Stories Coming to Life

Good morning and good evening. I will try writing through out the day today so that I am not falling asleep between paragraphs tonight.

Father God I pray today that our eyes and hearts are open to you.

Our first stop this morning was at the Mound of the Beatitudes. It was an absolutely beautiful place. On the way up you pass groves of Mango trees. We got quite an economics lesson on the way on the imports and exports of the country. I gotta say, the commercialization...probably the wrong word...lack of reverence...I don’t know...the place seemed a little off putting. In many of the places we have been to, there was an original house of worship that was destroyed by an event or war. In the same place another church or temple was placed on top. This space was original and placed in the late 1930’s. My favorite moment here at the mount was Pastor Smokey preaching to our group from Matthew 5 and 6. Our guide said something on the way up...he said you decide what is more important...the sermon or the mount? I loved the view though. You are looking out over the Sea of Galilee in the mist of the most amazing flowers and gardens and sitting areas. You could really imagine what it must have been like to be there hearing this sermon.

Our second stop offered a “short” hike over water and rock to the ancient city of Dan. Y’all, I mean like 1 Kings- Old Testament-City of Dan. These giant walls were over 3000 years old. To put that into perspective, when ol’ Columbus said the ocean blue...that was 528 years ago. Our country has history, but THIS is history. Smokey offered another lesson on Jeroboam and all that was going in the city of Dan. This is where a golden calf was place as an idol to worship. Throughout the hike and at the site we found many porcupine needles. The porcupine is a popular animal in this area along with wild boars. Brandon found a small piece of broken pottery as well. 

From the top of the fortress we could look across the mountain and see a Syrian military stronghold. All along the drive from Dan to Caesarea Philippi we saw yellow signs along the road that mark active live mine fields. This is crazy stuff. In the days leading up to our trip I had the worry in the back of my mind that we were headed to the Middle East during what feels like a time of great unrest.  I quickly let go of those thoughts though. We have always tried to live a “God’s will” sort of life. If it was our time we could die in a wreck on the way to the grocery store or by a scud missile blowing us up. But this did bring back the fear a bit. We of course have heinous things that happen in the US, but land mines isn’t one that I am used to or worry about in Sapulpa OK. 

The third stop was an incredibly short drive to Caesarea Philippi. Smokey taught again from Matthew 16 when Jesus revealed to Simon Peter that he was the Messiah, but that the apostles couldn’t announce it yet. This took place at a Greek/Roman town that was built as a shrine to the god Pan of the dancing goats. Leaving this place left me wanting to know more more about Pan. So when I got back on the bus I started searching. That google search lead down a dark road that could seriously be its own twisted blog post. The stories of the setting and the people that Jesus was up against in some of these towns made this story pop off the page. Seeing their alters for pagan and superficial sacrifice made the sin around him feel even worse than watching the nightly news. 

We had the biggest shared lunch after. the man just kept bringing more and more. There was no more room at the table and he still managed to squeeze in more I can pronounce pita bread, hummus, and falafel, but past that all I know is that it was beautiful. After lunch we were offered the sweetest baklava and the blackest thickest “coffee” I have ever seen.  

Word to the person planning. Take notes while you are here. We are sucking I nJesus three years and even more into a 10 day period. Research before you come. It has made the trip that much more enjoyable. Drink water. I completely missed the fourth stop today which was a look into a decommissioned Israeli military camp because of a severe headache due to dehydration. You don’t want to drink water on the plane especially if you are in a middle seat. You hit the ground running as soon as you are here, and the water isn’t the best tasting. It’s clean. But there is a saltiness that is hard to explain. Regardless of whether you like it or not, suck it up and drink it. 4 glasses of water and a Pepsi Cola for supper tonight. I am a new woman. 

Ready for Jerusalem tomorrow.