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Pilgrim's Process

I have started my first venture into a major work of fiction.  I devoted a lot of time this summer to writing "Pilgrim's Process," which will be my Pilgrim's-Progress-type book.  I've gotten about twelve chapters in, but unfortunately life has gotten really busy lately, so the project is on hold for now.  We'll see when I get the opportunity to continue writing.  Here is a taste of what I have so far:

            “The Great Maker saved us, and he teaches us to obey his commands.”

* * *

The burning log crackled as the fire ate its way deeper into the wood.  The warmth of the fire was a welcome reprieve from the cool of the summer evening.  The children listened intently as the Patriarch told tales of the Great Maker.  The light reflected on their faces as they sat around the fire and participated in the ritual.  All of the children in Fidelis gathered each evening to hear tales of the past, of distant lands, and the Great Maker.

Pilgrim loved hearing the Patriarch tell stories.  He listened with the other children as the Patriarch continued to speak.

* * *

“The Great Maker created everything.  He created mankind.  He created the birds of the air and the fish of the sea.  He created the rocks and the tree.  The sun, the moon, and the clouds of the sky. 

“There was a time when the world was at peace.  Men worked together to do great things.  People did not need to lie, or cheat, or steal from one another.  People worked their farms and built great cities.  Everything they had came from the Great Maker, and they praised him for everything he gave.  He was their leader and they followed him.

“Generations were born, lived, and died.  Parents taught their children of the Great Maker’s goodness and provision.  And they in turn taught their children about the Great Maker.             

“But, children, there was a time when men decided that they wanted more.  They wanted power.  They wanted wealth.  They wanted control.  They wanted to be their own masters, and they began to plot and scheme.  They threw away the teachings of the Great Maker.  They invented weapons.   They built armies and marched against each other, claiming lordship over land and man.  They killed one another to get what they wanted.  They sold each other into slavery.  Darkness covered the land.”

“The Great Maker saw what was happening and anger welled up within him.  Not only did they turn away from him and reject what he had given, they had destroyed the order and beauty of his creation. 

“The Great Maker sent an army from the West to punish the evil people.  After what the people had done, he could have wiped them out entirely.”  The Patriarch smiled as the children looked on with eager interest.  “But the Great Maker sent his son to show us the way.  His son came and led the army that fought back the darkness, and restored light into the land so that we can live in peace.  If we follow him, peace will remain in our land.  Now children, it is time for you to go to bed.”

The children rose from their seats and went home.  Pilgrim thought about what he had been taught, and looked forward to dreaming about the Great Maker defeating his enemies and restoring peace.

 Chapter 2

Fifteen Years Later

“James, look out!”

            Pilgrim turned to see a sword swinging toward his head.  He raised his shield to block the blow from the attacker, and in one swift motion he plunged his own sword into the stomach of his assailant.

“Thanks, Peter!” Pilgrim acknowledged his friend from a distance who had just saved his life.  He took a moment to see what was happening around him.  The town was in chaos.  An army of Outsiders was attacking the city.  Houses were burning.  Women screaming.  Children crying. 

Why here?  Why now?  Pilgrim thought to himself.  Only an hour earlier, life was normal.  Fidelis was a peaceful community that was safe from the outside world.  Or so they thought.  The wall around the city had protected them in the past.  Not this time.  The Outsiders broke through the wall and poured into the city. 

Most of the army of Fidelis had accompanied the king in a search for food after the crop had failed.  The forces left in the city did not have enough strength to repel the invaders.  The bravest of the citizens had grabbed whatever weapons they could to defend the town.  The fortunate ones met the attackers with swords and knives, but the others grabbed farm tools, rocks, and anything metal that could be used to defend Fidelis.  Few of them were trained for battle.  They were cut down quickly.

Pilgrim had grabbed his sword and shield and joined the fray.  As one of the community hunters, he had learned how to handle himself in a fight.  Luckily for him, he had friends watching his back on the battlefield.

“What now, James?” Peter asked as he ran to join Pilgrim.  Loyal friends since childhood, the two of them worked together hunting in the forest for food.  Peter looked like he was ready to take on the world.  While most of the citizens were fleeing the city, Peter was wearing a leather helmet and leather breastplate.  He was equipped with a sword, shield, bow, and arrows.  Billows of smoke and ash rose from the buildings around them.

