FROM DAN TO BEERSHEBA (and then some)

Then all the people of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and the congregation assembled as one man to the Lord at Mizpah (Judges 20:1).

The phrase, from Dan to Beersheba, occurs 9 times in the Old Testament, being a general description of the area settled by the Hebrew people, Dan being the northern most and Beersheba being the southern most. It is not a precise description, but is a good general one.  This description was advocated by the Brits following WW1 as a mandate for a homeland for the Jewish people.  On our 2014 trip we pretty much covered that description.  We could have gone further north and south, but none of us desired to.

Israel is a tiny country, being as much a county as a country, yet it is a mighty country for its size.  In terms of its economy in the middle east, only Iran's might surpass it.  In terms of technology, it is a world leader, advancing in computer tech, medical tech and the sciences.  In terms of military might, it is thought, though no one knows for sure, that Israel could be the world's 4th leading nuclear power.  Though the Palestinians resent a powerful Israel and think the Israeli's should give up more, being so tiny they could not exist otherwise.

I have wondered why the Jews in America generally support liberal lefties in American politics.  Our present president's administration has not been a big supporter of Israel, to say the least.  To my Jewish seatmate I asked why Jews supported Obama while his policies have imperiled Israel rather than empowering Israel.  He said, "We have been imperiled for 2,500 years."  The modern State of Israel was started as a socialist democracy.  The Jews are comfortable with it so they support socialist government.  I think the reason socialism seems to work for Israel is that there is a thin line between existence and nonexistence and everyone feels the need to contribute, while in America socialism produces a lot of people with their hands out wanting more.  Israeli's practice the wisdom of John F. Kennedy much more than Americans, "Do not ask what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country."

"From Dan to Beersheba" Israel is a museum.  That statement is not meant to be derogatory, but rather, to be complimentary.  To muse is to think deeply, to ponder or to meditate.  A museum is a place that stimulates one to think, and

that is what Israel does.  I cannot go there without thinking about history, examining my faith and thinking about the future--from history to hope.  (Doesn't this "hanging tree" in Jaffa stimulate your thinking?  Well, I had to use the picture somewhere.)

Our Father's Love,
Tom

DAY 8: WHAT A DAY! (With Wyoming and Elvis)

Jesus answered him, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23).

Our plane landed in Omaha at 4:00 p.m. central daylight time, Friday, March 21, 2014.  Helen asked me if I was good to make the 3 hour drive home.  I assured her that I was.  About an hour from home, I went to sleep and our car nearly went into the ditch, but providentially, I came to my senses in time to prevent a bad accident.  From our experience, the most dangerous part of a trip to Israel is the drive from the airport home.

Actually, the day began at 6:00 Thursday morning, packing because we would not return to the hotel, this was our last day in Israel.  The last day was a day of remembrance of modern Israel.  We left the hotel at 9, our destination being Yad Ben Zvi.  Izhak Ben Zvi was the 2nd president of modern Israel.  He was a very modest man in terms of his accommodations.  He did not think it right for political leaders to live in plush housing, elegant clothing and prestigious treatment while the common folks experienced lack.  As a result, he lived in a modest house and did not care what visiting heads-of-state thought about it.  Also on display at Yad Ben Zvi were the Ezekiel tablets, thought by some to be at least as old as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The tablets are absolutely unique in that the lettering on them is relief lettering, that is it is raised lettering.  No one knows for sure how the lettering was done, but the theory is that it was a kind of etching process where the letters were made with wax and acid dissolved the surrounding material.  It had to have been pain-staking work!

Our next stop was the Holocaust Museum.  Israeli policy is for every person that serves in the military, every public servant and politician, every foreign dignitary to visit this museum so they understand what happened, why it happened and that it could happen again if it is forgotten.  No pictures were allowed to be taken in the museum, and it was the most emotional experience of the tour.  After this day we were emotionally drained.  When we went to lunch after the museum tour, I asked Keren if she had read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl.  I was amazed that she had not.  Because of the crowding at lunch my explanation of Frankl was a stumbling, bumbling affair that did not help her--she probably thought I'd gone schizo or something (I did buy and send her the book).  I was amazed that the museum did not include any of Frankl's work because he was a Jewish psychiatrist who did survive the Nazi death camps.

We next went to the Israeli national cemetery where the honored military dead are buried.  They are all buried alike with little difference between various ranks of officers and soldiers because in Israel it is important for people to be treated alike.  We saw the grave of Prime Minister Netenyahu's brother who was killed in the raid on Entebbe and other heroic dead.  We saw the graves of Theodore Herzi, Yitzhak Rabin and Golda Meir.

