The moment we entered Israel, we were told that this would be the most rewarding, yet hardest, semester of our lives. Israel is truly a land of trial. From the beginning of its birth as a nation, Israel has encountered trial upon trial. Enemies surround it on all sides, and the climate of the nation is such that they must depend on God for their livelihood and daily water needs. Studying its history, one cannot help but feel the vulnerability of the land.
Yesterday, we got a small taste of the land of Israel. We toured Jerusalem in the pouring rain, sopping wet and freezing cold, learning the history of the nation. It was an ironic experience to say the least! Though i can't remember much... (your brain only works so much when you're freezing wet =), the lessons i did learn were so worth it!
We visited the site of the Last Supper and meditated on the lessons that Jesus taught his disciples before being betrayed. Before the lessons, John establishes his deity by saying "He had come from God, and He was going to God" (Jn 13:3). God in flesh is here on earth! What would one expect from such an opening? Not what comes next, that is sure. Jesus acts like a servant, and washes His disciples feet. Ultimate deity displaying ultimate humility. The first lesson? We are not greater than He, and should follow His example in all things.
The second lesson is this: I am coming again. "I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, you may also be" (Jn 14:3). There is hope in the Lord, for He will come again to bring us to Himself!
But do not fear, for He has not left us alone, but promised His Spirit to guide us in all truth, and abide with us forever. What a beautiful promise! He will never leave us alone, but has given us a Helper through the midst of the trials of this world... trials that are destined to come.
For that is the last lesson. Persecution is coming and it is inevitable. "You are not of this world, because I chose you out of this world, therefore the world hates you" (Jn 15:19). But through it all, He gives us peace. "My peace I give to you.. let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (Jn 15:27). So what have I concluded through it all?
Bringing glory to His name is more important than anything. The way to do that is through humility, trusting in God through trials, knowing that the testing produces patience and a deeper seated confidence in the faith upon which I rest. So even though my laptop is completely black when turned on and only blinks the caps lock light, I praise God for bringing me to the Land of Trial. (Though prayers for it to work again would be helpful as well!). May God be glorified, now and forevermore, through my life and yours!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Holy City... Jerusalem
As much as I would love to point out all the sites and tell you of all the places we went, I'd rather share with you the things I learned from them! I hope you are enjoying the pictures and explanations on facebook =)
Walking around Jerusalem all day nearly took my breath away. I couldn't believe that I was standing in the place of God's holy temple, where the presence of the Lord moved in so many ways. The city is so full of history, every place you walk something significant happened there!
One of our first stops was Bethesda, where Jesus healed the paralyzed man. Superstition had surrounded the pool and the man was waiting for someone to put him in so that he could be healed. But Jesus did not need an angel to stir the waters. With merely a word, He healed the man and told him to "take up your bed, and walk". The Pharisees hated him for it. Not only did He heal the man on the Sabbath, but He claimed to be God as well! The city of God.. rejecting God. The power of the god of this age blinding men's hearts is incredible.
We then walked through the Arab quarter.. men hawking their trinkets and produce at every turn. The bustle in the Arab quarter isn't to be matched anywhere in the city! Everyone is in a hurry and people are shouting everywhere.. it was quite exciting! The Jewish quarter is much calmer, and the shops are more indoors than right on the streets. Jewish soldiers are everywhere, and their English is quite impeccable (the two blondes in our group managed to hear a lot of it! haha. We were followed by a group of them for a while because the soldiers were so excited to see them =)
The feel of the city is very different because of the way the city is broken up into four quarters. Arabs, Jews, Christians, and Armenians are all crammed into their respective quarters and don't mingle much at all. Jerusalem is far from the city of the Jews alone. It for this that they cry, that God would come and heal His city, and bring it back to its rightful place. The Homeland of the Jews, the people of God. One day, their dream will be realized, but they are far from it today. The muslims control much of the city and their presence is felt in so many ways. Looking over the Mt. of Olives listening to Sarah read Zechariah 14:1-9, I couldn't help but cry in my heart "Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
As we approached the wailing wall, I was struck by the emotion that surrounds the place. Men and women clutching bibles, praying to their God to heal Jerusalem and set things right again. It saddened me. They shove their prayers in, trying to be as close to the Holy of Holies as possible, hoping that it will help God hear their prayers. Yet the God to whom they pray is not the true God. He has risen, just as He said! His presence is no longer only near the wailing wall, nor is He the God they imagine. Christ has come, and He has given new life! All the religious tradition they observe so desperately will never bring them to a knowledge of the true God. It reminded me of Jesus as He cried over Jerusalem. Oh Jerusalem! Return to Me! May God heal His people!
