A Daytrip: Part 1

On Monday, we took a day trip to Masada and the Dead Sea with some friends from church and a visiting YWAM team. It was about an hour drive from Jerusalem, so on the way we stopped at the "Sea Level" point where a nice bedouin was offering camel rides.  We didn't bite on the 3 minute, 20 shekel ride, but it was fun to see Sushi the Camel up close and personal.

Doesn't he look like he's smiling? I love camels.

I forgot about the magic the car seat works on our little girl since she hasn't ridden in one for months.

Masada was the location of one of Herod's palaces back before and around the time of Jesus. It is situated at the top of the huge stone mountain seen below, and there are two ways to get up: ride a cable car or hike. We wanted the authentic experience, so in nearly 90 degree desert heat, we saddled Charis up in the front pack and began the ascent on what is referred to as "The Snake Path." In the end, it was worth it; on the way, it was pretty brutal.

The beginning of our journey

While Masada is famous for being one of Herod's palaces, it is most remembered as the Jews' last stand before Romans completely took control around 70 B.C. Rome had pretty much taken everything over at that point, and about 960 of the remaining had gathered at Masada to escape Roman power. Rome set up base camps around the mountain, built a ramp up to the fortress (both of which can still be seen), and eventually came up to take the control.

The Jews, knowing of the Romans impending attack, cast lots among themselves to kill each other before the Romans arrived in a final effort to retain their dignity. No one committed suicide (until the last man), and when the Romans arrived, they had no further work to do. The account was written down by Josephus, who was told of the events by two women and five children who had escaped.

The Dead Sea is in the background with Jordan beyond that.

We were amazed that this color was original! I think we need some tips on how to make paint last from these guys.

After we looked around for a while and hiked back down, we took a quick stop at the Dead Sea for a swim. Since Zach had already been in a few years ago, he kept the baby while I took a dip and experienced the crazy floating sensation.

Not sure why I look like I'm wearing a size 15 shoe in this picture, but what fun!

Camels again...and this time a Mama and baby.

Coming soon: Part 2 (Ein Gedi and Qumran)

He Is Risen!!

What a wonderful Easter Sunday we had in Jerusalem! We got up early for the sunrise service at the Garden Tomb, and it was already packed by the time we got there around 5:45 am. It was a beautiful morning.

The line to get into the Garden Tomb around 5:45

The little one was VERY tired, but the fact that she celebrated her very first easter in Jerusalem is pretty meaningful.

Part of the garden

The tomb is empty!!

After the service, we went to an Easter brunch at our church.

And finally, an Easter photo shoot of the little princess. :)

We sang several songs at the Garden Tomb, but the one that was most meaningful to me is listed below. It has been on repeat in our house ever since. I think it sums up beautifully the joy, hope, and meaning of Easter.

Resurrection Hymn

Stuart Townend

Verse 1:

See, what a morning, gloriously bright

With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem

Folded the grave clothes, tomb filled with light

As the angels announce Christ is risen

See God's salvation plan, wrought in love,

Borne in pain, paid in sacrifice

Fulfilled in Christ, the man

For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

Verse 2:

See Mary weeping, "Where is He laid?"

As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb

Hears a voice speaking, calling her name,

It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again!

The voice that spans the years

Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us

Will sound till He appears,

For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!

Verse 3:

One with the Father, Ancient of Days

Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty

Honor and blessing, glory and praise

To the King crowned with power and authority!

And we are raised with Him,

Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;

And we shall reign with Him

For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead!

Good Friday... and A Confession

Being in Jerusalem on Good Friday has been pretty surreal, I have to admit, as we've remembered Jesus' death in the very place where it all happened. We commemorated the day by literally walking the path that Jesus walked that day (and the night before). We first stopped at the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held on the Thursday evening before His death. The room has changed quite a bit architecturally over the years, but the actual location is pretty historically accurate.

We're in the Upper Room here.  It was quite crowded, as you can imagine.

After Jesus and his disciples eat the Last Supper, the Bible says they walk to the Mount of Olives (so Jesus can pray in the Garden of Gethsemane). This obviously wasn't what they saw on that walk, but it was our view on the way. 

The garden of Gethsemane. This is probably my favorite place in the entire city of Jerusalem up to this point.  Although there are a number of tourists who are in and out everyday, there is a peace and serenity here that I love. Jesus prayed here with his (unfortunately sleeping) disciples the evening before He died.

Another view of the garden.

Donning apparel appropriate for this (unseasonably) cool April day at the Garden of Gethsemane

Okay, this has nothing to do with Good Friday, but this is one of Charis' new favorite ways to be carried through Jerusalem. :)

I promised a confession in the title of this blog post, so here it is. While I obviously love all of God's word, I have always struggled with reading the gospels more than any other books of the Bible. Yes, I know, I know... words of Jesus, parables, Sermon on the Mount, passion story, nativity story, and so on. I'm not saying that it isn't wonderful stuff or that it isn't a HUGE part of our faith, but I've personally always struggled to deeply connect with much of the content.

Much of the issue here, I'm sure, has to do with the literary critic in me. If I want to open my Bible and read a story from the gospels, I often get overwhelmed because 1) I can't remember which of the gospels has the story; 2) I realize that more than one of them contain the story, and then all of the differing accounts are confusing; 3) I can't determine which of the accounts is actually the most historically accurate, and that gets frustrating when I am trying to really study details and historical facts.

