Morning Thoughts

It’s the weekend and I hope you get some time to relax and some time for praise and worship of our Lord. Do you ever enter into a time of worship (especially at church) more as a tradition rather than a time to be cherished where fellow believers come together to magnify the name of Jesus? That sure happens to me. I have to get my heart and mind right before service begins to be in the right place for edification.  Tradition can lure us into Taking things for granted or we can look at it as a rich heritage. I think we as humans thrive on routine and love our traditions. The most historical and traditional site we saw in Israel was in the holy city itself—The Temple Mount—the most photographed place in the Holy Land. I think it can be almost ignored because there has been so many things there. (Right now, on the top of Mt Moriah is a huge, golden domed mosque built more than 1,330 years ago). But if we peel back the layers of time as archeologists have done, we can catch a glimpse o...

Happy Thursday! I have been looking at all the pictures of the flooding the the four-states the last few days and it is crazy and awful. It’s hard to believe that there could be so very much water. And it seems to be everywhere—ponds, rivers, lakes are all over their banks. It’s a mess—the exact opposite of the desert. Please pray for families and communities that have lost so very much.  When we were in the Jordan Valley, the land was green and lush but as we approached the Dead Sea, just south of Jericho, it was really different. It’s desolate in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah—where God destroyed all the plant life.   “Then GOD rained brimstone and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah—a river of lava from GOD out of the sky!—and destroyed these cities and the entire plain and everyone who lived in the cities and everything that grew from the ground.” Genesis‬ ‭19:24-25‬ ‭MSG‬‬ The Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, doesn’t support any life. It’s 1,300 feet below sea level. Wat...

Happy Wednesday. How is your week so far? Good? Or have disappointments come your way? Has someone broken a promise? Has life seemed precarious and unsure? But, that’s life, isn’t it? Sometimes that mess just comes.  I saw a post yesterday that said “Life is full of great times and awful times and those are held together by the ordinary and boring times. Enjoy the great, hang on through the bad and recharge during the ordinary.” At the turn of the 20th century, Biblical archeologists and historians despaired that any early manuscripts of scripture would ever be found. There was no way to know for sure that the scripture hadn’t been diluted or altered in some way but they were resigned to the fact that it was the word of God.  Then came the great time! In 1947 a group of bedouins found an old clay pot in a cave at Qumran. Inside the pot were papyrus scrolls, so they knew they were really old. They took a piece to an antiquities dealer and he realized this was scripture. The Dea...

Happy Tuesday to you. I hope your week is going well. I worked a long day yesterday and I must have been super tired because I overslept this morning. I was almost as tired as I was when I walked out of Petra, “the city half as old as time.” To enter the city, you walk in from the east down the “siq” which trails through the deep rock crevis for more than a mile. At times is only about 3 ft wide and a little over 300 ft high.  The path is winds along and you can’t see far ahead or behind, and because you are in this small place where the walls are really high, it can be pretty intimidating. But all of a sudden, rounding the last corner, you see it. The Rose City. It’s buildings are actually carved right into the rock, a pinkish rock. The first building you see takes your breath away. This massive treasury building is 151 feet tall! And it is absolutely beautiful to the point you just want to stare. (And I did for quite some time).  The city was built somewhere around the 5th C...

Happy Monday. It’s been a rainy weekend and lots of flooding in our part of the country. Lots of homes and property has been damaged severely and the creeks and lakes are over flowing. The lake is so full, the boat ramps are under water and there is so much debris from the rivers, no one could be on it anyway. It’s a mess but please pray for those who have been hit hard through all these storms.  When the Israelites sanded in the wilderness, they had the exact opposite problem. The desert in Isrrael/Jordan is bleak. It’s just dirt/sand and occasionally you see this little sprig of grass. When we were there, we had temperatures over 100 degrees and I thought about them and how oppressive that must have been during the summer months. It was a nasty place with very little there. They had to depend on God for their food; the desert certainly didn’t give it up.  After listening the complainers (of which I would have been the chief) and all the mess he went through for 40 years, it ...

