annual Day of Atonement.  Jesus is my great high priest and He continually intercedes for me.

Praise God from who all blessings flow

Praise him all creatures here below

Praise him above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

We also went into the rabbinical tunnels that run underneath and mostly parallel to the Western Wall.

Unfinished blocks being cut out of the stone

Tunnel running next to the Western Wall.
The Western Stone is top, right.

 They were really neat and it was quite interesting to see how much has been buried underground through the years.  Fortunately there weren't too many people down there.  Our guide told us that not all tour groups get approval to go into the tunnels.  There is an approval process where she provides our names and passport numbers to the authorities before we are cleared to enter.  Again, some good behind the scenes security.

The ancient people were very good at working with and moving rock.  Hela showed us one block of stone in the Western Wall that was around 45 feet long, 9 feet high, and weighs approx. 570 tons.  It is known as the Western Stone.

View from the Mount of Olives

After the tunnel we headed back to the bus and headed up to the Mount of Olives.  The Mount of Olives is east of the Old City.  Between the Old City and the Mount of Olives is the Kidron Valley.  Until 1967 the Mount of Olives was part of Jordan and has very narrow streets.  Our bus driver, Amir, is amazing and did a great job getting us there.  He is a great communicator with the two bus horns.

It was really busy on the Mount of Olives.  We took a quick group photo and then headed to a little alcove to read scripture.  It was an amazing location with a view over the Temple Mount and the rest of Jerusalem.  As a photographer I would love to be there at sunrise.

Panoramic view from the Mount of Olives

Teardrop Church is behind the trees.  We gathered near the
blue shirts.

We slowly made our way down the hillside and stopped at the location traditionally thought to be where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.  Hela read the passage in Luke Ch. 19 and then Reggie asked Mark Harris to read the Gethsemane passage from Mark Ch. 14 and then prayed.  Kim and I were asked to sing something so we did the doxology as quoted earlier.  Afterward, Hela asked for Find Us Faithful again.  In case I haven't mentioned it I've already sung it twice for her.  I'll cut her a little slack though.  It's her favorite song and she even got permission to use some of the words in the chorus as a quote in a book she wrote.

We moved into the nearby Teardrop Church, Dominus Flevit (which translates from Latin as "The Lord Wept", fashioned in the shape of a teardrop to symbolize the tears of Christ.) and very soon we had it almost to ourselves.  As Gethsemane doesn't have any place to gather as a group and since we had just read the scripture, we elected to sing the Gethsemane Hymn here.  The church is also known for great acoustics.  Yes, it has great acoustics.  It was amazing.  The song just seemed to build.  I heard that several people came in and watched as well.  What an appropriate song.

To see the King of heaven fall

In anguish to His knees

The Light and Hope of all the world

Now overwhelmed with grief

What nameless horrors must He see

To cry out in the garden

Oh take this cup away from Me

Yet not My will but Yours

Yet not My will but Yours.

The view from the church

We continued on down the Mount of Olives (that sounds surreal) to the Garden of Gethsemane, home

2,000 yr old trees in the Garden of Gethsemane

of the oldest known trees (olive trees) in the world according to National Geographic (and our guide, maybe we need a fact checker for these guides).  I'm surprised there isn't a church built around it as well, but not yet.  There IS a church right next to it though, the Church of All Nations, also known as the Church or Basilica of the Agony.  It enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest.

Outside the Basilica of the Agony

Inside the Basilica of the Agony

From here we got on the bus and went to lunch.

After lunch we headed over to Bethlehem, just over 4 miles from Jerusalem.  However, it's in the West Bank under Palestinian control so Hela could not go with us because she is Jewish and they are forbidden.  Our bus driver took us through the security checkpoint and then we met our Palestinian guide on the other side.

Bethlehem is very commercialized and also full of tourists.  There was a cruise ship group there

The Church of the Angels

today, somewhere around 17 buses of people so we did a little shopping in an olive wood store first.  After 30 minutes or so there our guide told us that the queue was still very long at the birthplace of Jesus so we headed over to the shepherd's field.  There's nothing particularly sacred about the site per se, but it does have some Byzantine ruins, the Church of  the Angels, and a good view of the hills and distant Jerusalem.  Did the shepherds hear the Good News here?  Maybe, maybe not, but it's possible and anyway the location would've been very similar.

