Engaged

There are some people who thought this would never happen. And at times in my life, I was one of them. But on Friday night, I got to see the good Lord's provision first-hand. I took Jenni up to Scenic Overlook outside of town which was the site of our first kiss. As we watched darkness descend on the Konza prairie we talked about our relationship and some of our favorite memories.

At one point, Jenni reminded me that our first visit to Scenic Overlook was after my mother's birthday party where she had met my family for the first time. She said, "I remember thinking that I really loved those people (my family)." To which I replied, "Well, I hope you'll be willing to love them for a long time." I then sat her on a nearby bench, got down on one knee, pulled out the ring and said, "Jenni, I love you. Will you marry me?" She said "Yes" immediately and there was much rejoicing! Hooraaayyyyy!

In the few days since, there have been times when we have both gotten nervous or frustrated with the process. But the experience of helping each other through those moments gives me a glimpse of what marriage could be like and makes me even more excited. We aren't sure what we will do next in life. We are both in campus ministry and want to continue to develop healthy leaders and laborers for the kingdom, we just don't know where or how yet. We will keep you posted. (Note: I said "we")

The rest of the story

I'm usually not that great with surprises, but sometimes I really enjoy them. Thursday was one of those cases. The "Birthday that took a while to end" stretched into day three on Thursday night (there was a pre-birthday cookies and cup cakes extravaganza at my seminary class on Tuesday night).

Before the weekly gathering of the campus ministry that I work with a student approached me and handed me a bucket that said, "Happy B-day, B-Wat" on it. She then proceeded to drop a single golf ball signed by her into the bucket. I was not really sure what to make of the whole thing as I was genuinely surprised. A few moments later a couple other students that I knew came up and tossed more signed golf balls into the bucket. Now I was starting to catch on. Over the course of the evening 40-50 students came up and wished me a happy birthday and added their golf balls to the collection. It was a very kind gesture and really made me feel appreciated. I was almost embarrassed at all of the attention.

As if that weren't enough, after the meeting was over, I was told to wait around until 9:45. I knew there was a scavenger hunt going on after the meeting and figured that it had something to do with that. When I walked out into the entryway of the Student Union, a large group of people began singing Happy Birthday to me and announced that they had brought refreshments. One of the students, a semi-professional cake decorator, had made me a cake and decorated it like a golf course (see picture). It was pretty amazing. She even used brown sugar for the sand trap - very creative. The cake was awesome as were the birthday wishes.

And to top it all off, when I got home I had a birthday card from my friend Mark. In it he said that he had purchased me a one-year subscription to SciFi magazine. Does he know me or what? Thanks, Mark! You are awesome!

Day four (Friday) brought more celebration when my team of co-workers cooked lunch for the whole team and served yet another cake (no golf theme this time). It was almost an entire week of celebrating. It makes me wonder if God is trying to tell me something about the value of celebration. Even if not, it was a great week.

Birthday thoughts...

I don't usually cry when I receive a birthday present, but this year was different. For most folks, birthdays aren't that big of a deal. And they probably wouldn't be in my family either except that my mom always made them so. Her love-language was gift-giving, so birthdays and other holidays were her time to shine. And when she gave, she never did it half-way. Past birthday presents have included such things as a lawn mower, a kitchen table and chairs and a surround sound system. Mom was always a picture to me of how generous God is to us.

So you can imagine how different things felt on my first birthday without her. No card in the mail, no package on my doorstep when I got home from campus, no outrageous check with a picture printed off of the internet showing what I was supposed to purchase with it in my mail box. Nothing. Until...

My wonderful girlfriend shows up at my house Wednesday evening a few minutes before we are to go eat steak with some of my friends (can you get a better birthday? I think not.). In addition to the hand-made card filled with things she appreciates about me, she is carrying a wrapped box. Upon opening it, I discover a brand new pair of Keens (see picture). And I cried. And then I cried some more.

On the surface, it was just a pair of really cool hiking/rafting sandals. But underneath it was so much more. Some one had seen me. They knew me well enough to know what I liked. And they were extravagant in their giving (they aren't cheap sandals). And all of a sudden it felt like mom was there. And God was good. I know my sweetie wasn't trying to live up to the memory of my mother. She was just being herself. But mom would have been proud. It is one of the many reasons why I love her.

So, not a bad birthday after all. And the steak and friends at dinner were good too. Thanks to my friends for sharing the day with me. And the crazy part is that the birthday didn't end there. But that is fodder for another post.

