When you come to a fork in the road

It was Yogi Berra who said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."  We have seen so much in this trip that I know there have been times when we have taken both forks.  We concluded our touring today with Caesarea by he sea.    The beautiful Mediterranean sparkled!

Because we head to the airport in the middle of the night and there is packing to be done I will do a wrap up post when I get home.  Here though is one more picture that seems the perfect one for our last day.

I wore a pedometer for the whole trip.  We are now 167,880 steps later.  According to my fitbit that is 70.06 miles of walking since we began.  Impressive, don't you think.

We pray for travel mercies and we will see loved ones soon.

Blessings, Mary

Travel is more than the seeing of sights

I may have posted this quote early in the trip, but it is appropriate as we begin our last day: Miriam Beard wrote, "Travel is more than the seeing of sights, it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."

Travel to this land must be that or so much opportunity and deep understanding will have been lost.  To travel here is to go home with so many images that create both tension in thought and discovery of meaning.  In truth, I believe that people with great diversity in culture and religion, live together here in Jerusalem better than our US media would have us believe.  A number of us went to the Western Wall last night to observe the beginning of the Sabbath, which starts with sundown.  It is a celebration that includes dancing and singing and a sense of joy.  To remember the sabbath and keep it holy is deeply ingrained into Jewish life.  There is wisdom in setting aside a day a week for rest.
From the wall we walked through the Muslim quarter to return to our hotel.  The narrow passageways were crowded with Jews, Muslims, soldiers, tourists from many lands, all passing one another in peace.  It is more the norm than what we read.

Earlier in the day we had spent time with Nihad and his wife Silwa.  It was good for us to hear a Palestinian perspective and understand a bit better the issues for Palestinians.  It is all of these images that shout for attention as one travels and it is those impressions that help form new thought in the ideas of living.  Meet Nihad and Silwa, faithful Christians seeking to respond to God's call.
        
            We head to Caesarea by the sea today to complete our trip by thinking about how The Apostle Paul  carried the gospel into the gentile world.

 Blessings Mary

Blessed are the curious

It has been said, "Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventure."  Thursday was a free day for the Tripsters and adventures were had.  A large group went to the Garden Tomb, the more garden like setting that feels like the right place for Jesus' burial, even if archaeologists know it is not.  The group was thrilled to be a part of a worship service.   For the curious-all of us-Jerusalem was explored during the day.  Everything from every conceivable type of shop in the markets to the EXPO Marathon being run today, was discovered.  Around every corner a new surprise. Here are a few...

A bar mitzva compete with music and parade, which will end at the Western Wall

                           All Israeli's, men and women, at the age of 18 , serve in the military.

 The spice shop in the shuk displays amazing mountains of spice.  Blessings, Mary

Humans have infinite possibilities

Humans do have infinite possibilities.  We were reminded today that those possibilities can lead to both good and evil.  Our visit to Yad VaShem, the Holocaust memorial was profound and emotional, Six million Jews, killed in the Holocaust, are remembered there .  Hardest for me to experience has always been the children's memorial.  A single candle with multiple mirrors in a small round building remembers the million and a half children killed.  The names of the children and their ages are read continually.  Such evil is hard to comprehend. This. child drew us into the memorial.

With a battery almost gone I post a picture of our group.

We are sitting on the southern teaching steps of the temple in Jerusalem where Jesus would have taught and we are just below one of the spots where archaeologists agree, Jesus would have walked in and out of the temple gate. More tomorrow.

Blessings, Mary

Nine Parts of Beauty

The ancients are known to say that God created the world with ten parts of beauty and nine of them went to Jerusalem.  Jerusalem is a beautiful city and an intense city.  It is filled with complex history and it is filled with a diversity of people religions and cultures, all of which make it beautiful.

We walked down the Mount of Olives today, the route that Jesus would have followed on Palm Sunday.  The view above looks to the Dome of the Rock, which stands on the spot of the ancient temple. At the bottom of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed as his disciples slept. It was there he was arrested.  The olive trees are ancient and while not the same as the ones in the garden so long ago, they are shoots that have sprung up from those trees and have the same DNA.  The garden is beautiful as seen below on left.  Learning can and does take place anywhere and everywhere. In the picture on the right we stopped on a stair landing to learn about the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which remembers Jesus' crucifixion.

I love this sign which warns of a low door entry into the church. Good advice anywhere!