Keren gave us an hour to shop and tour in a market area in Jerusalem.  The markets are interesting to me because there is so much and there is so much that is perishable and it is open air.  Keren told us that there is much that is simply given to the poor on Friday afternoon.  It was time to say our goodbyes to Keren.  We had grown close to her in 8 days, so it was sad to say goodbye. Keren, though a warm friend, knows how to maintain emotional distance.  In her business, guiding as many people as she does, she would be an emotional wreck if she did not.

What are the odds?  On the way to supper we saw a chevy van with a Wyoming license plate.  It was the only American plate I saw in Israel and that from the least populous state in America.  It made me ready to go home.  We also had to make a potty stop, so we stopped at a convenience store/restaurant that had a 10 foot statue of Elvis in front and featured Elvis music inside--it's almost like Israel is our 51st state.

We had a farewell dinner in the Christian village of Abu Ghosh.  It was a great, all Israeli, dinner.  We ate until we were absolutely stuffed.  We arrived at the airport in Tel Aviv at 9, stood in a long line to check in and were on the plane just after midnight.  Two crying babies kept us awake during the most of the flight.  We said goodbyes to our new tour friends--another sad time.  Helen and I arrived in Omaha at 4:00 with very little sleep in 36 hours and it took a full week before we felt like we had recovered from time zone trauma.  But, you know what?  I'm ready to go again if we can find 20 people who want to go with me.  Interested?

Our Father's Love,
Tom

Helen, Keren and me.  This picture came from one of our group's I phones.  Keren was our tour guide and we could not have asked for a better one.  It is interesting to me that Keren's voice and English speech patterns are very much like a friend's in eastern Europe.  It was fun to listen to her talk.

DAY 7: JERUSALEM

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.  May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy (Psalms 137:5-6).

Touring the Holy Land is not easy, but it is good.  One of the good things one receives from the tour is good physical conditioning--we all went home in better condition than we came, not only physically, but spiritually, and emotionally as well.  This day, March 19, 2014, we spent all day on our feet, as much below ground and above it.  We became very intimate with this city, learning and experiencing much of its history.  If a person does not go to Jerusalem then he has not gone to the Holy Land!

We started the day at the Jaffa gate where the "tower of David" stands.  It was originally built by Hezekiah some 2700 years ago, having been knocked down and rebuilt no less than 7 times since then.  At the Jaffa Gate citadel we ascended to the ramparts, top of the wall, at walked up and down and over very irregular walkways to the Zion Gate.  One gets a real sense of what it must have been like to defend the city from these walls that have withstood onslaughts for literally hundreds of years--there are bullet scars from 1967.

We descended the wall at the Zion Gate and walked to see David's Tomb at Mt. Zion.  While there we encountered a great number of black folks from Nigeria.  Keren told us the Nigerian government was paying the travel expenses for Christians to see Jerusalem and for Muslims to see another of the Islamic holy cities.  David's Tomb is a traditional site, but it is next door to the upper room, site of the Last Supper and the site of the disciples being overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit.  If those are actual places it makes Peter's statement in Acts 2:29: Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day,  much more colorful.  Peter says these words and gestures in the direction of David's tomb.  But of Jesus, Peter declares: God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to this fact (Acts 2:32).  Praise the Lord!!!  Jesus Christ has risen!

We walked the "Cardo" of Jerusalem, an 1800 year old shopping mall, still in use today.  The Broad Wall is near the Cardo, and was the next place for us to visit. The BW  is the remnant of the city fortifications dating to the eighth century b.c. built by Hezekiah.  The wall is 22 feet thick.

We stopped for lunch.  There were quite a lot of choices for lunch, but I kept it simple: pizza and a Coke Zero.  After lunch I needed a bathroom break and it was here that we had our first experience with a unisex bathroom.  Helen and I both looked straight ahead--no looking around!  We have no pictures of that.

When we gathered after lunch, we walked to the City of David--the original Jerusalem.  This was the Jerusalem that David captured from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:6-17).  Some of our group walked through the wet Hezekiah water tunnel, but Helen and I walked through the dry section.  Hezekiah's water tunnel is an amazing fete of engineering that no one today is quite sure how they accomplished it, but it did bring water into the city which was especially import during times of siege.  Hezekiah was quite a builder and engineer.  Check out 2 Kings 20:20 & 2 Chronicles 32:2-4 & 30.

At the end of Hezekiah's tunnel was the Pool of Siloam, and important place in the gospels (See the man born blind, John 9).  Siloam was excavated in 2005. Since I was there in 2008, a walk way has been excavated that the pilgrims of Jesus' day would have taken from the pool of Siloam to the Temple.  Back in the day it would have been an open-air walk, but now it is a long, narrow, rough, wet tunnel.  It was a difficult walk for our seniors, but we imagined what it must have been like for pilgrims eagerly anticipating worship in the Temple of God.

