June 24th Travels and thoughts

Our final day of this three day field trip was spent in the Negev of Judah. I think most of us were ready for the cooler temperatures of Jerusalem. Today we would visit the Fortress of Masada, Ed Gedi, the Dead Sea and Qumran. These are places that I was personally looking forward to seeing and experiencing.
Our first stop was the Fortress of Masada built by Herod the Great as a fortress/retreat. The fortress became famous not because or Herod but because of the Zealots who inhabited this dwelling from 66-73 AD. This fortress sits over 1300 feet above the surface of the Dead Sea with the Northern palace tier sitting at what would be Sea level. We approached the fortress from the West bringing us to the base of the western wall where the Roman Siege ramp is still evident today. We made our way into Masada by a path and steps that ran along the right side of the siege ramp.
The Zealots remodeled Masada when they began living here in AD 66 knowing they would be out of the reach from the Romans who would eventually destroy Jerusalem in AD 70 in the Great Rebellion. Archeologists have found a synagogue as well as several miqvah (ceremonial washing pools) built according to Jewish requirements on this site. One of the western rooms contained a scroll of Deuteronomy and as well as other sectarian scrolls. Massive storerooms were discovered where food supplies were kept. These storerooms were burned before the mass suicides took place.
Our journey from this mountain fortress was by way of the snake path on the eastern side facing the Dead Sea. The path took us 1300 feet back to floor of the Rift Valley. This journey down was filled with steps, twists and turns. Being afraid of heights brought more challenges for me as you can imagine.
Our next stop was across the street from En Gedi where we took our lunch break. While several were preparing lunch the others of us took a dip in the Dead Sea. I was amazed at how blue (no comments) the water looked. I had assumed that since the Dead Sea was dead that it couldn’t be as clear and blue as it was. The Dead Sea is 25-30% slat. The mineral makeup of the Dead Sea is extremely good for your skin. After about 5 minutes I knew that I could check ‘swimming in the Dead Sea’ off of my bucket list. I washed off and helped with lunch preparations.
Our time spent at Masada and the Dead Sea took longer than expected so we were unable to stop at the caves in En Gedi. En Gedi would be one of the places that David and his men hid while fleeing from King Saul. There is the spring located here that would have allowed David and his men to be able to sustain themselves. This would be the probable location where David wrote many of his Psalms. Next time back in Israel this will be a place I would like to visit rather than just drive by.
Our last stop was the Essene remains of Qumran. The Essenes were a religious community that had separated itself from the main stream of Judaism in order to seek the coming Messiah and a more righteous and personal observance of faith. The remains found here contain a kitchen, scroll rooms, numerous ritual cleansing pools, miqvah but yet no indication that people lived on the site giving archeologists the thought that the inhabitants of the community lived in tents or the surrounding caves.
The caves in the area produced what we know today as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Several of the caves are no longer in existence such as caves 7-10 due to the soil the caves were carved out of. Cave 4 is the cave that we see in most pictures of this area. We were able to travel about a mile down the road off the beaten path to explore cave 11. This cave produced a copy of all the Psalms and a few other significant finds. The cave looked like a cave but understanding the significance of finding these scrolls back in the late 1940’s made the stop an incredible experience. To be at the place where OT scholarship received validation of the OT Scripture dating back more than 1100 years from previous copies of the OT gives credence to God’s ability and demonstration of His sovereign preservation of the Scriptures.

Picture 1 - Our lead guides to Masada
Picture 2 - Masada west side up the siege ramp
Picture 3 - steps up the west side
Picture 4 - Dead Sea from Masada
Picture 5 - Cave 4 Qumran

