#israeljournal

[therevlisad]

ANNOUNCEMENT! I've been quietly working on a book for months and now its time to share it with you. Meet My Trip to Israel, a Guided Journal for a Sacred Journey. Sqweeee!⁠🌞 ⁠ It's the best of a travel journal (packing lists and tips!) plus the best of a spiritual journal (prayers and reflection prompts with space to write!) plus it's specific for Israel (maps and scriptures by location!) ⁠ ⁠ This is the prototype. I self-published a few for folks to use and provide feedback. I'm looking forward to giving her a test drive myself in February. ⁠ ⁠ Would you like to be in my feedback group? You need to be heading to Israel very soon. Message me! ⁠ ⁠ #israeljournal #israeltraveljournal #traveljournal #traveljournaling #traveljournals #visit_israel #visitisrael #travel2israel #travel_israel #travelisrael #tourisrael #israeltravel #israeltour #holylandtour #holyland #religioustourism #religioustours #religioustravel #faithbasedtravel #faithbasedtours #faithtour #visitjerusalem #ig_israel #igisrael (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7bNiseg0G3/?igshid=1kho5p7dxj2yv

[lapetitelunefleur-blog]

#MyCrew #IsraelJournal #rehearsals #Mygirls #SeniorProductions #Happy #Happiness #ThisIsHowIRoll #Drama #Theater

[marcusroyce]

June 21, 2011

I was really bad at keeping track of the time this day. Ha.

8:00 am

Right now I'm on a boat in the Sea of Galilee. I just read Matthew 4 (Jesus' temptation, the beginning of his ministry, the calling of the first disciples, etc.) for my personal devotion. That all happened around this body of water I'm floating on right now... What!? That's nearly impossible to believe. God, you've blessed me so much by allowing me to be here right now. Thanks for loving me so much.

Ronan is telling us that in Hebrew they call this place Lake Kineret. He just told us about how fishermen would always put the net on one side of the boat because the wind from the west would bring the fish to that side. That makes the story in John 21, where Jesus tells the disciples to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, even more intriguing.

Jesus' ministry was all around this lake... Ronan says that they even call the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee the Land of Jesus.

Now Mike is teaching on Mark 4:35-41. He's telling us how the idea of a sea struck fear into the Israelites in the Old Testament because they were desert people. However, by Jesus' time the disciples were fishermen. And being fishermen, they thought they knew the sea pretty well. But in this story, Jesus shows them that they don't know everything. Jesus moves them from "lecture" to "lab." In the previous sections of the chapter, Jesus teaches them many parables, and now he's going to see if they actually learned anything from him. In verse 36, the disciples take Jesus onto a boat because they are the experts. ...and then in verse 37, they lose control in a violent storm.

In verse 38, the disciples basically mock Jesus when they say "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" I can almost imagine them saying "teacher" in a sarcastic tone because they need him to get up and actually do some work to help them, not just teach. Then he gets up, rebukes the wind and the sea, and the storm stops. He then turns to the disciples and says "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" He just spent all that time teaching them parables... and they still can't trust him. It's funny how the disciples are afraid during the storm, as implied in verse 40. But after Jesus says that to them, they become very afraid...

This story shows how intimacy with Christ doesn't occur in lecture, it occurs in lab. You can listen to all the sermons you want, but true intimacy comes when you applies the things you've learned in real life. God is gracious enough to put us in tough situation to bring us closer to him. The longest journey on earth is the 18 inches from your head to your heart...

Today Lord, don't hit us in the head, hit us in the heart. I want to love You more.

9:17 am

Well, we just had a dance party on the Sea of Galilee. No big.

Now we're heading to Mt. Arbel. We're now passing Magdala, which as you may have guessed is where Mary was from. It was also where many of the fisherman were in the time of Christ.

Arbel means "House of the Ambush of God."

We just passed Arbel. Time. To. Climb.

time unknown

Right now we're half way up Mt. Arbel. We're overlooking an Arab village. A minaret just called all the Muslims to pray.

The valley we're overlooking from here is called the Valley of Doves. The caves in these mountains were used by the Zealots. Herod killed 5000 people here. And there are a bunch of basalt stones that are unique to the area.

time unknown

We're currently overlooking the intersection of the Via Maris and the King's Highway from the top of Mt. Arbel. We can see Magdala from here.