“Well, Pete, it’s time to save our city.”  Pilgrim and Peter ran toward the shouting and clanging of swords off in the distance.

* * *

The warriors of Fidelis fought with valor and honor that day in a battle that would be recounted through the ages.  Though the army had not been able to withstand the initial assault of the Outsiders, they were able to regroup along with several citizens to push back the Outsiders and retake the city.

Pilgrim and Peter fought side by side and vanquished many foes.  They were at the front line chasing the Outsiders from the city.  Pilgrim was about to continue the chase outside the walls of Fidelis when he was stopped by Commander Ravenswood, the head of the Fidelis Defense Force.

“James, that’s enough!” the Lieutenant called him from behind.  Weary soldiers who had been fighting minutes before gathered their breath.  Some sat to rest.  “We don’t know what their defensive position is outside these walls,”  Ravenswood explained,  “We don’t want to run into a trap.  We barely have enough men to protect this city, let alone to send out troops to chase these outsiders.”

Pilgrim watched the fleeing enemy through a gaping hole in the wall as they ran farther and farther into the distance, and disappeared into the forest.  This isn’t right.  Pilgrim thought.  Too many innocent people died today.  He thought about all of the children screaming, the people who were needlessly slaughtered at the hands of those monsters.  They have to pay for what they did.

“I know that you want revenge,” said Ravenswood, as if he knew what Pilgrim was thinking.  “We all do.  But getting ourselves killed won’t help the situation.  We are already vulnerable to another attack, and we can’t put ourselves in a more precarious situation.  I can’t send men out of the city walls to help you if the Outsiders turn around and counter attack.  I can’t let you go out there.”

Pilgrim looked back at the Lieutenant, and turned and scanned through the broken city wall at the mass of trees that hid the Outsiders.  He began to walk toward the break in the wall, intent on chasing the Outsiders into the forest.  He can’t tell me what to do.  I’m not in the army.  This city needs justice, and I know those woods.  He was about to pick up his pace and sprint toward the trees when he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head, and everything went black.

Reflections after saying goodbye to Mark Rymer and Glenn Musselman

The last month has been an emotionally charged roller coaster.  I love weddings where friends create new, Christ-centered lives together.  I love the celebration of birth and new life.  These are life events that make me smile.  At the other end of the spectrum, this month has been a somber reminder that life on earth is temporary, and you never know what will happen.

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to say goodbye to my grandpa Glenn just hours before he passed away.  He had been in the nursing home for many years, and though it is hard to see him go, it is comforting to know that he lived a full life, he is no longer hindered by the physical handicaps brought on by his stroke, and he is in heaven in the presence of God now.

Losing Mark hit me like a ton of bricks.  The feeling is different.  Since I knew the end was near with my grandpa, I was able to spend time with him before the end.  There was peace with sending him on.  The last time I saw Mark was a few weeks ago when I was substitute teaching at Zion-Benton.  The class I was with went to music each day, and that day they were with Mark.  Mark, as always, had his kind and friendly spirit with the kids, and they watched Toy Story 3.  Tuesday morning, as far as I knew, everything was fine.  My mom let me know that Mark was gone, and just like that, my reality was changed.  There would be no more "What up, EB?" from down the hall at Zion-Benton, and no discussions about how life was going.

Life is finite.  In a sobering way, this reminder has been a constant on my dad's side of the family.  Mark is the third one in my generation to pass away.  My cousin Erin Ashmore, who was about a year older than me, passed away when I was in Junior High.  Heather Buntrock, my second cousin who was 4 years older than me, passed away while I was in college, Mark, another second cousin, was 8 years older than me.

It is this reality that splits my emotions.  The sadness in losing these two people who were formative in my life (Grandpa being very active in my life until the stroke, and Mark being my band director my senior year at Zion) will be there, because two family members where were a real part of my life are no longer there.  Even so, my emotional split doesn't relate to this sadness, but instead the split of emotion comes with the joy of salvation for those who are in Christ, and the overwhelming sadness and conviction of that need for those who are not.