We walked to the southern wall of the Temple Mount and walked the teaching steps of the temple where Jesus taught his disciples and the Apostles taught those first members of the infant church and preached their first sermons.  We visited the holiest place of the Jewish people, The Western Wall and we were guided through the tunnels of the Western Wall, by a young man specifically trained to do this.  He gave us a very good lecture on the construction and history of the Temple Mount and then asked if there were questions.  I asked, not intending to cause trouble, what he thought about the different theories of the placement of the Temple on the Mount.  He acted as if I had asked the stupidest question in the world.  'The only place the Temple could have been located,' he said, 'is where the Dome of the Rock now sits,' "There are no other choices!" I didn't say, though I should have, "I'm sorry, but there are some credible scholars that believe otherwise."  I'm too easy.

Heim met us with the bus.  We were glad to see him because we were tired, having walked about 6 miles that day.

Our Father's Love
Tom

Hezekiah's tunnel was 1700 feet long--a 3rd of a mile. Two crews worked, one from each end and they met.  They didn't have time to waste, the Assyrians were coming and they needed a safe water supply.

DAY 6: ON THE JERICHO ROAD

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead (Luke 10:30).

On March 18th we did a road trip from Jerusalem to Masada and the Dead Sea.  It makes a lengthy trip through the desert to get to those places, so there was a lot of bus riding.  As we descended from Jerusalem towards Jericho, we stopped at the Church of the Good Samaritan.  It would have been at about this location that the good Samaritan in Jesus' parable discovered the man who had been beaten, robbed and left half dead.  The Jericho road was notoriously dangerous, being infested with crooks, robbers and the violent.  In ancient times the church occupied this spot, but now only a part of the church mosaic floor exists.  Actually, the Israeli government funds this site.  It has now become a place where mosaic floors from other archaeological sites are restored and exhibited.  The Israeli government is doing God's work, I truly believe that, and will explain it as I close out this Israel tour series.

We continued east, down the steep Jericho road from Jerusalem. About 3-4 miles from Jericho we made a right turn and headed south towards Masada and the Dead Sea. It should be noted that there is, in the 20 miles from Jericho to Jerusalem a 3300 feet difference in elevation, Jericho being 740 feet Below Sea Level.  The Dead Sea is 1401 feet BSL and is 1237 feet deep.

Before we reached the DS and Masada, we made two stops: one, for Helen to ride a camel and two, to visit the ruins at Qumran. Helen looks great on a camel, or anywhere for that matter, but as a matter of history,  Qumran is very important.  For about 300 years, 250 B.C. to 70 A.D., the Essenes occupied Qumran.  What is most important about them is the copying and preservation of Scripture--they produced the DS scrolls.  Because of their work, the Old Testament is, from a historical perspective, a credible document.  And we know that Daniel is what it claimed to be, inspired predictive prophecy, not history written as prophecy as some of the critics claimed.

Masada was the next stop.  Masada is an amazing mountain-top fortress over-looking the DS.  It was built by Herod the Great before the birth of Christ for his own personal protection.  However, Jewish zealots used it to hold out against the Romans after 70 A.D., but by 73 they could hold out no longer.  The Jews committed mass suicide rather than surrender to the Romans.  That story is embedded in the Jewish psyche to this day.  It was at Masada that we encountered the "Insight For Living" tour group.  They had 18 tour buses, which translates conservatively into 720 people.  In a group that large each person has to be tagged and numbered like cattle.  I would never go on a celebrity tour like that.  I loved our little group of 21! Keren was able to count noses.  Because of the crowded conditions, Keren was able to pull us into one of the many rooms Herod built and talk to us about what we were seeing.  Keren was a gem! And, we did not see Chuck.

Our final stop was at the DS for some bathing.  Any Holy Land tour is deficient without floating in the DS. I enjoyed the half hour in the sea, but I wanted to share some quick facts about it: 1. There are dry-valley lakes in Antarctica that exceed the Dead Sea's 33.7% salinity. 2. Many cosmetics and fertilizers are made from the DS's minerals. 3. People come here for health treatments.  Because of the minerals in the sea, the low pollen, reduced UV rays and higher atmospheric pressure, bathing and just laying out in the sun is good for what ails.

After all of this activity it was time for lunch, even though it was late afternoon.  This was our evening meal, and we ate at the resort hotel dining room.  After eating, it was a long, sleepy bus ride home to Jerusalem.
It was dark by the time we arrived at our hotel in Jerusalem.  Some of us were hungry again, so several of us who liked to walk, walked about 10 blocks to a McDonald's.  It was not kosher.  Helen and I bought "Big America Juniors" to eat.  They were considerably more expensive than an American equivalent, but there was also an 18% tax.  I have eaten at McDonald's in Romania and Israel.  Even though MD's tries to have uniformity, to me, there is a distinct national flavor to each one, but they are all good.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

The view from the top of Masada towards the Dead Sea.  Notice the square?  That is the place of one of the Roman encampments that circled Masada.

