Category: Central Church Family (Page 30 of 54)

We spent much of today in the Palestinian-controlled areas of Hebron and Bethlehem in order to visit the Tomb of the Patriarchs, which is now a massive Muslim mosque, and the Church of the Annunciation, the historical birthplace of our Lord. These are two places most tour groups to Israel never have a chance to even consider. But because our great guide, Anton, and our wonderful driver, Muhammad, are both Arab, we’re able to go back and forth through the checkpoints without any troubles at all.

The famed Cave at Machpelah where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are buried along with their wives and children, has proven to be a place of violence and turmoil through history, not a resting place of peace. Herod built massive walls around the cave to preserve it for Christian worshipers, Crusaders built a huge church inside and on top of those walls, which the Muslims in turn transformed into a mosque. There are large covered shrines inside the mosque which mark the tombs of the patriarchs, but not everybody can get to all of them. Muslims can access the tombs to Isaac and Rebecca, Jews can get to the tombs of Jacob and Leah, and everybody can see the tomb of Abraham. But it’s a mess. Muslims control 80-percent of the total building and the Jews have 20-percent. Ten days a year the Muslims can have 100-percent access and the Jews get a different ten days every year. So, it’s strange, really. This is not really a place of worship at all, but a place to exert power and control, a place to remind everyone who’s in charge — who are the winners and losers — and who’s running this thing. And it’s not God. Our God is not like this; our Lord is not interested in this. There were lots of people praying around us the whole time we were there this morning, but it doesn’t feel like a place of worship at all. There’s tension there. No peace. But it is where the father of our faith is buried. And so we put on the robes and scarves and took off our shoes to see it.

We also saw the expert pottery and glass artisans in Hebron at their workshops. We also toured the impressive Herodian palace complex on top of the mountain just south of Jerusalem. We visited the Oak of Mamre where God told Abraham that he would have a son. We met Shipley Cando, the grandson of the shoemaker Cando who discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, at his shop in Bethlehem and saw priceless antiquities of pottery and oil lamps and glass bottles that date from Abraham’s time in Israel to the time of our Lord and through the Roman periods. Bill Humble and this Cando family have been dear friends for 50 years and today was the first time Shipley had ever met Bill’s daughter, Becky, who’s on our trip. Needless to say, the meeting was emotional and we were all blessed to experience it with them.

The last thing we did today was visit the Church of Annunciation in Bethlehem, the historical site of the birth of Christ Jesus. Like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jesus may not have been birthed by Mary on the exact spot of stone marked by the silver star inside the shrine of this church, but you can bet it happened somewhere inside the walls. There’s too much history and it goes back too far to be wrong. Emperor Hadrian tore down a Christian shrine to the birth of Jesus on this spot less than ninety years after the resurrection in a vain attempt to kill Christianity and replaced it with a temple to Venus. Constantine tore down that temple in 325 AD to build the Christian church over the spot. And today it is the only Christian church built by Constantine that was never destroyed. Most of this building, inside and out, top to bottom, dates from the early 4th century and can be confidently classified as the legitimate historical site of the birth of Jesus.

And it was good today to be in that spot. To imagine belonging to the community of Christians — those first two or three generations —  who had gathered there over the years to worship and pray. It was good to remember that, as a follower of Jesus, I belong to something so much bigger than me, so much older than my church denomination, so much more meaningful than Christianity in my country or my tribe or my family. It is eternal. It is truth. Our God chose to enter into an intimate relationship with us, to come to this earth in the form of a vulnerable baby boy, to live with us, to work with us, to eat and drink with us, to suffer with us, and to bear our sins for us. God chose to do that for us. And he chose to do it right here in this specific square block of Bethlehem. In the fourth century, Jerome and Cyril of Jerusalem wrote that this place was a wooded forest. Today it’s covered by a 1,700 year old church. And today we were there.

I pray things are going well in Amarillo, Texas. I’m really starting to miss home. But I’m really glad that I’m here.

