Ahhhhhhh!

After the heat of the desert, a cold, refreshing, dip in a spring fed pool under a waterfall is sooooo good!

This picture was taken just west of the Dead Sea. It is a place where many believe David hide from Saul when Saul was trying to kill him. This would have been a great place to hide and to escape from the desert heat.

Other pictures from the day are from Masada and Qumran - where the dead sea scrolls were found in 1947:

From Singing to Sinning

When God’s people finally made it out of Egypt they responded with great praise and singing. This attitude of gratitude lasted for only three days….three days! After three days of walking in the wilderness, with minimal food and water, the Israelites began to complain and grumble against its leadership –“Why did you bring us out here to kill us?” “We want to go back to Egypt!”

When I would read these passages I would often, if not always, think, “What is wrong with these people? How can you see the power and provision of God firsthand in liberating you from Egypt, and then just three days later forget it all and complain?”

After walking in the wilderness today, I understand a bit better. I am sure I would have complained as well.

Here is what I wrote in my journal earlier in the day: “How easy it is to sing when God moves, when circumstances are favorable, when stomachs are full and thirst is quenched. But when fears mount, and stomachs growl, when throats are parched and feet burn – we so easily wander.

As the hymn writer wrote: “Prone to wander Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.”

Here are some pictures from today:

Mt Gerizim

Today we went about 22 miles northeast of Jerusalem into the hill country. We went up Mt. Gerizim. As you look across Mt Gerizim you see another mountain(big hill), Mt. Ebal. In the valley below was Shechem and the well at Sychar.

These places are filled with history: read Deut. 27-28 and John 4 for example.

Here are some pictures from today: Mt Ebal


One of 742 living Samaritans - in line to be the next high priest(the one with the red hat!)
Ever present Israeli soldiers.

I leave for 3 days to the Negev, the dead sea and the desert wilderness. I will check back in on Sunday/Monday.

Grace and peace to you.

Pentecost Sunday

Yesterday a group of us went to a local Anglican Church for a Sunday morning worship service. The church is "new" - built in the 1600's! It was a marvelous experience. I wept through most of the service.

The church was packed, about 200 plus in attendance. When we sang, because of the interior being all stone, it sounded like there were 2000 of us in attendance! The sounds of our voices singing praises to God was glorious! The liturgy was meaningful. Communion, with people from all over the world kneeling beside me, was moving. The sermon was heartfelt.

Here we were in Jerusalem, in a packed church, with hands raised, voices strained, with people from all over the world singing these words:

we the redeemed shall be strong
in purpose and unity
declaring aloud
be praise and glory, wisdom and thanks
honor, and power, and strength!

be to our God forever and ever
be to our God forever and ever
be to our God forever and ever

All we could do at the end was break into a spontaneous applause!!

It was glorious.



(My hair is growing, by the way)

Wilderness

Today our class of 45 or so got on a bus at 7:00 in the morning and went east of Jerusalem through a wilderness area to Jericho. Jericho is an oasis.

It may not look like much, but after going through the desert it looked gloriously green and beautiful.

Jericho, a wonderful oasis in the wilderness.




But, to get to the oasis you have to go through the wilderness.
It was in the wilderness that the people of God were tested and failed. They wandered for 40 years in the wilderness and then died.

It was in the wilderness where Moses first met with God.

David was a young shepherd in the wilderness.

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching repentance of sins and hope.

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness.

The Apostle Paul was in danger in the wilderness.

The desert is a place of testing. Those who were liberated from Egypt into the wilderness failed the test. They hated the wilderness. After today, I can see why.

But others were strengthened and prepared in the wilderness – John the Baptist, David, Abraham, Moses, Paul and Jesus, all spent time in the desert and were strengthened.

They got to their oasis, only after spending time in the desert.

It seems to me that the wilderness is necessary, even essential for the strengthening of our faith. Why then, do we fight it so? Why do we seek to avoid the wilderness? Why when we know from experience and the Scriptures that an oasis of character, faith, strength and maturity await us do we dread the desert and avoid the wilderness?

I know why I resist the wilderness - the desert is hard, hot, desolate, lonely, seemingly endless and dreadfully dry. I get tired in the desert. I get thirsty and cranky in the desert. I have been through a few of those deserts in my life. On this side of those deserts, after the experience of oasis, I am thankful for them. Surprisingly, some of the worst wilderness experiences in my life, I am the most thankful and grateful.

Today I was reminded of what Isaiah said about the hope we can have in deserts:
“This is what the Lord says…I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring.” Isaiah 44:2-3

Peace

We went to the Mount of Olives today. A beautiful view to the west looking at Jerusalem and a rather harsh view looking east toward the brown wilderness. I can picture Jesus coming up from the eastern wilderness area to the top of the Mount of Olives where he catches his breath, drinks some water and sits and ponders Jerusalem.

Jerusalem. The center of so much history. The center of so much warfare. The center of so much expectation and hope.

Jerusalem. It will be the place of his triumphal entry. It will be the place of his triumphant death. It will be the place of his triumphant resurrection.

The gospel writer Luke tells us that when Jesus came to Jerusalem for his final week he processed from the Mount of Olives. In Luke 19:41 it says of Jesus that , “As he approached Jerusalem(from the Mount of Olives) he saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day had only known what would bring you peace….”

Peace.

I have not found Jerusalem to be a place of peace. Here is a great irony: the Holy City doesn’t feel very holy. Here are three religions that have histories of mistrust, warfare and evil done in the name of their God. Disagreement and infighting within these three religious groups further the sense of disharmony, suspicion, and tension. There is unfriendliness in the air borne from years, decades, centuries of conflict and strife.

