Bet She'an Contd

How totally out of order my blogs have become. I did find these pictures of Bet She'an, the Roman city built of the site of the desecration of Saul's and Jonathan's bodies, and wanted to save them.

He Hideth My Soul in the Cleft of the Rock

My favorite picture of this trip. As we were leaving the Wailing Wall, Mary, a dear lady from Dalton, saw the dove above nesting in a caper plant that was growing out of a cleft in the Wall. What a picture of God's love and grace and our security in Him.

The Wailing Wall

I have no adequate words for this experience. This is a truly holy place. Little birds seeking shelter in the wall's clefts, saxafrag breaking rock for new life..living stones...to take root some day, a mazuza at the entrance holding the ancient Law, an ancient cross carved in the stone bearing witness of God's grace amidst the stone walls bearing witness of the commands of God, hundreds upon hundreds of heart cries in the form of handwritten prayers and unbridled tears.....

Preparation for Burial

This cathedral is supposedly the place where Jesus's body was prepared for burial. What I thought most beautiful was the statue of Mary. I literally did several double takes for her eyes literally look full of tears. I think her face is beautiful.

The Via Delorosa

How absolutely humbling and moving to walk on some of the very cobblestones that Jesus would have walked on as he made his way to Golgatha. To place our hands in the spot where tradition tells us he stumbled and caught himself on an adjacent wall and where thousands of pilgrims have literally worn the rock to form a hand shaped indentation is also moving. I found myself in tears so many times throughout this day.

Golgotha

The Walk to Skull Hill

St. Peter's Fish

We ate lunch at a kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee. Their specialty was St. Peter's fish, the kind that was supposedly used by Jesus to provide Peter a tax to pay to Casaer. All I can affirm about the fish was that it was, indeed, a whole fish and nothing but a fish! One lunch without falafel or schwarma! Can you tell that I'm just learning the technology of posting web links?! For those of you not familiar with weblinks, just click on the grayish blue colored words and see what happens!

Capharnaum

The boat trip took us to Capharnaum, home of Jesus in Galilee. Especially impressive was the home of Peter. Such a small, simple dwelling...about the size of my bedroom and made from rock and plaster. The dwellings there during the time of Christ were made from dark basalt, which was a dark rock. The inside of the dwellings there would have necessitated the use of oil lamps for light, even during the daylight hours. Pictured are the members of the ladies' Sunday School class from Holly Creek Church..Lynn, Diane, Gale, and Betty. Such precious Christian women!

Boat Ride on the Sea of Galilee

What a glorious day! After being baptised in the Jordan River we left for a boat trip across the Sea of Galilee.

The Yigal Allon Centre

What a fascinating way to begin our boat trip across the Sea of Galilee! The Israeli's had discovered a 2000 year old boat that was covered in the mud on the shores of Galilee and had painstakingly restored it.

Baptism in the River Jordan

The third day was a blessing indeed. Those who wanted to from our group were baptised in the River Jordan. One added blessing....doves....it seemed that hundreds of them were calling and singing softly to us. What a peaceful and beautiful experience. Pictured are Becky and Dot, two very special ladies.

Nazareth Village

Typical shopkeeper in Nazareth.

Becky going in to one of the many local eateries.

We learned to appreciate Falafel and Schwarma for lunch almost daily. It is the Middle Eastern version of our MacDonald's. Falafel was pita bread stuffed with salads, spices, and fried chickpeas. Schwarma was the same but studffed with some kind of meat, either lamb, chicken or beef. You can see the Schwarma meat rotating in the background of this eatery.

After lunch we drove through modern day Nazareth and on to the local YMCA where they have a beautiful recreation of village life during the time of Christ. Thew YMCA was built on land that had been an ancient vineyard.

We entered the village through an ancient "eye of the needle", a door within a door, which was typical of the time. How that spoke to my heart of the need to humble oneself to be able to enter the true Door, for one must bow or kneel to go in.

The first sight was that of a carpenter's shop.

Olive trees were other constatnt companions on this pilgrimage. It is against the law to dig them up in Israel. When cut down they will sprout new life and are thus almost impervious to destruction. Also, as Yael, a dear friend of our tour leader Gayle, shared, new trees can be started easily by simply sticking a cut off branch into good soil! What a picture of Christ's life, the church springing forth from his death, the resurrection of life, and the emerging and spreading forth of the church! This land truly cries out in a language of allegory and prophecy!

Day One of Touring

The first picture is the sunrise from our hotel window. Beautiful birds of this land were a continual blessin to me. The seemed, time and again, to show up a crucial time. After leaving the Valley of the Doves, we headed to a village not far from Nazareth, whree Mary's parents were said to have lived. It was a Roman building project during the time of Jesus's boyhood. it is quite possible that he and Joseph would have done carpentry work here. The Greek word for carpenter is tekton, which means a worker of wood or stone. I thought it interesting that sarcophagi (have no clue of spelling), which were coffin type boxes that contained the bones of ancestors, were used for the cornerstones of the main building here. I instantly thought of Jesus and his willingness to suffer death being the cornerstone of his church and our life.

They were in the midst of excavating this area. Uncovered wre beautiful original mosaics from the time of christ. Some of these wre especially interesting to me.

One, in a dining room, was a beautiful floor of mosaics with a three sided white area in the floor. This would have been where the dining room table would have sat and more than likely waas the type of dining table on which Jesus would have eaten the Last Supper.

Depicted in the mosaics were many of the Roman gods. The first is called the Mona Lisa of Galilee. She was absolutely lovely.