DAY 5: ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN JERUSALEM

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you!  How often would I have gathered you children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! (Matthew 23:37).

Sometimes my notes are a little sketchy about the events of a day.  I never carry a note book with me during the day to record the events of the day as they happen, rather, I rely on my keen memory.  In the evening I write down the events that readily come to mind, my reasoning being that the events that readily come to mind are the events that impressed me and interested me the most and they are the ones that should be recorded.  For some unknown reason, day 5 is really sketchy and we covered some of the most interesting ground of the trip.

We started the day on the Mount of Olives, located across the Kidron Valley, east of Jerusalem.  Jesus was sitting on Olivet when he spoke about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the last days--he had a perfect view of the Temple and the city from there (see Matthew 24).  The Mount of Olives is where the Lord will return, so it seemed logical to ask one of our co-pilgrims to take our picture there with the Dome of the Rock in the background.

We descended the Mount to the Church of All Nations, which is in Gethsemane.  It was in Gethsemane that Jesus spent his last free hours before his betrayal, arrest and crucifixion in prayer.  Olive trees never really die.  It is alleged that a couple of those very old trees in Gethsemane came from the very roots of the trees that were there in the time of Jesus.  Most likely, the Romans cut all the trees out of Gethsemane in 70 a.d..

We next walked into the old city of Jerusalem and walked the Via Dolorosa, the way of sorrows, the route Jesus carried the cross from the place of trial to Golgotha, the place of crucifixion.  There is more tradition than history in this route, but as old and narrow as the streets are, it gives one a strong sense of reality.  The way of sorrows ends at the Church of Golgotha and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  I care not for the old churches but I do care about the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  There is more history associated with these sites, than the other site that seems more plausible to me.  We next walked to the Garden Tomb.  To me it seems much more likely that this where the crucifixion and resurrection took place, but it does not have the weight of nearly 2,000 years of tradition on its side.

Supper time found us eating supper with a couple of Israeli soldiers, a young man and a young woman.  These soldiers were called "Lone Soldiers" because they have come from abroad, without their families, to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces.  I hope we were good company for them.  The young woman was Shara from Philadelphia.  She said her service in the IDF made her appreciate history more, especially American history.  She doesn't take the Fourth of July for granted any more.  The young man was Philip from New York.  He wanted Americans to understand that Israel is not all about military and defense, it is about culture and Americans should make an attempt to understand Israeli culture.  Both these soldiers were bright, articulate and unafraid.  I was glad we had the opportunity to share some time with them--I hope they were rewarded as much as we were!  I would say Israel is in good hands.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

Helen and I are standing on the Mount of Olives, the Dome of the Rock and old Jerusalem being in the background.  This was about where Jesus was when he spoke to his disciples Matthew chapter 24.  Notice, I did wear green for St. Patrick's day.

ADDENDUM: DAY 2

This is a real picture that I took in 2008 at Caesarea.  It is a picture of the aqueduct that brought water to the city.  That this piece of architecture still stands so strong after more than 2,000 years is a testimony to the engineering skills and the masonry precision of that day.  I do not know why our tour of Caesarea did not include this, but we had more to do than we could get done anyway (note day 2).  It was kool knowing that I had seen something the others hadn't.  I mentioned it to Helen, but to no one else--I didn't want to stir up dissatisfaction.  Note the blue Mediterranean through the arches of the aqueduct.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

DAY 4: NEVER PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"  Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:13-15).

Helen and I were awake at six.  We bathed and packed our bags and ate another delightful breakfast.  Our first stop that day, Sunday, March 16, was the traditional baptismal site on the Jordan River.  Two of our group were baptised that day.  The Jordan is a muddy river in that location, it made me think of the leprous captain Naaman who was commanded to dip seven times in the Jordan and he protested that the rivers in Syria were much cleaner.  I'm sure he was right, but it is not the cleanness, but the obedience that heals (see II Kings 5:1-19).

We spent a short time shopping, though Helen still spent a lot of money, and we were off to Beit she'an, one of the cities of the Decapolis.  The Decapolis was a group of ten cities dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Greek and Roman culture.  The New Testament tells us that Jesus traveled within their scope of influence.  Beit She'an was the only city of the ten located west of the Jordan River.  This was the city, according to Keren, where Saul and Jonathon's bodies were hung from the city walls.  Beit She'an was, in Greco-Roman times, a metro area of roughly 40,000*, having all the trappings of wealth, theater, hippodromes, baths, saunas and gyms.  It had all the sophistication of Roman culture but was decadent and cruel with ritual prostitution and blood sports.  So it was interesting that we paused for Sunday morning worship within the ruins of Beit She'an.  We sang hymns and prayed.  We had a short message and celebrated the Lord's Supper there too.  I wonder if Beit She'an had ever had a Christian worship service in it?

