Shopping in Jerusalem!

While this second to last day was not ALL shopping a lot of shopping went on during the afternoon. The morning was spent touring, not the ancient sites, but the Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea scrolls), the model of 1st Century Jerusalem, and YodVaShem (holocaust museum). We also went to the Garden Tomb (Gordon's Calvary) for a tour of what may be Golgotha and the burial tomb of Jesus (this site competes with the Church of the Holy Seplucher). Before shopping, as while our pilgrims were at the museum which we had viewed many times before, Sharon and I went to tour Zedikiah's Cave, a second temple period rock quarry that stretches from under the north wall of the city about 250 yards under the present Muslim Quarter. It was quite neat to view and is something I've wanted to do for years. The afternoon was spent allowing the pilgrims to shop, either in the Old City or on Ben Yehudah street (pedestrian mall area of West Jerusalem). We serve as guides and help the pilgrims get what they want. We usually take them to some of the shop keepers we've known for years and can trust to give everyone a fair deal.
Sharon left our camera on the bus tonight after returning from the Steve Green concert that was held in downtown Jerusalem so I have no pictures from today for my blog tonight. She has been taking most of the pictures that appear in this blog since we have been in Israel (thanks sweetheart). I'll stick in a couple of pictures from earlier days of this tour for those one you who like pictures! The two pictures at the top are of our guide Elon and our driver Eliazer.
Tomorrow we will all be together at the Garden Tomb for a communion service and then we will tour the Jewish Quarter. This tour will all come to an official end sometime after lunch. I can't wait to get back. Right now I think I have two future tours coming back to the Land so I won't be too sad leaving since I know (Lord willing) to return again.
It would be great if you could join Sharon and I on one of our upcoming tours.

The lowest place on the face of the earth!

Today we went to the lowest place on the face of the earth, about 1300 feet below sea level. You get 10% more oxygen, bromide in the air, and you don't get sunburned as easily since there is more atmosphere. It is quite relaxing. The Kingdom of Jordan is about 6 miles across the sea. But more than that, there are four exciting things to do down there. First, the Dead Sea is 10%+ saltier than the ocean and feels like you are bathing in salad oil dressing! (I'll spare you the pictures of me in a bathing suit!) It is something like you have never experienced just to float so easily in a sea.
Second. the community of Qumran and the location for the Dead Sea Scrolls are on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea.
Third, En Gedi (the Springs of the Wild Goats) is located mid way south on the shore of the Dead Sea. This is where David often fled from Saul and found water and security in this area (notice some of the many caves in this area as I give a devotion from 1 Samuel 24).
Fourth, Masada, the stronghold, where Harod the Great build a tremendous palace in the desert, and the place where in AD 73 the last of the Jewish zealots chose to die rather than to surrender to the Roman 10th Legion. This may be the place that David regarded as "the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61).
We got back just in time to have another all-you-can-eat buffet with just fabulous food on it. After dinner I walked out into the hotel atrium and there was a Yemenite Jewish wedding being conducted. The most interesting part of the wedding was when the groom can to the back, looked at the bride to make sure she was who he thought she was (no Leah replacement for Rachel!), then he pulled her thin veil over her face, went back to the front and waited for her to come up the aisle! The marriage contract was read aloud during the ceremony (in Hebrew of course) which a wedding guest later explained to me. He said this man would have to think very carefully about divorcing this wife because the contract called for him to pay a big monetary payment if he ever did so! Now back to our room (a great two room suite over looking the old city of Jerusalem) and a good night's sleep. We heard of an answer to prayer this morning for something Sharon and I have been praying for for some time. Praise the Lord! I'll share it in a future post.