Happy Friday! I hope you’re ready for a great day and ready to show the love of the Lord to someone new today. Yesterday when I was sitting by the pool, I was amazed at how clean and clear the water was (especially since I’ve been gone). But it was crystal! I couldn’t help but think about how drastically different that water looked compared with that the muddy Jordan.  It runs on a down ward path, roughly north to south starting with the snows on the top of Mt Hermon down through the Sea of Galilee and on to the Dead Sea where the only outlet is evaporation. The Jordan River Valley is a fertile, rich valley that grows bananas, avocados, corn, olives, just all sorts of vegetables and fruits.  The Jordan River holds such significance for believers—the healing of Naaman, Joshua crossing the Jordan into the promised land, to the baptism of Jesus. The Jordan is symbolic of change in the Bible.  Joshua leading the Israelites from the desert into the promised land.  “tell t...

Happy Thursday. It is supposed to be a beautiful day here in Southwest Missouri and one I’m sure we will fill up full! We have had lots of discussions on “what we should do next” because there are as many ideas are there are kids. Everyone has their own priorities as to how the day should go. When Jesus was in Capernaum, He healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and lots of sick people. To the point He had a teacher of the law approach Him and say “I’ll follow you anywhere” until he heard Jesus had no home and another wanted to first complete the year of burial for a loved one. Lots of people wanted to follow Jesus but they had other things they wanted more that got in their way.  Afterwards, Jesus and the disciples got on a boat to cross the sea and He went to sleep. The storm arose and the disciples were scared silly. Jesus rebuked then for being afraid when He was with them and the He calmed the storm.  The boat landed in Gentile territory around the Kursi Valley. It was here that J...

Happy Wednesday! I’m still in Branson with the kids and I’m starting to wear out! After two days of going strong, I’m starting to struggle. Having fun is hard work! Fun like I’m sure Jesus had when He was growing up in the sleepy little town of Nazerath. ““Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.” John‬ ‭1:46‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Nazerath is no longer a quite place, but it is a busy, happening place. With a population of 2/3 Muslim, the feel here is different than in other Israeli towns. There are churches at all sorts of locations, including the place where they think Joseph’s carpentry shop may have been.  Nazerath sits on top of a ridge, overlooking the beautiful Jezereel Valley and the battlefields of history. He grew up off the beaten path of the trade routes but at a place He could see it all. He could see where Gideon fought the Mideonites at the base of Mt Gilboa and Mt Tabor where Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera and the top of Mt Gi...

It Tuesday and I’m in Branson with my grandkids and Georgia and we’re having a big time. Yesterday, we were out on the lake in paddle boats and watching folks fishing. They weren’t fishing with nets like the disciples did, though. They had fancy boats and new equipment, but even with all that, I didn’t see anyone catch 153 large ones, either!  At Magdala, the city on the lake, where Mary Magnalene was from, people fished and salted their catch. In fact, it’s name means fish tower or place of salted fish. There was plenty to eat in this fertile area with the fish and all sorts of fruits and vegetables that grew in this fertile area. It was the main headquarters of Josephus, the historían. People were doing well here before the revolt.  The menorah, the symbol of the Jewish people was evidenced only in Rome until the excavation of Magnala. In 70 AD, the Romans looted the temples and took everything back to Rome. On the Arch of Titus, the spoils of Jerusalem are pictured and that...

It’s Monday friend. I hope you had a great weekend. I truly enjoyed worshipping yesterday—great sermon, beautiful music and a heart-filling spirit. We sang “Lift up your eyes, the King has arrived” and I thought of Jesus walking on the water to the Disciples. They had set out to sea and the winds and the waves became rough. They were concerned and when they saw what appeared to be a ghost, they were down right afraid. But He said “It is I!” The King had arrived.  When we were on the Mount of Arbel, we could see the entire Sea of Galilee. It’s really more of a good size lake. It’s 40 miles around it. Eighty percent of Jesus’ ministry was here, in less than a 10 mile area. Incredible.  It has been said that God scooped out the Sea of Galilee and “placed it here to be His earthly thoroughfare.” It is so evident that his area was designed uniquely for Jesus’ ministry. In this place where He spent most of His life, He had freedom to come and go, to teach and preach. He used all k...