Everything I know about Mark and Grandpa point to the conclusion that they had saving faith in Christ, and I will see them again in heaven.  I don't know their hearts, but God does, and I know their faith is in His hands.  This is a comforting reality for me.  I love the thought that I will see them again, but more important to me is that they get to worship God fully in His awesomeness.  I'm a little jealous of this (in a good way), and anticipate joining them someday.  When Grandpa died Philippians 1:21-23 was very meaningful for me.  "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better."  The reality is that they in a far better place then I am.  While it is sad to know they are gone, the combination of knowing that they are in a better place and knowing that those who are in Christ will join them is a source of joy and anticipation.

"I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin has been a huge encouragement to me on this front:

Even so, the stark reality of death is that those who are not in Christ do not have this happy ending.  And death is final in these cases.  With Mark, and my other cousins, the reminder was that you never know when others are going to die, and that you don't know when you are going to die.  This gives me both the conviction to share the gospel with those who need it, and to be faithful with the limited time I have on earth.  Philippians 1 continues in verse 24: "But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again."  My hope and prayer is that my heart would be like Paul's, and that my life would point others toward Jesus Christ.

Our culture encourages ambiguity on faith issues.  The Bible isn't ambiguous.  For those who dismiss the Bible as false, I would encourage them to read and consider The Reason for God by Tim Keller, and/or listen to Pastor Mike Bullmore's sermon about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people have a hard time embracing that the Bible is true.  If this is true of you, I would encourage you to consider that honestly exploring whether the Bible is true or not and whether Jesus Christ is who He says He is are a worthwhile investment of your time.  It might change your life.

If you do believe that the Bible is true, or are at least open to it, read through Romans.  In the meantime, consider the following from Scripture:

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."  - Romans 3:10-12

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned" - Romans 5:12

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:11-15

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:6-9

"The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:8-13

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." - Romans 8:1-6

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:1-10

God's mission that was accomplished through Christ was that sinners had a way to a restored relationship with God and would be saved from eternal death into eternal life.  Side by side with this truth in the text is the clear message that those who don't place their faith in Christ will eternally perish.  This is sobering, but the clear message that through faith in the promises of God, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we can have a restored relationship to God and receive the gift of eternal life with God.  Jesus gives life, both now and forevermore.  I hope that these passages are encouraging and thought provoking to you wherever you are.

I am sad to say goodbye to Mark and Grandpa.  But I trust God that I'll see them again, and I hope that their passing points others to Christ.

God is eternally faithful.  I was privileged to say goodbye to Grandpa at his funeral.  Mark, I'm glad I was your (second) cousin and you were my band director.  I'll miss the friendship we had, and I'll miss the opportunity to walk life with you in the future.  You sir, are the man.  I anticipate seeing you again in the presence of God as we worship Him and sing together in His choir.

I'll close my thoughts with "It is Well," a good reminder to me today.

Tim Keller on Generous Justice

I have spent a lot of time wrestling with the question of (1) what does God's justice entail? and (2) what response does that require from me?  I have read a few books on the subject and written a research paper on the topic, but in November Tim Keller published a book called Generous Justice.  I highly recommend it to everyone.  Yes, everyone.  It does a great job answering the questions I was asking, but also raising other questions as well.

Keller spoke at the Gospel Coalition Conference in Chicago this week, and I was fortunate enough to hear him speak on the topic Thursday night.  Unfortunately, the video/audio from that talk has not been posted yet.  Fortunately, he spoke on the topic a few years ago at another conference, and the video is posted on The Resurgence:



A few quotes from the book that I really liked:

“The rules for use of land in the Biblical laws challenge all major contemporary economic models.  They “suggest a sharp critique of 1) the statism that disregards the precious treasure of personal rootage, and 2) the untrammeled individualism which secures individuals at the expense of community."  (32)

“Jesus did not say that all this done for the poor was a means of getting salvation, but rather it was the sign that you already had salvation, that true, saving faith was already present.”  

“Before you can give this neighbor-love, you need to receive it.  Only if you see that you have been saved graciously by someone who owes you the opposite will you go out into the world looking to help absolutely anyone in need. Once we receive this ultimate, radical neighbor-love through Jesus, we can start to be the neighbors that the Bible calls us to be.”  (76-7)

3 Levels of involvement = Relief, Development, Social Reform (113)

"Don Carson writes that once we shed utopian dreams of producing a “redeemed culture,” we can look at history and acknowledge that it is possible to “improve and even transform some social structures.” (118)

End of the book:  

             On Judgment Day, don't say to the Lord, "When did we see you thirsty, naked, and captive?" Because the answer is--on the cross! There we see how far God was willing to go to identify with the oppressed of the world. And he was doing it all for us!

