I don't have much to say today. Except that we're having issues with Aaron's visa. And we're doing really well. My PhD programme has started and I'm loving it. Our church is brilliant, and our community is fabulous.
We're happy. We're blessed. I mean, what more can you really ask for?
I'm asking for a visa.
I know that God provides, and when I was feeling really down about the whole thing, and just wondering what was going on... then this song came on my ipod...
John Hiatt 'Have a Little Faith in Me'
When the road gets dark, and you can no longer see
Just let my love throw a spark, and have a little faith in me
And when the tears you cry, are all you can believe
Just give these loving arms a try, and have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me, have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me, have a little faith in me
And when your secret heart, cannot speak so easily
Come here darling, from a whisper start, and have a little faith in me
And when your back's against the wall, just turn around and you, you will see
I will catch you, I will catch you fallin, baby, just have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me, have a little faith in me
Have a little faith in me, have a little faith in me
Cause I've been loving you, for such a long, long time, expecting nothing in return
Just for you to have a little faith in me
You see time, time is our friend, cause for us, there is no end
And all you gotta do, is have a little faith in me
So I felt like it was a little message, just for me...reminding me of all the ways that God provided for us in the last years, getting us here, taking care of us while we're here. All of it.
So I'm going to listen, and trust, and remember how we've been part of little miracles for the last 2 years. I want to listen for what God is doing instead of trying to force my way.
So if you pray, pray, and if not, then think warm happy thoughts for us, ok?
Hugs.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sadness
I just looked at Fuller's website and saw that they're preparing to hold the memorial service for David Scholer on October 16, 2008.
I'm sad that he is gone.
I'm sad that I will miss his service.
I'm sad that subsequent generations of women in ministry will not get to meet the man who helped to definitively change their standing in the ministry community.
I'm sad for his family.
I'm sad that I didn't get to say goodbye.
He was a brilliant man, compassionate and full of grace. He lived the gospel the way it ought to be lived, with his whole heart, soul, mind and strength. He will be missed.
He is home with Jesus, and the celebration must be remarkable. How the chorus of angels and saints must say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
So much of who I am today came from the simple, brilliant faith of this man poured into the lives of students.
Thank you, David Scholer.
I'm sad that he is gone.
I'm sad that I will miss his service.
I'm sad that subsequent generations of women in ministry will not get to meet the man who helped to definitively change their standing in the ministry community.
I'm sad for his family.
I'm sad that I didn't get to say goodbye.
He was a brilliant man, compassionate and full of grace. He lived the gospel the way it ought to be lived, with his whole heart, soul, mind and strength. He will be missed.
He is home with Jesus, and the celebration must be remarkable. How the chorus of angels and saints must say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
So much of who I am today came from the simple, brilliant faith of this man poured into the lives of students.
Thank you, David Scholer.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
My July Surprise...
I had meant to write about this earlier, but things have been busy, and I've been thesifying and dissertating and in general, dealing with all sorts of other things. :)
So at the beginning of the summer, in June sometime, Aaron sent me a text that said, "Save the date 7/26/2008 at 6pm. I was obviously excited, because I love surprises.
But of course I was curious. I actively didn't pursue figuring out the surprise, mainly because Aaron had put so much work into it, but I tried to figure out what it might be. I was thinking of concerts and dancing and dinner and movies and all sorts of things that Aaron might surprise me with, but came up with a blank.
Ironically, the first thing I thought of, I dismissed as "oh, but that's the 28th. Oh well, I really wanted to go, but maybe next time they're in Dublin."
So I waited and tried really hard not to ferret out any bit of the surprise, and Aaron was really good at hiding it from me as well. Apparently all day at the beach people were about to ruin it. It really was last minute. It was excruciating to not know, but definitely exciting.
We hopped on the DART -- Ania, Ula, Laura, me, and Aaron, and arrived at Sandymount Station, running a bit late because of the beach madness. We were meeting someone -- again, a surprise, but by this point I had figured out it was Pauline, back from the States!
So as we were walking towards Donnybrook, I see a sign for "Buble Parking" and I look at Aaron and say, "But he's playing on the 28th!" And Aaron laughed and was sad that I had figured it out before arriving at Donnybrook, but was really glad that I had the dates confused in my head.
When we got to Donnybrook Stadium, it was already swarming with people. Aaron handed out the tickets and we started walking towards the front.