Walking around Jerusalem all day nearly took my breath away. I couldn't believe that I was standing in the place of God's holy temple, where the presence of the Lord moved in so many ways. The city is so full of history, every place you walk something significant happened there!
One of our first stops was Bethesda, where Jesus healed the paralyzed man. Superstition had surrounded the pool and the man was waiting for someone to put him in so that he could be healed. But Jesus did not need an angel to stir the waters. With merely a word, He healed the man and told him to "take up your bed, and walk". The Pharisees hated him for it. Not only did He heal the man on the Sabbath, but He claimed to be God as well! The city of God.. rejecting God. The power of the god of this age blinding men's hearts is incredible.
We then walked through the Arab quarter.. men hawking their trinkets and produce at every turn. The bustle in the Arab quarter isn't to be matched anywhere in the city! Everyone is in a hurry and people are shouting everywhere.. it was quite exciting! The Jewish quarter is much calmer, and the shops are more indoors than right on the streets. Jewish soldiers are everywhere, and their English is quite impeccable (the two blondes in our group managed to hear a lot of it! haha. We were followed by a group of them for a while because the soldiers were so excited to see them =)
The feel of the city is very different because of the way the city is broken up into four quarters. Arabs, Jews, Christians, and Armenians are all crammed into their respective quarters and don't mingle much at all. Jerusalem is far from the city of the Jews alone. It for this that they cry, that God would come and heal His city, and bring it back to its rightful place. The Homeland of the Jews, the people of God. One day, their dream will be realized, but they are far from it today. The muslims control much of the city and their presence is felt in so many ways. Looking over the Mt. of Olives listening to Sarah read Zechariah 14:1-9, I couldn't help but cry in my heart "Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
As we approached the wailing wall, I was struck by the emotion that surrounds the place. Men and women clutching bibles, praying to their God to heal Jerusalem and set things right again. It saddened me. They shove their prayers in, trying to be as close to the Holy of Holies as possible, hoping that it will help God hear their prayers. Yet the God to whom they pray is not the true God. He has risen, just as He said! His presence is no longer only near the wailing wall, nor is He the God they imagine. Christ has come, and He has given new life! All the religious tradition they observe so desperately will never bring them to a knowledge of the true God. It reminded me of Jesus as He cried over Jerusalem. Oh Jerusalem! Return to Me! May God heal His people!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Kiriat Jearim
Hodu la Adonai.. "Give thanks to the Lord" for He is good! Monday we went to the biblical site of Kiriat Jearim, the place where the ark of the covenant was kept for 100 years after the Philistines sent it up to Beth Shemesh. The ark remained at Kiriat Jearim until King David came to bring it back to Jerusalem. We hiked along the ridge to the city, probably the same path the ark took on its way there as well!
As we stood atop the mountain, Bill reminded us again why Israel is important as a nation. She is not significant because of her size, people, terrority, or strength, but because God chose to reveal himself to her. In Israel was the place of God's abode, and it was through the Israeli people that God demonstrated His power and grace. Is it not the same with us? We are not significant until God chooses to live in us, to show His power through us so that others may see and believe! Only when God dwells within us do we have any worth, significance or purpose. But once we do, there is only one question that remains: how are we living as a result?
The people of Israel disobeyed and scorned the presence of the Lord, taking it for granted that He would always fight by their side. In fact, this was the very reason that the ark of the covenant fell into the Philistines' hands. Though we as Christians don't live with the fear of God rejecting us, we still have the choice to either live in gratitude and appreciation for what He has done, or rebel against Him!
I'll never foget standing in the catholic church on top of the hill, singing praises to our King. The sound of Emily's voice rose to the rafters and came back in perfect harmony, beckoning my heart to agree "My sin... is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord! It is well, It is well, with my soul"
As we stood atop the mountain, Bill reminded us again why Israel is important as a nation. She is not significant because of her size, people, terrority, or strength, but because God chose to reveal himself to her. In Israel was the place of God's abode, and it was through the Israeli people that God demonstrated His power and grace. Is it not the same with us? We are not significant until God chooses to live in us, to show His power through us so that others may see and believe! Only when God dwells within us do we have any worth, significance or purpose. But once we do, there is only one question that remains: how are we living as a result?
The people of Israel disobeyed and scorned the presence of the Lord, taking it for granted that He would always fight by their side. In fact, this was the very reason that the ark of the covenant fell into the Philistines' hands. Though we as Christians don't live with the fear of God rejecting us, we still have the choice to either live in gratitude and appreciation for what He has done, or rebel against Him!