There Jesus, who deserved acquittal and freedom, got condemnation--so that we who deserve condemnation for our sins can receive acquittal. (Galatians 3:10-14; 2 Corinthians 5:21). This was the ultimate instance of God's identification... with the poor. He not only became one of the actually poor and marginalized, he stood in the place of all those of us in spiritual poverty and bankruptcy (Matthew 5:3) and paid our debt.

Now that is a thing of beauty. To take that into the center of your life and heart will make you one of the just.

 

 

Zambia Working in the Field...Great Moment.

During the Zambia trip, we worked hard.  And played hard.  At the same time.  Don't believe me?  Join me for one of the seminal two hour blocks of the entire trip:

A Look Back at Zambia 2007

When I was in college at Trinity, I was heavily exposed to the importance of social justice in the life of the Christian and the church body.  When I visited Zambia in 2007, I was exposed to a country that had huge social and economic issues.  In addition to being at the center of the AIDS crisis and a malaria epidemic, education in Zambia was not necessarily the ticket to success.  To place this comment in context, the United States is going through an economic crisis right now that for a time raised our unemployment to roughly 10%.  In Zambia 2007, only 10% of college graduates even got jobs.  There were scores of children living on the street because of necessity, or they had no parents.  The affect of aids on the culture was apparent, as the streets of Lusaka (the capital) were lined with people who were in their mid-to late 20s.  Seeing even one person who was as old as 50 was an aberration.

There are more things I could say that would describe the poor state of living within Zambia, but you get the idea.  Even so, I fell in love with Zambia.  Even amid the background of poverty, sickness, and death, the people we were with truly had joy and hope in Christ.  It was an awesome experience to worship with them on Sunday morning.  A small taste of that:

I loved seeing the ministries that worked with children, the AIDS clinics, and the hospice clinics.  I saw in a very practical sense that while the gospel that we are wretched creatures who cannot save ourselves from the judgment of God, and it is only through Christ's death and resurrection that we can have salvation through placing our faith upon him is the most important thing that could be given to the people in Zambia, there were many "felt needs" (physical needs) that needed to be addressed as well.  I couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion for them.

This was a huge week of learning, self-discovery, and reflection for me.  It was at this time that I realized that I wanted to add the component of working with the needs of people that extended beyond the preaching of the gospel.  I came away from that week wanting a better understanding of what God's Justice was, and how He wanted us to interact with society.  In Zambia, the preaching of the Gospel came with service and caring for the needs of people.  This just seemed right, and I wanted an understanding of whether this was a biblical approach, or something that just worked in Zambia because of the circumstances.

This week also threw me onto a different trajectory.  I felt totally inadequate to be involved in the realm of making a tangible difference in the social realm outside of personal contact with individuals.  The combination of wanting to learn something that would be helpful in this area and wanting to learn about justice was one of the strong factors that made me decide to pull out of seminary and was one of the significant factors in my decision to go to law school.

What have I learned?  That is a topic for another post.

Israel Blog #14: Food

The food in Israel is amazing.  With a steady diet of falafel, hummus, and pitas, we were ready to go all week.  I could have eaten only pitas with the different mixtures we dipped them in all week and I would have been happy.

All the options we had to dip the pitas.

We had really, really good chicken-stuffed figs at Eucalyptis in Jerusalem, outside the Old City.  I didn't get pictures, but I just found the recipe on the website.  If I find all of the ingredients I am going to attempt to be a cook.  (If you go to the Eucalyptis link, the Stuffed Figs are pictured on the right side).

Shawarma for lunch

The other restaurant that I really liked was Azura in Jerusalem.  It was an Iraqi restaurant, and it was really good.  We tried the dumpling soup, which was great, a cinnamon beef eggplant contraption, and an beef eggplant meal with a spicy red sauce that was really good.  Next time I go to Jerusalem, I'll make sure to check the local blogs to see what the best food places are.  (And then I'll talk to the people I know in Israel to see if they agree).

Falafel

The food was great.  I think I'll go by the Pita Shack a little bit more until I go back.