We walked past the bleachers. We walked towards the stage... We passed a few ushers, and by the time we got to the very front section I was grinning like an idiot. I had never been this close to a stage (other than my U2 addiction) ever before. We were ten rows from the front, in the DEAD center. I swear, we were so close I could have spit on the man from where I was. It was freaking AWESOME.
So I'm bouncing up and down like an idiot, because I really only found out about this guy Michael Buble about a year previously, working at Steamers in Sierra Madre, and fell in love with his renditions of the Standards almost immediately. And I really did believe that he wasn't playing until the 28th, so the whole thing had turned into an incredibly surprising surprise.
The opening act was a group called Naturally 7. They were ridiculously good. They had no instruments, and each of them used their voices for the various drum, bass, guitar or other instrument bits of a song. It was fascinating. They also were unapologetically Christian, talking about God in their song, "Say You Love Me." The music was incredible.
When Michael Buble came out, the crowd went wild. But I was quite glad that people didn't start standing and mobbing the stage until much later. The first hour of the concert was like a lovely show in the Hollywood Bowl that I remembered from my childhood -- stars, seats, people acting classy. The funny thing, however, is that there were women about 20 years older than me throwing themselves at him.
Buble has a snarky sense of humor, and is really a bit of a slimeball, but it was still a really entertaining show. His intermediary commentary was every bit as fun as the big band brass section. His own compositions are actually quite good -- a rarity for one who mostly performs standards. The lights were fantastic, and the music captivating.
I think the whole experience was just delightful. I know that the rest of our group enjoyed it, but it was a magical evening for me. God also was kind and we had spectacular weather. Clear skies and a lovely warm evening with a refreshing breeze. I felt so loved.
So yay for Michael Buble! I think Aaron's posted some photos on flickr, and as soon as I figure out how to download the video from my phone, I'll upload that to my youtube account for those of you who introduced Buble into my life. :)
So at the beginning of the summer, in June sometime, Aaron sent me a text that said, "Save the date 7/26/2008 at 6pm. I was obviously excited, because I love surprises.
But of course I was curious. I actively didn't pursue figuring out the surprise, mainly because Aaron had put so much work into it, but I tried to figure out what it might be. I was thinking of concerts and dancing and dinner and movies and all sorts of things that Aaron might surprise me with, but came up with a blank.
Ironically, the first thing I thought of, I dismissed as "oh, but that's the 28th. Oh well, I really wanted to go, but maybe next time they're in Dublin."
So I waited and tried really hard not to ferret out any bit of the surprise, and Aaron was really good at hiding it from me as well. Apparently all day at the beach people were about to ruin it. It really was last minute. It was excruciating to not know, but definitely exciting.
We hopped on the DART -- Ania, Ula, Laura, me, and Aaron, and arrived at Sandymount Station, running a bit late because of the beach madness. We were meeting someone -- again, a surprise, but by this point I had figured out it was Pauline, back from the States!
So as we were walking towards Donnybrook, I see a sign for "Buble Parking" and I look at Aaron and say, "But he's playing on the 28th!" And Aaron laughed and was sad that I had figured it out before arriving at Donnybrook, but was really glad that I had the dates confused in my head.
When we got to Donnybrook Stadium, it was already swarming with people. Aaron handed out the tickets and we started walking towards the front.
We walked past the bleachers. We walked towards the stage... We passed a few ushers, and by the time we got to the very front section I was grinning like an idiot. I had never been this close to a stage (other than my U2 addiction) ever before. We were ten rows from the front, in the DEAD center. I swear, we were so close I could have spit on the man from where I was. It was freaking AWESOME.
So I'm bouncing up and down like an idiot, because I really only found out about this guy Michael Buble about a year previously, working at Steamers in Sierra Madre, and fell in love with his renditions of the Standards almost immediately. And I really did believe that he wasn't playing until the 28th, so the whole thing had turned into an incredibly surprising surprise.
The opening act was a group called Naturally 7. They were ridiculously good. They had no instruments, and each of them used their voices for the various drum, bass, guitar or other instrument bits of a song. It was fascinating. They also were unapologetically Christian, talking about God in their song, "Say You Love Me." The music was incredible.
When Michael Buble came out, the crowd went wild. But I was quite glad that people didn't start standing and mobbing the stage until much later. The first hour of the concert was like a lovely show in the Hollywood Bowl that I remembered from my childhood -- stars, seats, people acting classy. The funny thing, however, is that there were women about 20 years older than me throwing themselves at him.