View near the Church of the Angels.  Jerusalem can be seen in the distance.

More scripture was read in the church and then we were supposed to sing Emmanual (Hallowed Manger Ground).  However,  I forgot to bring the backpack with words and I got a bunch of blank stares when I asked how many knew the song so instead we sang the first verse of O Come, O Come Emmanuel.  More great acoustics.  The minor key sounded great.  We had the small church to ourselves so it was another great moment of worship.  Unsure of video.  Haven't found any yet.

We finally headed to the Church of the Nativity and found that our timing was good.  The line into the small cave or grotto where many

Heading down into the grotto

people believe Jesus to have been born was short.  Our guide was very helpful in getting us time in the small grotto and also was able to get us a small space in the side of the cave to sing.  Fresh out of songs we sang Joy To The World and it was awesome.  We sang it loud and clear and rejoiced that He rules the world with truth and grace.

And it was really hot down there.  Too many people, not enough air.

Greek Orthodox part of the church

We walked back to the bus and rode back to the hotel where Hela met us and gave our marching orders for tomorrow morning, a mirror image of today's start.

I need a vacation.

Randy

Day 7 - Approaching Jerusalem

David Dead Sea Resort & Spa

No wake-up call today.  We didn't leave the David Dead Sea Resort & Spa until 10:00 AM.  That was a nice change.  It's a little breather for the last, final days in Jerusalem.

Actually, that got me thinking today about what Jesus must have been thinking in the days before he
arrived at Jerusalem for the final time.  We traveled today from approximately 1500 feet below sea level and steadily rose up to around 2500 feet as we reached Jerusalem late in the day.

And our arrival was a little bittersweet for me.  It marks the beginning of the end of our journey.  We
only have 2 full days left, all in Jerusalem or Bethlehem, while at the same time seeing Jerusalem was like coming home.  We stopped at an overlook with a great view of the old city, the wall and temple mount, and there was a great longing to be there even knowing that it's the end.

Pool area at the resort

Good and bad, but all necessary.

But I get ahead of myself.

I actually crawled out of bed early and got to the beach area just after sunrise.  Found another photographer already there, a wild man from Tennessee.  No wind so I was able to compose this photo, my favorite of the morning.

Dead Sea Reflection

Our fist stop was Masada.  Masada is the most visited site in all of Israel and that's saying something.  It is not really a religious site from a protestant point of view but it is very important to the Israeli's due to its history.  You can read about it here.  It was packed with people.  Once again Hela was able to find a space for us to gather out of the crowds.  Reggie read Psalm 18 and then we sang two verses of A Mighty Fortress is Our God (due to time limitations).

Reggie took a video of one verse and has posted it on Facebook.  I figured out how to imbed the video from Facebook.  Here you go:

After that the group split up.  About half the group decided to hike down from Masada and the rest of the group continued the tour and rode the cable car down to the base where we would meet up.  Yes, I did the hike.  It was fun.  Good to stretch the legs and exercise a little and the views across to the Dead Sea were fantastic.

View down the Snake Trail and out to the Dead Sea

Desert canyon viewed from the Snake Trail

Vew back up the Snake Trail to Masada.
Our crew can be seen on the slope.

From Masada we took a quick stop at En Gedi.  En Gedi is where David hid from Saul.  Crazy that I

En Gedi

Small waterfall at En Gedi

was there.  It is literally an oasis in the desert.  There is fresh running water and waterfalls and, of course, caves in the hills.  It was a beautiful spot but little time to enjoy.  We had to keep a tight appointment at Abraham's tent because Max's people were coming after us.  On the way out of the park we spotted a couple of small Ibex (wild goat) in the distance.

Acacia tree at En Gedi

Abraham's tent is located in Judea near the possible location in Canaan that he would have lived.  It is really just a tourist location for lunch but they provide a camel ride to the tents and Abraham speaks to you about his life and what it means to be a guest in his tent.  It was the best food we've had on the

View from Abraham's tent

trip.  And they would keep bringing it until you begged them to stop.  And it was part of the trip so no additional cost.

And those who rode a camel got their international camel driver's license.  That may come in handy when I get back to Kentucky.