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

- Matthew 14:23

It is very likely that Jesus climbed onto this mountain to get time alone.

Discipleship is not knowing what the rabbi knows. It is doing what the rabbi does. We are all called to be and make disciples. We are not called to be an information dump, we are called to live a life like Christ.

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

- Mark 1:35

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

- Luke 6:12-19

It was difficult to get up here. It was hard work. But we're so glad we're up here. That's like prayer. It's often difficult, but joy comes when we do it.

Now I hear the climb down the back side of this mountain is pretty intense. Let's go.

1:30 pm

Right now I'm sitting in a tree on the Mount of Beatitudes listening to Rick preach about the Sermon on the Mount. Poor in spirit = bankrupt. Come to the end of your own spiritual abilities. Mourn... come to understand how deeply embedded sin is in your life. Humble... understand your place and understand who God is.

time unknown

Now we're in Tabgha listening to Jeff Bachman speak on John 21. Tabgah means seven springs.

3:00 pm

Now we're in Korazin. This is the northern of the triangle cities. Rich is telling us about the Jews that used to live here.

Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you."

- Matthew 11:20-22

We're about to walk through an insula in Korazin. An insula is a place where about 300 people lived in community together. God called us to live in community. You sacrifice for others. You do things for others because that's what you do. Often times in the Bible a man's house is mentioned with his name.

^ That is a manger that was in Korazin. That is really what Jesus was born in.

Now the LORD said to Abram,    “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;"

- Genesis 12:1

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

- Joshua 24:15

So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household.

- John 4:53

You are called to live in community. If you think you can do church by yourself, or just "you and Jesus." You are wrong.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy, temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

- Ephesians 2:19-22

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

- Hebrews 10:24-25

time unknown

Now we're in a synagogue in Korazin. Rich is challenging us by asking us about our community. Who is your community? Who is your insula? Who are you pouring into? And who is pouring into you? You should be able to think of people for each one of those questions. If you can't, you better fix that.

^ I was the example for one of the Jews that holds up the scriptures and dances around before it is read in the synagogue.

time unknown

We're now in Capernaum listening to Brad speak. The disciples were called while they were fishing on these shores... these shores right in front of us. The biggest school in Galilee was here in this synagogue right behind us.

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

- Matthew 28:18-20

Go and make disciples! We often emphasize the "go" part. We think we need to go somewhere overseas to make disciples. Emphasize "make disciples." Make them here! What's stopping you besides your own laziness and lack of diligence?

And The Great Commission doesn't end with "and make sure that your pastor teaches them to observe all that I commanded you." Think about that.

Also, we are all called to be disciples ourselves. Disciple while being discipled. A disciple is not one who goes to church, reads his or her Bible, or prays. Those things all may be parts of a disciples life, but they are defined by following the rabbi, not any of those things.

Now we're going to go into the synagogue here in Capernaum.

I wrote this verse in my journal, but I didn't write anything about it. So, I'll put what I can remember of Brad's message and my own thoughts here.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

- Matthew 18:1-6

Faith like a child. We've heard that phrase a million times. What does it mean? Just picture Jesus sitting in a synagogue teaching... and then his disciples ask "Who is the greatest in the kingdom?" And Jesus looks at a child and kindly says "Come here kid" as he pats his thigh signaling the child to sit on his lap. Then the kid comes over to Jesus and sits on his lap, and Jesus says "Unless you have faith like this child just showed, you will not even enter the kingdom." Jesus said this because the kid blindly trusted him. The child didn't know Jesus, but because Jesus signaled him over with a smile on his face, he trusted him and sat on his lap.

Christ just wants us to trust him. Trust him with our lives. Trust him with everything. Without asking questions. Not because he is hiding something from us, but because he wants us to follow him without knowing all the answers. It is called faith after all.