Well, I’m not even sure what day it is after the marathon flight home (1 hour bus, 11 hours from Tel Aviv, another bus ride to LaGuardia, 3 hours to NW AR and an hour home, altogether 28 straight hours of travel). But, I certainly had the trip of a lifetime. I found my self overwhelmed and at a loss for words daily. (And That is saying something for me!)  The first day we arrived in Israel, from the airport, we drove straight to Cesárea by the sea that sits in a beautiful location right on the Mediterranean. Herod the Great built this city in honor of Caesar in 10 BC to recreate Rome and it was a progressive city with aqueducts carrying water to it from Mt Carmel. Herod built a shrine for Agustus and Pilot built a house for Tiberius here.  The major trade route from Alexandria to Rome skirted the Mediterranean because it was too dangerous to go straight across. Jerod wanted a share of those riches. Prior to Ceserea and the Romans, Joppa had been the port for Israel, but Joppa...

It’s Saturday and I’m almost back to normal today (although I’ve been up since 3:01)! Day two of my pilgrimage was at the place Jesus chose to move when He left home. Capernaum, on the east side of Sea of Galilee was where He would would call home during His time of ministry. From Capernaum if you follow the shore southward out of town, it’s about a 2 hour walk (6 miles) down to Magnala, the home of Mary Magdalene and another 4 miles on to Tiberias, all the while the Cliffs of Arbel would be to your right.    “Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah...”. Matthew‬ ‭4:13 NIV‬‬ This is a rich, fertile area (Mangos, avocados, bananas, olives) where by all indications people were well fed and happy. It was a multicultural area since it was directly on major roads connecting Egypt and Syria and Mesopotamia. About 1,500 people were living in this bustling little ...

Last night, I was putting all my thoughts together from the day. Petra was an amazing sight and an incredible feat of architecture for a nomadic people. It is even more amazing to think it’s bout 3,000 years old! When we see these ancient sights, like the tile floors that have been unearthed, we can’t quite wrap our minds around how old that really is.  What’s even more astounding it to try to wrap our minds around the fact that 3,000 years is barely a snap for our God.   ““I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I’ve always found it fascinating that in this verse, the present is the first time mentioned. Usually, people say “was, is and to come”—in chronological order. But I think our God wants us to understand even though these marvelous historical sites we visit, that He is most concerned with our present. He was before Petra, but...

June 7.  Today, we are headed to Jordan to visit Petra in the land of Ruth.  Yesterday, I stood at the top of Mt Carmel—the site where Elijah prayed for God to consume his wet sacrifice. And as I looked down that mountain, it was bigger than I’d imagined. So the thought of Elijah sitting up there waiting for the rain, and then when it came, running down that steep slope fast enough in the hard rain to outrun the chariot of Ahab, is amazing! Only God.  “And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭18:45-46‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Last night, after dark, we went for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. It was perhaps the most significant moment to date. There was just something about being on those waters and looking at the dark waves, Jesus walking on thos...

Greeting from Israel. Shaloam! I’ve had quite the day today all around the Sea of Galilee where most of Jesus earthly ministry took place. (My hotel sits right n the shore). We started the day at the Copernium temple excavation and thinking of Jesus at that temple... Next, we went to the Mountain of the Beatitudes, where tradition tells us Jesus gave His sermon on the mount. At that place, with a beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee, there is an awesome chapel, a guest house and truly magnificent gardens.  We then headed down to the shore and were able to view a 1st century wooden boat that had been buried beneath the mud of the sea. Amazing. After getting a drink, we loaded on a boat and went out on the sea. What a calm, peaceful time where Brother Rob brought a message.  For lunch, we stopped at a local roadside stand and had our choice of local cuisine. Then on to Magnala.  At Magdala (the home of Mary Magdalene), there is a First Century Synagogue where it is certain ...

Good Monday! I’m on a plane this morning to New York. This afternoon I fly out for Tel Aviv. I’ve been up since 3:00 am so I could get on the plane and I realized I forgot my Group luggage and “person” tags back in Missouri (I hope they don’t lose me!)  On the tarmac where we took off was the Patriots’ airplane with the logo and the six super bowl trophies on the tail. That part of the country is certainly proud of that team. Last night, I watched some of the Sooner women take on Alabama in the softball playoffs (and it was a great game!) We as a country love our sports and we are never at a loss to talk about them.  But our God tells us that even more than we talk about those things that interest us, like sports, we should be talking about Him, the Great I AM.  ““Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these comman...