Buble has a snarky sense of humor, and is really a bit of a slimeball, but it was still a really entertaining show. His intermediary commentary was every bit as fun as the big band brass section. His own compositions are actually quite good -- a rarity for one who mostly performs standards. The lights were fantastic, and the music captivating.
I think the whole experience was just delightful. I know that the rest of our group enjoyed it, but it was a magical evening for me. God also was kind and we had spectacular weather. Clear skies and a lovely warm evening with a refreshing breeze. I felt so loved.
So yay for Michael Buble! I think Aaron's posted some photos on flickr, and as soon as I figure out how to download the video from my phone, I'll upload that to my youtube account for those of you who introduced Buble into my life. :)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Homesick
Hi friends and family,
This is a strange week. It's been lovely in Dublin, albeit a bit cool and somewhat damp. But since Aaron & I love this kind of weather, we're grand. I'm finding more and more that Dublin suits me right down to the ground. Someone asked me today what I loved about the city, and I just went on and on and on. It's a wonderful place.
Our involvement in church is simply lovely. It's really a large family. I'm enjoying the work that I'm doing there; Aaron is getting involved, and we feel loved, accepted and cherished. It's still a relatively new phenomenon.
I only felt that way with the church at Family Camp. Which is happening as I write this from damp Dublin. It's the first in 20 years that I haven't at least shown my face, and the first year with Aaron that we haven't gone as a couple. I spent years fighting for church and koinonia and the only place I found it -- until now -- was Family Camp. So it was the last safe place for me...
Until Dublin Vineyard.
Now don't get me wrong, Bel Air does its best, but with 3000 people, there's only so much intimacy to be had on the larger scale. The small groups were a try, but we never were able to feel like we had much in common with people other than Jesus. We LOVE our small group back in L.A. I just want that said. It's more of a question of "fit" and silly things like common careers, interests, hobbies. We had more of those with people outside the state.
So our "safe" place -- well, mine particularly -- is Family Camp.
And I'm not there. I'm grieving a bit about it actually. My heart really, really hurts. I'm not sitting around the campfire with Bill, Herschel, and Mike. I'm not listening to Bill Crawford. I'm not laying on the grassy slope underneath my favorite tree in the world. I'm not fighting to find a spare bar of signal. I'm not eating meals with different friends every day. I'm not taking my girls out to mani-pedis, and I'm not basking in God's amazing gifts of Mission Springs.
And I'm not having my ritual "end" to the year. Every day that was difficult, and every day that frustrated and made me doubt God... I would look forward to Family Camp, even if subconsciously, and just remember that it was there, it was coming, and I would be there. So this week, when I normally re-charge, relax, and re-evaluate the year, I am writing a dissertation critically evaluating US Evangelicals half a world away.
It's really hard.
I've been getting updates from my Mom, which is awesome. I even gave her a tutorial on Islam and Muslim-Christian relationships that shows that I really HAVE learned so much this year and really benefited from my experience here. I am wired by God to do these things. And it still really hurts. I would love to share with my family what I'm learning and how God is changing me and my marriage and my family and my life here.
I'm learning that God has other things to teach me about community and church family. Family Camp was a brilliant preparation, but there is something else for me. And I'm learning what that is. And I'll probably have a ridiculously good cry tomorrow night, realizing that the Communion Service is happening without me, that my girls are growing up, that my family is changing, and that I'm changing.
I think that is the scariest bit. That I'm changing and maybe someday God will teach me that I need God more than I need Bel Air Family Camp, however painful and sad that is.
Oh well, I'm being a bit melodramatic, but I'm sad, and missing my old home.
We'll be in Vancouver Aug 25-29 with Alyse and Mike, Williams Aug 29-Sept 1 with the Thompsons, Los Angeles Sept 1-10, St. Louis Sept 10-13(Katie, 15 for Aaron), and then Boston till Sept 17. We're hoping to see everyone, and enjoy being "home."
Because as I often say, and truly believe,
Home is not where you hang your hat, it's where you hide your heart.
This is a strange week. It's been lovely in Dublin, albeit a bit cool and somewhat damp. But since Aaron & I love this kind of weather, we're grand. I'm finding more and more that Dublin suits me right down to the ground. Someone asked me today what I loved about the city, and I just went on and on and on. It's a wonderful place.