Israel Blog #13: Caesarea

Now it's time for a game of "Who is the speaker?"  Guess who is speaking in this video.

(Answer at end of blog post.)

Caesarea is a town of HUGE significance for non-Jewish Christians.

   And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I too am a man." And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me."
   And Cornelius said, "Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.' So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord."
    So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.  They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.  To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
   While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, "Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. - Acts 10:24-48

Peter's sermon in Caesarea is the first general evangelistic call to gentiles.  Philip had previously preached the gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch, Jesus had ministered to non-Jews, and there were instances in the Old Testament of ministry to non-Jews.  (I think in particular of Jonah's call to preach to Ninevah, and "aliens" of the land seeing the truth that the God of the Jews is the one true God and choosing to follow Him).  That being said, the events in Acts previous to Peter's proclamation in Caesarea were among the church and to the Jews.  After this event, there is a change in culture .  Peter was initially criticized by the circumcision group for preaching to non-Jews.  He explained what God had shown him, and after he brought the vision that God showed him before the other believers, there are many instances throughout Acts of the gospel being preached to gentiles and the gentiles coming to faith.

In addition to being an important first century center of Christian faith, Caesarea was also the site of one of the most significant archeological finds that affirms the New Testament Narrative.

This tablet says:

 TIBERIEUM

 (PON) TIUS PILATUS

 (PRAEF) ECTUS IUDA (EAE)

This is not the original, but the actual tablet was a significant find because it confirms that Pontius Pilate was a real person who existed during the New Testament time period.

Caesarea has a pretty significant history.  If you are interested in reading a little more about it, this is a general overview of what happened there.

ANSWER TO "WHO IS THE SPEAKER?"
None other than the Pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, Erwin Lutzer.  He was on a separate trip to Israel, and just happened to be at Caesarea when we visited. 

Israel Blog #12: Golan Heights

The story with the Golan Heights:  One day, there was a war in 1948.  At the end of the war, Israel controlled the area surrounding the Sea of Galilee, but not the Golan Heights.  The Golan Heights overlook the Sea of Galilee.  Syrian troops harassed fishermen and the local communities in Israel.  During the Six Day War, Israel took the Golan Heights, giving the Sea of Galilee a buffer zone.

We drove up the Golan Heights.  The views were beautiful.

We went to the top of a mountain that at one time served as an outpost.  It had a beautiful view.

Left Side:  Lebanon.  Right Side: Syria.  I'm standing on the Golan Heights.  Had to be my favorite view the entire trip.

There were also amusing sculptures made out of tank parts.

 

Finally, I saw a Merkava.

Israel Blog #11: Yardanit

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.  John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:13-17


We visited Yardanit, which is the spot on the Jordan River near the Sea of Galilee that commemorates Christ's baptism.  It is not the actual baptismal site, but nonetheless it was a neat place to be.

While we were there a family from Kentucky and Tennessee were getting baptized.  At least some of them were from an Acts 29 church.

One of the guys in our group decided to take the opportunity to join them and get baptized as well.

Baptism is a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ.  A lot of people in my group were excited about the fact that Matt was getting baptized, and many of them weren't even Christians.

Like Jerusalem, I was a little disappointed with the religious commercialism. From the baptism site we were funneled into a gift shop.  The experience of watching people get baptized in the Jordan River was awesome.  To then be placed in religious consumer heaven cheapened the experience a bit for me.  That being said, it was neat to think that Jesus, and probably many other early Christians, were baptized in the Jordan River or the Sea of Galilee.  We went to both of those places, and it made me feel a sense of unity with early brothers and sisters in Christ.

Israel Blog #10: Galilee

The moment I wanted to take in most and just bask in was waking up Tuesday morning on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  I could have stayed there the entire week and just enjoyed it.

The closest experience I can relate to it is Door County, Wisconsin.  Particularly Ephraim.  It isn't the same at all, and I love Door County so much that I'm overemphasizing the similarity, but the thought did come to mind.

I sat on the rocks and thought about the experiences that Jesus had on that lake.

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them,"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:18-19

Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. - Matthew 15:29-31

And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. ²⁵And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." ²⁶And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?" - Matthew 8:23-27

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."    And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." - Matthew 14:22-33

The Sea of Galilee was a cherished experience.