When you look around the land I am stuck by walls. The great wall around the old city of David. The wall still in process dividing Israeli from Palestinian living in the west bank(about 6 miles south west of Jerusalem). The Western Wall(the Wailing Wall as it used to be called.)

These are the seen walls. But there are unseen walls between those of different ethnic backgrounds, between Jew and Gentile, Christian and Muslim, between religious and irreligious.

What Jesus wept for was peace.

The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus “himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility…(Ephesians 2:14)

May the peace of Christ which passes all understanding, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Yabba Dabba Do

Christians around the 8th century in the region of Cappadocia(Acts 2:9; I Peter 1:1) lived and worshiped in homes and "churches" carved into the unique rock formations in north central Turkey. They did this for protection from the elements(heat) and from their enemies.

On Wednesday night Rodney and I boarded a bus for a 10 hour evening trip from Istanbul east to the region of Cappadocia. We stayed in the "Rock Hotel." Our room was mostly carved into the rock from which much of the hotel was formed.

We were in this region for two days. We saw many very unique homes, churches and entire communities. One community of around 5,000 people lived underground!! They estimate that this community thrived around the year 1000AD.

One of the wonderful surprises for me here in Turkey is how willing and eager many people are to talk about religion, faith and personal beliefs. The Turkish people are very warm and love to engage in conversation. Over the course of these two days I had three good conversations about faith. I asked one young man what is the essence of Islam. With enthusiasm he shared with me and answered my questions. On the second day our tour guide asked me what I did for a living. I told her I was a teacher of Jesus. She said, "I want to learn about Jesus!" With a quick prayer, I shared with her about the Jesus who loves her and yearns to be in a relationship with her.

What a wonderful time of sharing, discussing and being in dialogue all the while seeing amazing landscape and learning about Christians who lived a thousand years ago!

Tomorrow I fly to Jerusalem and begin my three weeks of study and learning about the history and geography of the land where Jesus lived.

The Church I was with this morning for breakfast, study, fellowship and prayer sends its greeting to you all.

God's peace be with you on this day.

Jamie

PS Why the title Yabba Dabba Do? Don't these rock structures remind you of Fred Flinstone's neighborhood? In fact, in one of these rock structures was a little shop and as I entered the owner called out "Yabba Dabba Do!"

Letting Down My Hair

Greetings from Turkey!

There are times away from home when one wants to do things that one normally wouldn't do:

* dance through the night
* watch 5 movies in a row
* eat cow intestines
* try a bunji jump
* sing karaoke

This generally gets put under the category of "letting down your hair."

I didn't want to dance through the night, watch 5 movies in a row, eat cow intestines, bunji jump or sing karaoke. So, I decided to let down my hair in another way:




















Have a great day!

Ooooops!!!

Have you ever had one of those "ooops" moments in a foreign country or in trying to pronounce a word not of your own language?

You know - you are trying to call someone Peter in Spanish and you call them a dog or worse, a fart? All three words, at least to me, sound somewhat similar.

A few days ago I met a woman named Zeynep. When I meet her she flexed her muscles and said in her best english,"the warrior queen." There was, maybe is, a show on TV called "Zeena the Warrior Queen." She was helping me remember her name.

Later in the afternoon, I wanted to impress her that I remembered her name. I shouted out "Zina, Zina!" Rodney, the worker with whom I am staying said, "Don't say that!" He was very emphatic.

"Why not? That is her name, she told me."

"No, her name is Zeynep, but you are shouting "adultery, adultery!"

Ooooops

Picnic, Capture the Flag, the Running Father and Ice Cream

Yesterday was special.

It was picnic day - all day!

On Monday I shared with you about a family with 11 kids. Yesterday we spent a day with them, other family members and friends at a park about 4 miles from their home. The kids only get to this park 2 times a year on these picnic days.

We arrived at 10am and didn't leave till around 7:00 that night. We ate a late breakfast and lunch together. The kids loved the food, but didn't linger long as they wanted to enjoy the freedom of playing on the green grass. Every other day of the year they mostly play on a narrow street on the side of a hill where they live. No open space. No grass. No ocean breeze.

But not on this Sunday!
We played soccer for about four hours(yes, I am so sore today it hurts to walk - really!) We then taught them the game captue the flag and they loved it! After a 10 minute break it was back to more soccer, jumping rope and a form of dodge ball. I was seriously exhausted.

The joy on the kids and adult faces throughout the day was heartwarming.

When it was almost time to leave I shared The Running Father and the Runaway Sons story with them from Luke 15. You can see that the Father of the 11 was my "lost son" who got hugged and kissed - he responded in like manner much to the delight of the kids and family!!

As the day was coming to a close, I asked Rodney if I could treat everyone to some ice cream before we all went home. He said many of the adults and kids had probably never had ice cream! As I bought the last of 26 ice cream cones and gave it to one of the kids, her face lite up! I chocked back the tears. Her first ice cream cone.

We have so much that we take for granted.

As we arrived home, the oldest daughter(19) was walking down the road to us. She couldn't join us this day because she was called in to work on a Sunday(her 7th 10 hour day in a row). As she walked toward us two of the girls ran to greet her. They hugged and turned to walk arm in arm toward us. They seemed to be talking about the day and the fun they had. I said that I was sorry she couldn't be with us today. She responded by saying that she really missed it, "and you had ice cream!"

Tomorrow night I am going to go visit this family one more time. I will represent your love, care and concern for them.

May God's peace, presence and passion for the lost be with you and with us, both now and forevermore.
Amen.