We were beginning to know our fellow travelers from Oklahoma--we couldn't have picked a better group to travel with.  Most of them were seasoned, sophisticated travelers, but very humble and loving, so we did not feel like the novices that we were.

We ate lunch at Beit She'an.  I ate a piece of pizza and a 20 ounce Coke Zero.  I tell you this because I did not take time to use the men's room before we got back in the bus for the long drive to Jerusalem.  The drive down the Jordan valley was an interesting one, but it would have been much more interesting if I would have followed my traveling policy of never passing up an opportunity to use the restroom.  By the time we reached Mount Scopus for a view of the whole city in which we would be staying for the next 4 nights, I was in absolute agony.  When the bus stopped and we exited the bus, I asked Haim, our driver, if there was a men's room around here, "I need one bad."  He said, "It is not good to keep poisons inside; find a tree."  Haim was a pragmatist in his approach to life.

Our first night in Jerusalem we slept well.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

*The picture is of the theater in Beit She'an.  It's a 4,000 seat theater indicating an approximate drawing population of about 40,000 people.  In 2008 a Jordanian tour guide said the 3,000 seat theater at Jeresh indicated a population of about 30,000 people.  Keren did not agree with that assessment saying the population was way below that.

DAY 3: GALILEE TO THE GOLAN (Peace to War).

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen, "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:18-19).

It was a peaceful night of sleep in the historic city of Tiberius that night.  We awoke refreshed, and having broke fast with hearty Mediterranean fare we were on our way by 8:15 to another big day of touring.  We started the day by taking a boat ride on Galilee.  Most of our group thought this to be the highlight of the trip, it was still early and quiet, and not hard to imagine being with Peter, Andrew, James and John helping them to fish.  Yes, Galilee is only a lake, but still plenty big enough for a person to die in a storm.

We next stopped at Kibbutz Ginosar to see a 2,000 year old fishing boat that had been excavated from the mud of Galilee.  It was a fishing boat like the disciples would have used.  The boat was made of 12 different kinds of wood, the reason being there was a shortage of wood.  By the 19th century there was not a wooden boat to be found on Galilee (James Michener, The Source).

Our next stop was at the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5,6,7).  It was a peaceful, quiet place for meditation, but it is more of a traditional place than a historical place.

Capernaum is a historical place.  We know Jesus was there!  Jesus spent most of his ministry in north Galilee, in a 12 mile arc on the north side of the lake.  Capernaum is about in the center of that arc--it is known as the 12 miles that changed the world.  At least 8 miracles were performed in Capernaum, still there were many who did not believe.  To whom much is given, much is required.  We saw the synagogue in which Jesus taught and Peter's mother-in-law's house.

From the shores of Galilee to Caesarea Philipi was our next trip.  It was here Jesus asked the 12 to tell him who men say that he is, and then "Who do you say that I am?"  Here is the temple of Pan, the gate to the underworld (Hades) which would not prevail against the Church, Jesus told his apostles.

We hadn't stopped for lunch yet, and it was about 2 p.m. so we stopped in a Druze village on the way up to Mount Bental.  We had a delightful lunch of falafuls, swarmas and Coke Zero.  There were armed Israeli soldiers in the restaurant too--Syria was not very far away.

Upon reaching the summit of Bental, an extinct volcano, Keren, our guide, explained to us the border with Syria and told us about the war of 1967 and the real acts of heroism that were required for Israel to survive. After hearing that I mentioned to her that I thought it was Divine providence. Keren did not respond, so I am not sure if she heard me, or, that she did not agree with my belief.* I do believe, however, that there have been so many near miraculous outcomes with the Israelis that the hand of the Divine had to be in it.  We were so close to the war in Syria that we could hear it going on.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

Tom and Helen on Galilee.

*Keren was a delightful guide, and, I believe, very accurate in her presentations.  There were some matters in her presentation that were veried from what my previous guides told me.

DAY 2: MORE TO DO THAN WE HAD TIME FOR

Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea (Acts 8:40).

Food in the hotels in which we stayed was very good, so we ate a hearty breakfast in Tel Aviv, loaded our luggage on the bus and headed north to Caesarea by 8:30.

Caesarea was a city built by Herod the great as a gift to the Roman Caesars.  It was a beautiful city with all the amenities that a royal visitor or government official would expect: a 4,000 seat theater, a hippodrome, pools, baths and saunas were all there.  Caesarea became the defacto capital of Herod's kingdom.  The weather on the Mediterranean coast was much better than in hot old Jerusalem, and the people were not as contentious either, so government officials much preferred Caesarea to Jerusalem!

In the book of Acts there are 15 references to Caesarea.  There is evidence that Philip established a church there (see Acts 21:16),  Cornelius and his family became believers there and Paul was imprisoned there for 2 years as well, so Caesarea is an important place in Christian history.

