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?