The Stroll of a Lifetime

"So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them."

-John 19:13-18

I'm so grateful the story doesn't end there.

Today (our last full day here) the story that had been written down, sung about, and acted out took on an entirely different meaning to me. I saw things with my own eyes, like "the stone pavement" that Pilate took Jesus down to hand Him over. The place that quite possibly was where the brutal beating of Jesus began as He was whipped. I heard the crowd around me as we walked down the "Via Delarosa" where He carried His cross. A street that is anything but flat. The streets are all hilly and you climb and descend over and over. I felt the raindrops on my face as we entered the Garden tomb below Golgotha where He hung on a cross to die for me. And finally, I knelt in the tomb where my Savior defeated death and where only angels greeted Mary. Easter, my favorite "Holliday", will forever be enhanced because of the walk I took today.

I thank God so much for this opportunity to travel the 6,000 miles from home to experience Israel. To look upon the same region where my biblical heroes looked. To travel from the most northern to the most southern tips of this country. To just be here has affected me, touched me and most of all...

...inspired me.

I'm coming home "Penguina", can't wait to kiss your face. I love you!

Sovreign

So we woke up today, pulled the curtains back to see something that they don't see in the Holy City hardly ever. Snow! In fact it'd been four years since Jerusalem's last snow. It wasn't just dusting either. Big heavy wet flakes, you know, the kind of snow that makes great snowballs? It was beautiful. Children on seemingly every corner making miniature snowmen and young students throwing snowballs at each other. What a blessing to get my favorite kind of weather that is so rare, and especially while I am here. It was an added blessing to our last few days here.

We started our day at the Holocaust Museum. Those of you who know me, know that I'm not much of a reader. Yet I found myself immersed in the stories, testimonies, and history of this heartless act. It blew my mind. I'd read the story and been taught in school about this when we covered WWII. But there it was in front of me, tangible evidence and testimonies no one could dispute. I sank deeper and deeper emotionally as I continued through the modern shaped building. The collection of artifacts was overwhelming. We were given 2 hours to walk through by ourselves, this simply was just not enough. I found that I had to breeze through the last third of the museum to just be able to spend a minute in the children's memorial...but I'm glad I did. Millions of reflections of candles burning in a dark yet seemingly unending room. A women's voice read the name of a child and the age they were when they were murdered. I fought tears most of the morning and came away with a solemn attitude. In hinds sight I look back and know that this wasn't the first heartless act, and (till Jesus comes back) it won't be the last. Not to discount or belittle it, but to trust more in the sovereignty of God. A God that no mater how many attempts there were to remove this race of Jews from the earth, they are alive and thriving today. They are not forgotten. They are mourned. They have left a legacy.

After the museum we had a special treat as we traveled to our tour guides home for lunch. It was a blessing to be in Eti's home today. Our bus driver Husam and his wife had prepared an amazing meal for us of authentic Jewish cuisine. The home was beautiful and built in the part of the city where John the Baptist was born. Beautiful overlook of a valley with other amazing traditional homes. Gardens all around with trees of all kinds. Walking up the pathway to the house you got a different sense of a neighborhood community that you don't get by just driving by. It was unique and charming, wish it was warmer, but still it was a wonderful time of fellowship and great food.

After that we were done touring for the day. Because of the weather many places were closed. So we headed back to the hotel and were surprised to have some free time on our hands.

So several of us hopped a cab and headed to the old city to hang out in the market, and we strolled down to the western wall. It was raining so hard yesterday when we were there ,that we didn't get to go down there to the actual wall. Dave and I took advantage and went down with our jarmikles on (men have to wear one). It was neat to be at this historical place and even more neat to pray there. Not that God could hear me better, or that there was some extra spiritual feeling I was having, but the fact that this was an international prayer spot for thousands of years. Soggy notes fill the cracks of the large limestone bricks that were there from King Solomon's time. Notes that have prayers written on them from visitors that have come from near and far.

Prayer can be such an afterthought in the Christian church today. So it was powerful to me to be at a place where conversation with God was a priority.

After that we walked the market and hopped our cab back to the hotel. It was a relaxing yet meaningful day.

I can't believe that tomorrow is our last full day here. 2 weeks flew by, but I'm sure it will take at least 2 more to unpack all the great things God has shown me on this trip.