June 23 Travel and thoughts

We spent last evening and again this evening in a Youth Hostel in the city of Ashdod, another ancient Philistine city of the ancient world. Ashdod is a small but yet develop city of Israel. In most of the places that we have been in and through are quite modern as well as diverse in ethnicity. Ashkelon and Ashdod have large Russian Jewish populations. I have found the found in Israel to be very palatable. The fruit of the land of Israel is extremely favorable compared to the same US food.
Our journey today took us to both Eastern and Western Negev with Beersheba being at the cross roads between the two regions. Again this area of southern Israel is very dry and arid. We were blessed today with a strong westerly wind. It is in this area that we find both the Wilderness of Zin and the Wilderness Paran. Time did not permit for us to go to the Wilderness of Paran but we did spend a good amount of time in the Wilderness of Zin. One of the best stops of the day was at the Wadi Zin, a deep canyon that in the rainy season becomes a vibrant river and depending on the amount of rain can be a raging river. Now, it is important to remember that this area of Israel receives less than 4 inches a year. My thoughts on this deep canyon were not formed solely by the small amount of rain but initially started by the receding waters of the flood.
Beersheba was an interesting stop. Ancient Beersheba was the location in which Abraham settled (Genesis 21) and we find Jacob leaves this area after he deceived Esau leaves Beersheba for Haran.. This is one of the cross roads from the south to the north in ancient Israel. The most amazing item from the ancient ruins was the water systems that were used to collect the few inches of water that does allow life to exist from deep wells lined with rocks to wells dug in the valleys for the flocks to use. One well found in Beersheba is over 130 feet deep down to the water table.
Our last stop was the ancient ruins of the Nebataean settlement Avdat. This was built by the same group of people that are responsible for Petra. This people group converted to Christ and tore down their temples and built Christian Churches. Outside of the city walls is a second or third century Romans ruins of what used to be an established entity.

Overall, the day was much better than yesterday June 22. In my mind there were numerous biblical connections that I will carry into my study and teaching of Scriptures.

Picture 1 - city ruins
Picture 2 - Beersheba of OT times
Picture 3 - Me at one of the ruins
Picture 4 - Ibex in theWwiderness of Zin right at Wadi Zin

June 22 Travels and thoughts

We started early in the morning with the packing of our belongings for a three day road trip into the Shephelah and Negev region of southern Israel. This region is within the tribal allotments of the tribe of Judah and Simeon.
The land is hot, dry and incredibly vast. It is hard to believe that people live in this region of Israel. This area of Israel would be the same area that Abraham and Isaac would have been in at various times in the OT.
One of the first things that we were able to see as we journeyed through the Hussan Valley route from the hill country of Judah down to the Shephelah was an old Roman road. This very easily could have been the road that the Ethiopian Eunuch was traveling when he was reading the Scriptures and prayed that god would send someone to teach him (Acts 8:26-40). Philip was brought to the Eunuch teaching him and baptizing him. The Romans later cut steps into the cenomanian stones in places in order to make the travel easier for travels.
Our first major stop was at the Bel Caves at Meresha. The bell caves were started by cutting a round hole through than terra rosa soil (sp?) and begin digging through the harder rock for building. These caves were massive from top to bottom and were shaped in the form of a bell. This was done not by design but by the progress of the work. The workers once through the hard solid on top would begin moving their work in an outward direction as they moved deeper into the ground. It is amazing how much cooler the caves were than on the surface of the ground. Dr. Mullins explained that Jewish priests during times of Romans persecution who had lost limbs in the arenas to lions were sent her to live out their lives.
At the same sight just a few hundred yards away, a ancient Sedonian Tomb was found. The tomb probably belonged to a wealthy family. When discovered and completely unearthed the tomb was remarkable. The walls were covered with very colorful drawings of animals and people. The tombs were probably 3rd century AD and were plenty big enough for 20 plus people.
We made a quick stop at Tel Lachish one of the former Philistines cities. The city was a pivotal city in the ancient world along the inner coastal highway and in many ways was a last defense guarding the Lachish Valley Route that would connect with the Patriarchal Highway along the ridge of the Judean Hill country that would lead to Jerusalem. Still visible at this site is the siege ramp that Sennacrib built somewhere around 701 BC as he was making his way north to Jerusalem.
Our last stop of the day brought us to Tel Ashkelon, another Philistine city along the Mediterranean Sea. Several years ago the Canaanite gate was discovered revealing architecture previously credited to the Romans but found here dating before the Romans. This ancient city was spread over acres along the sea coast.
The Mediterranean Sea was beautiful. The wind was blowing in from the west bringing huge waves crashing onto the beach. Although it was good to relax at the beach, the day was my least favorite day of the trip so far. Not quite sure because there were many significant visits along the way.
Picture 1 - Old Roman Road
Picture 2 - Looking from Tel Azekah on the Elah Valley - place where David slew Goliath
Picture 3 - Meresah Bell Cave
Picture 4 - Sedonian Tomb
Picture 5 - Mediterranean Sea