Shalom,

Allan

The group arrived in Jerusalem late this afternoon wearing sandals and shorts after hiking in the Judean Desert for most of the day to be greeted by a blast of super cold air and a strong north wind. It was just enough — well, honestly, the massive dinner buffet also helped — to get us ready for our last three days of sight seeing here in the Holy City.

We started today at Masada, Herod’s desert palace and fortress at the top of a plateau mountain just east of the Dead Sea. This is Israel’s “Alamo” where 967 Israelis holed up after the Roman Empire crushed Jerusalem and burned the temple in 70 A.D. It took three years, but the Roman army finally built a siege ramp on the west side of the mountain, marched to the top, set fire to the walls, and stormed the fortress, only to discover that every family inside had decided the night before to commit suicide rather than become slaves of the Romans. A sacred sight, for sure. Instead of riding the cable cars down, thirteen of us made the decision to descend the mountain by the ancient Serpent Path, a winding, rocky, steep, narrow trail that, up until the time of the siege, was the only way to get up and down Masada. When the strenuous hour-long hike was over, most of us still felt it was a good idea.

After Masada we visited En Gedi, the beautiful and surprising oasis in the desert where David and his 600 men hid from King Saul. It was in one of the more than three thousand caves of En Gedi where David moved to cut off the corner of Saul’s robe instead of take the life of the Lord’s anointed. There are dozens of running streams and pools and several waterfalls that take a lot of hiking and climbing to get to. But the payoff is worth it.

After En Gedi we spent about fifteen minutes at Qumran, the sight of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls before a huge rain shower blew in. And then we found the camels.

The camels were on a grassy area on the highway just north of the Dead Sea. Three teenage boys were selling short rides on the camels for five dollars each and when we asked our driver, Muhammad, to stop, he did. And just about every one of us did it.

Now we’re in Jerusalem for the final leg of what has been a truly wonderful experience. We’re still to see the places of our Lord’s birth, death, and resurrection; the sights of his miracles and his teachings; the temple mount where he worshiped and sang; the garden where he prayed and was betrayed. We’ve already done so much and experienced so many wonderful and unforgettable things. But, seriously, the best is still to come.

Shalom,

Allan

When I am traveling outside the United States, I don’t look for Dr Pepper. Do you? Even within the borders of the U. S., I don’t spend too much time looking for Dr Pepper outside of Texas and the four adjoining states. Certainly not, though, outside the country. And definitely not in Israel. I was in Israel for 15 days seven years ago and never once saw anything even resembling a Dr Pepper. So, yeah, it’s been kinda gross having to drink Diet Coke and — gasp! — even Pepsi Max over here. Nasty. But I’ve always figured that’s the price one pays for leaving the States. So, of course, I was more than a little surprised when Debbie walked up to me in the middle of the museum of the ancient fishing boat this afternoon with a couple of cold cans of that wonderful Waco brew. What?!? Where did you find that?!?! Oh, my word!!! We truly made a scene, no doubt. She found them in the museum gift shop. Incredible. She slipped hers into her purse and saved it until dinner (She stared at it first, on the table in front of her, for a good twenty minutes before she popped the top). Me? I came straight to my hotel room, put it in the tiny little refrigerator in my closet and am drinking it right now. Right now. Ah… nectar straight from heaven.

It has been another wonderful day over here, our last in this northern region of Galilee. Like yesterday it rained off and on most of the day, which flattened our hair in weird ways, but not our spirits.

Celia found a real bargain on a bottle of water and then wound up having to carry it around with her all day. Our van driver nearly turned our vehicle upside down while passing another car at a high rate of speed on a hairpin curve on the way up Mount Tabor. We watched a re-run of last night’s “Arab Idol” on TV while we ate lunch at the YMCA in Nazareth (now, how could I make that up?). And we’re all still having a difficult time with U.S. dollars and Israeli shekels.