Blessed,

Justin

Miserablites

Horizontal rain, heavy rain, cold rain, light rain, drizzle, streets became rivers and parking lots became ponds. We were a bunch of soggy Christians today touring the Holy City. On a nice day today would have been great. With cold, wet, bodies in an unrelenting rain today was still...pretty good.

Unfortunately there was no leisurely stroll through the city of David, there was no trudging through the knee deep waters of Hezikiah's tunnel (totally bummed me out) and every stop was a brief look as we quickly hurried by each point of interest looking with great anticipation for anything that resembled shelter. Needless to say today was not ideal Israel. We were miserable. We were Miserablites.

After waiting in line for about an hour or so we started our day at the temple mount on Mt Moriah. This is the place where the first two temples were built and now there sits a large Moslem building. It's the giant golden dome that is a major landmark in the "skyline" of Jerusalem, though it has nothing to do with Jewish culture, it goes to show that this place has been a place of battle and a kingdom home to several religions and nations. It's also goes to show that God is not to take up residence in one structure made by man, He's to big for that.

After we passed by the temple mount we quickly hurried back through security to find the bus and headed for the City of David (1 minute bus ride). This is a place I wish I could have tarried a bit.

The city of David has so many significant bible stories that took place there. We learned a lot about its history and continually changing structure. We even walked through a tunnel today that is newly discovered. They are finding out new things all the time about this amazing city, even discovering that it's much larger than they had thought all these years. It was very powerful to know today that I had waked down a street Jesus would have most likely walked or maybe where David danced. It's kinda like the feeling I get when I walk on the field of an NFL stadium or an NBA court knowing what kind of celebrity athletes have played there...only walking where Jesus walked is like that, times a million.

At this point umbrellas are broken from the high winds, outer layers of jackets and clothes are soaked through, and a constant chill is evident by the faces of the group. We decide to retreat to our new hotel and change clothes and to warm up.

After that we left for lunch, shopping and one more visit to a museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept.

As we journey from place to place that's mentioned in the bible, seeing evidence of actual scripture being found, and seeing it all confirmed right in front of us it's hard for me to understand how people (especially those living here) don't believe in Jesus. It breaks my heart that people that live here, that practice other religions, are missing it. They walk by physical evidence of Christ and deny Him with blatant ignorance of the scripture. I don't get it.

If anything my faith has been strengthened and confirmed more in the past week and a half than I thought possible.

Now where can I get a cup of tea?

Weathering Jerusalem

The forecast for today was rain, tomorrow more rain, Friday and Saturday maybe snow (which would be the first snow in four years in Jerusalem). Do you think a little cold weather would stop this touring group from Colorado?...not a chance.

Today we got our first taste for the crowded jam packed Jerusalem. Our bus driver "Husam" is a miracle driver navigating traffic and tight squeezes.

We started our walk down from the top of the Mount of Olives on the road that Jesus entered Jerusalem on the famed "Palm Sunday". That hill was steep, we even had one lady fall due to the slippery bricks on the steep road. Thankfully Gayle is ok. We stopped to overlook the Eastern gate and from there could see many biblical sights including the City of David. Before I knew it we were standing in the Garden of Gethsemene. It was surprisingly the way I'd pictured it. Olive trees spread over a small grove with rocky soil surrounding the area. It hadn't yet began to rain, but the cold wind violently was whistling through the trees. Pastor Al gave a powerful message about curses and blessings. Reminding us about David and how when he was being challenged by his son Absolom for the kingdom as he was fleeing a man was hurling curses at him. David permitted him to curse him that his curses may become a blessing. Also, this was the place Jesus came to pray before he was arrested as he prayed "not my will, but Yours". What I came away with was that this place, was an inspiring place of surrender to one's self. Both Jesus and David facing situations that seemingly they didn't have to face, but denied themselves to trust in the Holy authority of God's plan. This was the most powerful and meaningful moment to me so far on this trip.

As I stood there, tears welling in my eyes, thinking about the pain (curse) that Tracy and I have faced in the past year or so. I had began to think or feel as though the blessing wasn't coming. That this season wasn't ending. That this was it, this is as good as it gets...then it hit me. So what if it is!

I belong to God.

My flesh is funny that way. Slowly but surely luring me back into the idea that I deserve pleasure or relief from any pain. Flesh is great at pulling my focus off of God and placing it back on what I think I need or deserve. Yet I still hold onto hope because I serve a GOOD God.

Ok, tears subsiding, we continue on our way into Old Jerusalem into the Jewish Square. Winding down old streets with high walls leading us down narrow paths by bakeries, gift shops and other touristy stops along the way.

