Happy Halloween!!

Living so close to Salem, Massachusetts last year it was hard to miss Halloween when people were decorating their houses as if it were Christmas. This year had brought so many new learning experiences and changes living in Israel...and forgetting about Halloween is one of them. I knew the crazy holiday was coming up but it slipped my mind until a friend of mine reminded me this morning. It turns out we are having a bit of a halloween party on campus tonight which is promising pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. I'm looking forward tasting a bit of the autumn season in a cup of hot apple cider and am appreciating the relief of the newly cooler weather. It doesn't cool down much until evening, but it is much appreciated. At any rate, enjoy the candy and celebration of the fall season. We're doing our best to remember it isn't perpetually summer, but I'm sure my plans to go sit on the beach and swim with dolphins at the Red Sea is not helping such a cause. Oh well, when in Rome...

World Series Champs!!!

Well folks....although this blog has been swept with messages about Israel, the Red Sox swept the Rockies and have clinched the WORLD SERIES!!!! Too bad I couldn't be in Boston for the big celebration but what a great thing to wake up to this morning!!!!
HURRAY FOR THE RED SOX!!

Galilee 4

To start our fourth day of field study in Galilee we stopped at the ancient remains of Sepphoris. This town was the mid point between Nazareth and the outlying cities. It would not be inaccurate to assume that Jesus spent time in this city the building of it would have needed many workers. Of course this isn't in scripture but it would make sense that the Roman would have drawn on the communities in the surrounding neighborhoods to help build the city. Because they drew on people from many different areas to build the city, we can assume that Jesus would have come to understand other cultures and languages from the the people he encountered. Even if he was not part of the building of the city, it was still a major urban city and a bit of a crossroads for many on the way to the Sea of Galilee and located near Nazareth. This is interesting because it helps us understand how Jesus may have grown up and the things that may have influenced him as he ministered to people later in his life. His ministry was in an area that was extremely urban, highly international, and drew many different kinds of people. His upbringing and growth as a person most defintiely affected how He ministered to others. That is also so true of us. How we grow, develop, and change affects our relationships and care of others and Jesus would have understood this too.

Also at Sepphoris are the "mona lisa" mosaics of the day. They are called this because they are so well preserved and show us the syncritism of the culture during those days. Next, we went to Bet Alfa where we saw some similar mosaics from a synagogue and then went to the "Garden of the Three". The garden is a place that Time magazine called a top 20 of places to go out of your way to see. It was a fun park to swim in the natural spring water from the three major springs flowing through the land from Mt. Hermon. To finish the day we went to Beth-Shean/Scytopolis. Beth-Shean was an Old Testament city where Saul and his son were slain. Scytopolis is a New Testament city that has been very well preserved and had fun things to see. Here are the pics:

Mona Lisa at Sepphoris

Mona Lisa at Sepphoris

Garden of the Three

Jenna and me at the springs

Bet Alfa mosiac of the Abraham and Isaac story

Aerial view of Sctyolopis from the hill of Beth-Shean

The theater at Scytopolis

These pillars are along the main cardo (road) at Scytopolis

Galilee 3

The third day of our trip in the Galilee was centered around the Sea of Galilee (which is more of a big lake - it's fresh water) and concentrated on the ministry of Jesus. It was fun to be studying some from the New Testament since most of our time is spent working through the geography of the Old Testament. We started the day with a boat ride out on the sea and discussed the life of a fisherman. It was very hard work, quite risky, and could potentially bring in lots of money. However, so much was given to the Roman government in taxes that it became rather difficult for some. Some of the disciples were fisherman and Jesus looked for men with "fisherman" like personalities for His ministry. He needed those who were hard workers and were willing to risk aspects of their lives for the sake of the ministry.

The next stop was a trip to a Talmudic (ancient Jewish culture) village where remains of a community had been found and restored to what it would have been like in the first century. We walked through the homes of those living in the first century and got a better idea of life back then. As we talked about Jesus' ministry we learned about how as a carpenter He was much more than a wood-worker. He would have been the town specialist in working with all kinds of building materials; wood, leather, metal, etc. He would also have been called upon quite frequently. Being in the home we got a good look at the roof, telling us something more about the storie of the man who was lowered through the roof on his mat to be healed. It may have even been expected that Jesus, as a master builder, would have helped put the roof back together again. This may even suggest that He was a bit of a "tent-maker" during His ministry. One more very significant aspect of being in this community was learning about how the rooms and homes were put together. A family would live all in one small room and there would be space for the guests down below. The only other room in the house was for the animals at night, which provided heat for the whole house in the cold months. The interesting thing is, when a man would go and get married and start his family, another room would be added onto his father's house until their family expanded and a house other house could be attached. A series of houses combined together would be for a large family that continued to grow and expand until they needed to break off because of size. This is important when talking about how Jesus says that there is a room prepared for us in His father's house. Jesus is not implying that God has a big mansion for us in heaven, but He is saying that there is a very important space for us in the family. We have a room attached to the core of the family, we are a part of the family, and are taken care of in such a way.

