The Journey Is Just the Beginning

Throughout the entire trip I kept waiting for that "ah-ha" moment when it would really hit me that I was in THE HOLY LAND. Truthfully it never came. I kept wandering through holy site after holy site, amazed by what I was seeing but not being truly moved.


Tonight, sitting at Crossgates UMC, I had that "ah-ha" moment. Visiting the sites alone doesn't make a trip to the Holy Land magical. You have to live the moments of the Bible and remember being in those sites to get the true blessing of a Holy Land trip.


Tonight is known as Maundy Thursday in many Christian churches. Tonight is the night during Holy Week that Jesus held the Last Supper with his disciples in the Upper Room. The origin of the word "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, which is the first word in the phrase "Mandatumnovum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" or "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you". 


This week many have placed one of two symbols on their Facebook pages, supporting one of two stances on the sacrament of marriage. This blog is not about politics and I am not here to judge the convictions of others. However, I ask that all of you remember the great commandment. Also remember that the cross is the most humbling of all Christians symbols. Should we use the symbol to exclude and condemn those unlike us or should it be used as a humbling reminder that we are all sinners, seeking the forgiveness of God?


Maundy Thursday has always been one of my favorite services of the year. At the end of the service every bit of decoration of the church is stripped and we are left with a bare alter. In every Holy site we visited there were adornments, candles, cupolas, etc. It becomes hard to remember the true significance of the place among all the adornments. However, the Upper Room was just a bare roomwith no decoration. A simple room with simple walls in the middle of Jewish,Muslim, and, Christian holy sites. 


Tonight let us strip away the symbols of our convictions and replace them with a bare,clean heart that loves instead of judges. Let us love one another as He loves us.

Final day of our Holy Land Adventure

Today we went traveled to the Jordan River to visit the spot where Jesus was believed to be baptized by John the Baptist. The river is more like a Mississippi creek as it winds around the Israel and Jordan border. We had an opportunity to dip our feet in the river and collect water from the Jordan. I don't know if children are in my future but if they are I now have very special water for the Baptism. Good thing I'm Methodist since I don't think I could have gathered enough water for dunking :-)

We then viewed the city of Amman and had lunch at a Jordanian barbecue place. It was more like Keifer's on crack. Wow...even picky me loves the food here.

We are now preparing for our flight back home. I am so sad to leave this beautiful land with its beautiful people. Jews, Muslims, and Arabs do get along. Much like America views all Mississippians based on the actions of a few, so does the world judge these people. They are kind, loving, and very accepting. We felt safe and welcomed everywhere we went. There is no need to hide or be embarrassed of our US citizenship here. They welcome us and want to share their history with us.

Come on over and see the land of milk and honey!

I'll have final wrap ups when we get back home and we have a chance to really st down and summarize what a trip like this means.

Now to stay up and party until our 2:40 am flight back home!

Jordan Day 2

We began the day by traveling through the desert stopping for pics at a Crusader castle along the way.

We made it to Madaba to visit Mt Nebo where Moses viewed the Promised Land before dying. If you remember from the Old Testament Moses was not allowed to enter Israel.

We continued on Amman, which is the capital city of Jordan. To say it like the Jordanians do simply say my name without the "da". I was born to live here :-)

Amman is a thriving city with extremely nice people. In fact Jordan is much like Mississippi in that everyone is made to feel at home. Please, please, please visit this amazing country if you get the chance. They are welcoming and accommodating to all tourists. We stopped at a shop in Madaba today that is run by two of the Jordanian Queens. They employee the handicapped citizens. They had beautiful mosaics that are each handmade and unique. Margie purchased an amazing table for her porch. I purchased a tile to be displayed in my kitchen now and installed in any future renovations. We'll treasure this land every time we view these pieces.

Tomorrow we visit the place of Jesus's baptism in the Jordan River. We were supposed to visit another desert castle but our amazing tour guide worked this out for us instead. Seriously...Jordan has rolled out the red carpet. I invite you all to share it's wonders.

Jordan

Yesterday's first since it never posted...