Since I visited in 2008, quite a lot of restoration work had been done on the theater.  We made an attempt to demonstrate the acoustics of the theater, but there were many tourists there so it did not work out so well.  The theater in Jeresh, Jordan, is much superior--I was there in 2008.

Our next stop was Mt. Carmel where the prophet Elijah smote the prophets of Baal.  From both Carmel and Megiddo one can view one of the most fertile valleys in the world.  It is beautiful so it is hard to believe that the last battle will be fought here.  Northern Israel is where most of the fertile land is and where most of the prosperity is.  Could it be that partially explains why the northern tribes fell into idolatry more quickly because of too much prosperity?

Just next-door to Mt. Carmel is Meggido.  This site was important to the kings of old because it was a strategic location.  Meggido is a tel with 28 different layers of civilization to it. James Michener used Megiddo as a model for his novel, "The Source."  "The Source" was required reading for our Hebrew History class at Nebraska Christian College.  BTW, Bob and Polly Pat Michener were on the tour with us.  It was interesting to converse with them about their famous cousin.

On to Nazareth, "Shootsville" (The August 23, 2008 archive, "He Shall be called a Nazarene" explains it. ) to visit the church of the Annunciation.  It was there Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son as a virgin--a son who would be the Savior of the World.  The church and its symbolism were impressive.  In stark contrast to the church was a sign placed by the Muslims warning Christians not to worship the Trinity because only Allah is God.

Though it was on the schedule, we did not stop at Cana where it is recorded that Jesus did his first miracle of turning water into wine.  It was getting late and dark so we drove on to Tiberius on Galilee to spend the night.  It was a long day.  Touring the Holy Land is not easy, but it is good!

Our Father's Love,
Tom

This picture is of Jerusalem, taken from the Mount of Olives.  I will try to do better in picture selection.

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL UPDATE

If you remember the "Touched by an Angel" bullet of March 02, I said I would keep you all further updated on my mother's visitors that enter her apartment bedroom, but never leave.  I could just write them off to hallucinations, but I want to keep an open mind.  Mom saw one of these visitors yesterday, it was a male, the others being female.  She thought it was me so she didn't say anything.  I said, "Mom, if I enter your apartment I will say hello."  I asked her if she saw the man leave and she said, "no."

One would think if an elderly woman saw an unidentified person entering entering her apartment that she would be afraid.  My mother is not.  These visitors do not inspire fear, only curiosity.  I asked her again to ask the visitors to identify themselves.  I have my own theory and will share it at the appropriate time, but I will keep you updated.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

DAY ONE: OLD JAFFA

Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.  He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea (Acts 10:5-6).

At the airport in Tel Aviv we were introduced to our guide, a charming 40 something female who both entertained and informed us about what we were seeing.  Her name was Keren. Keren has a great speaking voice making her easy to listen to Our bus driver was Heim.  To me it is amazing how he could navigate the crowed narrow streets with a tour bus and never put a scratch on it.  We were all very thankful for his important skill as a driver!  We tourists came to love them both.

Jaffa was an old city even during the time of Jonah.  When God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah left Joppa (now Jaffa) headed in the opposite direction.  Archaeologists have unearthed remains dating 2,000 years before Christ, establishing it as one of the world's oldest sea ports.  We saw archaeological evidence that the Egyptians were a significant part of the city's history.

Significant Biblical events happened in Jaffa other than Jonah's disobedience.  Tabitha/Dorcas was raised from the dead here (Acts 9) and Peter had his vision here in which God communicated to Peter that anything that God has made pure shall not be called impure, speaking of the conversion of Cornelius and his family which was soon to follow (Acts 10).

We walked the streets of old Jaffa.  The old streets are dark and narrow and turn alot--it wouldn't be hard to get lost. We met a woman who had moved there from Oklahoma, making Jaffa her home.  We saw the traditional home of Simon the Tanner as well as St. Peter's church where the alter faces west, symbolizing the church's openness to the Gentiles because of Peter's vision.  One of the items of interest is that there are so many cats in Jaffa.  Keren said the British (Brits) brought them to deal with all the rodents.

The Mediterranean coast reminds me a lot of California.  The weather was somewhat stormy that first day, the surf was up and there were surf-boarders surfing.  We had a festive supper, but were very tired, and eagerly went to bed.  March 12 and 13 blended together into one long day.  We spent the night in the next-door city of Tel Aviv.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

This wasn't the 777 we flew in on, but it is amazing to me that we can load up 300 people and all of their stuff and fly them at 500 miles per hour across the ocean.  What an age we live in! Below is Simon the tanner's front door. (A traditional site.)

THE TRIP TO ISRAEL (keeping the appointment)

Do two walk together, unless they have made an appointment? (Amos 3:3).