June 19th Travels and thoughts

Today was another full day field trip. Our first stop was the Wadi Kilt a deep valley that runs east toward Jericho and the Jordan Rift Valley. This was an incredible stop somewhere near where the Roman Road would have passed from Jericho to Jerusalem. This is just one of the three main routes in the Bible times that would have been traveled as people came up to Jerusalem. This Wadi is located in the Judean Wilderness, so it was dry and hot. Overlooking the deep and steep valley walls brought several biblical accounts to mind. This would have been the area in which the Holy Spirit led Jesus into for the 40 days of fasting and temptation in Mark 1 and Matthew 4. This would have been the setting of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). This puts quite a perspective on the places and events of the Bible. Looking out over the hot, arid wilderness made it very clear that the conditions of the wilderness would have made Jesus’ temptation that much more difficult.

Coming out of the Judean Wilderness brought us to the location of the NT Jericho which is on the southern outskirts of modern Jericho. We took some time to look the ruins of another of Herod the Great’s palaces. We then drove through modern Jericho and stopped at a Sycamore tree. The story of Zaccheaus was read just to put the tree and the story into context. We then proceed to the site of the OT or Joshua’s Jericho located to the north of modern Jericho. The city has been rebuilt over the many years and then destroyed again. Many excavations have taken place on the site over the years bringing to light the history of the city. As we stood on the site of the ancient city it was easy to look out over the plains of Moab where Moses and the Israelites would have camped. The Scriptures tell us that the “Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in (Joshua 6:1). The city was locked down because they feared the million Israelites camped out in Moab and figured out what was coming. From the plains of Moab the Israelites camped for a few days at Gilgal to the north. This is only a short walk from Jericho. The events of Joshua came alive as I was standing there. On a side note, it was extremely hot at 9AM and the temperature was rising quickly. I can only imagine what it would have been like to wander in the wilderness for 40 years as the Israelites had done.

From Jericho we returned to the hill country through the Michmash Geba or the OT route onto the Central Benjamin Plateau. The Benjamin Plateau was the allotted land of the tribe of Benjamin. This area controlled all of the east west trade routes. Anyone controlling this area would have great control over the land of the Bible. We visited a site that the Crusaders identified as the first place and resting place of Samuel the prophet which is today named Nebi Samwell (Arabic). Another church is located at this high point. From the roof one can easily see the plateau and the east west trade routes. From the roof top we were able to locate the ancient ruins of Gibeon, Geba and several other locations. This was another incredible view of the land where many events of the OT took place. Gibeon of the OT was a strategic plce in the high country and when they made a pact with Joshua it was strategic in Joshua’s conquest and gives reason why Joshua entered into the plateau early on.

Our final stop was at the ancient ruins of Gezer on the coastal plain in western Israel. The landscape here was much different than the sites to the east. The amount as well as the different types of vegetation is a result of the larger amount of rain fall that comes to the western side of Israel. Gezer was a Canaanite city that became one of the fortified cites of Solomon when he was building his kingdom. It was strategic in protecting the east west route through the Aijalon Valley that leads north east to Lower and Upper Beth-Horon in the Benjamin Plateau.

One of the most spectacular stops of the day was in the upper hill looking down on modern Michmash and Geba. This is the location where Jonathan and his armor bearer scaled ? and ? cliffs to attack the Philistines. These cliffs are treacherous today and makes their feat that much more amazing and speaks to Jonathan’s leadership ability.

Overall, the day was very insightful but I find myself looking forward to Sunday off. I find myself on information overload.

June 18th Travels

Today was our first full day field trip. We loaded the bus at 7 AM to visit the Mount of Olives sites including numerous churches that were built upon some of the traditional or sacred sites of the account of Jesus’ last days before His crucifixion. Our trip also would include our first view of the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives into the Judean wilderness where Jesus had been lead for the 40 days and nights of His temptation. Next, our trip brought us to the ancient site of the Herodian, a fortress built by Herod the Great. At the end of the afternoon we reached Bethlehem, the little town (now a city) where Jesus was born.