The City of David

Today was a great day. The morning was the City of David while the afternoon was the Via Delarosa or the Walk of Christ to the Cross.
The picture to the left is of Stephen standing in front of the entrance to the city where David once ruled. (The unsightly bare legs are in preparation for walking through Hezekiah's water tunnel.) Sharon is standing in front of the harp, symbol of this city. One thing I had never seen before was a 30 foot deep shaft down to a water cistern. This would have been just like the one the Prophet Jeremiah was placed at various times in his ministry. We saw a 3D movie about Jerusalem, toured the sight, descended down through the water shaft and then the group divided into two. Sharon and most went through the dry Canaanite tunnel while Stephen and 8 others braved Hezekiah's water tunnel for 30 minutes.
After lunch at a kibbutz, we spent the afternoon in the northern part of the old city, walking the Via Delarosa, the way of suffering. We had been this way before but what was different was the presence of the Jewish police throughout the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem. I took some pictures from the bus window to show you their presence. No one seemed too tense and nothing happened that I know of today. The dedication service of the rebuilt synogoge in the Jewish Quarter is tomorrow. We will be out of the city and down around the Dead Sea area. The weather has been unusually warm for this time of the year but that is about to come to an end! The temperature is dropping and while is was over 100 today at the Dead Sea we are hoping for 75F tomorrow. The time for our tour ending is appearing on the horizon. But we still have 3 great days left.

Walking in Jerusalem

Today we sat on the southern steps of the temple mount where Jesus must have entered the temple numerous times. The disciples taught here and right near here over 3,000 were saved at Pentecost.
Today we prayed at the western wall of the temple mount where Jews come to pray from all over the world. At the right is a picture that Sharon took in the woman's section. Notice the tiny pieces of prayer pushed in between the stones. Aren't you glad that with Christ we don't need to leave a note but we can come boldly to the throne of grace? We walked through the old city, stopping at the remains of the Pools of Bethesda and singing in St. Annes Church. We began to notice an increased presence of Jewish police and soldiers throughout the Old City. Perhaps you have been hearing something on CNN about the increased tension in Jerusalem. It appears the Jewish authorities are trying to impress upon any Muslim who might decide to riot that this would not be a good idea. The reasons for the tension are varied but they include the dedication Tuesday of a rebuilt synagogue in the Old City, a rumor that the Jews are going to tear down Al Aksa mosque and rebuild the temple, and the recent announcement that the Jews are going to build 1.600 new apartments in East Jerusalem, the section of the city where most Arabs live.
In the afternoon we sat at the top of the Mount of Olives and learned about the city of Jerusalem. I taught here concerning the resurrection and then we walked down "palm Sunday road" to the church that commemorates the time when Jesus wept over the city. The pictures below are of me teaching and then Sharon in front of the Dome of the Rock and (closed) Eastern Gate to the temple mount.
We finished the day at the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent a night in prayer preparing to do His Father's will — "not my will but thine be done."
Then back to the hotel for a wonderful meal and then a great time of fellowship with some new friends (Mike and Renae) who are members of some of our old friends Ian and Connie Lawson from Alberta, Canada. The Christian community is small sometimes!
If you are reading this I'd ask that you spend a moment in prayer praying for the peace of Jerusalem and for good safety tomorrow as we tour in a city with a little tension within it tonight. I do not feel afraid at all, just concerned that the touring pilgrims will get to see all the sites in the City of David tomorrow that I have come to love. I'm hoping to walk through Hezekiah's tunnel tomorrow morning. I'll let you know tomorrow if the security was such that we were able to do so.