Please note that in our hotel lobby, one of the elevators is labeled “Shabbat Elevator.” Shabbat is the Hebrew word for Sabbath. And every week, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, this particular “Shabbat Elevator” runs on Shabbat mode. The elevator is programmed to stop at every single floor and open and close its door at every single floor, giving riders more than plenty of time to get on and off. All the buttons are disabled. You know why? Because one is not allowed to work on the Sabbath and, apparently, pushing a button on an elevator is work and so is prohibited. Pushing the button on an elevator?!? Yes, really. Work. So the other two elevators are mind-blowingly crowded and slow because nobody wants to get stuck on the Shabbat elevator which takes about six or seven minutes to go up six floors. Except Ted and Becky and me. Yeah, it was dark when we returned to our hotel tonight and we assumed all the elevators were now working in normal operating mode. Until it took us almost two minutes to get from the lobby to the first floor and another two minutes for the doors to open and close and get to the second floor. By that time, it was too late to get off, wait for another elevator, and start over. So we endured it. One… Floor…  At…  A…  Time.

The highlight of our day today, for me, was the excursion across the Sea of Galilee in the old fishing boat. It was just we twenty on the boat and we spent about an hour tooling around from Magdala to nearly Bethsaida and back on the waters where Jesus revealed his glory to his disciples so many times. We read together from Mark 6, we sang and prayed together, and reflected on the grace of our God who condescended to visit us where we live and work, to enter into community with us, and to bear our sins so we may be righteous in his site. On that very water — that same water where he called us, where he taught us, where he walked on the waves, where he calmed the sea, where he provided the fish. We were on that water today with our Lord. And it was something none of us will ever forget.

Tomorrow we head down to the desert. On the way we’ll visit the ancient cities of Beth Sha’an and Jericho, we’ll share a picnic lunch on the banks of the Jordan River, and then we’ll float and play late tomorrow afternoon in the Dead Sea.

Peace,

Allan

My Friday began at 5:45 am Israel time on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee where I was reminded that our Lord — right here, at this very time of day — told the weary fishermen to put out into deep water and then provided more fish than they could handle and then followed that sign of his divine provision with a call to follow him. I was reminded this morning that he, too, has called me. He provides for me and takes care of everything for me while I do my best to answer his call and follow him. I was reminded that in John 15, when Jesus is sending his disciples out to turn the world upside down, to change everything in the name of his eternal Kingdom, he tells them, “Remember, you didn’t choose me; I chose you!”

He chose me. He chose you. He believes in you. And me. And he gives us the power to follow him.

We followed Jesus all over the Galilee and northern Israel regions today. And, like yesterday, this post is mainly intended for the display of a few pictures.

At Chorazin this morning, our guide Anton showed us several locusts trees and claimed that John the Baptist was renowned for eating the seed-heavy fruit from this tree, not the large menacing grasshoppers we’ve always imagined. I’m not sure I agree with him on that. But I do know a lot of us spent that hour in the ruins of the site picking and eating those little berries. Not much taste, mostly seed. I think grasshoppers would have provided the prophet with more protein. Plus, it’s more fun to believe he ate grasshoppers.

Almost as much fun as watching Steve and Elaine and others take down St. Peter’s fish at lunch today — head and all! Elaine went so far as to scrape out the inside of the poor fish’s head and eat every last bit of it, including the eyeballs! Sorry, not me. I went for the filet and French fries.

Our favorite site was probably the “rock” at Caesarea Philippi, where Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. Anton and I both explained as best we could, without going into too much detail about the goats, the evil nature of what was going on in this center of pagan religious ritual at the time of Jesus and his apostles. When he said, “Upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it,” he was talking about all the evil in that place — all the evil in the world, I suppose, that men and women are capable of — and that through his disciples, he would conquer and destroy all of it. Powerful. What an impressive site that brings all new meaning and appreciation to this pivotal point in the ministry and mission of our Lord.