The second shows a bout between Bacchus and Hercules. I think it a humorous warning of drinking too much. Bacchus puts Hercules under the table by getting him drunk. It made me smile thinking that the strongest of men can be put under when under the influence a little "too much".

The third shows a cenataur playing his flute. The next is a piece of early Roman graffiti. It says, in abbreviation, Only a really rich man can afford his own outhouse."

The last shows locals crushing grapes at the time of the harvest. Actually, here, I could not help but laugh, thinking of the I Love Lucy episode where she does the dance in a grape vat. Lynn, you and Oda Bee really came to mind so many times on this trip, because of Lucy and Ethel, but this was one place where thinking of you made me laugh!

The last pictures are some close ups to the Roman theater there.

First Morning in Tiberias

 

This is the view of the sunrise from our hotel window. Becky Pritchard was my precious "roomie"! She kept me laughing so many times and was a true gift from God. We had the best view in the group. Pictures here are of Hillil, our guide, Juan, a local Hispanic pastor from Chatsworth (who later baptised me in the Jordan River), and June, who did some beautiful water colours of the trip. We stopped first in the Valley of the Winds (also called the Valley of the Doves). This would have been the actual path Jesus would have taken from Nazareth to Galilee. It was, in reality, a valley of both. A breeze was continually blowing there and I've never heard as many doves in my life as there and, later, at the Jordan River.

Our Precious Tour Group and our First Sunrise in Israel

 

The Church of the Crucifixion

 

This is a beautiful little chapel at the beginning of the walk of Jesus as he headed toward the cross. See the depictions of Pilate and Barrabas on the stained glass on either side of the depiction of Jesus on the Cross?

Bethlehem

 

On the way, you can see an example of how many beautiful flowers adorn this city. The old cathedral for the Birth of Jesus and the new. You can see the fourteen pointed star where people have come for centuries as the birthplace of Jesus. If you look closely at the Jerusalem Cross that was carved into one of the pillars centuries ago, you can see the Jerusalem Cross with the smaller crosses formed by the depictions of Olive Trees. I thought that was beautiful. The ornate chandeliers were gifts from Nicholas and Alexandra a year before they were murdered. A wedding was taking place at the church as we were leaving. I thought the ring bearers were adorable.

The Dome, the Wailing Wall and some typical street scenes

 

Families had spent all night at the Wailing Wall, studying the Law, for Pentecost.

My first views of Jerusalem

The Olive Tree was our hotel there. The men are typical of those we saw everywhere since it was Pentecost. The model is of the Old City as it would have been during the time of Christ. Hillel, our guide, told us that the Tabernacle was one and a half times larger than the Dome of the Rock. You can truly sense God's presence in this beautiful city so acutely. One of the many added blessings of the trip was the occasion to view the Dead Sea Scrolls of the entire book of Isaiah. It is the only book that exists in its entirety from this period. It was being displayed instead of remaining in its usual guarded and protected location below because President Bush had wanted to see it. It will go underground and out of view from the public once again at the end of this month.

Caesarea

 

Annie and Philip, I really thought of you two when I was here. I've never seen water a deeper richer turquoise in my life. This place was gorgeous! Historically, it is the place from which Paul appeared before King Agrippa when Agrippa answered "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." The place where Brother Danny is standing is that spot. The castle like place on the sea is the place where Paul set out on his first missionary journey. The colliseum is from the Roman period of Paul. The day that we were there they were practicing for a Vivaldi concert that evening. The music added so much to the whole experience.

Feathered Friends on a Foggy Morning

 

What an absolute treat this morning to see papa and mama mockingbirds feeding their babies right outside my window. Sharon, I could not help but think of you and how much you would have loved the sight! On a monumental day in my own life, the Lord is so good to remind me that His eye is truly on the sparrow, the mockingbird and me, as well. What a blessing!

Teacher of the Year

 

Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Anna, I am so proud of you all! Each of you is an amazing young woman! You are also young women who have such humble hearts. This is one of the many beautiful aspects of your characters.
Rebecca received this from her faculty yesterday. I'll probably be in trouble for posting the following, but I'm simply so proud of her....and of each of my daughters! God has truly blessed me by letting them be in my life!

A Rainy Day and My First Magnolia

 

Nothing is more refreshing than mountain air after a storm. I was much aware of every breath I took this morning. I could remember hikes at Bear Trap Ranch in Colorado, clean sheets that had dried on the line, and the crisp dampness of the creek bank where we used to hike years ago. I was so pleasantly surprised to see our first magnolia blossom, as well, on our new little tree in the back yard. This abruptly brought me to the present and my new life here. And from the looks of our tomato vine, we'll have a bumper crop this summer, as well. What delightful gifts of early summer! I talked to Judi yesterday afternoon. It's hard to believe that she's in Taiwan this very minute. What a God of suprises we serve!

Thank You, Judi!

 

Your phone call was such a blessing this afternoon. Without your motivation I would have missed these pastoral scenes. Riding through this countryside was such a peaceful way to end a Lord's Day! Talk to you in two weeks! Just think, we will have been halfway round the earth by then!

Carter's Lake

 

What a beautiful Sunday afternoon! I drove east to Carter's Lake after church today. Philip, I played your Indian Flute CD as I explored the water's edge and the surrounding hills. The shadows and deep greens of the woods, the absolute quiet of the woodlands and the myriad of lights on the lake's surface held me in awe. God's Creation continually rejuvinates my tired old soul. How thankful I am for this new home!