We said farewell to Israel today as we crossed the Jordan River. After dealing with several checkpoints we met our new guide and bus driver and to our surprise our own personal policeman. Don't worry...Jordan is perfectly safe. He is here to help us with any needs including door holding and hand holding. I'm pretty sure he's bored to tears as he speaks no English but he is easy on the eyes for the females in the group :-)

Jordan is quite different from Israel to be so close. Poverty abounds, which has become worse due to the 70% reduction in tourism this year. So many people fear traveling here. We have never felt unsafe. There is plenty if security and Americans are loved. Seriously...as we entered Jordan it was like we were on a parade float. Everyone stopped and waved. Every group of children we encounter have been so excited to see us. Today at Jerash a group of Muslim school girls danced with our group, cheered as one member sang the Star Spangled Banner, and even asked for an encore. She sang Amazing Grace as they all listened with wide, beautiful smiles.

At Jerash we saw amazing ruins from the Roman period. Margie and I have walked around MANY ruins but this one was amazing. It is very well preserved and very accessible. We were able to get a real picture of how it was in Roman times.

We finally arrived to Petra around 9:30 pm. Our hotel is a series of cottages where we each have our own. Margie and I got a special tour of the Royal Suite...more on that story in person to our friends :-)

Our guide told us we will be amazed at the view tomorrow morning. Ill let you know tomorrow.

Today....

The view from our hotel is wonderful by the way...

We spent the entire day at Petra. There are no words to describe the beauty of this place. We start by seeing a few ancient burial tombs. While the history of them was amazing, we were distracted by the blue sky against the yellow rock. I would post pics but the wifi is slow so you'll have to wait for my "real" camera pics when I return.

Again, I would love to describe all of Petra but I cannot do it justice. You simply have to visit this place. I have traveled around the world but the natural beauty here took my breath away. Basically it is rock formations along with ruins from between 1st century bc and 1st century ad. The entire day was around 7-8 miles of walking up and down hills including around 1,000 total steps yet it was easier than many treks I have taken. I believe that was due to the distractions of the amazing views.

My favorite part was a local school girl who guided us to the top of the mountain for the "best view". She shared with us local culture and her entrepreneurial spirit. Yes I spent money on items that were probably made in China at her "shop" but they were worth getting to know my Jordanian friend.

We ended the night at a bar set inside a cave with locals. We conversed via Facebook most of the night. Welcome to 2013 in the Middle East.

The Old City

Today was a blur to be honest. We began with a visit to the "fake" upper room. Since so many religions have claimed this place there are only corners that Christians can claim where Jesus Christ was. We moved on to the Church of the Holy Sepulecure. Think ancient marketplace of churches. There is a Greek, Armenian, and Catholic Church under one roof. There is no explanation of the madness.

We moved on to begin the Via Dolorosa in rewind. I really can't describe the feeling of walking where Jesus walked. All I can suggest is to Google the stations and imagine being at each of them.

Following a shopping stop we headed back to the hotel for our farewell dinner with those that aren't continuing to Jordan. We truly are a Chosen Group. We have all been blessed by the blessing of each other. These are my Jewish and Christian brothers and sisters. We have names and addresses that will be used to continue our journey with God.

Masada, The Dead Sea, and the Bedouin experience

We began the day by descending from Jerusalem to The Dead Sea. This sea has an extremely high salt content that makes it deadly to fish but wonderful for the skin. More on that in a bit...

Our first stop was at Masada. This is the place where King Herod built a palace way up on a mountain. We are talking desert mountain. There is no green here. After King Herod died, the Jews found what was once a great palace. This was during the time of the Roman siege of Jerusalem. Once the Romans found this Jewish settlement, they fought for four years to capture it. When they were finally successful all they found were dead bodies. The Jewish had determined a life of slavery was worse than death so they ended their own lives. Today Jewish pilgrims around the world travel to Masada as a pilgrimage. In addition to enjoying beautiful views of the desert mountains we also got a special visit with a Jewish scribe who wrote us a special blessing for our Chosen Group. He asked how we all knew each other and we said most of us met through this trip. He said we met because God chose that for us.