Another amazing thing about being in Israel is that we were right where Jesus said all of this. So when he said "whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." He was probably like, "whoever causes a child like this one on my lap to stumble, it would be better for him to have one of those millstones right there tied around his neck and drowned in the sea right behind me." There were millstones all around us, and we could see the sea of Galilee. Pretty cool eh?

date: wednesday, november 9, 2011 time: 9:34 am location: my room listening to: nothing, besides the cars i can hear driving outside my window

[therevlisad]

What's growing in you and through you right now? Give yourself some grace. Good things take time to grow. ⁠ ⁠ I've been avoiding editing my book. For over a week, I've had a new Israel Journal draft from the typesetter waiting in my inbox. Why am I hesitating? Perfectionism laughs. ⁠ ⁠ I talked about it with some friends at Bookwifery. They reminded me of the grace already there, waiting for me as well. ⁠ ⁠ So the journal and I got reacquainted last night. It was really awkward at first. We kept bumping into each other. Where to start? ⁠ ⁠ Then it was an all-out wrestling match reworking the order of the journal and making a table of contents. My brain hurt from figuring out the pagination. ⁠ ⁠ I left limping but blessed. ⁠ ⁠ #grace #godsgrace #braveliving #wholeheartedliving #spiritualpractice #spiritualdiscipline #stoplooklisten #fullypresent #christianspirituality #showingup #liveoutloud #palmsuplife #resilient #stayresilient #resilience #trustgod⁠ #takethenextstep #writethatbook⁠ ⁠ #israeljournal #israeltraveljournal #traveljournal #traveljournaling #traveljournals (at Sarasota, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9mM82BlTd5/?igshid=1mby5m37tbapa

[therevlisad]

Hi, I'm Lisa, and here are 5 fun facts for #fridayintroductions based on my recent trip to #Israel. First, a huge welcome to everyone new to our online community. I'd love to getting to know you better. Leave a message or comment anytime. 1. I've been surprised by a growing love for experiencing God in Israel and helping others do the same. There's no place like it for making spiritual and Biblical connections. What place does this for you? Share it below. 2. My favorite spots in Galilee are Magdala, Capernaum, and a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. My favorite spots in Jerusalem are Caiaphas' house, Pool of Bethesda, and the Mount of Olives. I'll be honest, it's hard to pick just a few spots and there are so many more I still want to see. 3. The food in Israel is spectacular - labneh, falafel, pita, fresh dates and bananas and citrus, roasted vegetables, fish, kabab, and the best hummus in the world. 4. I'm working on the 2nd draft of a spiritual journal for folks to use as they travel through Israel. I never would have dreamed this would happen let alone become so important to me. 5. I've been twice to Israel and will go again early 2021. Come with me! #israeljournal #israeltraveljournal #traveljournal #traveljournaling #traveljournals #visit_israel #visitisrael #travel2israel #travel_israel #travelisrael #tourisrael #israeltravel #israeltour #holylandtour #holyland #religioustourism #religioustours #religioustravel #faithbasedtravel #faithbasedtours #faithtour #visitjerusalem #ig_israel #igisrael (at Jerusalem, Israel) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9HVb_tFNVf/?igshid=ggfu8s9e1j8w

[lapetitelunefleur-blog]

The things i do at 1:41 in the morning... #SeniorProductions #CostumeDesigner #FirstSketches #IsraelJournal #tiredYetBUZZED #latenight #Blu&XLaremybesties #GoinCrazy #Happy #ThisIsHowIRoll

[marcusroyce]

June 20, 2011

Here's my journal entry from our fourth day in Israel. This was one of my favorite days. Ein Gedi may have been my favorite site... read about it below, you'll see why.

4:58 am

Well, right now I'm sitting outside the back of our hotel on the public balcony waiting for the sun to rise over the Dead Sea. It's just starting to get red over the mountains of Jordan. The red quickly fades to orange, then yellow, a small hint of green, and then the rest of the sky is blue. I can see two stars, one directly over the sunrise, and one up high to my right.

There isn't anyone else on this balcony except me. It's nice and quiet. All I hear is the steady flow of water from the fountains down below me by the pool and the birds chirping all around.

The red above the mountains has now gotten thicker... This is so beautiful.

The day before I left for Israel I read this verse:

Stand and consider the wonders of God.

- Job 37: 14

I don't think there's a better verse that sums all this up. Lord, help me to respect you more. Help me to view you as the all powerful and mighty king that you are. I want to glorify you... Oh Lord, how humbling it is to even be able to magnify you in small amounts. I am a sinner, yet you love me so much. And you allow me to be a display of you.

