Author: Allan (Page 227 of 492)

So… the last time we went to Israel all the violence and protests were in Jerusalem. This time, all the riots are in the U.S.

We landed at Rick Husband at just before 4:00 yesterday afternoon, exhausted and wearing the same clothes we had put on nearly 43 hours earlier on Wednesday morning in Israel. It was a fabulous last day in the Holy Land that started with a walk up to the top of the temple mount where the Dome of the Rock sits among the ancient buildings and pillars. The Dome of the Rock! I had never actually been up there before — I wasn’t entirely sure non-Muslims were even allowed up there. We were heavily scrutinized: armed guards and police officers made Steve tuck away his Christian bracelet, made Alesha and Kas cover up their arms, ordered Brenda to cover up her ankles and put her cross necklace in her pocket. But we spent about 45-minutes walking around this historic, controversial site. By the way, it was on the top of the temple where we had it confirmed that Hillary Clinton had just conceded the election to Donald Trump. And, yes, we couldn’t go anywhere the rest of the day or night without being asked about it by the locals. (As always, you can click on the pictures for a full size.)

After that, we spent the rest of the morning around the temple walls: we prayed at the Western Wall, we walked through the underground archaeological tunnel beneath the wall’s foundations all the way to Antonio’s fortress, we climbed the south steps up to the Huldah gates, and saw the ancient marketplaces and ritual baths.

After lunch, we toured Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter, visited the Burnt House Museum, and spent a little bit of time at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is undergoing some massive remodeling and restoration work. Then it was off to Beth Shemesh for our farewell dinner with Anton and Nazeeh where we enjoyed rack after rack of grilled chicken and lamb shish-ka-bob and French fries.

Then three hours at Ben Gurion waiting for our eleven-hour flight to Newark; two hours in Newark waiting for our three-and-a-half hour flight to Houston; straight to the Whataburger in the Houston airport for a Number One with cheese and everything on it and extra, extra onions; and then another two hour wait for the two hour flight to Amarillo. And, of course, I went through at least three bowls of chips and habanero hot sauce at Abuelo’s before I gave anybody a souvenir.

The Israel trip is special. The pictures never do it justice and my descriptions always fall short. The education, the emotion, the revelation, the conviction — it’s life-changing and faith-affirming. And we’re doing it again the first week of June 2018.

Peace,

Allan

Our next-to-last day in Israel has been a memorable one. We began with a drive down to Hebron and the Muslim mosque which sits atop the Cave of Machpelah, the biblical burial place of Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, and Leah. This is always the part of the trip where we feel the tensions between the Israelis and Arabs, between Israel and the Palestinians. It’s thick. The site, mere feet from the dividing wall, is controlled by Muslims. There are three different checkpoints we must clear before we can gain access. At the last checkpoint, we’re asked our religion. And it feels good to say “Christian” when you know your questioner is trained to despise those who make that confession. The ladies all have to dress in robes provided by the mosque to cover up their womanly shapes. And, yeah, Steve and I made some new friends when we came upon an Israeli Defense Force training session at the bottom of the steps leading to the actual opening of Machpelah’s cave.

We spent a meaningful half hour today looking over the city of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and walking down to the Garden of Gethsemane where we read together from Mark’s gospel account of that agonizing night of prayer and betrayal for our Lord.

The last thing we did was hike the nearly 200-yards-long, more than 2,700-years-old Hezekiah’s Tunnel. The tunnel is an ancient waterway / aqueduct that runs underneath the City of David corner of Jerusalem. I’ve never hiked it before; this part of the city was shut down by the protestors and hostilities two years ago. To hike the tunnel, we enter down a long series of steps from David’s palace and then wade through the dark, wet, tight corridor for nearly two football fields, until exiting at the historical Pool of Siloam. We’re underground. It’s a cave. The water is mostly just above our ankles, although in three or four spots it came up past my knees. And when we stopped to turn our lights off a couple of times, we couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. Very much an adventure we were blessed to share together. Lots of nervous laughs. Lots of helping each other navigate the darkness and the tight spaces. And a really great shared experience.