 Blessings, Mary

Palestinian Wedding Feast

I was unable to get on line last night so here are some pictures to catch up.  We drove through the West Bank making our way to Jerusalem.  The check points getting in and out were no problem for travel.  Because there are not many tourists in the northern West Bank, there is great delight when a bus load arrives for lunch. Our meal was a typical Palestinian Wedding Feast.  It was a wonderful meal, tasty and so graciously shared with us. To complete the experience, Tom and Karen became our bride and groom for the day- a handsome couple they made,indeed.  Blessings, Mary

Having a wise heart

Teach us to number our days," wrote the Psalmist in the 90th Psalm, " that we may gain a wise heart."  I love that idea and I want to continually work to have a wise heart.  A wise heart is, I think, a heart with compassion and love and grace.  We began worship today thinking about Peter, who went through remarkable transformation.  He began as a fisherman.  He then became a fisher of men and women.  He was next promoted to the keeper of the keys of the kingdom because of his confession that Jesus was the Christ, when Jesus asked, "Who do you say that I am?  Peter's ultimate promotion was to the role of shepherd. This statue depicts that moment, when on the beach on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus told Peter to "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep." Even as Peter was commissioned to be a shepherd, so too are we to be shepherds with wise hearts.

It seemed therefore appropriate that lunch would be the regional favorite-Saint Peter's fish.

The afternoon included relaxing free time and for those who chose to go- a swim in the thermal hot springs at Hamat Gader.

We have now, like Jesus, "Set our face to Jerusalem". We head south tomorrow.

Blessings,

Mary

Some surprises and Aha Moments

Our Tripsters group gathered last night to share some of the Aha moments that we have experienced as we have traveled.  Enjoy a few I share with you, our readers:
1)  How quickly and dramatically rain can change and affect things.  We experienced a flash flood in the desert, which did not stop our bus, but cars could not get through the mud and water.
2)  The land is small, 150 miles by 50 miles and yet the geography is so diverse.
3)  The reading of the 23rd Psalm took on new meaning when read in the wilderness where it is not easy to find green pastures or right paths or still water.
4)  Standing on Mount Nebo where Moses also stood, but could not go further. Could not have been easy to wander in the desert for 40 years and not make it into the Promised Land.
5)  Newly impressed with the importance of Josephus. We can be grateful that one man wrote so much early history
6)  This small land which is not easy to live on produced Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
7). This trip has helped to snap pieces of a puzzle-the Bible and faith-together
8). After not reading the Bible for a long time finding new interest in it after seeing the land
9)  For an Alaskan there is a new definition of the wilderness. In Alaska it is heavy, dense forest. Here it is stark and barren rocks.
10) An awareness of how many different nations are represented by the travelers to this land.
These are just some of the reflections on the Old Testament portion of our trip.

One of our Tripsters shared a list of "Israel by the Numbers". Here are but a few:
Israel is the one and only Jewish state in the world.
Israel is 1/6 of one percent of the middle east's total size
Israel has fought 7 wars since it's establishment in 1948
Israel has won 5 bronze Olympic medals, one silver and one gold
Thirty four political parties participated in the 2013 elections
Israel invented drip irrigation helping the world conserve millions of gallons of water a year
Voice mail was invented in Israel
Israeli's consume the most fruits and vegetables per capita of any country in the world
Cherry tomatoes were originally engineered in Israel in 1973
The Dead Sea is 1373 feet below sea level and the lowest place on earth
An estimated million prayers and notes are left in the Western Wall in Jerusalem every year
Three in ten Israelis are immigrants from over 100 different countries,

From high above the Sea of Galilee, seen far in the distance,  we discovered wild flowers of all kinds making their way to the sun.

Our day was spent in the scenic beauty and fertile agricultural landscape of the Golan Heights. Lunch was in a Druze village with most of us trying Druze bread, a large round of flat bread spread with goat cheese.  Yum!

It is sundown and Shabbat, the Jewish sabbath is at a close.
Shalom,
Mary

"And Blessed is She"

The Ein Gev Holiday Village, at left, is our home for four nights.  Each cottage right on the sea, close enough to hear the lapping waves, houses two.  They have been recently renovated and are pure delight. Surrounded by palms, and tropical flowers, we are a contented lot.

The kibbutz was established by 30 members in 1938. Like all kibbutz collectives, it began as an agricultural effort in communal living.  It's first producing crop was bananas, although there was a dream of the tourism industry right from the beginning. They raise ostriches and chickens.