Lord, help me to truly love you. Jesus, I want to be able to love you like you love me. Your love is the greatest love in existence. I want to be able to love others with your love. I can't do that unless I truly understand your love for me.

It's 5:30 now. The sun still hasn't risen. This view is incredible.

...

Well, it's 5:46 and the sun just rose.

Wow Lord, you are so great. The reflection of the sun on the Dead Sea looks so beautiful. This is amazing. I'm so glad I woke up for this. It was really great just to sit here and reflect. To just sit here and think about life and pray to You.

It's funny how the water in the Dead Sea looks so still. It almost looks like it isn't even moving. But where the sun is shining on the water, the glimmer shows that it definitely is moving. It looks alive. I guess that's what you do to us God. You bring life to the dead.

It's now 5:57. I better get up and pack, shower, and get ready for the day. Thanks for letting me enjoy this God. You are incredible.

8:07 am

We just did our devotion. We're on our way to Masada. This morning Rich told us a rabbinical story. It was the story of a rabbi who was walking one night really late and a Roman soldier called out and asked him "Who are you and where are you going?" But he didn't respond. The soldier asked him the same question once more, but the rabbi didn't respond. The soldier asked him a third time, but this time he drew his sword ask he asked the question. This time the rabbi responded, but his response was another question. The rabbi asked "How much do you get paid?" And the soldier, with a confused look, told him "About two denari a week." Then the rabbi told him "I'll pay you three if you come to my house every morning and ask me that same question."

I love that story. I need to be reminded just like the rabbi. I need to have a firm direction. Who am I, and where am I going?

9:42 am

I just climbed Masada... and now we're listening to Ronen tell us about the history of this place. Masada is a giant fortress city that was built on top of a mountain by Herod the Great. It's along the second main road/trade route through Israel, the King's Highway. Ronen is telling us about Herod. Before Herod became a super power in the Roman empire, he fled from his home to Rome. He asked Rome to supply him with an army so that he could conquer this area and control it for them, and they did.

That square represents one of the spots where the Roman soldiers camped while they were trying to overtake the fortress.

Herod ruled this place for 34 years. He controlled a main trade route and was able to harvest all the minerals from the Dead Sea. He made more money than the rest of Rome when he controlled this place. However, Herod suffered from paranoia and megalomania. When he established control over the region of Judea he built an escape route of fortresses in case he ever had to run away from the Jews or the Romans. In each of these fortresses he built extravagant palaces.

A replica of the palaces Herod build on Masada. You think he might have liked to live in luxury?

One of the terraces of a palace.

Some of the original artwork inside a building in Masada.

Masada is huge. Wow. There are 20 acres up here. Ronen just told us that they get water up here by directing water by channels from the wadis into cisterns on the side of the mountain. They always had enough water for 1000 people for 100 years. That's crazy.

Those lines on the side of the mountain are the routes that were made to direct the water from the mountains into cisterns when it rained.

The Herods used this place for a stronghold, business, and for pleasure. Herod the Great built all of this. Then he had three sons who were all named Herod. In the time of Christ there were a lot of culture clashes, even within the Jewish community. We all hear about these three Jewish sects: the Pharisees, the Saducees, and the Essenes. But there were also another three: the Herodians (today Orthodox Jews called Jews like Ronen, Herodians), the Nazarites/Galileans/Christians, and the Zealots. In the year 66 AD the Zealots rose up to fight the Romans. However, it was a small community against the biggest empire in the world.

The Zealots eventually fled to the deserted fortress of Masada and made their last stand. There they resisted the Roman empire until the Romans built a 375 foot assault ramp up to the city to reach the Masada defenses. The Romans finally breached the city in 73 AD... but when they entered the fortress they discovered that the Jews had set all the buildings but the food storerooms ablaze and committed mass suicide. The account of the story was told to the historian Josephus by two women who survived by hiding in a cistern with five children. As the story goes, the zealots drew lots and killed each other in turn until the last man, who was the only one who actually killed himself. The Jews didn't burn the food storerooms to show the Romans that they had indeed retained the ability to live, and that they chose their own death over slavery.

(I hope to eventually post the audio of Ronen telling us this story, which will be very much more in depth, and will also be from a Jewish perspective).

11:12 am

We're now overlooking the ramp that the Romans built to take the mountain... Crazy.