I'll never foget standing in the catholic church on top of the hill, singing praises to our King. The sound of Emily's voice rose to the rafters and came back in perfect harmony, beckoning my heart to agree "My sin... is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord! It is well, It is well, with my soul"
Boker Tov!
Good morning from Israel! As I sit here drinking my tea, I can't help but think what a beautiful morning God has given us. The past two days have been an absolute whirlwind. From the moment we stepped off the plane, we haven't stopped going yet! But God has been so good. Our group is simply wonderful and we have enjoyed getting to know one another and hanging out. Everyone is very friendly and anxious to have the best semester of our lives!
My roommates are sweet, sophmore texas girls (Natalie and Sami Jo) and I love them already. The first night we arrived, jet lag was rough. I woke up and lay there for an hour, it was 3:00 in the morning and I couldn't sleep a wink! I saw Natalie's phone light on so i whispered "Hey Nat, want to go walk around the moshav?" She laughed and agreed. Sami Jo bolted up from her bed and said "I want to go too!" We ended up walking around for like an hour, laughing extremely loud and having the time of our lives. We ended the night on the floor of our room, eating chocolate almonds and giggling like middle schoolers at camp!
The moshav is a beautiful place for christians to live communally and there are around 90 families that live here. IBEX merely rents space so we are visitors too! The restaurant is fabulous and the food has been so good! Eggs, granola, coffee cakes, and about 7 different kinds of cheese for breakfast (also cottage cheese and yogurt), an assortment of salads, meat, rice or potatoes for lunch and dinner. Oh, and you can eat cucumbers, tomatoes, and bread any meal you want! Not to mention the fabulous deserts Sarah and I frequent ever dinner... =)
It looks like it will be a semester to remember... so I'm glad you are joining me in the fun!
Please comment away if you'd like! I would love to hear from all of you =)
Shalom!
My roommates are sweet, sophmore texas girls (Natalie and Sami Jo) and I love them already. The first night we arrived, jet lag was rough. I woke up and lay there for an hour, it was 3:00 in the morning and I couldn't sleep a wink! I saw Natalie's phone light on so i whispered "Hey Nat, want to go walk around the moshav?" She laughed and agreed. Sami Jo bolted up from her bed and said "I want to go too!" We ended up walking around for like an hour, laughing extremely loud and having the time of our lives. We ended the night on the floor of our room, eating chocolate almonds and giggling like middle schoolers at camp!
The moshav is a beautiful place for christians to live communally and there are around 90 families that live here. IBEX merely rents space so we are visitors too! The restaurant is fabulous and the food has been so good! Eggs, granola, coffee cakes, and about 7 different kinds of cheese for breakfast (also cottage cheese and yogurt), an assortment of salads, meat, rice or potatoes for lunch and dinner. Oh, and you can eat cucumbers, tomatoes, and bread any meal you want! Not to mention the fabulous deserts Sarah and I frequent ever dinner... =)
It looks like it will be a semester to remember... so I'm glad you are joining me in the fun!
Please comment away if you'd like! I would love to hear from all of you =)
Shalom!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
A New Beginning
Shalom. My mother used to tell me that books could take me anywhere my imagination wanted to go.. all i had to do was join the characters in their great adventures. Now it is your turn. So sit back, relax and enjoy the journey with me =)
Imagine, just for a moment, that you truly could believe someone with all your heart without any questions, fears, or doubts. Imagine that this someone was God. What if He really was as good as He claimed to be? What if you truly believed Him when He told you that He had a plan for every moment of your life? That every second, He was working for your good? Would it change your life?
It has changed mine. He has given me a purpose for life and a cure for every fear, because I know that my Father holds all my moments in His hands. It is with this perspective that I embark on a new journey. He has asked me to come home, to see all the wonders His hand has wrought. To follow Him to Jerusalem, the city of our God.
I can hardly wait! There will be many struggles, and possible dangers, but I cannot wait to learn all the lessons He has in store for me there... as well as share them with you! Thank you for joining me. To God be the glory for the things He has done!
Imagine, just for a moment, that you truly could believe someone with all your heart without any questions, fears, or doubts. Imagine that this someone was God. What if He really was as good as He claimed to be? What if you truly believed Him when He told you that He had a plan for every moment of your life? That every second, He was working for your good? Would it change your life?
It has changed mine. He has given me a purpose for life and a cure for every fear, because I know that my Father holds all my moments in His hands. It is with this perspective that I embark on a new journey. He has asked me to come home, to see all the wonders His hand has wrought. To follow Him to Jerusalem, the city of our God.
I can hardly wait! There will be many struggles, and possible dangers, but I cannot wait to learn all the lessons He has in store for me there... as well as share them with you! Thank you for joining me. To God be the glory for the things He has done!
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