From Abraham's tent it was a relatively short drive to Jerusalem.  We stopped at an overlook so Hela could give us a little background and overview and then we headed to our hotel in East Jerusalem, the Grand Hotel.

Shalom

Day 6 - Breaking Chains

We had another gorgeous sunrise this morning in Tiberius.  This IS the day that the Lord has made.

Late 4th century synagogue built on top of  the ruins
of the "Synagogue of Jesus"

We started by driving to the northern end of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum.  Capernaum was great.  Weather was fantastic.  Crowds were low.  We saw Peter's house. Crazy, I know.

We had another amazing devotion time near the shore.  Another convicting talk by Reggie.  He's gotta stop that.  We had a little talk about it afterwards but I don't think I made any progress.  He's a stubborn man.  Can you believe he basically laughed in my face?  Here's the devotional:

Briefly explored the site afterwards, including the synagogue area.  The main one you see in the photos was built around 400 AD on top of the synagogue from the time of Jesus.  You can see the stones from the original building underneath.  Well, you can't.  But I did.

Byzantine church at Kursi, circa 6th century

From Capernaum we added a stop at Kursi, also known as Gergessa or the "Land of the Gadarenes" where the miracle of the swine took place.  See Luke 8:26-39.  This is actually the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee which was where gentiles lived at the time.  Reggie talks about that in the video below.  This is the longest video so far at around 8 minutes.  He got on a roll.  Aren't you glad that Jesus wasn't afraid to visit the "other side"?

We threw in Tomlin's Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) afterward.  No video.  The chorus was quite appropriate.

My chains are gone

I"ve been set free

My God my Savior 

Has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

From there we began our trek to southern Israel with our final destination at the Dead Sea.

First stop south was a baptismal site on the Jordan River.  This particular place on the Jordan is just south of the Sea of Galilee so it was a short drive.  There was 1 baptism and about 19 re-dedications including myself.  Kim elected to not do it and that was probably a good decision because the women had a little trouble with footing and she is still struggling with her ankle.

It was a great time with the group.  Several of the couples did the re-dedication together with the husband baptizing the wife and it was obviously a special occasion for all and many tears were shed.

We also sang Shall We Gather at The River.  It's a rather obvious choice here.  Nonetheless I think all will agree that the songs we sing here will have more significance in the future.

Yes we'll gather at the river

The beautiful the beautiful river

Gather with the saints at the river

That flows by the throne of God

After the dunking, we traveled south to the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found.

Again today I was struck by the sudden changes in landscape and climate within a very small area.  Less than 5 minutes from the Jordan River baptism site we were in the arid desert.  Here are some pictures around the Qumran Caves.

View of the Dead Sea from the Qumran ruins.  The hills of Moab
are on the other side of the sea

The first cave where scrolls were found

Looking closely you can see additional caves in the hills.
More may yet be undiscovered.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point in the world at 1412 feet below sea level.  Actually the level is less than this now as it continues to drop every year.  The water is a beautiful blue/green hue with salt along the edges.  The water is very high in salt and other minerals so nothing can live in it.  In fact, it has 34.2 percent salinity, almost 10X higher than normal salt water.  We were cautioned not to get any water in our eyes as it is very painful and dangerous.  I can confirm that any small scratch will burn in the water also.

From our last stop we drove on down to our stop for the day, the David Dead Sea Resort & Spa.  It was a very nice hotel.

We quickly changed and made our way down to the beach.  It took some time to get towels and wraps from the hotel staff but we managed.  Swimming in the Dead Sea was really cool but there can't be any horseplay because it is dangerous as discussed earlier.  The water is more for therapeutic purposes and for your skin.  There are skin products everywhere.  After being in the water and floating (phenomenal) your skin does indeed feel different.  It was a neat experience. I didn't get my camera close to the water but a guy in our group did and took our picture as we floated.  Hopefully I'll get the photo to post here.

Another wonderful day.

Randy

Day 5 - The Master of the Sea

Day 5 started with a really short night.  Somehow we managed to arrange our trip so we could

Sunrise in Tiberias

experience losing sleep as a freebie.  In this case the whole Daylight "Savings" Time thing caught us.  So, one less hour last night.  The big plus is that sunrise is later and there is more daylight at the end of the day for photography.  Here is sunrise this morning over the Sea of Galilee from our balcony. Very nice start to the day.