12:15 pm

Right now I'm sitting on a rock, shoes and socks off, flip-flops on, with my feet in the water.

Yeah, those are my feet on the right. It never felt so good to stick my feet in cool water (and I got a sweet sock tan goin' on).

We're at Ein Gedi, a spring near the Dead Sea in between Masada and Qumran. Somewhere in one of these canyons the story of David and Saul in 1 Samuel 23 took place. Wow. That's the story about David cutting off the corner of Saul's coat without him knowing.

This water here is living water... This is such a contrast to the nasty stagnate water that would be in a cistern...

For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.

- Jeremiah 2:13

Cistern water or living water. Which do you want? What are you taking for your source?

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

- Psalm 107:9

He will satisfy you... He will satisfy me... Why do I look to anything else?

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water."

- John 7:37-38

Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.

- John 4:13-14

As the deer pants for streams of water,    so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.    When can I go and meet with God?

- Psalm 42:1-2

Just as the deer pants for streams of water... I want to long for you. Do I want you as much as I want to get into this water right now? Do I!? Do I really...?

1:26 pm

After I wrote that we jumped into the water at Ein Gedi. That felt amazing... After climbing Masada and sweating all the way up there, I wanted to jump into that fresh water so bad. That's how I want to long for You, God... I know that text, Psalm 42. I've thought a lot about that verse itself. I love that verse. I thought I knew what it meant, but I really didn't until now...

2:00 pm

I'm sitting at the foot of Qumran listening to Rick talk about how the Dead Sea scrolls were found here. Now he's talking about how the Essenes were most likely the people who occupied this area. The Essenes left Jerusalem and came here and isolated themselves from the rest of the world. They were people of the text and they spent a lot of their time copying the scripts of the Old Testament. The Dead Sea scrolls were probably part of the Essenes library.

All those caves are where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. You may recognize the last picture, it's shown in just about every History textbook.

3:00 pm

  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

  When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

- John 7:24-27

Right now we're sitting in a wadi. The only place in Israel that there is really any sand is a wadi. A wadi is a canyon eroded by streams of water that flow down a mountain after it rains. If you are sitting in a wadi in the desert and it rains in the mountains, a huge rush of water could unexpectedly come through the wadi and destroy and kill anything that's in it.

So, when Jesus told this parable of the man building his house on the sand, the Jews not only knew that this man was dumb for building his house on the sand, he was also dumb for building his house in a wadi! A flash flood could come any moment and destroy his house and kill him! Because they were Jewish and knew the land, that whole part of the story was obvious to them when we don't even realize it! That's crazy.

If your foundation is built on anything but God... your building a house in a wadi. And when (not if, but when) storms come your house, and your life will crumble.

3:57 pm

Right now I'm on top of Qumran. My tears are disguised in my sweat... A rock that I wrote on is in my lap. On it I wrote:

"Stand and consider the wonders of God." - Job 37:14

God, give me a sincere, genuine, and authentic love for you. - Marcus Allen

We all left our rocks in a pile on top of Qumran.

5:28 pm

We just passed Mt. Nebo on our way to Galilee from Qumran. Mt. Nebo was where Moses saw the Promised Land from across the Jordan River.

Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan.

- Deuteronomy 34:1

Right now we're passing Jericho. It's Palestinian owned so we can't go in it.

We're driving along the West Bank right now. Most of the houses we're driving by right now are owned by Arabs.

Earlier, when I was sitting on the top of Qumran I could see the Dead Sea on one side and the Judah Wilderness on the other. The view of the Dead Sea may have been more spectacular... but the view of the Judah Wilderness, even though it is all rocks, had more meaning.... Jesus was tempted there... Amazing.

6:24 pm

We just passed all the way through the West Bank. We got stopped by Israeli security because they stop everyone coming out of the West Bank. They searched both buses, and they even pulled over the Hume bus.

Two guys walked through our bus, one of them had a gun. They both came in through the front door and exited through the side door, but before the second one got out our bus driver shut the door! Hahahaha. The guy yelled at the bus driver and hit the door, and he opened it again to let him out. It was hilarious!

date: monday, 9/5/2011 time: 11:19 am location: the living room listening to: Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn

[marcusroyce]

June 19, 2011

8:10 am

Well, we're on our way to the "Israeli Grand Canyon." We had our devotions outside the hotel this morning. Chuck spoke on 1 Sam 13-14.