Our involvement in church is simply lovely. It's really a large family. I'm enjoying the work that I'm doing there; Aaron is getting involved, and we feel loved, accepted and cherished. It's still a relatively new phenomenon.
I only felt that way with the church at Family Camp. Which is happening as I write this from damp Dublin. It's the first in 20 years that I haven't at least shown my face, and the first year with Aaron that we haven't gone as a couple. I spent years fighting for church and koinonia and the only place I found it -- until now -- was Family Camp. So it was the last safe place for me...
Until Dublin Vineyard.
Now don't get me wrong, Bel Air does its best, but with 3000 people, there's only so much intimacy to be had on the larger scale. The small groups were a try, but we never were able to feel like we had much in common with people other than Jesus. We LOVE our small group back in L.A. I just want that said. It's more of a question of "fit" and silly things like common careers, interests, hobbies. We had more of those with people outside the state.
So our "safe" place -- well, mine particularly -- is Family Camp.
And I'm not there. I'm grieving a bit about it actually. My heart really, really hurts. I'm not sitting around the campfire with Bill, Herschel, and Mike. I'm not listening to Bill Crawford. I'm not laying on the grassy slope underneath my favorite tree in the world. I'm not fighting to find a spare bar of signal. I'm not eating meals with different friends every day. I'm not taking my girls out to mani-pedis, and I'm not basking in God's amazing gifts of Mission Springs.
And I'm not having my ritual "end" to the year. Every day that was difficult, and every day that frustrated and made me doubt God... I would look forward to Family Camp, even if subconsciously, and just remember that it was there, it was coming, and I would be there. So this week, when I normally re-charge, relax, and re-evaluate the year, I am writing a dissertation critically evaluating US Evangelicals half a world away.
It's really hard.
I've been getting updates from my Mom, which is awesome. I even gave her a tutorial on Islam and Muslim-Christian relationships that shows that I really HAVE learned so much this year and really benefited from my experience here. I am wired by God to do these things. And it still really hurts. I would love to share with my family what I'm learning and how God is changing me and my marriage and my family and my life here.
I'm learning that God has other things to teach me about community and church family. Family Camp was a brilliant preparation, but there is something else for me. And I'm learning what that is. And I'll probably have a ridiculously good cry tomorrow night, realizing that the Communion Service is happening without me, that my girls are growing up, that my family is changing, and that I'm changing.
I think that is the scariest bit. That I'm changing and maybe someday God will teach me that I need God more than I need Bel Air Family Camp, however painful and sad that is.
Oh well, I'm being a bit melodramatic, but I'm sad, and missing my old home.
We'll be in Vancouver Aug 25-29 with Alyse and Mike, Williams Aug 29-Sept 1 with the Thompsons, Los Angeles Sept 1-10, St. Louis Sept 10-13(Katie, 15 for Aaron), and then Boston till Sept 17. We're hoping to see everyone, and enjoy being "home."
Because as I often say, and truly believe,
Home is not where you hang your hat, it's where you hide your heart.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Gas/Petrol
I filled up a small car with a tank of gas today and it cost 70eu. That's over $100. For a small, 2-door, manual car that gets 40mpg.
I don't know if I can ever in good conscience complain about gas prices in the US ever again.
We're planning on coming home at the end of August. We'll be in Vancouver from the 25 Aug to the 29. We'll be in Williams from the 29 Aug to 1 Sept, and then in L.A. through the 10 or 11 of Sept. Then we fly off to St. Louis, then Boston.
Hope to see many of you while we're home!
I've been busy pluggin away at research for the dissertation. It's based on this document:
http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com and is looking at the ecumenical ramifications of the document.
Should be interesting.
And we've been dog-sitting Maggie May, a lovely puppy in Killiney belonging to our dear friend Christine while she's in sunny SoCal. We just swapped homes for a bit :)
Weather's been lovely, people are fantastic, and we're still waiting to hear on funding for school and work visas.
Hugs and love to you all!
I don't know if I can ever in good conscience complain about gas prices in the US ever again.
We're planning on coming home at the end of August. We'll be in Vancouver from the 25 Aug to the 29. We'll be in Williams from the 29 Aug to 1 Sept, and then in L.A. through the 10 or 11 of Sept. Then we fly off to St. Louis, then Boston.
Hope to see many of you while we're home!
I've been busy pluggin away at research for the dissertation. It's based on this document:
http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com and is looking at the ecumenical ramifications of the document.
Should be interesting.