We visited the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth today. It is the largest church in the Middle East and remembers the angels announcement to Mary that she would be the favored one to bear the Christ Child.  The church is modern, exudes an air of  mystery and is multinational in its representation of Mary.  Depictions of Mary in mural form adorn the church walls and  have been given by nations around the globe. This statue to the right shows a young Mary, which she was. "And blessed is she..."

The gift from Japan, seen below is created with thousands of pearls and is exquisite.

Mary's song, The Magnificat, is a song pregnant with hope and possibility for what The Lord can do: "My soul magnifies The Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."  Luke 1:46-55. This, like the Beatitudes, is Reversal of Fortune spirituality. It is radical and hope filled .  
Tomorrow I will share some of our Ah-Ha moments and Israel by numbers.

Blessings, Mary


                                                        

The Wonder and Beauty of the World

"The longer I live, the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and wonder of the world." John Burroughs.

To be on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is to be reminded of the wisdom of these words.  The setting of this sea is so beautiful, and besides its beauty it is so very easy to imagine Jesus on this shore.
Our kibbutz is right on the eastern shore of the sea.  We are directly across the water from Tiberius.  Just now as we walk back to our cottages, we see the lights of Tiberius twinkling like diamonds in the night sky.

We departed from Amman early this morning in heavy fog and rain.  The border crossing back into Israel was slow and deliberate but a strong reminder of the safety of travel here.  Great care is taken to screen all who enter the country. We were reminded that to visit the Holy Land one must wear bi-focals; one eye must see long ago and far away and one eye must see up close for the current events and issues of today.  It is the issues of today which are deeply embedded in the past that prompt such careful security.  There is such a high level of distrust between neighbors. Sadly, history shows the seeds of that distrust on both sides of the issue.  Hani, our Jordanian guide was quick to point out how much we are all alike, commenting that, "After all, a smile is the shortest distance between two people."

Tomorrow morning to Nazareth, boyhood home of Jesus.  In the afternoon, we will visit places where Jesus taught.  I would be tempted to say it does not get any better than this but I know all that awaits.

Blessings,
Mary

North to the Promised Land

          Jim Fleming our teacher and guide and Hani our local Jordanian host- Both wonderful

The  Holy Land mosaic map in Madaba- first of its kind made in the 6th C. This is Jerusalem

The map is housed in a beautiful Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba, Jordan. In the rain we  then headed to Mt Nebo for an overlook of the Promised Land. We will cross the Jordan and be there tomorrow. Blessings, Mary

14, 777 steps on the fitbit

Confucius said, " A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Today began with a single step, but my fitbit pedometer now reads 14,777 steps. To see Petra is to walk and walk and walk and wonderful walking it is. It is a sight like no other. It takes the breath away with its beauty and fascination.   The ancient siq the main entrance to Petra is an impressive 3960 feet long with deep and narrow gorges of stunning beauty. It is hemmed in by cliffs soaring up almost 300 feet.  There are bizarre looking geological formations, colorful rocks, terraces, water channels and frequent carvings.
Just when you think you have seen all the dazzling sights possible, you emerge from the siq face to face with the Treasury. It is the pride and joy of Petra. It was carved in the 1st century BCE by Nabateans to be used as a tomb for a king. It is breathtaking. Carved as it is out of sandstone it represents Nabatean architectural genius.

There is a theater to be seen and royal tombs, palaces and colonnaded streets. Words cannot do justice
to the magnificence that is Petra. It is unique in every respect. For Christians there is also the very real possibility that Petra is the place in the desert to which the Apostle Paul went after his conversion on the way to Damascus.

Dean Burgon's poem reflects some truth about Petra; "Match me such a marvel save in eastern clime/a rose-red city half as old as time..." According to many it is the eighth wonder of the ancient world.

Blessings,
Mary

In the Valley of the Moon

This handsome young man, at the ripe old age of 14 was our jeep driver today in Wadi Rum. Making our way across the desert sands I was convinced that this is every young man's dream, driving a jeep in wide open spaces with the most spectacular scenery imaginable. Of course I know it is driving the jeep more than the scenery that he was loving. Our group, loaded onto the open backs of five jeeps and amidst lots of laughter, headed to a Bedouin tent for tea. Thankfully there was also a fire around which to warm ourselves.