We stop into an interesting little area off to the side called "The Jerusalem Institute". This is a place where a group of people are creating temple items from the old testament that will one day supposedly go in the 3rd temple that needs to be built before Jesus' return. Some parts were a little weird in their presentation, but mostly I found their study on the ancient temple pretty interesting, though some of it was inaccurate.

After that we left that area and headed for Bethlehem. Bethlehem was not at all what I'd imagined. Dirty, busy, crowded and then it started to pour cold rain on us. We had two stops. The first was to the Shepherds Field where we saw what they believe is the place where the Shepherds were when the angel appeared to them. Because of the heavy horizontal rain it was great that we got to go in a cave that would have been a manger/stable back in the day. If I was a shepherd back then I would have been in my cave today with a big fire going and knitting sweaters out of my sheep's wool.

After that we had our last stop at a church that is supposed to be built over the place where Jesus was born. You can stand in line for two hours to stick your hand in a hole that might have been the cave where Baby Jesus was born. This church is shared by three Religious groups. Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox. The Catholic part was familiar from the services that are broadcast from there all the time. The church was built by an the emperor Justinian. That's right, Justinian.

Cold, wet and tired we returned to our hotel. I played a few songs from the back of the bus to warm us up a bit. Nothing beats worship driving the streets of the Holy City.

Have a great day everyone!

Justin(ian)

This is a nice bus, but...

Miles and miles of hot desert. Winds blow dust and sand so hard that somehow it finds its way into my nostrils as I sit in my back row on the bus. A stray camel and herds of sheep and goats are the only signs of life spotted along the way. We stop for lunch at a random McDonalds and Coffee shop combined with a gas station in the middle of literally no where. You try hard to just breathe through your nose just so that the desert doesn't fly into your lungs. This is not the favorite stretch in our wondrous trip.

I got my guitar out to sing a few songs in an attempt to break up the monotony and get our minds of the drive. It was pretty neat to think about driving through the same area (Negev) with our people that Moses lead his people through thousands of years ago. I can't imagine being out there in the desert on foot. As we sang together to get our mind off the drive I thought of Moses and them singing songs as they journeyed along. I'm sure you'd need things like that to keep from running back to Egypt.

We had two other stops today before we arrived at Jerusalem. Our first one was at Beer Sheva. Beer meaning "well" and Sheva meaning "treaty", Beer Sheva means "well treaty". Dating back to the days of Abraham who built the well in 8th Century BC, this well puts to shame the cutesy little things we imagine or see on flannel graphs in Sunday school. The well was deeeeeep, and huge. Definitely worthy of a protective grate on the top to keep anyone from falling down there. However, if you did fall in, don't worry about the rescue...you won't require one. You fall in and you get to meet Jesus. It was still blowing sand and dust around so we didn't stay long.

After another long ride on the bus we finally arrived at the famous Valley of Ela. Immediately you could see the characters come to life right in front of you. We stopped to read the story in 1 Samuel 17 and sang a song standing right in the dried up creek that David selected his 5 stones from (and yes, I picked up 5 of my own too).

Another 20 minutes and we finally arrived in Jerusalem. Wow, this place is huge! I'm looking forward to walking it all out starting tomorrow in Bethlehem. I anticipate great emotion and deeper meanings to be realized.

Now, to get some sleep.

Till tomorrow, Shalom!

Justin

Inspirational Setting

Dry, hot, brown, rocky, desolate and the only water for miles that you can't drink is the Dead Sea. Funny that this is what Moses saw when looking into the "promise land". Now I know that the desert they were doing 360's in wasn't an oasis, but I'm just sayin' that must have looked better 3000 years ago.

Today I woke up with an excitement for the day. Eager to finally see some true David country. A man after my own heart...wait...I mean a man after God's own heart (and mine too). I was excited to see the scenery that David might have written "as the deer" or "my flesh faints for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water".

We woke up by the Dead Sea and since I weigh in a just over 200 lbs, I thought it'd be cool to feel what weightlessness feels like. After eating a quick breakfast I changed into my damp baptism trunks from the day before and headed to the beach. It was a cool morning and there was a slight breeze so I was a little cautious of entering the water, but it wasn't like I'd be back anytime soon. Hesitant but purposeful I entered the clear blue waters of the Dead Sea. Finally after several dips in the water I gave up my footing and began to float. The floating is amazing. There's no effort at all, in fact, with my legs, arms and head out of the water I still float.