The Mount of Olives in most of our thinking is a small hill on the western slope of the Kidron Valley when in actuality it is the entire western slope of the Kidron Valley that divides Jerusalem of today from the Judean wilderness. We stopped at an overlook that gave us an opportunity to see the full Kidron Valley as it flowed south of the Old City of Jerusalem. This provided another incredible view of the Temple Mount along with a view of the north and eastern walls of the city. The deep valleys that surrounded the western side of city (Hinnom Valley) and the eastern side of the city (Kidron Valley) are clearly deep and steep. This would have made it a much easier location to defend in an attack. David’s keen insight in choosing this old Jebusite city to become His capital was a wise choice. Of course there were many other reasons as well but just from a purely defensive perspective this showed great forethought.

As we walked down the slopes of the Mount of Olives we were reminded of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem just days before his crucifixion. He would have come from Bethany at the top of the Mount of Olives and made His way down the western slopes of the Mt. of Olives. He would have been walking down into the Kidron Valley moving west toward the city of Jerusalem. Somewhere along this route Jesus is overcome with brokenness for the people and the city. Luke records “⁴¹As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it ⁴² and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace-- but now it is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. ⁴⁴ They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you (19:41-44).” There is a church looked on the slope of the Mt. of Olives commemorating where Jesus might have wept over the city. Looking at the city from this vantage point really brings to light what Jesus saw and gave me greater insight into His brokenness for the people and city of Jerusalem. The event of the destruction of Jerusalem would have been the Roman destruction by Vespasian and Hardian in AD 70.

As we made our way down the western slopes of the Mt. of Olives we reached several other locations that have significance in the final days of Jesus. We took a close look at an olive grove which would have been similar to the grove that Jesus would have gone to pray in the evening of Judas’ betrayal and the night of Jesus’ arrest.

Our next stop of the day brought us out into the Judean wilderness to a place called the Herodian. This is a palace fortress built by Herod the Great as a royal palace and fortress. This was built upon a nature hill near the town of Bethlehem. It is quite a fortress as it rises out of the ground and can be seen from quite a distance. The thought that sticks me regarding our visit is that Herod builds this great fortress for defensive purposes for himself. Yet, millions come every year to the little city in the distance called Bethlehem. Herod was the king who had all the young baby males 2 years and under murdered out of fear that one would become the next King and take his throne. While millions visit Bethlehem very few ever see the Herodian, quite ironic.

Our last stop of the day was Bethlehem. My impression upon this visit Bethlehem is no longer the little town. It is a shame because the little village in Jesus’ day would have been a few building surrounded by the fields where the shepherds would watch the flocks. They would herd them back toward the village at night. It is easy to see why the shepherds were visited by the angel on that holy night. They would have been very near the actual birthplace. The second thing that struck me was the commercialization of the area. Many are coming to see the place where Jesus may have been born. There are several churches built on the spot where Jesus might have been born. The desire is to preserve the place so that we will never forget but it was also an experience that brought the feeling that the birth of Jesus itself was replaced by the worship of the place of his birth.

All in all, another life changing day that will require many days, weeks, moths and possibly years of processing through all the clarity and color that today has brought to the events of Scripture.

Day Three June 16 NT Walk through Jerusalem

After a few hours of lectures from Dr. Robert Mullins we headed into the Old City of Jerusalem. Our first stop was the through the southern part of the city through the Armenian Quarter to a place that some have identified as the 'Upper Room'. The location is disputed because of the late architecture but a room in the upper floor of a home is likely.

We contuined throught he city until we reached an overlook of the Temple Mount. We appraouced through the Central Valley from t\he WEst. Our first view of the Temple Mount was at the south west cornber at a place called the 'Wailing Wall'. This is the place where Jews come to pray at the wall. This wall is not the actual Temple Wall but the Foundation or podium that it is built upon. What is fascinating is that some of the stones that we see are from Herod's time. On the other hand, it is heartbreaking to watch so many Jews praying who have not recognized jesus as Messiah.

Today the Temple Mount is the location of the Dome of the Rock, the third most holy site in Islam. The Temple Mount was originally built by King Solomon where he constructed the first Temple to God. That temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. Herod rebuilt the Temple that existed in Jesus Day upon the Temple Mount. This location is also called Mt. Zion and Mt. Moriah where Isaac was bond by Abraham in Genesis. After going through strict security we were allowed on the Temple Mount but not is any of the building located there today. It is a massive platform and I can only imagine what it looked like in jesus' day with all of it portico's. Dr. Mullins exp-lained that the Temple would have been about 1/3 taller than the present day Dome of the Rock. This sturcture would have been seen for miles and an unbelievalbe sight for the Jewish pilgrim coming to Jerusalem.