And we've been dog-sitting Maggie May, a lovely puppy in Killiney belonging to our dear friend Christine while she's in sunny SoCal. We just swapped homes for a bit :)
Weather's been lovely, people are fantastic, and we're still waiting to hear on funding for school and work visas.
Hugs and love to you all!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Two Interesting Websites
The Evangelical Manifesto
I haven't signed this yet, but it's definitely some amazing theological food for thought. There are a few things that I'll have to grapple with before signing, but I really think anyone who calls themselves Evangelical ought to read this.
The authors are an incredible team of theologians and scholars who put a great deal of effort into this document (they've been working on this for over a year) in order to place Evangelicalism into its appropriate context. I give them many kudos.
College Ministry Resource: Collective Muse
This is a college/young adult ministry website that is a fantastic resource for any working with the ages of 18-25 (ish). It was started by Rhett Smith, former college director at Bel Air Presbyterian Church, and is a great way to start networking and connecting with people and resources.
Blessings.
I haven't signed this yet, but it's definitely some amazing theological food for thought. There are a few things that I'll have to grapple with before signing, but I really think anyone who calls themselves Evangelical ought to read this.
The authors are an incredible team of theologians and scholars who put a great deal of effort into this document (they've been working on this for over a year) in order to place Evangelicalism into its appropriate context. I give them many kudos.
College Ministry Resource: Collective Muse
This is a college/young adult ministry website that is a fantastic resource for any working with the ages of 18-25 (ish). It was started by Rhett Smith, former college director at Bel Air Presbyterian Church, and is a great way to start networking and connecting with people and resources.
Blessings.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Final Jerusalem Installment.
Sunday: Masada and the Dead Sea
Sunday morning, Lizzi needed to begin classes again, so we were left on our own to tour around. We had already decided that we wanted to see Masada, because it was the only site close enough to drive to for a day trip. So off we went, hoping to find a beautiful drive and a restful day ahead. We were both recovering from our cold, and felt mellow, but better than we had. The sun was out, and it was a beautiful day. We tried to go to the Garden Tomb, got lost, and then realized that it was a Sunday and that the Garden Tomb is closed on Sunday. Oh well. Off to the Dead Sea, then!
As we left Jerusalem for the Dead Sea and Masada, the GPS decided to take us to a restaurant in Tel Aviv called Masada. So after about an hour of driving in circles and confusing the heck out of the GPS machinery, we wound up on the road towards the Dead Sea.
The drive was gorgeous, I don't even have words for it. In the same way that I never knew how many shades of grey there really were until I lived in Dublin, I never knew how many shades of tan there were until we started driving through the desert. The mountains reflected a myriad of different shades. As we were driving, we passed through military checkpoints, at which we were simply waved through. The machine guns were still rather disturbing, though.
After an hour or so, we were driving along the coast of the Dead Sea. It lies in a valley, with I think what would be known as semi-arid desert steppes ( :) ?) lining either side. The mountains climb upwards into plateaus, and the contrast between the bright turquoise of the sea with the browns and tans of the hillsides was just lovely.
We arrived at Masada and simply stared upwards. Be sure to look at our photos to see the height of this mountain. It's ridiculous. I mean, it juts into the sky like a monster. I have no idea how the Romans had the patience to build a ramp to it.
But this place is the only place we visited where I felt it was just for the Israelites. Historically, Herod built a palace there, Byzantines built a church there, and technically it was part of the Muslim territory, but the true story that has given the place its notoriety is the story of the survivors.
After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, a number of Jewish citizens came to Masada to defend themselves against the Romans. In 72ad, the Romans marched on Masada. They built a ramp and began to destroy the fortifications. Rather than surrender, the Jews killed their families, then committed suicide, so that the Romans would not have victory. Upon overtaking the walls, the Romans came in to find only a couple survivors who had escaped the suicide by hiding. You can read more detail here.
The startling fact of this bizarre self-sacrifice to maintain Jewish identity was explained by our impromptu tour guide. Upon taking a gondola up to the top of this ridiculously high plateau,
we managed to jump on a tour of Texans. The tour guide explained that current Jewish identity is forced to live between Masada and the Holocaust. It's an astonishing thought. I still haven't quite figured out what it means.
We wandered around, visiting Herod's hanging palace, where we saw spectacular views.
I couldn't help thinking about the power of identity and how the fear of extermination can cause strange actions.
