Israel and Palestine continued

Hello again everyone! I pray this finds you all well and blessed.

I am traveling on a bus with Noel Horton and about 30 others from Haifa, Israel to Jerusalem. It is my first time on a large public bus here. It is nice with good air conditioning unlike the smaller Sherut buses that only carry 10. We will take another bus fom Jerusalem to Ein Bokek on the Dead Sea. We are spending two nights there to visit and float in the sea and to visit Masada (explain later), Qumran (later) and the former site of Sodom and Gomorrah.

I continue to keep a rather rigorous pace in order to see and experience as much as possible on this perhaps once in a lifetime trip/experience. The down side to this approach is that there is not much time for reflection or blogging. Noel has managed to do pretty well with posting things on his Facebook account with his laptop, which functions way better than this IPad for that.

Our friends, the Templeton's, flew home Saturday morning and are likely recovering. It was great to travel and experience much of Israel and Palestine with them. Speaking of others, I am really missing Joanna, Jordan and Emily. We really had a good time in Europe and were together 24/7. I look forward to seeing them in less than a week. I also miss the rest of my family and friends and the NPBC family. At the same time it is hard for me to believe I have been on my sabbatical nearly 2 months - time flies at this pace. I am looking forward to slowing the pace soon.

Thanks for patience in reading my musings. Now for the part most of you are interested in the pictures!

Chapel over site of Jesus' ascension (seen in previous post).

Noel Horton, good friend who is also joining me on this adventure in Israel and Palestine.

Typical scene, lots of Israeli soldiers toting M16s, including young women soldiers.

Reputed room of the Last Supper. Many things are different than in Christ's day. This place was used by and altered by Christians, Jews and Muslims over the centuries.

Notice the lamb on the standard above the light. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin.

A picture of the whole group on the roof of the building of the Last Supper and David's Tomb (below).

An archeological excuvation in Jerusalem showing place where the old wall once ran. If my memory serves me this is from the first wall prior to destruction by the Babylonians.

Western Wall (formerly aka the Wailing Wall because Jews used to come and wail here). They no longer wail, mostly pray. Men and women have seperate places to approach and pray. This wall is one of the few remains of the Temple Mount constructed by King Herod the Great.

Many write prayers on pieces of paper and stick them in the cracks of the wall. I wrote simply this - "Come Lord Jesus".

Look close and you'll see a yamakah on our heads - required to approach the wall.

A section of stones from a stretch of road from the old city Jerusalem from the first century excavated and used for a section of the Via Del Rosa. Jesus likely walked over these very stones.

The Holy Sepulchre is the church located on the site where Jesus was crucified and also over the traditional and most reputed burial and resurrection site.

Entry to the church.

One view from inside.

This is the stone on which Jesus' body was prepared for the grave.

Marking the now stairway leading up to the spot of Jesus' crucifixion.

Part of the Golgotha rock (formerly a quarry, then site where Romans crucified criminals). According to the Gospel accounts when Jesus died there was a violent earthquake and rocks split. It is believed that this vertical split in the rock of Golgotha occurred at the moment Jesus died. There is a tradition concerning the spiritual significance that was told us. According to a tradtion, Jesus' blood flowed down and that it was over the grave of Adam and thus the Second Adam's blood flowed down and washed away the original sin of Adam. Scipture is silent on this point in regards to the actual location of Adam's grave - (likely lost after the flood in my view). Regardless, Scripture clearly teaches that Christ's atoning sacrifice has the power to remove the condemnation and power of our sin - praise God!

Another view - above the tomb.

The ornate nave over the tomb, which was a traditional cave tomb in Jesus' day. The years of church buliding, pilgrims taking pieces of the rock, Orthodox and Catholic traditions of icons, etc. have changed the appearance of this venerated place.

We were given 10 seconds within the tomb itself. Three could go in at a time. My other two photos were blurry. One of my friends took this one of me in the tomb. Some (fewer) believe the Garden Tomb (will blog on later) is the site of Jesus' burial. Presently, I think this site is more likely based on the data. God knows. Regardless, if this was the exact location of Jesus' burial and resurrection, the reality is He lives! And because He lives, we can have eternal life through Him.

A beautifully painted ceiling in a chapel within the church.

The reputed spot of the cross. Golden icons of Christ and Mary venerate the site.

Actual top of Golgotha.

I had mixed thoughts and emotions as I visited this most holy place. On one hand I appreciated being where our Savior died and rose, seeing it with my own eyes. On the other hand nearly 2,000 years of history and changes at the location, the church, icons, crowds, and rush made it a little difficult to reflect on what happened here while I was there. The good news is the Lord does not ask us to make a pilgrimage to this site or limit our access to Him to such places. For those who been saved, trusting fully in Him as Savior and Lord, born again of the Spirit, we have His promised presence with us always - amen.