From the platform of the Temple we walked down to the southern side and looked at the excavations that have been recently unearthed of large stones that had been pushed off the Temple Mount when the Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD. These stones are found on top of a road that ran alongside the western side. Around the southern end we were able to walk up the steps from the first century that lead to the 'Hulda Gates' where the Jews would have entered into the Temple. The Jewish 'miqvah's" located at the bottom of these steps are a reminder of the ceremonial washing where a Jew would immerse himself in before entering the Temple.

From the steps we took a long walk around the eastern side of the Temple Mount and entered back into the city through the Lion Gate. Around this western side is a Muslim graveyard while across the Kidron valley along the slopes of the Mount of Olives you will find Jewish graves. I can't imagine that this would have been Solomon's idea when he first constructed the first Temple. Scripture tells us that when Jesus returns he will come down the western slopes of the Mount of Olives and enter again into the City of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, we do not know where the Golden Gate of Herod's Temple is located because of the Mulsim graveyard

Day Two in Israel

Day Two, June 16, included morning lectures on various historical and geographical topics that help explain the places that we would visit each day. Dr. Robert Mullins is our instructor here at Jerusalem University College (Institute for Holy Land Studies) and a good one at that.

The afternoon started out on foot once again through the old city of Jerusalem. The temperature was hover around 85-90 but is seems to be much hotter but yet low humidity. This hot and dry climate does shed light on the events that take place throughout biblical history. The terrain also makes travel difficult and challenging especially combined with the heat.

Our first stop was outside of JUC as we looked over to the Hinnon Valley noticing again its north south direction with its natural defense features. Combine this with the Kidron Valley to the East and the tranversal Valley to the north of the old city (eventually becoming David's street in Jesus' time), Jerusalem ssits upon the eastern hill/ridge making Jerusalem a naturally protected city. Capture by raiders would have had to climb steep and rugged valley's to get to the city walls in order to overtake the city. No wonder King David moved his capital city from Hebron to the natural fortress of Jerusalem.

The capture of Jerusalem by David's men has some interesting characteristics. David's men would have entered the city through the Gihon Spring located in the Kidron Valley just to the east side of the city. The Jebusites occupied the city. Archeology has discovered recently that the Jebusites had built the city walls of the city not only around the Eastern Hill but also down the slope of the Kidron Valley with a 'U-shaped' wall around the Gihon Spring. David's men would have had to climb the city wall, a very difficult task and then up the water tunnel and eventually the shaft that the residents of the city would have lowered there water jugs to draw water. Somehow, David and his men knew of this water source and used it to sneak into the city at night and caputre it. David makes Jerusalem his city. Having been to this very place the story comes alive. David's keen insight as to the perfect place for his city and the determination of his men to take the city are mind boggling to say the least. This event will jump from the pages of Scripture like never before.

The Gihon Spring carries another story. In King Hezekiah's day, Judah, the Southern Kingdom was well aware of Assyria's ability to conquer and cause great destruction including the deportation of conquered people back to her northern lands. Hezekiah wanted to make sure that he secured the water system for the city of Jerusalem. He had his workers dig a tunnel from the Gihon Spring into the city where it collected in a pool that we know from the Bible times as the pool of Siloam. Once completed the people of the city could get there drinking water without ever leaving the city. This tunnel was hand dug with rough tools no greater than picks and crude tools of the day. This was dug through the hard limestone that makes up this area of Israel. This project had to take years.

As a class we put on our water clothes and started through this 'Hezekiah's tunnel' following the course of the workers from the south east side back into the city. The spring still runs today. The water was cold and its depth was from a couple inches to about waste high. You could see the pick marks of the workes as we worked our way to the end. Workers of that day were coming from both ends and eventually meet in the middle. So far this is the best part of the course. It was like walking back in time.

Our day also included a walk into the 'City of David' which would have been the portion of Jerusalem dating back to David's reign. Looking at this portion of present day Jerusalem gives a vivid picture of how difficult it would have been to conquer this city. The city in David;'s day would be the part located downhill and to the south of the present day Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock now stands.