The highest elevation in Jordan, 6,040 feet is a few short kilometers away. The sun was shining brightly but the wind was blowing with equal intensity. We agreed it was a "cool" experience.  Wadi Rum is best known for its connection with the British officer T.E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, who passed through here several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917-18. It was here that a good bit of the film, Lawrence of Arabia was filmed.

The remarkable rose colored sandstone makes this one of the most beautiful and unique desert landscapes in the world. Indeed it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  From prehistoric times human cultures have inhabited this Valley of the Moon. The Nabateans left rock carvings that have survived the sands and winds of time.

We found ourselves imagining the 40 years of wilderness wanderings by the children of Israel,  some of it was surely in environment such as this. It has been said that "The Promised Land always lies on the other side of the wilderness." Unlike Moses who did not make it into the Promised Land but only as far as Mt. Nebo, we will return from Jordan into that Promised Land on Thursday.

Tomorrow-Petra

Blessings,
Mary

Bless not only the road

One of my favorite travel quotes is by Julia Cameron: "Bless not only the road, but the bumps on the road. They are all part of the higher journey." We felt the bumps of the road today as we traveled on the backs of animals with humps. A camel ride is always great fun and produces much laughter.  It is a terrific way to bond a group.  Our hosts were a Bedouin family who have a desert hospitality business that includes the camel ride and lunch in a Bedouin tent-a hearty lunch I might add.

It was a fitting end to a day that began with worship on Masada, the high mountain fortress built by Herod the Great. From that vantage point high above the desert floor, we talked about the call of the desert to so many Christians in the early history of our faith. To the desert many fled in order to meet God in the silence, stillness and solitude.  They lived in a world filled with noise and busyness and tension. Sound familiar? The desert gave respite and relief in a way that enabled hearing "the still small voice of God".  I think we all agreed that having our own place of quiet contemplation nurtures our spirit. Such moments of quiet contemplation give the needed energy for getting through the "bumps in the road" times of life. The prophet Isaiah tells us that "those who wait for The Lord shall renew their strength."

It rained today, not enough to change any plans.  In the Bible rain is always a blessing for the land.
It was a blessing for us too.

Blessings and shalom (a rich word that is used for hello, good-bye, wholeness and peace,
Mary

The Silent, Lonely Wilderness

The 23rd Psalm takes on new meaning when read in the Judean Wilderness.  We stood in this spot today and let the Psalmist speak to us. With Saint George's monastery nestled in the foreground and the wilderness stretching to the horizon, and with a real shepherd just behind us, we came to new understanding of the shepherd.

There are over 500 references to sheep and shepherds in the Bible. The Psalm is a significant connector to The Lord who is our shepherd.  This Psalm is a job description of a good shepherd.  In a wilderness such as this, the good shepherd knows the green pastures are on a northern slope away from the heat of the burning southern exposure. The good shepherd knows the right paths that will keep the sheep from dropping into the shadow of the valley of death. The good shepherd knows the still waters where a sheep can step in without the water running through the wool and weighing the sheep down so much that it will drown. The good shepherd knows the sheep by name and they know the shepherd. The good shepherd has cooling oil on the ready with which the  head of the sheep can be anointed. The good shepherd supplies all that the sheep need and want.

Such is the caring compassionate love and grace of our shepherd. With a Lord who is that kind of shepherd for us, we too can know that goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives, even in the midst of some of those days that are silent and lonely.  In fact, it is on those days that the shepherd is especially good at supplying our wants and needs if we but ask.

The desert is restful and renewing. Our days here restore our souls.

Blessings
Mary

Travel is what you make it!

It is Friday night in Tel Aviv and the Holy Land Tripsters have arrived. We are at the Metropolitan Hotel just a few short blocks from the Mediterranean Sea. An open window in our hotel room brings in sea breezes.

We have gathered from eight US states and all but two (Jim Fleming and Darla Ping) arrived as they were scheduled. The other two are safely on their way and will join us tomorrow as we head to the Dead Sea.  There are stops along the way at Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1948 and at En Gedi where we will hike to the waterfall and caves of the story of David and Saul found in I Samuel 24.

Then we move on to swim in the Dead Sea-it is more accurate to say "bob" in the Dead Sea. The 32% salinity of the sea means you can lay back and read the paper while floating.

On the Lufthansa flight across the Atlantic there was a message at the bottom of the screen on the seat back in front of me which read: "Travel is what you make it, we invite you to make it brilliant." We will have brilliant travel. With God's presence and Jim Fleming as our guide it will be both brilliant and blessed.

We send our greetings and blessings,
Mary