We just passed where they think Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt. It was about 10 minutes from our hotel at the Dead Sea. So this is the area where they think Sodom and Gomorrah were. Crazy.

After our devotions this morning Brad talked about how awesome the desert is, about how God showed up to his people in the desert, and about how the Israelites wandered here for 38 of their 40 years. God revealed himself to them throughout their struggles here. God, reveal yourself to me here today... I want to understand your character more.

Brad also talked about how it took 400 years to get his people out of Egypt... but it took a whole lot longer to get Egypt out of his people. I see that in my own life. You have saved me Lord, you have taken me out of Egypt. I am no longer a slave to sin. Yet so often I still long for the things you have saved me from. I still long for the things of Egypt. Lord, show up to me here in the desert. I want to know you.

It's funny that I read this part of my journal today because I've really been thinking about that the past couple of days. I actually just posted a couple verses on this concept the other day...

Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

- Romans 6:21-22

Back to my journal.

Brad just told us some Israeli war stories. The people here have lived in tension since 1948, or basically forever. That's crazy to think about. Every man from 18-21, and every woman from 18-20 serves in the military. And after that they have to serve 1 month of every year until they are old enough to retire. Our tour guide Ronen serves every  April.

We just passed a Bedouin community. And we passed a sabre (cacti) plantation and an almond orchard.

Brad just told us that our bus driver Eli served in the military, and in 1982 Syria and Lebanon attacked with 120 planes, and Israel responded with 10 planes and completely decimated all 120 of them.

Everyone iis commenting on how much I journal and asking for copies of my it. Haha. That's awesome. Reading over this after this trip is over is going to be really fun.

9:23 am

Right now we're passing the kibbutz that Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, lived in. Looks like we're about to get off the bus here pretty quick. Here goes our first site of the day.

10:30 am

On our way through the canyon, Ronen taught us about flint. In the canyon walls there are many lines of black rock, flint. The Israelites used these rocks to make fire by striking them against each other, and they also used them to make circumcision knives...

We were just sitting on a rock wall in the Wilderness of Zin. But an Israeli park ranger told us we had to get off the wall in case the rocks fall... Lame.

We just read Numbers 23. We're following a creek through a canyon to a spring. It's almost like an oasis in the middle of the desert. Rich is talking about how God does all these amazing things for the people of Israel and they so often forget him.

He just made this really good analogy about how when you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out. But if you take the orange juice out of an orange and inject apple juice into it, you get apple juice when you squeeze it. And if you inject grape juice into the orange, you get grape juice when you squeeze it. If you inject motor oil into it, you get motor oil...  The desert is like that. People are squeezed and whatever is inside comes out. When people go through hard times, they are squeezed and their true selves come out. Sometimes when you expect to see God in someone, you don't. Instead you see how the person really is on the inside.

Lord, help me to be a man of God that bleeds you when I am squeezed. Help to to be an orange, that bleeds orange juice. I don't want to be a fake. God, don't let me look good on the outside without being authentic.

There's quite a bit of water in the creek right now. And sometimes there's hardly any water, but the trees around are still green.

We just read Psalm 1. We are to delight in the law of the Lord, we are to be a tree that produces fruit. And one that produces fruit in every season. When the water in the creek is high up, and when there is barely any water in the creek. We need to read the word of God on a regular basis to store up a reservoir, so that when the drought comes... we are ready.

(I wrote a whole separate post on this topic Here).

Memorize the word of God. Be people of the text. We memorize what's important to us. And the word should be the most important thing to us.

11:44 am

Ronen just told us about the guy that now has 15 acres of sabre out in the middle of the desert. He has a masters degree in genetic engineering. He's been able to grow sabre that have no thorns, sabre that produce fruit of all different colors, and even fruit that taste like other fruit.

12:08

Earlier today Ronen was talking about how in Hebrew they have three diffferent words for desert. Midbar, Tsiya, and Yeshimon. Each of them are mean very different things. When our English Bibles say desert, it could mean three totally different things! Isn't that crazy? Without knowing that, we would just pass over it while reading and not think anything of it.