After Masada we traveled to the Dead Sea for a dip in the salty water. The water is crystal clear with no fish to interfere with your swim. Once you are in you simply lay back and enjoy a good float. You literally bob up and down like a cork in water. It is unreal. If you want to exfoliate your skin, just reach down and pick up a handful of salt (instead of sand) and rub away. My skin and hair are like silk now!!

Our final stop for the evening was at a Bedouin camp for camel riding and dinner. The camel ride was unreal! These animals are so very cute!!! Dinner was under a Bedouin tent with more amazing food and fellowship. Bedouins are basically nomads who set up temporary shelter wherever they want to work the land. There are camps throughout the desert.

We are now headed back to the hotel to enjoy a bit of wine with friends on our beautiful hotel balcony. Are we really living this life right now? We are Blessed indeed.

Jerusalem museums, Bethlehem, and the table of religion

We began the day with a trip to the holocaust museum of Israel. Though I believe the Smithsonian has a better layout and overall picture it was still chilling to see the cruelty humans can have on each other. A fellow traveler brought a unique perspective when he mentioned our hated of the Nazi's should not cloud our judgement of men. All Mississippians cannot be blamed for the cruel treatment of African Americans. The South has a very black mark on history and so does Germany. We must all learn to get along.

We moved on to visit the Israeli Museum. Honestly it was hot and not that impressive except one part. We did get to see part of the Dead Sea Scrolls. As someone else reminded us, the Declaration of Independence is 200 years old and is barely legible. The Dead Sea Scrolls were written around the time of Christ's birth.

We then moved on to Bethlehem. The city is a Palestinian controlled territory so we had to pass through a checkpoint. It was heartbreaking to see the birthplace of Jesus be so run down while Jerusalem thrives around it. As we made our way to the square of the manger a precious Jewish lady in our group grabbed my hand to help her along the climb up the hill. We continued on, Jewish and Christian hand in hand, until we reached the square. I will never forget that moment of unity.

Upon arriving we visited the three churches that are at the spot of the nativity. The Greek church holds the grotto of the manger where we could see the exact spot where Jesus was born. It was humbling as we knelt in front of the manger spot to offer prayers for our salvation. We also visited the Albanian corner and the Catholic Church, where Christmas Mass is watched throughout the world.

As we left the church we heard call to prayer of the nearby Muslim mosque. Margie and I are familiar with this from visiting Istanbul last summer. What was striking was hearing this as we stood in Manger Square listening to the history of three Christian churches.

After we arrived at our hotel, exhausted from all we have seen, we decided for a quiet evening on the hotel balcony overlooking the Old City. We were instead treated to a Jewish wedding, a Catholic priest, and a table shared with Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. That my friends, is the Holy Land.

Beit She'an, Jericho, and Jerusalem

We started the day with a visit to Beit She'an. The city dates back to 4,000 BC where it was an important city at the crossroads of travel. King David once controlled it prior to being seized by Gentiles after the birth of Christ. It is now an archeological site with a thriving city surrounding it.

To continue our story from yesterday, our bus driver is Arabic. As we traveled into the Palestinian city of Jericho, Joad became more of a co-leader as we were in his land. It was quite comforting to be taken care of in a place where not all Jews and Christians might be so welcomed.

Following lunch (note the barbed wire in the pic below) we ascended to Jerusalem. The Israelis do not "go" to Jerusalem they "ascend" to it. This is both a spiritual and a physical meaning since Jerusalem is high above sea level.

I don't think Margie nor I were ready for the what was to come. We first went the mount of Olives which is located along the mountain ridge east of Jerusalem's old city. It is named for the olive groves that once covered the slopes. The mount has been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3000 years. Looking down at the cemetery, across the valley of David to Jerusalem is something spectacular to say the least.

On down the mountain we went to our best stop, Gethsemane. As Christians we know this is where Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before he was arrested. As we have learned over the past few days, wherever there is something important, someone builds a Church, synagog, or Mosque over it. We found a Franciscan Church built over the rock believed to be where Jesus laid his head and prayed. The Church itself was beautiful with beautiful Mosaics. The rock is located in front of the Alter and accessible for believers to touch and say prayers. We were lucky today. Very few people were there and we were able to touch the rock and feel His prescience.