Sabbath began at sundown today and the hotel dining room prepared a very special white tablecloth dinner for all of us this evening. After the delicious meal, we twenty gathered in a downstairs conference room for about an hour to process the past two days, to reflect on what we’re experiencing, and to discern how God is acting to shape us and transform us through these experiences. And then we prayed together for peace. We thanked God for the opportunity to be here, for the salvation we enjoy in our Lord Jesus, and for one another. And then we prayed for his promised peace: shalom for the land, for the people of this troubled region, for all the men and women and children who grow up and live in the uncertainty and turmoil of this place.

Shalom,

Allan

Day One of the sight seeing in Israel is in the books for our little group from Central and it couldn’t have been more perfect. We began the morning at Herod’s magnificent palace and royal grounds at Caesarea on the Sea and ended it tonight on the Sea of Galilee. I won’t bore you with very many details — mainly I just want to post a few pictures here and let people who care know that we’re all doing OK and having a great time in Israel. Plus, It’s almost 10:00 Thursday night and I’ve got to get to bed.

Most of our morning was spent walking around Herod’s masterpiece palace and theater on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. We marveled at the architectural genius of the Roman appointed King of Judah; David Carver found a full quarter of a clay jar in the dirt behind one of the ancient storehouses, complete with half a handle and nearly a full rim; and we probably all had a little too much fun with the word “vomitorium.” After that, we took in the breathtaking views of all the Promised Land from high atop Mount Carmel. And then we finished the day climbing all over the ancient ruins of Megiddo.

The weather has been absolutely wonderful — in fact, a few of us might have gotten a little too much sun today. The food has been better and more than anybody expected. It’s a true honor to be learning so much about God’s holy land from Anton Farrah, Bill Humble’s guide for nearly 20 of his trips to Israel (Yes, Nathaniel, something very good can come out of Nazareth). And the company I’m with is a true blessing. So far, David is the front runner for the “Best Pottery Find” award and the “Most Likely to Singlehandedly Spark an International Incident” award. Ted and Elaine are both making impressive runs at the “I’ll Eat Anything on the Buffet No Matter What It Looks Like” recognition. And Steve is in the early lead for “Comeback Tourist” after throwing his back out walking down to breakfast and then climbing up and down all 183 steps into and out of Ahab’s water supply well at Megiddo this afternoon (Salon Pas gets the assist).

Shalom,

Allan

“I lift my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Good morning from Houston where our group of twenty from Central is at the front end of a long five-hour layover on our way to Israel. There’s a long line of people trying to teach David Carver how to work his camera, Dick Archer has already run into a dozen people he knows, Elaine has spotted the Cinnabon and the Pappadeaux, and, yes, we still have Gail!

“He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

We’re stuck here until our early afternoon flight to Newark, where we’ll wait another five hours before boarding our overnight flight to Tel Aviv. Once we arrive in Israel tomorrow afternoon, it’s ten straight days of sight-seeing and once-in-a-lifetime experiences for which we’ve been planning and praying for several months.

“The Lord watches over you — the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.”

We’re concentrating our time today on Psalm 121, one of the ascent Psalms that God’s children sang on their pilgrimages to Jerusalem. The psalm speaks of God’s promised protection and provision while his people are on their way to meet in his holy presence in his holy city. That’s us! And we’re so looking forward to it.

During our last planning meeting together last week, we talked and prayed through our expectations for this trip in the area of personal transformation. What do we think God is going to do with us and for us during this trip to Israel? How do we think we’re going to be changed? Here’s the list we prayed over that night; I would humbly ask you to pray these things for us, too:

~ a much better understanding of Scripture
~ a much closer connection to Christ Jesus
~ a renewal of our faith in God
~ a better grasp of the big picture of what God is doing in this world
~ a dramatic experience of the real presence of God
~ that God would reveal himself to us in surprising and powerful ways
~ a new level of healing for a few of our group experiencing deep grief

“The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
~Psalm 121

Shalom!

Allan