Next, we went to Capernaum and taked about the nature of this international place that people were coming in a out of. It was the last stop before going into new territory calling for a Roman garrison to be on the border patrol. Also, tons of industrial manufacturing would have been happening there as a town right on the water. There were lots of fisherman in and out of this city. We then went over to the Mt. of Beatitudes and hiked down toward the sea. To finish the day we hiked down the cliffs of Arbel which had caves that were used for rebels during the time of Herod. From this viewpoint you could see to Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, and Mary Magdelene's town of Migdal. It was a great hike and a great day! The Pics:

Me, Jenna, and Natalie on the boat

Me and Danielle

Inside the home at the Talmudic Village

The roof inside the home

The synagogue at the Talmudic Village

Gates into Capernaum

The synagogue at Capernaum

Hiking down the Mt. of Beatitudes

Cliffs of Arbel

Climbing down the rock face...so fun!

Cliffs at Sunset

Galilee 2

Our first stop on the second day of the trip was a archeological Tel called Hazor. It was thriving urban city on an international route even before the time of Joshua and his conquests. I didn't post any pictures because you may find that that it looks similar to other remains of ancient cities. However, it did have quite a bit of significance during the time of Solomon. Our next stop of the day was a lookout where we could get an idea of the layout of the land and could see all the way to Lebanon. It's amazing how close together these lands are and how that affects their conflict with each other. We didn't stay long....for those of you who worry. :)
My favorite stop of the day was at Tel Dan. It is the ancient city of Dan and the Dan Spring flows through the site. It was great to see the ancient city and walk along a beautiful trail next to the spring. After our stop at Dan we went to Caesarea-Philippi and talked about the pagan religion and influence of the many different cultures coming through the area. Oh yeah...before that, we made a quick stop at the Jordan River to take some pictures and say that we went to the Jordan River. After our time at Caesarea-Philippi we went to another place where we could see Mt. Hermon and Crater Lake. At this particular location there is a community of "druze". They are a people who are a sect of Islam and are very dedicated to hard work and the cultivating of this particular land. They had a great harvest of apples and we treated ourselves to fresh apple juice and big, juicy apples. To end the day, we went to the top of a dormant volcano which is now an IDF base. We could see all the way to Syria from there and had fun walking through the trenches in the army base. Here are some pictures from the day:

This is a view out to Lebanon from a hilltop in Israel

The city wall of Dan

The spring of Dan meets with three other major springs from Mt. Hermon that flow into the Jordan River and down to the Dead Sea

The Jordan River

Caesarea-Philippi. This is a picture of part of the sanctuary to the god Pan at the outlet of the spring of Banias. There is also a cave at this site that was believed to lead to the pits of Hell. The practices and worship at this sanctuary were extremely pagan and quite gross...I won't go into detail here. :)

Mt. Hermon...many miles long and wide...usually covered with snow

This is on top of a dormant volcano at an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces - army) base. You can look out to Syria from this point, just beyond the green fields.

Galilee 1

Well friends, we just returned from a four day trip to Galilee. It is again going to take a few posts to share with you all the things we did but I'll do my best to be concise. On the first day we stoped at Caesarea where Herod developed a great palace and complex aqueduct. This was probably his favorite palace on the water. However, the people of the land at this time believed that the sea should be avoided at all costs. It was a symbol of death, destruction, and evil. They were a land people and looking out to the ocean was like looking out to a great abyss. So, the Romans built up the land and took advantage of the sea economy. This view of the ocean changes how we read about ocean or sea imagery in the Bible and gives depth to the fear that seems to be attached to the sea found in scripture. Psalm 107 is a great example of this.
We later drove up to Mt. Carmel and talked about the story of Elijah fighting the Baal gods during the reign of Ahab. It was after the fight, a chase with Ahab through the valley, that Elijah met his death wish from Jezebel, and fled to cave where he met the thin silence of God's voice in the wind. At the end of the day we went up to a hilltop on the Nazareth Ridge and looked out onto the valley. We talked about Jesus growing up in the town of Nazareth, his view of the land from there, and how He grew to be the Messiah. Here are the pics:

Theater at Caesarea looking out to the Med. sea

My friends here at JUC! We climbed up on the rocks at Caesarea

Herod's aqueduct

view out to the sea from the aqueduct

Statue of Elijah fighting the god Baal on Mt. Carmel

View from the top of Mt. Carmel

View from the top of a hill in Nazareth

Masada/Dead Sea/En-Gedi/Qumran

Last, but certainly not least, our final day in the desert included stops at Masada, the Dead Sea, the spring of En-gedi, and Qumran. We spent the morning at Masada which is a Herodian fortress built by Herod to show off his power and position, as well as to provide some protection for the land. It was taken over by the Romans when they conquered the land in 73-74 AD, just a few years after the destruction of the second temple. The fortress is high up on a mountain top a few miles from the dead sea. It was extremely difficult to build and maintain resources for the people living there. Herod did not spend all his time at this particular fortress but it is quite possible the biggest of them all. It was very interesting to see how some of the site has been restored and to see parts of the fresco redone in the palace. This place was a symbol of power for the Israelite people at the time of Herod still is to this day. Ever since Israel regained the land that included Masada after the war in the sixties, it has been a celebrated part of their country. The army even uses it as part of the commissioning ceremony for their elite soldiers.