The ruins were spectacular, showing an ingenuity that was remarkable. The storehouses could have rivaled Costco for their size and organization. It's just daunting to think that slaves had to carry these supplies up the hill! Again, the colors, the clouds were astonishing. We began heading down the hill towards the museum in the late afternoon, having been amazed by all that we had seen. It was lovely in that it wasn't built over with shrines, but it was also quite depressing, almost haunted.
We headed off to Ein Gedi, where we walked down and I walked in the Dead Sea! It was just a hoot.
Everything was covered with salt, even the rocks, and people were just having a blast floating around. One of the neat things about the Dead Sea is that the salinity is so strong that people can float really easily. We kept seeing people bobbing up and down.
It was beautiful and really warm!
I think I was just excited to be a little nerdy and enjoy the area. I didn't get to see the Qumran settlement, because the opening hours were a little strange, but I thought happy, nerdy
thoughts about it. The drive home was absolutely gorgeous, and we saw the most exquisite sunset. Make sure to check flickr for the rest of the photos.
We arrived back into Jerusalem in time for an AMAZING dinner with Lizzi at this delicious dinner. While we were craving a cheeseburger (no mixing meat and dairy when eating kosher!) the meal was fantastic. Aaron had a delicious pasta, I had an amazing torte, and we all shared some fantastic chocolates for desert. They had a mint lemonade that was absolutely exquisite, and I really miss the super-fresh and incredibly healthy feeling of eating all those kosher meals. I left dinner full without feeling gorged, and just grateful for another 3 hours of conversation with Lizzi. We stayed the night at Deborah's, quite grateful for the amazing hospitality. Her bed was comfortable and we slept fantastically well.
Monday: Gardens and Planes
Monday morning Lizzi had class again. We met for coffee quickly before heading off to see the last few sites that we wanted to see before leaving Israel. These included the Garden Tomb and the Garden of Gethsemane.
We arrived at the Garden Tomb early on, just as it was opening. Thank goodness it was open this time! The light was just growing, and it illuminated the garden in a remarkable way. The light filtered through the foliage, and the place really seemed to be "thin" spiritually. This meaning that it felt like God was smiling in a special way in this place, that the line between the natural and supernatural was particularly thin here. I couldn't help but begin singing that old hymn... "I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses..." We began walking around the garden, coming to the place of the skull, also known as Golgotha.
Now. Here is the fantastic story of this place.
The Garden Tomb is right near the Damascus Gate and is believed to be the site of the tomb of Joseph of Arimithea, meaning that it was the tomb where Jesus was buried and not found.
About 150 years ago, this site was discovered, and ever since, it has been believed to be the actual location of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Skull Hill has been known as such for thousands of years. It's truly remarkable to walk towards the hillside, where it would have been a public execution site, just outside the city gates (as the NT claims) known as Golgotha. Here is a picture of just how spooky this place is.
There is really a skull in the rock! Not manufactured, just there. As you walk through the garden, you learn that the archaeologist who found this place thought that there would have to be a few other indicators in order to be the actual location, including evidence that this was a wealthy man's garden, and a tomb carved from solid rock. Both of these existed. There was a large winepress, evidence of the owner's wealth, as well as a large cistern for water. They later found the tomb, preserved by a minor rockslide which covered the opening. Here is the ridiculously spooky fact of the tomb. There were no bones, and there was a peculiar, uneven, seemingly rushed hole carved in one section of the tomb, as if they had to make it bigger for whomever it was needed for.
Okay, so this really wealthy guy wants to build a tomb, carve it out of solid rock for himself, maybe his family. And he builds it the wrong size? Sounds kinda wrong to me. Further, the descriptions of the NT have other qualifiers that are all fulfilled by this place.
I think for me the clincher was the Jesus Graffiti in the tomb. A 4th century cross was painted on the inside. Obviously some early Christians thought this place was important. If you want to learn more, check the Garden Tomb Website. I was blown away by this place, and really felt the Spirit in a special way.
Finally, we went to the Garden of Gethsemane, but were not allowed inside because of the peculiar lunch break hours. We met a Franciscan brother from Orange County, though! We drove to the top of the Mount of Olives and really just enjoyed driving around. It was a beautiful day and our drive back to Tel Aviv was lovely.
We were sad to leave Israel and our friends, but glad to be getting away from the overly touristy vibe of many of the places.