Our Jewish traveling partners got to experience the same overwhelming emotions as we moved on to the Western
Wall or as the British named it, The Wailing Wall. Women and men go to separate areas of the wall to offer prayers to God. You can write a prayer on a small piece of paper and place it inside the cracks of the wall. A Jewish lady from Brooklyn, NY that is on our trip had a whole envelope of prayers that friends of hers (Jewish, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Baptist she said) to place inside the wall.

After we checked in to our five star hotel, my first overseas, we had another amazing buffet dinner. I finally found a salad I love...avocado salad, aka Guacamole!

Tonight we went to see Jerusalem at night. It is a light show at the Tower of David inside the walled city. I wish I could describe how beautiful it was but there are no words. All I tell you is it was amazing musical and art tale of the history of the city.

Nazareth, Canna, Caperneum, and the Kibbuz

Margie is my co-blogger tonight...

First I must explain that our tour guide is a Jewish lady who immigrated to Israel from St. Petersburg, Russia 20 years ago. She currently lives in Nazareth and began our tour by taking us to the top of a hill overlooking Nazareth. This place was built for Benedict 16th to say Mass. Over 30,000 people attended. We then went for an emotional visit to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. This Church is a beautiful Catholic Cathedral situated on the site where St. Mary grew up. It was there that the Archangel Gabriel visited her. The original house is located under the Church with access for visitors to see it. The house is very small with an alter inside.

Next we continued our Jesus day by traveling to Cana, the place of the first miracle performed by Jesus. We first stopped to taste the sweet wine served at services. Then on to the location of the wedding feast. A Franciscan church was built at the site and the remains can be seen from inside. While there, we stopped off at a side chapel and a Franciscan priest performed a renewal of vows ceremony for a couple on our trip who is celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. It was a surprise to the couple and a very sweet experience for the rest of the group.

We then traveled to the Mount of Beatitudes to visit another church. We have come to learn the best to preserve a holy site is to build a church on top of it. When we stepped off the bus the fragrant smell of fresh flowers was almost overwhelming. The gardens leading up to the church were amazing yet the church was rather plain. They did have paintings of the stations of the cross and beautiful stained glass windows with the beatitudes written in them.

We then had a fish lunch (at 3:00 pm) by the Sea of Galilee.

We ended our Jesus day with trips to see Caperneum and the place where Jesus feed 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread. The gardens at Caperneum were again amazing.

We are staying at a Kibbutz tonight. This village is similar to a commune or a socialism society where everyone works and everyone receives benefits. I don't agree with everything they do but I must say they all seem happy.

A few tidbits of humor:

We are the opposite of Moses. We assumed Israel was a desert. We have been in the land of milk and honey searching for that desert.

We saw three sites of Jesus's miracles today. First the water into wine at canna, then the making the paralyzed man walk again, and finally the fishes and loaves feeding the 5,000. Our fourth miracle occurred in Tibereas where Margie miraculously learned how to read Hebrew. Feel free to donate to build a church upon the spot where this miracle occurred. Ironically it was just above when we reached sea level which is 200 meters above the Sea of Galilee which is actually a lake. I'll leave you to ponder that last sentence.

Rosh Hanikra, Acre, and Mt Carmel

We started the day with a trip North to where Israel borders with Lebanon to visit the chalk cliffs at Rosh Hanrika. These cliffs have been traveled by Moses, the crusaders, the Turks, the British and many more. We walked through a grotto with beautiful views of the colors of the Mediterranean Sea. This was a pleasant surprise start to the day.

We then traveled to Acre to visit the Crusader city. We saw beautiful halls and courtyards built in the 1200s. We visited a Muslim mosque and were surprised to learn Muslim men are allowed four wives.

This evening we traveled to the Carmel winery to learn about Israeli Kosher wines. Following our visit to the winery we had dinner in a Drooze village. The Drooze religion is another new one we have discovered on this trip. Margie and I both are so happy we are getting to see the full spectrum of Israeli culture and not just the Christian point of view. We are excited that tomorrow is a "Jesus day" though. Here is your teaser for tomorrow...Canna, Caperneum, and the Mount of Beatitudes are on the agenda.