Fun fact: the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth.

After the Dead Sea we travelled a short distance through the desert and arrived at an oasis. Greated by Ibex (a small goat creature with long horns) we knew that something was different here because of our live friends at the entrance. We were at Ein Gedi, a place where David hid out from King Saul with his men. Instantly you get a great understanding to so many of the Psams by seeing this place. Rich with vegetation and fresh flowing water Ein Gedi for an extended amount of time would definitely inspire me to worship. I didn't want to leave. The hike to the amazing waterfall was almost therapeutic. Especially before the 100 Asian teenage girls arrived.

Our next dot on the map was Masada, a fortress at the top of a mountain built by King Herod. Pretty impressive, but at this point I'm getting a little burned out on ruins that have nothing to do with Jesus. The view from on top of this actual mountain was awesome! Maybe the coolest part was that ancient scrolls were discovered there that contained Ezekiel 37, and I read from that book in the Synagog there...pretty special.

After that we traveled from the area around the Dead Sea south to the Southern tip of Israel at the Red Sea in Eilat. On our way we stopped of at the most random rest stop I've ever seen. It had everything from bathrooms to a petting zoo complete with goats, chicken, a peacock, parrots and a two headed snake to an old fire truck, a supermarket, an arcade, a cafe, an ice cream shop, and a dog that could clap it's paws together.

After two hours on the bus we arrived to our hotel by the sea. We had dinner and even had time to watch church service back home from our room on the live stream.

The day was great, and we look forward to having a day off tomorrow.

Overwhelmed by God's greatness,

Justin

The Jordan river is COLD!

There I stood just above waist deep in the river Jordan. Ice cold murky water. Murky because of the mud at the bottom I was assured. I'd been leading worship for all the baptisms before me and they were all done, so it was my turn. With great anticipation and sloppy footing on the wooden steps I ran down to the water's edge. I plunged my feet in the water, cold but not freezing, I splashed some water at my roomie Pastor John who was helping me into the water on the stairs. As the water went up on my legs I made my way to pastor Al and Tim, now I was cold, but the fact that I was about to be baptized in the Jordan in the place where Jesus himself was baptized took all precedence over my freezing lower extremities. We sang one more chorus of "Here I am to Worship", pastor prayed and then I laid back and closed my eyes. Though the feeling of rushing cold water went over my chest, a surreal feeling of cleansing came over me like never before. I could feel the closeness of what it must have been like 2,000 years ago between the person being baptized and the group of believers around him. More importantly was the closeness I felt to my Savior. It was an amazing celebration of Jesus and a stout and hearty affirmation of ones faith in Christ. Quite a difference from the cozy climate controlled baptistry I was baptized in when I was 12. Amazing.

Well that was mid day. Let me back up a little.

This morning Pastor John and I got up early to go and start our day with worship by the Sea of Galilee. On our way out on the pier we ran into Pastor Al. As I pulled out my guitar and we started to sing. The waves, birds and the breeze were a perfect accompaniment to our songs. The sun just peeking over the mountains on the opposite side of the Sea made the waters sparkle in pink and orange. It was a beautiful moment in time in the midst of our jan packed itinerary. After we sang for a while a guy walked up and in simple english said "I love Jesus too". A funny statement from my Japanese brother, but a unifying powerful truth that brought us together as family in an instant.

We were so glad to have stayed by the Sea for three days. It really gave us a sense of a day to day life for Jesus. Close communities decorated with amazing lush scenery. It seems only fitting for the setting of all the gospel stories I've read and heard.

After we left the Sea we headed for Caesarea Philippi. Not a place of huge biblical importance, but a fascinating roman village. One of the majorly cool things there was singing on the stage at the amphitheater. The one I had sang at in Caesarea a few days ago was cool, but this one had a better stage in tact and the acoustics worked better. The voice and the guitar effortlessly flew of the stage. It was pretty cool. I also got to sit on a 1st century B.C. toilet. Made from marble back in the day...nice.

We drove from there up north all the way down to Jericho. An amazing contrast in this area when looking at the countryside. As we neared our hotel near Qumran (place where they discovered the scrolls) near the dead sea there is nothing but brown everywhere with actual mountains all around. Reminds me of the area around the Salt Lake in Utah only more impressive.

Saw a lot of things, making the journey south, but nothing compares thus far to the explosion of emotion after being baptized in the Jordan.

Refreshed,

Justin