20 feet from Jordanian Border Guards

The last two days have been fabulous. Friday was our "northern Israel" day and we visited Dan, Caesarea, Golan Heights, and finally a baptismal service on the Jordan River. The picture on the right is Sharon and me in front of the Dan Spring. It is from here the Jor-Dan river begins. In Dan is the Jeroboam altar foundation that the king of the northern kingdom developed and where he place a golden calf. Behind the altar and under an ancient oak tree, I'm sharing a devotional to those on my bus on "Being Content with God's Gifts." We also saw a 4,000+ old Canaanite mud gate that would have been here when Abraham came by Dan seeking to rescue his nephew Lot! And we think things are old in North American if they are a couple of hundreds of years old!
Saturday (today) started at Tiberias and ended at Jerusalem! We started with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. The boat is owned by a friend I have made over the years here and is named "Faith." The people really enjoyed as Daniel led us in a number of worship choruses before we met up with the other boats and heard Steve Green sing and Chuck Swindoll preach. Then it was on to Beth Shean where King Saul's dead body was hung on the walls after he was slain on nearby Mt. Gilboa. Dr. Reg Grant, a good friend of ours for the last 13 years performed a wonderful drama concerning a man from Jabesh-Gilead who came to rescue the body of Saul and take it back across the Jordan River. It was extremely powerful in its message. The picture on the right is of Reg performing in Israel's largest ancient Roman theater. After a wonderful lunch and touring Gideon Spring (En Harod) and a short devotional there, it was south down the west bank of the Jordan River. Our lead guide Amir had arranged to have the Israeli military escort us down to a newly build site on the Jordan River where ancient churches indicate that John the Baptist baptized here. Right across the river was Jordan (the border is in the middle of the river) and I was able to greet the guards there in Arabic. The interesting thing was I had just been on the opposite side this past June looking into Israel at this exact spot! It was probably right here that Joshua and the Israelites crossed the Jordan after God miraculously stopped up the water. Then up to Jerusalem!!! More about Jerusalem tomorrow.

Today We Walked where Jesus Walked

Today we walked where Jesus walked. We started off at the Mt of Beatitudes where Chuck Swindoll preached a great message on the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. Then it was off to Nazareth Village, a reproduction of village life from the first century on a piece of land within the present city of Nazareth. We saw shepherds with their sheep, the watchman in his watchtower, a young women weaving, a carpenter working his trade, all as we were guided around by a young Arab man who had married at DTS grad after she had volunteered at this place a few years ago! He gave great teaching, especially as we were sitting in a synagogue just like Jesus would have attended when he lived here.
After a St. Peter's fish lunch (notice I've learned to order mine without the head and tails and bones!) I spoke from Mark 5 about how Christ can heal a man (from the story of the Gadarene demoniac at a steep bank that leads down to the Sea of Galilee (remember the deviled ham!). We then went to Capernaum and saw so many great things there and heard about the great miracles Christ had done here. Off to see the 1st century "Jesus Boat" and then back to the hotel for a great buffet dinner on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Just in case we hadn't gotten enough to eat we walked into downtown Tiberius for Sharon's traditional coconut ice cream and my bubble gun ice cream cones! Some things are just good!
Tomorrow we'll see some amazing things including Lebanon and Syria!

Caesarea. Mt. Carmel and Megiddo

Today was our first day of touring with the IFL Israel 2010 tour. We had a great day that started off with a worship service with Chuck Swindoll preaching, Steve Green singing and an appearance of King Agrippa I (Dr. Reg Grant; see picture to the right) at Caesarea on the coast. What a great service.
We also visited Mt. Carmel where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal so that everyone could decide who truly was the LORD, the God of Israel. The picture to the left has me standing in front of the statue at the site. You can see that Elijah has his foot on the neck of a false prophet of Baal and in his hand is a sword. No fooling around with false teachers of Israel!

After a great outdoor lunch at Megiddo, we toured the site. The picture to the below left has Sharon and I standing in front of a Late Bronze Age (15th-13th Century BC) gate. This was probably standing here when Joshua conquered the land and specifically Megiddo. On the top of the tel (which has approximately 20 levels of human occupation representing the time from the Canaanites to Solomon and beyond) I had a chance to give a devotional about Armageddon (Rev 16:16). In the background of the picture below you can see a small part of the Jezreel Valley where the kings of the world will gather for the final battle. It is a moving experience to read Rev 19:11-16 and to explain that despite the mass of forces arranged against God, Jerusalem, and his people, One will show up whose names is "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords" and He will be the Victorious One!

Tonight we are in a hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee with a full day planned for tomorrow.

Joppa

Today after an orientation meeting with Chuck and Cynthia Swindoll, a number of us walked down to Joppa — the port to which David and Solomon brought cedars from Lebanon so they could build their palaces and of course the Temple, the site of Jonah's ship flight from God, the location of the raising of Dorcas by Peter and of Peter's vision which challenged his long held beliefs of what God wanted from him. I had a short devotional there in which I challenge those present to open their eyes to see all that we would observe during this tour, but especially to open their eyes spiritually to see all that God wants us to understand in the 10 days ahead as we walk this land.
Tomorrow we start early to travel 35 miles north to Caesarea just like Peter did when he traveled to see Cornelius and open the Christian church to Gentiles and not only Jews.
It has been an unusually warm (hot) day today in Israel for March. They recently received a couple inches of rain so everything is wonderfully green Hope your spiritual life is growing too.