Overall, a great day with many new connections to the biblical narratives that we all love to read.
here are a few pictures from today.

Day One

It is hard to believe that it has been three days since I arrived here in Israel. Amidst all of the security threats from the US perspective, the land of Israel is extremely safe. The Israeli police and military are a strong presence.

Modern Jerusalem is a multicultural land with peoples of many different nationalities and faith. The city comes alive in the evening as the heat of the day disappears. There are many things to do and see here.

I arrived at 6:30 PM on June 15th at the Jaffa Gate of the Old City. After unpacking and grabbing a slice of pizza at one of the old shops in the old city. Nathan Smith took me on a short tour of what he had already discovered in the Old City before we went and sat outside the city gate and enjoyed the cool breeze coming from the West.

June 16th as our first day of our three week course on the History and Geography of Israel. Our section of the course started with a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. Our first stop was on the foundation of a tower from the Hasmonian Period (between OT and NT). Behind us was the existing wall of the old city dating back to Ottoman Turkish Period. It was there I began to realize how much history was literally stacked upon itself. Jerusalem has experienced several destructions in her history and in AD 70 the Romans literally destroyed major portions of Jerusalem in order to suppress the rebellion of the Jews.

Our next stop was the Jaffa Gate, the only gate entering into the western side of the old city. It is here that I was impressed with the design and positioning of the gate for defensive purposes. The huge size of the gate doors could be shut in order to hold off invaders. Above the gate on the city wall the defenders had easy access to throw, drop or pour hot oil on the invaders as they attempted to break down the gate. Everything about the city wall was about defending and protecting the city of Jerusalem.

From the Jaffa Gate we proceeded to the Greek Orthodox Church where James the Great, half brother of Jesus served and from whence he became the first Bishop of Jerusalem. James is buried at this church near the location of Herod the Great's palace just inside the Jaffa Gate and along the western wall of the Old City.

We retraced our steps and took a walk along the ramparts of the city wall. We again started at the Jaffa Gate and went north up the wall. From this vantage point you could easily see the Hinnon Valley to the west of the city wall running north and south. The valley walls today are lined with houses and the valley floor has been turned into a amphitheater for public events. In the NT time period the valley was not inhabited and history speculates that this is where trash was burned and the area always smelled. It has been named Gehenna (Hell). You would never get that idea today. In fact, when I arrived yesterday, I wouldn't have known that this was the Hinnon Valley because of the development that I observed.

Our walk along the city wall brought us around the Christian quarter of the city and then along the north side past the New Gate. We then stopped at the Damascus gate which is inside the Muslim Quarter of the city. From this vantage point we could see the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque on the Temple Mount. I could only image what the site looked like in Solomon's time and then in Jesus' day. The Temple would have been easily seen as people came to Jerusalem from the north, east or South. What a site for Jews coming to Jerusalem for Passover or one of the festivals.

I was deeply moved by the thought that Israel had been given so much and yet today the Muslims occupy the Temple Mount and refer to it as the third most Holy Place in the Islam. God has granted us as believer and followers of Jesus much. What are we doing to guarantee that our faith impacts the next generation. Will Christians in the decades to come still follow hard after Jesus or will be continue to surrender our blessing in order to live for ourselves. Will Christianity become like OT Israel? What are you doing today to guarantee your impact for Christ in the next generation?

Travel Day To Israel

June 13th

It was early this morning that I began my trip to the Land of the Bible. I am sitting in the John F. Kennedy airport. It will be a long night before I arrive. Once I land I will need to catch a cab from airport in Tel Aviv to then take the hour plus trip to Jerusalem. So far, everything is going smoothly. I am a bit anxious about making all the correct connections in Jerusalem tomorrow.

Tuesday morning will be exciting as we begin our first look at the Old City of Jerusalem. Here are a couple of thoughts that I am processing as I look forward to the next three weeks.

I am looking forward to walking where Jesus walked with the hope that it will greatly influence me in walking like Jesus.

I am looking forward to the Land of the Bible coming alive as we take the Scripture texts and visit the actual sites where the events took place thousands of years ago.

Over the next several weeks I will attempt to record my thoughts along with pictures of the places that we visited for the day.

Pray for safety and most of all for learning what our dear Father desires to teach his children on this trip.

Musings from a simple Follower of Jesus

Jeff