For Helen and me, the trip to Israel began much earlier than the 12th of March, we had many chores to do and responsibilities to make arrangements for before we could leave.  We left home on the evening of Tuesday, the 11th, because the flight out of Omaha was at 6 in the morning.  We checked into the motel, but did not sleep well due to the anxiety of checking in on time and of the flying itself (The missing 777 out of Malaysia was a big news item).

The alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. and we were out by 4:15.  We went through the checking-in process only to find out that, because of bad weather in Chicago, the flight would be delayed 2 hours.  Still we made the flight to Chicago in time to catch the flight to New York.  Even though we were late to New York, we were able to board El Al to Tel Aviv on time.

The 777 was packed with Jewish people going to Israel to celebrate the feast of Purim.  Seated next to me was a Jewish man who struck up a conversation with me.  By this time of the day I just wanted to relax my brain, but he didn't let me.  So we talked of our families, our occupations, and even politics (I asked him why Jewish people support Obama even though he is anti Israel.)  But then we got to religion.  For me, my mind being what it was, it was like bringing a butter knife to a sword fight.  My seat partner had a law degree from Georgetown University, but was a financial planner.  Who am I, but a lowly Iowa farmer.  So he tried to impress on me the superiority of Judaism over Christianity by saying, "A whole nation witnessed the giving of the law and they passed it on to their children.  In Christianity only a few people witnessed the resurrection, and who knows if they saw anything or not?"

I wished my reply would have included this, but it did not, "Your law, witnessed by a whole nation, says a fact is established by 2 or 3 credible witnesses, and the credibility of those witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ is well established."  What I did say to him was still pretty good.  "Yes, a whole nation did witness the giving of the law, and they all died in the wilderness because they did not believe God."  That pretty much ended our discussion.  He had a lavatory stop to make and prepare for prayers at 6 a.m. on the 13th, which it was because of time-zone loss.  I'm not sure why God made the appointment for us to sit together.  My argument was not impressive, but perhaps God thought he needed to hear it.

We arrived at Ben Gurion airport at 4:30 p.m. and we immediately started our tour at old Jaffa.  (Continued tomorrow).

Our Father's Love,
Tom

WE ARE HOME (for a while)

Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you" (Mark 5:19).

Helen and I are home.  We departed the 12th of March, 2014, on a trip to Israel.  It was the second one for me, but the first time Helen was willing to travel outside the United States.  We went with a group from the South Yukon Church of Christ let by pastor Dr. Perry Greene.

It was a great trip, blessing both body and soul.  Basically, our diet was Mediterranean fare, though one night some of us went to McDonald's to eat.  We walked close to 5 miles each day--one of our group had a pedometer.  It was not easy walking either, walking up steep stairs or down steep inclines, through narrow tunnels, both wet and dry.  We all came home in better shape than we left.

I was in the Holy Land 6 years ago.  There has been much excavating and discovery since that time that it was very interesting to return.  One of my personal beliefs which I came to hold from my first visit, and this visit only strengthened it, is that the place of Israel in these last days is to be the developer and protector of artifacts and antiquities for all the world to see.  People are coming from all over the world to see the story of the Bible told there.  I'm not sure how many are being made believers in Jesus Christ, but I know that some are.  If the Muslims had full control over what is now Israel, very little Biblical evidence would exist because the archeology does not tell the story of Islam.

When we arrived in Israel the CEO of the tour company met us in Tele Viv.  As he shook each of our hands he said, "Welcome home."  He meant, of course, that Israel is our spiritual homeland, the place where the events that paid the price of our pardon actually happened.  Helen and I are now at home in Iowa--not quite Heaven yet--trying to bear witness to the truth of the Bible until we are finally home with the Lord.  Over the course of the coming weeks I will try to share a few of these important things with you.  

Our Father's Love,
Tom  

The picture of the "Dome of Rock" is a holy place to Muslims.  The most holy place to the Jewish people today is the Western Wall.  It is located below and to the right of the DOTR.

NO MAN'S SLAVE

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36).

If I remember correctly, I am currently watching the mini series, Centennial, for the 13th time.  It was given to me for Christmas in 1998 by the lovely and gracious Helen in video casett form.  I took a couple of years off watching it because of not having a VCR player that worked.

My favorite episode of the mini series is of the cattle drive of 1868 when John Skimmerhorn and R.J. Poteet and cowboys trailed 3,000 cattle from Texas to Colorado to start the Venneford Ranch.  The foreman of the cowboys was a black man named Nate Person.  Nate had been a slave before the Civil War, now he was free.  One of the great lines of the episode was when Nate said, "When you are a cowboy you are no man's slave."  There's something about a cowboy.  I've raised cattle and hogs.  The hogs make the money, but nobody writes songs about farmers who raise pigs.  There's some romance and freedom in being a cattleman.  The cattleman is out in the open spaces making his own decisions--cattleman walk a little taller than other men.