Another huge part of my struggle is that I sometimes have difficulty connecting with the humanity of Jesus specifically. While I absolutely believe that he was 100 percent God and man in every facet of His life, it feels like my daily walk with Him is based so much more on his role as God than on the 33 years He spent on the earth as a man. Not only that, but so many of my favorite Biblical characters are my favorites for that very reason -- they are incredibly human on every level! David is the prime example there. Yes, he was a man after God's own heart, but he was also a murderer, an adulterer -- a man who lived a truly "abundant" life with high high's and low low's. My life often feels like that, as well, and there is such great comfort in connecting with a biblical character who could seek God so passionately and yet mess up so often.

That, of course, is the issue with Jesus as a man. He never messed up. We could get into all sorts of roundabout theological discussions about the true nature of his humanity, but when you boil it right down, He was tempted and tried in every way that we as humans have been, and yet He was without sin. Necessary for salvation? Yes. Necessary for being 100 percent God and man? Absolutely. Encouraging on a very human level when I mess up and am hoping to follow Jesus' example? Ehh... not always.

(As an important side note, though, when I do mess up on a very human level, it is only because of Jesus that I have any hope at all. So even though I can't gain encouragement for my brokenness by looking at his perfect life, I do know my sin is completely paid for and my brokenness restored because of His life alone. I certainly don't want to forget about that truth in the midst of my ramblings!)

All of that to say, living in Jerusalem has begun to break down these walls in my heart that have (for years) been hardened toward the content of the gospels and the conundrum of Jesus' humanity because I am being afforded the privilege to literally walk where He walked. His humanity has been coming alive to me in an entirely new way over these past three months because I can experience the places, the customs, the weather, the sites that He did. It makes His humanity seem so much more tangible in my mind, and that has allowed the content of the gospels to become so fresh and meaningful.

One more thing... if you get a chance, go here and listen to the "Friday" and "Saturday" sermons. They are undoubtedly the most meaningful, informative pre-Easter messages I have ever heard, and I am eagerly anticipating listening to "Sunday." You will be blessed!

Happy Palm Sunday!

I have to admit that I am SO excited about being in Jerusalem for Holy Week this year, and the festivities began today. There is a huge procession put on by the Franciscan Friars every year that starts at the top of the Mount of Olives and works it's way down into the Old City (obviously based on Jesus' route when everyone was shouting "Hosanna!" and laying down palm branches).  There were thousands of people who walked together in the procession today from all over the world (literally). It was a pretty neat experience to have, although we had to push through the procession a bit since our little one was a quite overwhelmed by all of the noisemaking, singing, etc. And now some pictures:

Here we go!

This walk up the mountain is not for the faint of heart...we were exhausted by the time we got to the top, but thankfully it was quite easygoing on the way down. :)

Our view from the top of the Mount of Olives

The little one waving her palm branch :)

The beginning of the procession (the Franciscan Friars)

See the thousands of people in the procession? 

Jericho: A Day Trip

Now that Zach is officially on Pesach (Passover) break for the next two weeks or so, we have the opportunity to travel around the country a bit.  Today we took a day trip to Jericho, and it was quite the experience. It is only about 17 miles east of Jerusalem, but because we took buses and shared taxis, it took 3-4 hours of travel each way to get there! Ultimately, though, it was worth it.  We had a wonderful day.

This is a Russian museum (no idea why it's in Jericho), but we were just amazed at how green everything was! We have not seen grass this green since we left Oregon.

Jericho residents claim that this is THE sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed up to see Jesus.  Remember that song? "Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he..."

Spring has certainly arrived in this desert oasis town.  These were some beautiful flowers that we passed on our way to our first destination.

Just some sheep in the road. Something you see basically every day.

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This was our first real "touristy" stop.  This is a Muslim palace from the 8th century, and the remains are incredibly well-preserved.  It was extremely hot but worth the walk. By the way, you can see in the picture that Charis is staying shaded under a nice black cloth.  That was given to her by a shepherd we walked by who thought she needed something a little more than her sun hat. :)

The detail is so intricate, and it does not look like it is 1,300 years old!

This mosaic was pretty incredible... essentially every tile was still intact. I wish the picture showed it better, but the detail was pretty amazing.

A camel just chilling in a parking lot. 

This is the spring from 2 Kings 2 that Elisha purifies.  The Bible says that he gets a bowl with salt and then throws the salt into the spring.  That actions purifies the water, and it also says that the "water has remained wholesome to this day." It is still extremely clean, and after a quick drink, we can affirm that Elisha's word is true. :)

This is the spring from an indoor cavern.

Jericho is a true oasis in the desert.  It is pretty fascinating to see palm trees growing so closely to sandy desert (in the distance). 

This is not the best picture, but the tower remains there (tilt your head right) were literally built in 8,500 B.C. -- 10,500 years ago.  They are the some of the oldest ruins ever found. 

This was our view out the window as we left Jericho in our shared taxi. Let's just say we were winding around these mountains on the edge of  cliffs with a very aggressive Arab driver. I would not recommend that trip for the faint of heart (or stomach). 

Our baby girl on the trip back. Long, full day for all of us, but we really enjoyed the exploration. More to come tomorrow as we celebrate Palm Sunday in Jerusalem!