Day#16

Empty Tomb

Today we went to the garden tomb site. I loved what the guide had to say about the tomb and about the mysticism that is so prevalent in this land. There are those who come to the tombs and leave prayers wedged into the walls similar to the Western wall. They also leave flowers and articles of clothing. The guide simply said that they clean them out. He said Jesus isn't in the tomb anymore. He's risen. He said you can take Jesus into the cave and out of the cave because he's no longer there. It was really refreshing to hear a messianic message finally. My defenses have been up due to all the different religions being pushed upon me. 

"Dave, I wonder if you can let me know by next week  on [such and such project] so that I can move forward."

Give me direction in this area so that I can move forward. 

Can we sit down together and work on a timeline. 

Is it okay if I follow up on that next week?

These are questions to ask my senior Pastor when I return so that I'm able to have more direction.

Day #15

Humble Beginnings.

Born in a cave... not even a nice cave. A dirty cave. It was dark. Probably lit with torches. 

Surely a King deserves better. 

You came as a baby... 

Raised as a servant. The lowest of low

Surely better provisions could have been made for my Savior. 

This was the place. (Or at least near it). Salvation has come. 

My God doesn't stay far away. He came near to me!

He could've though. He could have stayed in heaven. All the glories...all the beauty...forsaken. Left behind so that He could be near me...so that He could live as one of us. Oh what love the Savior has for us! 

I think of the riches I have. I've grown up far richer than my Savior. I've lived a opulent, lavish, affluent lifestyle. Did He come to give me that? 

He could have come and stayed in a luxurious Palace like Herod built for himself all over the land. But he came and was the poorest of the poor... 

Then He went through everything we went through... relating to me in the ultimate way...He came near to me...

Immanuel. God with us. And He'll never leave us. He promised He'll be with us forever. 

 

Being at the Church of the Nativity... I can't help but think that this is not the way Jesus would have wanted it. It was way too plush for Jesus. Our Savior isn't flashy. He's got the substance and the style. It's kinda the way it's always been. David wanted to build the Lord a temple... but God had him keep the ark in a tent. 

Phil 2:7 says that "He made himself nothing."

Nothing... He emptied himself. 

I'm listening to the song "Amazed." The line that is exactly how I'm feeling almost this entire trip.. "Lord I'm amazed by You... how You love me."

Day #14

Back from En Gev and Galilee. 

The resort was super nice... It was really interesting being out in the places where Jesus ministered. Why did he choose these areas? Doesn't he know that all the people are in the city? Tim Keller would be disappointed. I guess Jesus' ministry is a little different than Paul's or even mine. For some reason I felt more of a connection in Jerusalem than in Capernaum or even in Galilee. During our stay there, it felt so much more like a vacation than a spiritual experience. Hearing all the undergrad students screaming and messing around during our communion service was a bit annoying. The resort could have been mistaken for spring break Daytona Beach. 

Even sitting around the noise and the laughing... trying to catch a moment to reflect is difficult. (More Reflections written in notebook)

Day #7

Waking up and looking out into the Canyon at Mizpah-Ramon was amazing. I can't believe that erosion caused all of this. We got some really great pictures out there. It's so beautiful. Some might not consider it beautiful... I loved all the texture and depth of the rocks, craters, and canyons. It's real similar to Phoenix and Vegas. Some people are aren't into it though. Their loss. Israel truly has some diverse land. We went from the Mediterranean sea 

(not the best waves in the world for sure... it was super flat 1-2 feet slop) to the complete desert some of the most breathtaking scenery. It makes you feel really small. How long it took to erode. I've been on this planet for 28 years...that's probably the time it took for a few edges to form. I found myself speechless and in awe. I swear.. I could have stood out there and gazed into that Canyon forever. (Even with it being so beautiful...there was still a jackhammer going on in the background. I'm glad I brought my iPOD. I threw on some worship music... closed my eyes and felt the wind to my back). I must have been out there for an hour. After awhile, a flock of Ibex came to find food people drop off the observation deck. Creation is beautiful.  

The Wilderness was amazing as well. (I'm running out of adjectives) We did a short teaching session on contentment and obedience. We were really able to empathize with the Israelites in the desert. It was super hot even in the shade. I would get pretty frustrated with 40 years. I also would probably start missing my home in Egypt after a while. Hot, thirsty, dusty... I'm quick to complain. I'm quick to think that God has forsaken me. I'm quick to turn from Him.

He's so patient with me. 

What are some of the things that I am discontented with? 

Day 6-9

We spent the day in the coastal plains of Israel. First we went to the Sorek valley and Beth-Shemesh. This site was made famous by Samson. He began there and ended there. A life that started with so much potential. A gifted man. Yet he never was able to reach that potential. His life is stark warning to all those in ministry. The reason for this failure: lack of discipline. His parents didn't really help either. Instead, they acquiesced to his every whim. Perhaps this was because he was an only child. Perhaps it was because they feared his role as a Judge. 