Jaffa and Caesarea

Margie and I began the day with a walk along the Mediterranean Sea before breakfast. Breakfast resembled the gourmet Mediterranean version of a MS casino buffet minus the dings of slot machines and smoke smell.

We then went to the Carmel market to take in the fresh veggies and fruit. We followed that journey with a visit to Jaffa where the prophet Jonah begin his journey.

We left Tel Aviv and made it to Ceaserea to tour the ruins there and have lunch by the sea. It was an amazingly beautiful day spent on the Mediterranean.

We made it to Haifa around sunset. We viewed the Baha'i Gardens. The Baha'i are a new religion with a mosque in Haifa and incredible gardens surrounding it.

Margie and I enjoyed Israeli wine at a restaurant overlooking the sea prior to another amazing buffet of Israeli meats, fish, cheese, breads, and desserts. We are going to have to start running around some of these towns to burn all the calories!!

Arrival in Tel Aviv

We arrived in Tel Aviv around sunset today. There were a few comedies that occurred on the trip over. Delta thankfully has changed their safety video to include some humor. I do believe this has been the only flight since I was 7 that I actually listened to the whole spill. Did you know that the safety card in your seat back pocket is quite humorous after spending a few hours in the sky lounge?

We arrived in Rome and were treated to the usual laid back style of Italian security. We had to ride a train away from our gate only to turn around and come back to the gate on the same train. We didn't do this by accident...it was a requirement. We then rode on a bus to board our plane which was boarded from both the back and the front. Let's just call that the "cluster" boarding method.

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv I was surprised
at how modern the airport is. It is quite a lovely airport. Margie drew the short stick as her luggage didn't quite make the journey with us. Have no fear though...the world traveler is prepared to spend a few nights without it.

Dinner was unbelievable tonight. Most of you know I'm a picky eater. I had three full plates of food and am now miserably full. They had roasted chicken, duck, fish, amazing hummus, amazing bread, rice, baklava, and chocolate pudding we deemed the 8th deadly sin.

I'm posting a shot of our view of the Mediterranean Sea from our balcony, a pic of the most amazing hummus I have ever had, and our yummy desserts.

More to come tomorrow as our real journey begins!

Packing Interruptus

I started cleaning out my DVR recordings tonight to ensure I would have enough space for new recordings while I am gone. I came across an ABC special I have saved for research on The Holy Land. I am now watching Christiane Amanpour travel through the area in her "Back to the Beginning" special...packing will have to wait.

One segment is on Moses and the Exodus. There are some great statements made on the seekers of freedom. The Israelites are not the only ones to seek freedom. America was founded on the basis of freedom yet freedom has not been experienced by all throughout our history. Blacks, immigrants, homosexuals, Muslims, and others have faced persecution in "the land of the free". I really wonder what God would say about the US. Are we the land of the "Israelites" or are we the occupying "Egyptians"?

Now back to packing for a land where the climate is more unpredictable than Mississippi in March.

Holy Land Preparations

Holy land trip

As I prepare for my trip to Israel and Jordan in just a few days it has occurred to me how much previous trips have prepared me for this one. Here is a short list...

Visiting the Holocaust museum in D.C.
Seeing the prison cell of Peter in Rome
Visiting The Vatican several times
Taking communion from a chip 'n dip plate in San Francisco
Being at Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland (supposed burial site of Pontius Pilate) on Easter Sunday
Attending Palm Sunday Mass at Notre Dame in Paris
All the years Chi Rho took us to churches throughout the U.S.
Attending Good Friday service at Westminster in London
Walking through Ephesus, Patmos, and Athens
Visiting Dachau (Jewish concentration camp)
Walking through the Holy Doors of the Vatican on my first trip to Italy in 2000.

The most important preparation has been being a member of Crossgates UMC for 23 years. I will carry the teachings of many great ministers and Sunday School teachers with me on this journey.

I cannot wait to land in THE Holy Land in 3 short days!