Israel Blog #9: Holocaust: Yad Vashem

One of the most sobering stops on the trip was to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial.  It really was a beautifully made place, with trees commemorating those who saved Jews (including Oscar Schindler), a memorial to the children who died in the Holocaust, and a memorial to all of the holocaust victims.  It was heartwrenching to walk through the progression of the rise of Naziism, the campaign to turn the people against Jews, and the dehumanizing and killing of Jews in the communities and in the concentration camps.

Yad Vashem

In this pain, there were also inspirational stories from the Holocaust.  Groups of Jews hid and survived in the forest, and fought back against the Germans.  Many individuals who otherwise were safe from the Germans hid the Jews and helped them survive, risking their own lives in the process.  When Hitler ordered Denmark to give up their Jews to the Germans, they smuggled the entire population of Jews to Sweden to save them.

Something that I learned that I hadn't thought about before was that the Jews had a tough road after the end of World War II.  I watch a video of a Polish Jewish woman who survived the concentration camp.  Her entire family had died.  She went home to find another family at her house.  Instead of welcoming her or empathizing with what she had gone through, they asked, "why are you still alive?"  This type of experience of being ostracized even after the War makes the desire to return to Israel make even more sense to me than their historical right to live there.  The people needed a home, where they could be safe.  At the time they saw that to be Israel.

Another video that was saddening was another woman who survived the concentration camps.  She got married after the war, and later on found out that she was pregnant, she asked the doctor for an abortion, because the thought of a baby crying was traumatizing to her.  After her experience in the concentration camps, she thought that she would not be able to handle the flashbacks that would come from having a baby.  This story had a happy ending, as the doctor failed in the abortion, and the child ended up bringing joy to the mother's life.

The museum was one long hallway.  The last room of the museum was an archive room that included all of the names and stories of people who died during the Holocaust.  It was a sad place to be, but a good reminder of the travesty of the holocaust.  Leaving that room and walking out the exit, we were left with this view:

The Jewish communities in the distance were an image of hope.  The Nazi's failed in their attempt to destroy the Jews.  The Jews survived, and were able to make the most of their survival in their homeland.  It was an inspirational thought.

Israel Blog #8: Faith Perspectives 4: Druze

The Druze are a fascinating people.  They are a sect of Islam, but they are very different.  They are monotheists that believe in one God, but they believe that God can be perceived in many different ways.  God can be called Allah, Elohim, or something else.  This is a very inclusive way of looking at things.  They also believe in reincarnation.  The thing that I found interesting was that since the Druze believe in reincarnation, they closed the faith to new converts in 1043AD.  The Druze were suffering persecution at the time, but their theory was that since everyone is reincarnated, and there are no new souls created, everyone had the opportunity in previous generations to come to the Druze faith.  To this day the faith is closed.

I thought the childlike faith of the Druze was really cool to see.  Like the Jews and the Muslims, they need to see their need for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The people we were with lived out their faith and were hospitable to outsiders, which is especially amazing because the outsiders were of other faiths.  Hospitality opens doors.  That is a lesson I learned from the Druze.

Speaking of the Druze hospitality, one family hosted 32 of us, and they had awesome food.  Anyone who reads this and visits Israel needs to visit the Druze village and get dinner there.  It was amazing, and it is what they are known for.

Druze Dinner

Israel Blog #7: Faith Perspectives 3: Islam

Our only direct encounters with Islam were the minarets and mosques throughout the cities, and the individuals we met along the way who may have been muslims.  My outsiders perspective of Islam was shaped a little bit, though probably not too much.  I saw a conqueror's mentality with the building of minarets right next to churches and synagogues, and the building of the Al Aqsa mosque on the temple rock, with the Dome of the Rock being built the same as the dome on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, except out of gold.  That being said, I saw, and was reminded, throughout the trip that there is a more peaceful side of Islam, which is a fact that needs to be emphasized when the general American experience with Islam is the extremist terrorist.  When the Muslims conquered North Africa and the Middle East, they did not kill off the people of other faiths like the Crusaders.  Instead, they allowed them to worship, BUT they forbid proselytizing.  That meant that the other religions died out after a generation.  This type of policy can be oppressive in a country like Iran when Christians share the gospel, but in modern day Israel this is not currently an issue.