Still, when one is a slave to Jesus Christ, he is the most free that he will ever be because he belongs to the family of God and heir to His wealth.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL?

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14).

My mother will be celebrating her 94th birthday the 28th of this month.  One of my daily tasks is to stop and visit with her and make sure all is well with her.  One day during my visit she told me that a woman enters her apartment and goes into her bed room.  She waits for the woman to come back out, but she never does.  I told mom that sometimes we think we see movement out of the corner of our eyes and think it is a person, but it is not. Emphatically she said, "NO!"  "I see the door open and a woman comes in, but I never see her go out!"

I am not sure what to make of it.  It could well be just a hallucination, but there could be more to it than that. I have told mom to let me know when it happens again.  It has been over a week now and she has said nothing.  I am going to ask mom about it again and ask her to talk to the woman and find out what her name is and what she is doing.  I was thinking that maybe it is an angel sent to minister to my mother.  I will bring up-dates as this plays out.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom

ALEXANDER MCKEAG'S LOVE

. . . Love your enemies . . . If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? (Matthew 5:44, 46).

"A love that risks nothing is worth nothing" (Alexander McKeag).*

Our Father's Love,
Tom

*A favorite character of mine in James Michener's Centennial.  Perhaps the mention of his name will stir up some Centennial fans.  In any case, McKeag's thought about love is true.

THAT WHICH CALLS FORTH LOVE

Finally, brothers, whatever is . . . lovely . . . think about such things (Philippians 4:8).

Last Thursday, about noon,  the parking lot of the local convenience store was clogged and I was in a hurry--not a good combination.  Helen and I were going to travel to my daughter's to celebrate her birthday and to watch my grandson play basketball.  When I pulled into the parking place, I thought I needed to square up, so I backed up, not noticing that a young man in a 2014 Chevy Cruze had pulled in behind me.  He honked the horn to warn me, but it did not register in my hurried brain.  I did stop, however, but not before I scraped his new car.  The young man was very angry and said some very bad things, but I did understand his feelings.  It was his first new car after years of driving old "clunkers." I have had that same kind of experience.  We exchanged insurance company information and the local police came and investigated the accident.  Prior to our leaving the scene the young man apologized to me for his behavior.  I was truly amazed.  He didn't have to do that.  I am pretty sure if I would have given the young man the same behavior that he gave me at the beginning there would have been no apology forth coming!  I do give this young man a lot of credit!!

The Greek word is prosphile, lovely, in Philippians 4:8.  In his commentary, The Daily Study Bible, William Barclay says that this word could be translated, That which calls forth love.  One of the things that Christians are called to consider is, What do my thoughts, attitudes and behavior "call forth" in others?  Fear and bitterness will call out the same in those around us.  Criticism and rebuke can call forth resentment and anger in others.  However, empathy and kindness can well call forth the best in others--I found that to be true in the convenience store parking lot that day.

Our Father's Love,
Tom

HOW TO EVALUATE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.  Anyone who does not love remains in death.  Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him (I John 3:14-15).

I was motivated to post this Scripture because a little congregation I am currently serving is going through some strife right now.  I ask for your prayers.  Our labors are in vain if our people are unconverted in their hearts and do not love.

Our Father's Love
Tom

JESUS CHRIST: SOURCE OF GRACE AND PEACE

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:7).

Isn't it interesting that what God does Jesus does?  God the Father and the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ are the source of grace and peace.  The greeting that Paul uses to address the Christians at Rome is duplicated in nearly each of his epistles.  With out Christ there is no grace--You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace (Galatians 5:4)(See also 2 Timothy 1:9-10).  The "Bullets" I write are not comprehensive studies, but are only intended to plant seeds and be thought starters.  Many, many scriptures could be added in terms of reference for Jesus being the source of grace.

Grace isn't just about justification, it also has to do with training in righteousness; it isn't just about getting to Heaven, it is about how to live on this earth.  These words from Paul to Titus are instructive: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ . . . (Titus 1:11-13 emphasis mine).

Being taught by the grace of God, being assured about life after death brings peace to the lives of those that have faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Those who possess true faith in Jesus are committed to replicate His life in theirs--to be like Him.  It is in that effort that Holy Spirit strengthens and gives peace to the believer.

In Hope,

Tom

JESUS CHRIST: CREATOR AND SUSTAINER

I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself (Isaiah 44:24).

. . . yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live (I Corinthians 8:6).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made;  without him nothing was made that has been made.  (John 1:1-3).

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and things on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created for him and by him.  He is before all things and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17).

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word . . . (Hebrews 1:1-3).

I have simply chosen to use Scripture to communicate the truth that Jesus Christ is the creator and the sustainer of the universe.  To believe that Jesus is a created being is to believe in a Jesus who is less than he is.  A faith in a false Christ is a false faith, unable to save.

In Hope,
Tom