Next we went to the Dead Sea and floated around in the salty waters. Even our bodies have a greater water index than the Dead Sea. I believe it is 33% salt and you can tell if you have a small cut on your body and walk in the water....it burns. We also had a fun bbq at the beach and then headed to the springs of En-Gedi. It was amazing to hike back into the rock and find these beautiful waterfalls after being in the middle of the desert. It is amazing how God used these springs to provide for His people as they wandered the desert for so many years. These are also the springs David would have been talking about in his Psalm 42. It is the Psalm about how the deer pants for water and so does his soul. It is worth a read as you look at these pictures.

Finally, we ended the day at Qumran. Qumran is the location of a seperatist group of male Jews before, during, and after the time of Jesus. They had some disagreements with how the temple was being run and with the high priests and leaders of their day. They also believed they were the chosen ones to bring in the coming of the Messiah and called themselves the "sons of light". What is so cool about visiting this site is that many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found there which give great validity to the scriptures. Here are some pictures of the day:

Me at Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea...it was a really hazy day so it is kind of hard to see. Usually you could see out to the land of the Moab and on to the Trans-Jordan

This is on top of Masade looking down on the siege ramp the Romans built in order to take over the city. We had a bit of a competition to see who could beat the past JUC record in running up the ramp. I know I would not beat the time, but being a little bit too competitive, I ran up the thing in just under six minutes......the record is 3:30...I have some more training to do :)

This is a model of how Masada looks tucked into the hillside. It was quite a hike up and down the hillside

Part of the restored frescoes in the palace

Another picture of the frescoes

Floating in the Dead Sea...my friend Alison is off to the left reading a book while floating....pretty crazy!

Me putting my feet in and getting used to the salty water!

The springs of En-Gedi...also called Nahal David

Some of us got in to test the waters!
Me, Anna, Danielle, Ashley, and Morgan (all graduate girls)

The caves at Qumran...we climbed up into one of the caves up to the top right of the picture...kind of hard to see from this vantage point

The scrolls of Isaiah were found in this cave on the left. The archeologists actually are the ones who put the hole/opening in the rock but the real entrance into the cave is up above the cave.

The Negev (Hebrew for dry country/desert)

The second day on our journey throughout Southern Israel, we went to Beer-Sheva (Beer-Sheba in the Bible) and walked around the remains of an old city. Beer-Sheva is scripture and referenced as the place Abraham and his family moved in and out of. He dug a well there tha is also mentioned in scripture and was a centralized location for his family and flocks to get water as they traveled in and out of the region. Abraham would not stay in Beer-Sheva for very long because of the difficulty of surviving in the desert. This is the land of the patriarchs and often found in scripture in the Old Testament. We traveled around to other vantage points in order to see the vast nature of the desert. We visited Ben Gurion's grave (he was a political leader that did great things for the nation of Israel...you can google him) and were able to see the sweeping valleys and high rises of the mountains in the desert.

To end the evening we stopped at a place called Macktesh Ramon and watching the sunset. This view of the desert was particularly powerful as we read and reflected on the desert. We talked about Moses' journeys through this kind of land and how the Israelites wandered for fourty years in a land that was hot, vast, lacks great water sources, and can sometimes be hard to find food. However, God moved His people around, provided for them with manna, and was sovereign over their lives. We reflected on Psalm 90, a Psalm written by Moses, that reminded us that it's not about the life you are living that lasts, but that it is the work that is done in a life that gets passed from one generation to the next. Within that context, it is always God's work that is being done and although we might think so, it is never our work. This was such a good reminder of how big God is. Looking out over such a vast landscape and reflecting on God's plan over His people and His care for them I realized even more how this life is not about me. The more I learn, the bigger God gets and the reality that I am but a tiny part of His grand plan sets in.

Me and my friend Anna in what would have been a room along the city wall in Beer-Sheva.

This is a well that was dug long ago but probably is not the same well as the one Abraham dug. It goes down 100 feet and if you are quiet you can hear a rock hit the bottom and splash in the water.

Danielle and I overlooking the desert at the gravesite of Ben Gurion

This is Nahal Zin...it was an amazing site where we hiked through the Wadi and up out of the ravine onto the top of the mountain. It was quite the hike and so worth it

So this one is kind of hard to tell what you are looking at. But, if you tilt your head to the right and notice that the blue is the sky, the walls of the rock are on your right and left. There is a deep abyss in the middle that goes far down into the middle of the rock. We hiked from the bottom of that up to the top of the peaks.

This is me and Hayley at the top....It was crazy to look and see how far down we were and how faultlines and water had created this deep wadi.

This would be the vast and dreadful desert.....we hiked around it for three days and were not envious of the Israelites. This is also the site called Macktesh Ramon.

This is an Ibex...we saw tons of them at Macktesh Ramon and in the Nahal Zin. They have an incredible ability to traverse the mountains and basically walk down mountain sides that we would need ropes to repell down. They are amazing animals.

Me at Macktesh Ramon....don't worry...it only looks like I would fall off into the desert. There was a landing of the other side of the wall. :)