We had a busy day scheduled and traveled first to the Mount of Beatitudes.  The Lucado group was already there and it was busy.  Still, we were able to find a nice area to meet as a group and read scripture.  The grounds are beautiful and really well done.  There are many areas that groups can use for devotional times and reflection.

Looking towards the Sea of Galilee from the
Mount of Beatitudes

 Indeed, the side of the hill does slope gradually down towards the water and with some imagination you could easily see several thousand people sharing the hillside.

I don't know what it was about the place, whether it was the scripture reading or perhaps just grasping the significance and history of the location but I was deeply moved.  We decided to do an improptu song at the end of the devotion and sang the traditional version of Amazing Grace.  It was a sweet time with sweet people.  Reggie uploaded a short clip and I finally figured out how to embed the video here.

I can only imagine how amazing the place can be without the crowds.  Our guide counted 25 buses.  It didn't bother us in the least.

The view near Abraham's Gate toward Syria (other side
of mountain)

From there we headed north to Tel Dan National Park.  We were literally 36 miles from Damascus, Syria and even closer to Lebanon.

First of all, the area was beautiful.  This is near the headwaters of the Jordan River and has several cold springs and mountain springs from Mt. Hermon on the Syrian border.

We read about Jeroboam and how he set up idol worship and how God cut him off, him and his offspring.  We saw the actual altar and worship site.  Reggie brought up the point that while Jeroboam's idol worship was public and obvious, we all have our own idols.  We all have things that we deem more important than God, things that we spend more time with than God and they are all idols, false gods that should be destroyed.  I didn't like it.  He stepped all over my toes.

Wall from Jeroboam's time

This is the remains of the actual altar that Jeroboam set up
for idol worship

Abraham's Gate, circa 1750 B.C.

Also at Tel Dan and discovered in 1979 is an old city gate, called the Canaanite Gate or Abraham's Gate that is from the 18th century B.C., the time of Abraham.  Yes, that's right.  It's the oldest site in Israel.  It's called Abraham's Gate because it is thought that Abraham may have entered through this gate to rescue his nephew Lot from the people of Dan.

Ok, so now we've also walked with Abraham.  Cool.

Next was Caesarea Phillipi, I'll let Reggie do the talking.  It was convicting and I told him to stop it. (sarcasm)

It was another beautiful site in northern Israel.  Not much remains to be seen here but remnants of the temples to various gods.

The temple to Pan was at the base of the bluff.  The clear waters
flow from Mt. Harmon to form the Jordan River

Next was lunch.  We drove back down to the Sea of Galilee to have a little fish.  The locally raised

fish is called the St. Peter's fish.  If there is another name I don't know it.  We ate outdoors under a huge pavilion near the shore.  Fish was average to be honest, about like tilapia but it was more about the experience.

Next we drove to see the traditional location in John Ch. 21 where Jesus appeared to the disciples for the fourth time after his resurrection (when Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat to catch fish).  Our guide discussed the reasons why this was the likely site and it was logical.  The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter is built around the rock where Jesus would have likely prepared their breakfast.  An interesting place.

The rock.  Not Peter the rock, just the rock.

The church built around the rock and the shoreline

It's hard to pick a highlight for this day but perhaps it was the boat ride across the Sea of Galilee.  It was an opportunity to slow down and relax, to really absorb what I had seen and where I was.  Again, Reggie gave a great devotion and then Kim and I sang Master of the Sea, an old Squire Parsons song that could not have possibly been more appropriate.

One night upon the sea

A ship was tossing to and fro

Breakers dashed on ev'ry hand

Angry winds around did blow

All on board were filled with fright

As the mighty billows rolled

Then they called upon the One

Who the winds and waves controlled

When He reaches out His hand

Billows cease at His command

Winds and waves obey His will

When He says to them be still

What Man is this they all did say

That the winds and sea obey

He's the One who sails with me

He's still the Master of the sea

Here is Reggie's devotion minus some funny stuff that Teana did to him.  I may post that to facebook later.

Reggie took a video of us singing and posted it to vimeo.  However, it's about the same as this one below.

We landed at our hotel and called it a day.

Ok, we ate first, then we went to bed.

Not exactly.  Kim went to bed and I stayed up late working on yesterday's blog.

Like right now.

Shalom.

Randy