Brett

 

Resting and Reflecting on a Sabbath

Hello friends! I am writing to you from the confines of the Austrian Hospice in the old walled city jof Jerusalem. The hospice is owned and run by Austrian Catholics and is one of the few places available to stay for visitors in the old city. It is located on the Via Del Rosa (the pathway Jesus walked carrying His cross from where He was condemned to Golgotha. Station III is directly outside this place. It was the first place Jesus fell carrying the cross. A couple minute walk to Station V is where Simon the Cyrene was forced to carry the cross for Jesus and where Jesus placed His hand on the wall for support - memorialized here:

I have been in Israel for less than 2 full day. I still have bit of a surreal feeling about visiting places where our Lord walked and ministered. It is very hot here now (I'm told nearly 10 degrees warmer than normal this time of year - 94 for a high today. I apologize for not blogging more, but when my family and I were traveling it was a busy pace and WiFI access was not always good. I drafted a blog on Scotland which disappeared off my IPad before I was able to post it. I learned a lesson from that - save more frequently, write less for each blog. I will likely blog more about our travels after I return and have better internet and computing access. For now enjoy a few photos of some of what I have seen hear in Israel.

Markets/people selling stuff everywhere - these are tame photos

Damascus Gate

Solomon's Caves. It is believed that the stone taken to construct the First Temple (Solomon's) was taken from this quarry which is now beneath the old walled city.

Tom, Tammy, Megan and Kyle Templeton joined me here yesterday. We took a tour of the Mt. of Olives - location of a number of events form Jesus' ministry - His entry to Jerusalem, His ascension to heaven. On the way down we visited the Garden of Gethsemane, the Pater Noster (place where He taught the disciples to prayer - Model/Lord's prayer), the place where He wept over Jerusalem. It was wonderful.

Some traditions hold that this is the spot from which Jesus ascended to heaven. Some say this rock even has footprint (Lord knows), but it does look like a footprint.

Church of Paster Noter

View from Church where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.

Graves of those who hope to have first view of the general resurrection.

Spot that tradition hold where Jesus prayed in the garden.

 

Lion's Gate

View of top of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - places of Jesus crucifixion and resurrection. I will visit soon.

Dome of the Rock - beneath is the former location of the Alter in the Temple and where Abraham offered up Isaac. I hope to go there with guide on Wednesday.

Another view from the top of the hospice.

Today, the Jewish sabbath, I find myself in need of some rest physically and mentally. Thus with time and a good Wifi connection, I write. I will likely blog more later with deeper reflections on my experience. For now, let me end by saying I am so glad that the Lord Jesus and the Father are to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth and that because of His grace, we are able to rightly know and worship Him, the Living God. We need not come to Jerusalem to be closer to Him - His Spirit abides within His people, whom He purchased with His own blood. To Him be glory forever!

Brett

 

 

Jordan and Emily's Top Picks...So far.

Here are Emily's top five from England and Scotland (we've had technical difficulties!): 

5. Edinburg castle

The guided tour, which was my favorite part, was informative and funny. Mary Queen of scots was a big part of the history here.

4. Warwick castle

This was my favorite castle, because it had interactive activities and demonstrations.

3. London Eye

It was amazing to see so far from so high!

2. Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace

I thought it was interesting that the band played ''New York, New York'' during the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

1. Riding horses in Stanton

Riding horses in the Cotswold hills was a very memorable time. It was my first time in an English saddle, but it wasn't too different from a Western saddle. It was a beautiful, scenic view of other hills and everything below. Pasta - my horse, Tiger - dad's horse and Jasper - the guide's horse, were perfect mounts. If you like relaxing while enjoying fresh air and love horses like I do, I highly recommend you do this ride!

 

Here are Jordan's top five in England and Scotland:

5. Tower Bridge:

We took a river cruise on the Thames to get to the Tower of London. Along the way, we had a few surprises, and this was one of them!

4. The Rosetta Stone:

It took us a long time to get to the British Museum, but it was worth it. We got to see one of the most famous artifacts in the world! It's amazing to think this stone unlocked the mysteries of hieroglyphics. It's a must see in London.

3. Tower of London:

I wouldn't want to be a prisoner here! Their methods of execusion were brutal, few escaped this prison castle. I didn't know this, but William Penn was a hostage here.

2. Westminster Abbey and Big Ben:

 

Few people know that " Big Ben " is not the clock tower itself, but the bell inside! We were blessed to see some of a debate taking place in the House of Lords. Westminster Abbey was the first and largest cathedral I'd ever seen.

1. Warwick Castle:

Several reasons why Warwick Castle is my favorite sight in our travels so far - The castle is huge, well preserved, but what I enjoyed most was all the demonstrations, interactive displays, drama, guided tours and the history behind the castle. God enabled mankind to create some amazing things! (that's why I like Legos so much). I think Warick Castle is a must see in Europe.

Well, we hope you enjoyed our "Top Picks"!

Us working hard on our blog :)

It's really amazing to think we actually got to see all of these places. Mom keeps asking us if we need her to pinch us to see if this is just a dream or not. We love it here, but we miss home, friends and family. We can't wait to see everyone when we get back!

POW!