Where a professor takes his wife on a date in Israel!

Today was a day just for Sharon and I to relax, get over the jet lag, and do something in Israel that we won't get to do on the IFL tour. So at 8 am this morning I was at Budget Rental Cars in Tel Aviv to get the car for the day.
Where should I take my beautiful wife for a day she won't soon forget? Why not . . . start the day by trying to get to the significant site of Gezer, one of the three major cities that Solomon fortified (1 Kings 9:15) but we were stopped by a muddy river bottom that we couldn't go through! So why not . . . to the Emmaus the traditional site where Jesus revealed himself to two disciples who recognized him in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:13). . . then a drive up the Aijalon Valley all the way to Beth Horon on the Beth Horon ridge route (we had to stop at the more modern Jewish Beth Horon and take a picture down to the Arab village and beyond to the Aijalon Valley since this area is part of the West Bank [see the picture to the right]). Here I read Joshua 10 that I had preached last week at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. Sharon and I were literally standing between Gibeon [where the sun stood still 10:12] and the Aijalon Valley [where the moon stood still 10:12] as I read about a day like no other in the history of the world (10:14). Then . . . on to Zorah the birthplace of Samson (Judges 13:2) . . . to the Sorek Valley where Samson lit the Philistines grain on fire (Judges 15:5) . . . to Tel Beth Shemesh the place where the ark came to rest after the Philistines sent it on its way on a cart pulled by two milk cows (1 Samuel 6:12) . . . then over a ridge to the Elah Valley where David fought Goliath (1 Samuel 17:2) . . then back to our hotel on the Mediterraean Sea! In the middle of what I would consider a great date, I stopped with my wife at Aroma Coffee for a fresh sandwich and chocolate coffee (and a stop to at Canada Park)! What more could a wife ask for on a date with a professor!
For me, to travel and stop and read the Scriptures about the sites with the one I have loved for almost 35 years now is an amazing experience. Sharon is having a short rest now before we greet the 13 other professors who are arriving shortly or I'd give her a chance to express her feelings about the day. For any ladies reading this, if she is somehow disappointed in such a "biblical" date, I promise you I will buy her some jewelery in Jerusalem!

Do you know where your parents are? Joppa, Israel!

About a half hour ago the clock tower in Joppa (Jaffa) struck nine times for 9 pm. Sharon and I looked at each other, smiled, and then I said, "Kids, do you know where your parents are — right now?" We used to worry about our kids. Now our kids are probably wondering what their two middle-aged to slightly older parents (Sharon celebrated her birthday last week) are doing wandering around in Joppa at night, holding hands as they walk along the Mediterranean Sea, talking about Jonah, Peter, Dorcus and what God can still do for people today! We arrived in Israel about 4 pm on Sunday afternoon after leaving Dallas about noon on Saturday. We are about 8 hours ahead here so it really wasn't too long a flight. The picture to the left was taken of the Med Sea from our balcony just after we arrived at the Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv. We had a shower, a great buffet for dinner and then did our little one mile each way walk to Joppa. In the Old Testament Joppa was the seaport for Jerusalem. It was here that the timbers for the temple were taken out of the sea after being floated down from Lebanon. Then they were taken up the Aijalon Valley (right past the airport!). This valley was where the sun and moon "stood still" in the time of Joshua.

Joppa was the place where Jonah caught his "international one-way cruise away from God" boat. Joppa was the place where Peter caused Dorcus to come back to life through the power of God and Joppa was the place where God caused Peter to bring Life to the Gentiles 35 miles up the coast at Caesarea.

Tomorrow is a "date-day" for Stephen and Sharon before the 14 busloads arrive. Where will Stephen take his wife for a date? Check in tomorrow. Just a clue — its not the usual place a guy takes a girl for a romantic date!