I do not want to be remembered this way. "Hey, remember that Josh guy. Yeah, he could have done so much for the Lord. If he only had more discipline... or self control." May the Lord grant me wisdom and the ability to follow through. 

Next, we went to the Elah valley. Here we reenacted the story of David and Goliath. I got the privilege of playing David. What an amazing story of the faithfulness of God. The life David led was so simple. Tending sheep is a lowly task. Those relegated to doing such a deed weren't prominent people at all. We've seen these shepherd in the modern day setting. It isn't anything to phone home about. Yet this is where God chooses His king for Israel. David was also a musician. Not sure where he got the time to practice his harp... but it seems like he was pretty proficient at it. Yet even with all the faithfulness God showed David, he still had a major fall in his life. This is quite troublesome to me. Can a man after God's own heart really commit adultery? Can this man who loved God so much murder a man? Surely David's heart was more committed to God than mine and if he could fall, how much more can I? At the very least I need a Nathan to keep me on track. And another amazing testament to God is the provision of someone like Nathan. I believe I do have a Nathan in my life and I'm hoping that I will respond in the same way David did...with true repentance. 

Tel-Azekah gave us a great view of the coastal plains and the Shephelah (the low hills)

From there we went to Ashkelon which was the hometown for Herod. 

Day#5

My free day began with sleeping in. I really needed it. Then I actually got the privilege to watch the Lakers defeat the Jazz and advance to the Western Conference finals. (Hey...it's my free day) After the game was over, we left to go eat lunch inside the old city. The restaurant was Papa Andrea's. Good food for sure. Good ole Mediterranean food. Can't say that I don't love it. It's amazing. After that, we walked the Via Dolorosa. An amazing experience. We started out at the pool of Bethesda and made our way all the way to the Church of the Resurrection. I'm kinda getting tired of blazing through things. We need to slow down. I can't digest these things that fast. It's as if as we are doing them...I'm being insanely irreverent. I'm really not intentionally doing this. I want to slow down.. however, the group does move slow in general...a lot of time is wasted getting to place instead of at the places themselves. I'm getting tired of waiting and at the same time...tired of rushing through the actual sites. 

We saw a Korean group singing "Jesus shed His blood for me." Oh how I wanted to join this group and sing:

Jesus shed his blood for me, 
bore, for our salvation 
on his cross, the agony 

of a lost creation.

Refrain: 

Jesus, Lord, Jesus, Lord, 
for my sins they slew thee. 
Now by thy dear blood restored, 
draw the sinner to thee.

2. For what crime should he be killed, 
for his killers praying? 
Mad, that mindless mob has willed 
their Messiah's slaying

3. None there lives who does not know 
sin, bloodied as crimson; 
but the cross makes white as snow 
all in Christ's dominion.

4. Jesus, oh so fair art thou! 
My good friend, my Savior, 
thy grace, only, save me now, 
and from hell forever.

Day #4

Jericho was amazing. The oldest city ever found. We toured the ruins. Earlier in the morning I read Joshua 1-5. It was awesome to read the story of what actually took place before getting there. Upon reading the passage, I realize that the Lord called for Joshua to have all the Israelite males circumcised. Talk about debilitating your army right before battle. I can imagine Joshua thinking "uh... Lord? We're about to head into battle... and you want us to do what?" Perhaps the Lord wanted to make it clear that it was He who was leading the people to battle. Apparently, the enormous walls of Jericho miraculously crashing down wasn't enough. 

Jericho was beautiful. An oasis in the midst of a barren desert. You have the dead sea to the south and Wilderness right next to it. This would be a place I'd want to fortify if I were in charge. It was reminiscent of Minas Tirith with the foothills of the wilderness leading up to the hill country. You could see people coming from miles away. There was a monastery etched into the side of the mountain commemorating the temptation of Christ. 

Our trip concluded with a drive to Gezer. There we were able to see an amazing panoramic view from the hill country clear out to the coastal plains. Gezer was a place that was very strategic. Kind of like Osgiliath to continue with the LOTR vibe. To take the hill country, you would have to first take Gezer. Gezer must have been involved with many battles with the Philistines.  

Day#4

We started out the day much like yesterday...through the Zion gate and directly to the Temple plateau. We were actually the first group from Western to visit the plateau. We did not spend enough time up there. I really wanted to spend some time up there reflecting upon what really went on there. I was again filled with that contradicting feeling of wishing that things were the way they were back in old time Jerusalem...the temple still in tact the exact way Christ knew it. To behold that would be an amazing sight. Yet, there would be a lot of downside to that as well. I would not be allowed in the places where I went. I would have had to stopped in the court of the gentiles. I could not have stood near the holy of holies. At the same time, we sped through the thing so fast I really wasn't able to go through it with the proper reverence. 

I'm still working through some interesting thoughts that have come to me.