Our flight home had all the potential of being miserable. We were stuck in a FULL flight, in a back seat, with broken video screens. Being British Airways, there was still that extra 6 inches, and the food was great, but God is even better than British Airways. I was randomly selected to fill out a survey regarding the quality of our flight. When the head steward arrived, he asked me to fill it out, and I replied, "I'd be very glad to, but you may not want me to, because our screens aren't working and I don't think that any of us are looking forward to 5 hours without any entertainment. But your staff have been incredible and really helpful!" He promptly ushered us into Business Class.
Business Class was ridiculous. They were beds for seats, with pillows and blankets and movies and just really delightful seating. It was incredible. It was the first time I can ever remember that we got off the plane feeling more rested than we had when we got on the plane. Way to go British Airways!
We had a brief delay in London, waiting for our flight to Dublin, but when we got home, we were glad to be there. An amazing, wonderful trip, but it's always good to be home.
Sunday morning, Lizzi needed to begin classes again, so we were left on our own to tour around. We had already decided that we wanted to see Masada, because it was the only site close enough to drive to for a day trip. So off we went, hoping to find a beautiful drive and a restful day ahead. We were both recovering from our cold, and felt mellow, but better than we had. The sun was out, and it was a beautiful day. We tried to go to the Garden Tomb, got lost, and then realized that it was a Sunday and that the Garden Tomb is closed on Sunday. Oh well. Off to the Dead Sea, then!
As we left Jerusalem for the Dead Sea and Masada, the GPS decided to take us to a restaurant in Tel Aviv called Masada. So after about an hour of driving in circles and confusing the heck out of the GPS machinery, we wound up on the road towards the Dead Sea.
The drive was gorgeous, I don't even have words for it. In the same way that I never knew how many shades of grey there really were until I lived in Dublin, I never knew how many shades of tan there were until we started driving through the desert. The mountains reflected a myriad of different shades. As we were driving, we passed through military checkpoints, at which we were simply waved through. The machine guns were still rather disturbing, though.
After an hour or so, we were driving along the coast of the Dead Sea. It lies in a valley, with I think what would be known as semi-arid desert steppes ( :) ?) lining either side. The mountains climb upwards into plateaus, and the contrast between the bright turquoise of the sea with the browns and tans of the hillsides was just lovely.
We arrived at Masada and simply stared upwards. Be sure to look at our photos to see the height of this mountain. It's ridiculous. I mean, it juts into the sky like a monster. I have no idea how the Romans had the patience to build a ramp to it.
But this place is the only place we visited where I felt it was just for the Israelites. Historically, Herod built a palace there, Byzantines built a church there, and technically it was part of the Muslim territory, but the true story that has given the place its notoriety is the story of the survivors.
After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, a number of Jewish citizens came to Masada to defend themselves against the Romans. In 72ad, the Romans marched on Masada. They built a ramp and began to destroy the fortifications. Rather than surrender, the Jews killed their families, then committed suicide, so that the Romans would not have victory. Upon overtaking the walls, the Romans came in to find only a couple survivors who had escaped the suicide by hiding. You can read more detail here.
The startling fact of this bizarre self-sacrifice to maintain Jewish identity was explained by our impromptu tour guide. Upon taking a gondola up to the top of this ridiculously high plateau,
we managed to jump on a tour of Texans. The tour guide explained that current Jewish identity is forced to live between Masada and the Holocaust. It's an astonishing thought. I still haven't quite figured out what it means.
We wandered around, visiting Herod's hanging palace, where we saw spectacular views.
I couldn't help thinking about the power of identity and how the fear of extermination can cause strange actions.
The ruins were spectacular, showing an ingenuity that was remarkable. The storehouses could have rivaled Costco for their size and organization. It's just daunting to think that slaves had to carry these supplies up the hill! Again, the colors, the clouds were astonishing. We began heading down the hill towards the museum in the late afternoon, having been amazed by all that we had seen. It was lovely in that it wasn't built over with shrines, but it was also quite depressing, almost haunted.
We headed off to Ein Gedi, where we walked down and I walked in the Dead Sea! It was just a hoot.
Everything was covered with salt, even the rocks, and people were just having a blast floating around. One of the neat things about the Dead Sea is that the salinity is so strong that people can float really easily. We kept seeing people bobbing up and down.
It was beautiful and really warm!