The first Hebrew word for desert, Midbar, describes a desert with very limited vegetation, but still enough to provide food for sheep or goats. There is water, provided by naturally occurring sources, such as springs. This is the most inhabited form of the desert because if you know where to find water, it is livable. The second word, Tsiya, describes a desert where there isn't a consistent water source and it is extremely hard to find. You would probably not find any inhabitants in this desert. Then there is Yeshimon, an absolutely barren desert. There are no sources for water in the Yeshimon, there is no vegetation, and survival is impossible.

When the Bible talks about the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, it's saying they wandered in the Yeshimon for 40 years. They wandered where survival was impossible. This just shows the almighty power of God. He provided food and water for them where survival was impossible.

(Michelle Slayden wrote more extensively on this subject on our trip blog Here).

12:39

We just stopped by a Tamarisk tree, and now we're in a dwelling house in Tel Arad. this city was along the copper trade route. rich is telling us about how the Bedouins controlled the trade route because they knew the desert so well. Canaanites lived here before the time of Abraham.

Rich just informed us that a typical Canaanite family would sacrifice their first born in their house and bury the bones inside... That's beyond crazy... That's too much...

There isn't a spring at this tel. However, there is a huge cistern where all the water was directed.

Now we're talking about how these people of the desert, the Bedouins, people are very hospitable. In there Bible there are numerous examples of people topping by another person's house unannounced and having the person welcome them into their home, providing food and lodging for a certain amount of time. Gen 24:23-33. Gen 18:1-8. Gen 19:1-3.

How hospitable are you? Do you care for other people? Do you have compassion for others? Do you really? Do you act on that compassion? Because if you don't... you don't have compassion. Compassion without action is pity. And what good does that do? Do you care for more than just your needs?

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

- Romans 12:9-13

1:29 pm

Now we're on top of Tel Arad. Jerusalem is about 60 miles north of here. Arad has most likely existed as a city since 2900 BC. It is mentioned in Numbers 21:1-5.

Right now I'm sitting on a sacrificial altar in a temple on Tel Arad. I'm looking at the Holy of Holies... and there are two altars of incense. Two of them. And there are two standing stones... Two. The Israelites were to worship one God. Something is wrong here.

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

- Matthew 6:24

Also, in the Old Testament there was only supposed to be one temple. In Jerusalem. Well, there is one here... This temple was most likely built by Rehoboam or one of the kings right after him. If you know anything about the kings divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, you would know that there were hardly any good kings. And Rehoboam was especially evil, as seen in 1 Kings 14:21-31. This temple is on the southern tip of what would have been considered Israel, or the southern kingdom of Judah. The temple was eventually destroyed by either Josiah or Hezekiah.

Don't compromise. Worship God only... Lord, help me to only worship you. Reveal other gods I have in my life and destroy them. Even if it hurts... Go right through me and tear me apart if it means defeating your enemy in me...

3:43 pm

Right now I'm sitting in a Bedouin settlement... Wow. We just walked for a long time in the desert, and we showed up unannounced at their doorstep and they let us in.

They prepared a place for us and everything. Ronen is telling us all about their culture. I'm drinking Bedouin tea right now. They made it for us. It's so good! Wow, this is crazy. And now their making us bread. This is amazing.

9:43 pm

Well, I'm sitting in the lobby of our hotel by the Dead Sea right now. Today was another amazing day. We swam in the dead sea! It was so awesome. You are so great God. Thank you...

[marcusroyce]

Here's the audio from Mike's teaching on 1 Sam 17 as we sat on top of Azekah. We overlooked the Elah Valley where the story actually happened... Where David killed Goliath. Amazing.

June 18, 2011

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This is the audio from Rich’s teaching while we sat in a cistern. Wow. It’s crazy listening to this… It’s almost like I’m there again. Oh how I wish I was...

June 18, 2011

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June 17, 2011

Here's a little bit of background information before I jump into my first journal entry from Israel... After our 11 hour flight from Philadelphia, we finally arrived in Tel Aviv. We then met our tour guide Ronen. Then from the airport we went straight to our first site, Tel Gezer.

On our way there, Ronen told us about the cacti, or sabre, in Israel.

It was a nice easy walk to the top of the hill and a perfect way to get our legs moving after a long flight... And here's what I wrote that day.

June 17, 2011

I'm sitting by the standing stones in Gezer right now... Wow.