1. Constantine didn't want to rebuild or restore the temple because he saw it as God punishing the Jews. It shows a condescending heart (in my opinion) and a misunderstanding of the Jewishness of our salvation (Romans 11). 

2. The State of Israel is so secularized today that it undervalues the temple and temple worship. Appeasing the muslims and being religiously unobtrusive is of more value than what they believed God told them to do. YHWH truly plays a small role in those Jews lives. 

Day#3

Today we did the Old Testament walk starting from inside the old city. We positioned ourselves near the broad gate by the old wall that existed during Hezekiah's time. Carl had us split into two groups and reenact the attack... we actually were standing on the wrong side..it was kinda funny. From there we went to David's City. This was quite the adventure. We started by looking down at the Kiddron Valley. Its interesting that David made his city here. I wondered about this...because the way that it's positioned is South east of the city and down the hill tucked closer to the valley. It's a lower point than Mt. Zion, Mt Moriah... pretty much a lot of things. We find later that it is close to a water source the Gihon springs. We actually traveled through these springs' tunnel about knee high in water for about 30 minutes. The length of the tunnels are 1/3rd of a mile. 

It is still surreal to me that that was the place David had his palace and lived. There are two ways it takes me: 

1. Being in the actual spot, feeling the same climate, perhaps holding my hand up to block the sun in the same way... it somewhat humanizes the person. It's more real to me. He was a man like I am. Only his sin has a memorial to remind everyone of. What if my sins had memorials? "This is the actual spot where Josh really screwed up. It happened right here." Peter has a similar spot. "Hey guess what? This is where Peter denied his faith (or at least commemorates the event). 

2. It increases the awe and wonder of these great men. How can I walk in their shoes? God used them in such amazing ways. Will He use me? Should I even consider such thoughts? 

As I'm walking through the city..it doesn't really hit me. When I come back to the JUC and reflect about what I've done, where I've been... I'm floored..overwhelmed with emotion... 

My God was here! 

Maybe He stood right here. 

Then I wish He still was there... 

From there we ended up at the bottom of the Kiddron Valley and walked up to the tombs on Mt Olivet. 

Israel Trip Day #2

Today was the tour of the old city in Jerusalem. (I'm currently writing this blog with a rock worship concert as my soundtrack. The electric guitarist is pretty good. Shredding some solo's out. Real  ethereal kind of stuff. "Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.") This is typical of how this trip has been for me thus far. Contemplative, emotional, thought-provoking, and very deep. We actually started the day by heading towards the Mt. Zion gate. Howie and I were walking last night and we went through the Joppa gate and wandered through the Armenian quarter at times getting really freaked out because we had no idea where we were going. We stopped and asked for directions several times and got a few blank stares from some of the locals who obviously didn't understand english. Finally, we found an English speaker and exited through the Zion gate. Howie and I laughed about our venture the previous night. 

We passed through the Armenian quarter past St. James Cathedral which is the Armenian holy site. From there we went to the Street of David which is the street with tons of shops...similar to an international market place kind of deal. The smells were interesting. Spices, incense, candy...you name it. 

From there we went to the Church of the Holy Sepluchere. This is the traditional site of the tomb of Christ. Helena, Constantine's mom built the church there to remember Christ.

I really want to spend some more time here. This is a place I must return. 

From there we made our way through the Jewish quarter and through the Damascus gate. This was the most beautiful of all the gates (Zion is actually under construction and not able to be seen). We went outside the city from there through Herod's gate (which apparently shouldn't be named that) and into the Muslim quarter. 

We pass another gate (Stephen's) and then head into the Muslim cemetery. There, we find another gate which is blocked off. This is the eastern gate. The muslims blocked this gate off so that they could control the temple area better. This was a bummer because this is where Christ came through on palm Sunday riding on a colt. My mind took me there and I pictured the whole scene in my brain: Palm branches, "blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord," rejoicing, Pharisees. It really was more amazing that what I'm writing. I can't quite seem to express what I was truly feeling at the time

The 2nd most meaningful moment was passing through the Dung gate, through security and into the western wall area to pray. Seeing the devotion of these men as they rocked back and forth, singing before God. 

I wrote a prayer in the wall:

Lord, may Your blessing and favor fall upon my family and me

May I honor You with my life all my days

May I be a blessing to many others..

It meant something different for me than the Jews I'm sure... I did it more for my sake than anything... God knows my heart already... and my prayers..

It's late and time to sleep.. 

"I will bless the Lord with all that is within me."

Psa 26:8 "I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells."
I loved hearing the word of God last night. It was good to meditate and reflect on where I really am. Where are my desires? What am I delighting in? How can I better align myself with the Lord? What am I aiming at? Is it money? Is it prestige? Is it comfort? I remember a time when these things matter nothing to me. Yet the more I "grow up" or get older... they seem to have a compelling worth. I feel the Lord drawing me back, "don't be lukewarm!"