I think I was just excited to be a little nerdy and enjoy the area. I didn't get to see the Qumran settlement, because the opening hours were a little strange, but I thought happy, nerdy
thoughts about it. The drive home was absolutely gorgeous, and we saw the most exquisite sunset. Make sure to check flickr for the rest of the photos.We arrived back into Jerusalem in time for an AMAZING dinner with Lizzi at this delicious dinner. While we were craving a cheeseburger (no mixing meat and dairy when eating kosher!) the meal was fantastic. Aaron had a delicious pasta, I had an amazing torte, and we all shared some fantastic chocolates for desert. They had a mint lemonade that was absolutely exquisite, and I really miss the super-fresh and incredibly healthy feeling of eating all those kosher meals. I left dinner full without feeling gorged, and just grateful for another 3 hours of conversation with Lizzi. We stayed the night at Deborah's, quite grateful for the amazing hospitality. Her bed was comfortable and we slept fantastically well.
Monday: Gardens and Planes
Monday morning Lizzi had class again. We met for coffee quickly before heading off to see the last few sites that we wanted to see before leaving Israel. These included the Garden Tomb and the Garden of Gethsemane.
We arrived at the Garden Tomb early on, just as it was opening. Thank goodness it was open this time! The light was just growing, and it illuminated the garden in a remarkable way. The light filtered through the foliage, and the place really seemed to be "thin" spiritually. This meaning that it felt like God was smiling in a special way in this place, that the line between the natural and supernatural was particularly thin here. I couldn't help but begin singing that old hymn... "I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses..." We began walking around the garden, coming to the place of the skull, also known as Golgotha.
Now. Here is the fantastic story of this place.
The Garden Tomb is right near the Damascus Gate and is believed to be the site of the tomb of Joseph of Arimithea, meaning that it was the tomb where Jesus was buried and not found.About 150 years ago, this site was discovered, and ever since, it has been believed to be the actual location of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Skull Hill has been known as such for thousands of years. It's truly remarkable to walk towards the hillside, where it would have been a public execution site, just outside the city gates (as the NT claims) known as Golgotha. Here is a picture of just how spooky this place is.
There is really a skull in the rock! Not manufactured, just there. As you walk through the garden, you learn that the archaeologist who found this place thought that there would have to be a few other indicators in order to be the actual location, including evidence that this was a wealthy man's garden, and a tomb carved from solid rock. Both of these existed. There was a large winepress, evidence of the owner's wealth, as well as a large cistern for water. They later found the tomb, preserved by a minor rockslide which covered the opening. Here is the ridiculously spooky fact of the tomb. There were no bones, and there was a peculiar, uneven, seemingly rushed hole carved in one section of the tomb, as if they had to make it bigger for whomever it was needed for.
Okay, so this really wealthy guy wants to build a tomb, carve it out of solid rock for himself, maybe his family. And he builds it the wrong size? Sounds kinda wrong to me. Further, the descriptions of the NT have other qualifiers that are all fulfilled by this place.I think for me the clincher was the Jesus Graffiti in the tomb. A 4th century cross was painted on the inside. Obviously some early Christians thought this place was important. If you want to learn more, check the Garden Tomb Website. I was blown away by this place, and really felt the Spirit in a special way.
Finally, we went to the Garden of Gethsemane, but were not allowed inside because of the peculiar lunch break hours. We met a Franciscan brother from Orange County, though! We drove to the top of the Mount of Olives and really just enjoyed driving around. It was a beautiful day and our drive back to Tel Aviv was lovely.
We were sad to leave Israel and our friends, but glad to be getting away from the overly touristy vibe of many of the places.
Our flight home had all the potential of being miserable. We were stuck in a FULL flight, in a back seat, with broken video screens. Being British Airways, there was still that extra 6 inches, and the food was great, but God is even better than British Airways. I was randomly selected to fill out a survey regarding the quality of our flight. When the head steward arrived, he asked me to fill it out, and I replied, "I'd be very glad to, but you may not want me to, because our screens aren't working and I don't think that any of us are looking forward to 5 hours without any entertainment. But your staff have been incredible and really helpful!" He promptly ushered us into Business Class.
Business Class was ridiculous. They were beds for seats, with pillows and blankets and movies and just really delightful seating. It was incredible. It was the first time I can ever remember that we got off the plane feeling more rested than we had when we got on the plane. Way to go British Airways!
We had a brief delay in London, waiting for our flight to Dublin, but when we got home, we were glad to be there. An amazing, wonderful trip, but it's always good to be home.
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