10:38 pm

Well, I wrote that line earlier today. We visited Gezer. One of the gate cities along the Via Maris.

We first visited a gate from Solomon's time. Solomon was probably there at some point in his life. Rich talked about how God's people were placed in the perfect spot because they lived on the major trade route of the time, the Via Maris. God called them to influence the world, and what better way to do that than to control the gates along the major trade route.

After we walked through the gate, we walked into the city for a couple minutes to a place with some standing stones. These were placed there by the pagans to worship their gods. The things is though, that these stones were there before Solomon came there... and he didn't get rid of them when he fortified and controlled Gezer.

God, I want to be used for you. I desire you. Don't let me defend places in my life that I need to get rid of. Lord, I need you.

Well, Rick's asleep on the bed next to me, and I'm extremely tired. God, you are awesome. It's sleep time.

I forgot to write this in my journal, but after we visited the standing stones we walked to the top of the Tel to a place where we could see the Mediterranean Sea. As the sun was setting we read Deuteronomy 6 as we overlooked the Shephelah (the valleys and farmland), where we would spend our next day, and the sea.

We were then off to an amazing Shabat supper at the kibbutz we were staying in, Neve Ilan.

date: sunday, 7/24/11 time: 2:26 pm location: the living room listening to: Bellarive

[marcusroyce]

Israel.

The journal entries begin...

For those of you who don't know... I took a trip to Israel recently, June 16th - June 26th to be exact, and it was the best 10 days of my life. The trip exceeded my expectations beyond what I thought was possible. I can't even explain how much I enjoyed it. How much I experienced. And how much I learned. So, I decided to post the entries that I wrote in my journal during the trip. Minus some of the personal stuff of course. Though, I'll leave in all that I can as long as it's bearable or appropriate to share. I want these posts to be as real as possible.

I'm putting together this string of blog posts for three reasons. 1) I want my friends that weren't on the trip to see how incredible it was. I want them... or you all, to see everything I learned. Everything I experienced. I want you to want to go on a trip like this. I want you to understand the priceless value of a trip to the Holy Land. 2) During the trip, many of my friends commented on how much I journaled. It was even requested that I copy my journal and share it after the trip with everyone. And I didn't that was a crazy idea at all. I thought it was a great idea! So Yvonne and everyone else, here ya go. 3) I want to write... rather, re-write all these entries for myself. I want to read them over again at a slower pace. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully process everything I learned while in Israel. It was like drinking from a fire hose. So much input, in such little time.

Here we go.

While I was in Israel, I kept a very detailed journal of everything I did. I journal all the time on my own, and when we were given one specifically for our trip and were told to write in it... I was pumped.

It was pretty hard to find some free time to journal as we traveled the beautiful nation of Israel. We were bookin' it the entire trip. Our daily routine consisted of: wake up, eat breakfast, meet for devotions, hike all day, fit lunch in somewhere between all our hiking, go back to the hotel, eat dinner, shower, go to sleep. And then we'd do it all over again the next day. When I'm at home I usually journal at nights, and sometimes in the morning or throughout the day. But in Israel, as soon as my head hit the pillow... I was out. And I really didn't feel like waking up even earlier than we already had to in order to journal. Although I did wake up early to watch the sun rise over the Dead Sea one morning and ended up journaling for about an hour. Yeah... That was cool.

Anyways, because of the lack of free time, I ended up journaling on the bus as we rode from one site to another. Sometimes it'd take us two hours to get from one site to the next, and sometimes it'd only take ten minutes. Either way, I journaled. You can usually tell which entries I wrote on the bus because most of them start with "We were just at insert place here, and we just learned about..."

I also journaled a lot on site. We would hike to a certain spot in an area, sit down,  listen to one of the teachers speak on what happened there, and I would usually be writing down what they were talking about as they were speaking. Those journal entries usually start with "Right now we're sitting in..."

The entries are often very sporadic. For example, sometimes on the bus I would be writing about what we had just learned at a sight, and then Brad or our tour guide Ronen would tell us something. I would then write down something like "Right now Brad is telling us..." and then continue on to what I was writing about before. Bear with me.

Well, I think that's an adequate introduction to this series of blog posts. I'll post the first actual entry soon.

date: wednesday, 7/20/11 time: 12:57 am location: the living room listening to: Ólafur Arnalds