Today is our last day in Israel. We’re going to start our morning at the Temple Mount: the western wall, the western wall tunnel, Robinson’s Arch, the southern steps, the Huldah Gates, etc., After that, we’re going to walk around the Jewish and Christian quarters, visit the Burnt House Museum, and see the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is going to be a special day.

After our farewell dinner, it’s off to Tel Aviv for our eleven hour flight back to the states and, eventually, a trip to Abuelo’s for chips and hot sauce and cheese enchiladas Thursday evening. Pray for our trip. Pray that our God will continue to reveal himself to us in significant ways over these next few hours.

Shalom!

Allan

Our Saturday began with seven baptisms in the Jordan River. What an honor, really, for me to participate with these devoted disciples of our Lord Jesus as they recommitted themselves to our Christ. Most of our group of nineteen rolled their pants legs up and got in the water with us — a true community event. We recited the ancient Apostles’ Creed together and then I was blessed to baptize Alisha, Katrina, Larry, Brenda, Kas, and Elaine’s mother, Millie. We sang Blessed Assurance together in the water, with the fish nipping at our toes and ankles, smiling and holding hands, basking in our Father’s grace.

As I was getting out of the water, someone hollered at me and asked if I’d perform one more baptism. A lady and her son from Indiana were watching us and she, Deborah, decided to be baptized, too. What a privilege for me! Thank you, God! We spoke for maybe four or five minutes and then we did it while everyone in our group cheered her on and then loved on her as we came up out of the water. You tell me: is there a better way to start a day?

The rest of these are just some random photos from our last couple of days: Cindy climbing on and reaching into the 4th century baptistery at the Church of the Loaves and Fishes at Taghba to fish out somebody’s discarded water bottle; taking pictures at the synagogue in Capernaum or, as Anton calls it, “Cah-fer-nah-hoom!”; the group way up in the nosebleeds at the theater in Beth Sha’an and then walking in front of a few of the dozens of majestic pillars at Beth Sha’an not destroyed by the earthquake in 749AD; Anton directs the group’s attention to the Mount of Temptation from Jericho; and most of us walking through the elaborate aqueduct and water system at Roman Zippori near Nazareth. As always, you can click on any picture to get the full size.

We’ve got dinner in about 30-minutes and then the Cowboys-Browns game begins on my laptop here at the Grand Court Hotel in Jerusalem. I’ve actually got a couple of hot sports opinions about the Cowboys that would probably surprise you. But I’ll hold off on that until I get home later this week.

Shalom!

Allan

It’s like being in Memphis and not knowing that if you don’t say “without” they’ll put a huge scoop of cole slaw right on top of your barbecue sandwich. It’s jarring. It’s shocking. Almost traumatic. The first time you order St. Peter’s fish in a Galilean restaurant and don’t say “without the head” can be a transformative experience. The fish always comes out on the plate with its head intact, eyeballs and all. Our waiter at the seaside open air Bedouin-style restaurant said it’s “Smiling Fish.”

I said “Without.”

Elaine and Steve always say “With!”

I wanted to share a few more pictures from our second full day of touring here in the Galilee region of Israel. The following shots are of Mary Ann serving as Anton’s example during his description of the Seat of Wisdom at the synagogue in Chorazim and then Jana, Cindy, Misty, and Mary Ann posing inside that same synagogue.

These next pictures are of our group on the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at dusk Thursday evening. The second one is Anton and me.

We’re having a great time in Israel. Some tears were shed at an emotional after-dinner meeting as we acknowledged together that our God is revealing himself to us all in surprising and powerful ways over here. I’m always fascinated by what some people find as deeply significant and others find as inconsequential. Some people are moved by the strangest things and some people barely offer a courteous nod to sites and experiences that have changed my life. I am filled with great joy as I am so privileged to share these beautiful moments with these people who are quickly becoming great friends.

Shalom,

Allan