Mahmoudiya Mosque, Jaffa

After we left there were missile attacks from Gaza and a bombing in Jerusalem.  The extremist group Islamic Jihad from Gaza claimed the credit for the bombing.  People of Islam need the gospel of Jesus Christ, but I am sad that many peaceful people have their faith represented in this way, and the repercussion is that many peaceful Muslims are distrusted by others, and anti-theists have a target to point at and to say that "God is not good, and people should not have faith in Him."

Israel Blog #6: Faith Perspectives 2: Christianity

There are so many things I can say about this, and the specifics are spread throughout the other blogs.  What I learned about the state of the Christian faith in Israel is that 10% of the Arabs there are Christians.  I didn't get a number of Jews professing faith in Jesus Christ, but I know that they are there.

We visited a Reverend David Neuhaus, a Jesuit Priest who heads the St. James Vicariate in Jerusalem.  It was interesting to hear his perspective on Christianity in Israel.  There were not denominational devisions between the people.  In their perspective, they are Christians.  Not Catholics, not Orthodox, not Methodists, or Lutherans, but Christians.  This was really cool from a unity standpoint.  Even so, in Rev. Neuhaus's there was a divide between the Jewish Christians and Arab Christians.  The people he worked with could not get over the ethnic divide that exists between the two groups.  In his perspective there was also a huge barrier for Christians (mainly Catholics) because of the actions of the Crusaders during the Middle Ages.  The slaughtering of Muslims, Jews, and Orthodox believers was a low point for the Christian church, and the twisting of faith in Christ to justify such acts was a travesty.  The orthodox are divided from the Catholics because in addition to the murder of the Orthodox in the middle ages, when the Catholics returned, the people converted to Catholicism were Orthodox believers.

I asked Gil whether there were any significant protestant groups in Israel, and he said there weren't.

When I got back, I talked to Larry and Olga Riley about their experience with faithful believers in Israel. They spent years living in Israel.  Their experience was that Jewish and Arab Christians worshiped together and saw each other as the body of Christ.  This group of believers was not very large.  I got the sense that this was a different group than the one described to me by Father Neuhaus.  I was glad to hear that there was a group in Israel that professed faith in redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ, even though the group was small.

It seems to me that unity of Arab and Jewish Christians would be an awesome witness to the rest of Israel, and the world.

St. Peter's Church in Jaffa

Israel Blog #5: Faith Perspectives 1: Judaism

It was interesting to get real exposure to Jewish culture.  There are religious roots, and there is a huge religious aspect to the culture, from the government, to the artwork, to the Bible being used as a textbook, to the religious holidays celebrated by all Jews.  Even so, a large percentage of Jews in Israel are secular.  I have thought about this for awhile, because logically this does not compute to me.  As I've learned more, I'm starting to understand that even though I worship Elohim just as the Jews do, my understanding and their understanding of God are much different.  Their historical development paints a much different picture of God than my view as a Christian redeemed through faith in the fulfillment of God's promise through Jesus Christ.  After seeing the Jewish people in Israel, I also have a better appreciation that Jews feel a connectedness to the land.  Though they were dispersed throughout the nations for many generations, Israel is their home, and it is the home that God gave them.  There was a sense of camaraderie from the Jews, a sense that "were in this together," and "Jews looking out for Jews."  It was a sense of community that they have as an ethnic group that spans religious lines.  Seeing the tightness and closed protection of the Jewish culture gives me a better understanding of how revolutionary it was when God spoke through Paul that: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

On the religious front, it was very interesting to visit the Western Wall on the Sabbath.  The religious Jews are working toward the rebuilding of the temple, which they believe will lead to the coming of Messiah.  Ironically, this lines up Christian dispensational end times theology, where the tribulation and the return of Jesus Christ will happen after the temple is rebuilt.  The Jews mean business.  They are starting to gather and build the temple items in anticipation of the rebuilding of the temple.  We saw one of these items in the Old City:

Pure gold Menorah, to be placed in Third Temple 

Even though Jewish culture is very fascinating, I'm still sad that they don't see that their Messiah has come.  It was through faith that Abraham was made righteous.  Those are the words in Genesis.  Jesus Christ fulfilled all of the prophecies of the Old Testament.  Even so, most Jews have either rejected God or don't see that Jesus is their Messiah.  My prayer for them is that they come to see the truth, and have faith in the one who saves.