In Memoriam - Diane Watson (1937-2006)

Surrounded by her family and friends, my wonderful mother, Diane Donaldson Watson (pictured with her boys ca. 2003), went home to be with the Lord this evening at 6:26pm. Two days ago, there was no way we could have forseen what has transpired. Sometime early Tuesday morning, my mother suffered a second stroke while in the hospital. When my brother arrived this morning around 6:30, it appeared that she was sleeping soundly. But when her doctor arrived an hour later and was not able to rouse her from her sleep to examine her, we knew the end was near. We stayed by her side all day and were with her when she passed. It was a sacred moment that, while profoundly sad, is one I will always cherish. Her final words to me when I left Monday night around midnight were, "I love you." I couldn't have asked for more. She was one of the most generous, giving and caring people I've ever known and my brother and I will miss her more than words can express. Yet there is so much that was wonderful about her and how she touched others around her that I believe her life is worth remembering joyfully even as we mourn. In Romans 12, the apostle Paul commands us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. I invite you to enter into either or both as the Lord leads.

Update on Mom

I normally use this site to share my reflections on life experiences rather than just communicating information, but today this seems like the easiest medium to share with my readers.

Early this morning, my mom suffered a stroke that has affected the entire left side of her body. She is in the hospital and we are waiting to see what will need to happen next. She may recover some use on her left side, but there is no guarantee. The hard part about all of this is that it raises questions about extended care and advanced directives - things most folks in their 30's don't usually have to think about. It has been really good to do this with my brother. I am really grateful for him. And our neighbors and my girlfriend have been amazing. The Lord is kind to take care of us even in the midst of hardship. It is really hard to see mom deteriorate so quickly - we didn't expect this. Yet I trust that the Lord is with us, even in the valley of the shadow.

The Roller Coaster

13 July 2006

Emotionally, the last few days have been a lot like the proverbial amusement park ride. I've been visiting my mother during her second round of chemotherapy. Monday was a day of encouraging news which put mom in one of the best moods she has been in during the whole process. Tuesday was just the opposite. She woke up with no feeling in her left hand and hasn't been able to use it since. We have had another scan done and are waiting for the doctors to decide if this is a temporary thing or not. Either way, it has been difficult for mom to adjust to the idea of possibly being one-handed - and rightfully so. I know it is scary for her to face losing some of her independence; it makes her illness seem that much more real.

The hard part for me is not being sure what to do. Sometimes encouraging her works, other times no words I can offer seem to help. I know that just by being with her during this is helpful, but I wish I could do more. I also want to be able to draw near to God during this time, but there is a large part of me that just wants the situation to be "fixed". I do see the Lord at work, but it sure isn't enjoyable. My main prayer has just been for grace for today (both for mom and myself and all those who are involved with her). 2 Corinthians 12:9 has been a staple passage for me. I appreciate all who are praying.

A picture is worth...well, you know

5 July 2006

Yesterday I was trying to explain the documentary "Trekkies" to some friends at a 4th of July picnic. I think the picture posted by jkirlin on his blog says quite a bit about the folks in the film. I hope you enjoy it.

Speaking of jkirlin, if you enjoy good photography at all, check out his blog. He has a great eye and really captures every day life in and around his home of Bangor, Maine well. Your visit will be worth your time.

Juxtaposition and Continuity

3 July 2006

Over the past few weeks I've been asked a number of times how I am doing/feeling. Each time I've had trouble searching for a word that describes it. I think that "juxtaposed" (or more accurately the phrase "juxtaposition of emotions") is a helpful one. OK, quick vocabulary lesson: juxtaposed means two (or more) images/ideas placed together for contrasting effect. The accompanying picture is a contrast in architectural styles. The juxtaposition of the modern glass and steel structure with the surrounding stone and mortar castle-work illustrates the idea fairly well. Both construction methods sitting next to each other provide a sharp contrast.

Recently, my internal life has seemed a series of juxtapositions. My feelings of sadness and fear concerning my mother and her health are juxtaposed with feelings of joy and gratefulness that she is feeling normal and is able to live life like she always has. Feelings of grief and loss are juxtaposed with feelings of excitement and joy over new relationships (my second nephew and wonderful girlfriend). The seemingly monumental (mom's health, new relationships, uncertainty about my future vocational options) is juxtaposed with the seemingly mundane (going to the store, painting my kitchen, worrying about my electric bill). To be honest, I don't always know how to feel or which emotion I am feeling the most. I suppose I'm probably feeling many of them at the same time.

The one thing brings continuity to this collection of juxtapositions is God's presence with me in the midst of all of them. Over the last year, passages about God being with us have become some of my favorites (Isaiah 43:1-7 and Psalm 23 especially). Even though I don't experience it as much as I would like, I'm learning that God's presence is more important than any set of circumstances we can experience. Whether it is joy or sorrow, fear or confidence, health or sickness, God promises to be with us. My prayer for myself, my mother and all who are journeying with us is that we would experience an increasing sense of Jesus' presence in our lives. I invite you to pray the same.

Providential Blessings

17 June 2006

A number of years ago, a good reformed friend of mine decided he wanted to stop using the phrase "good luck" because he wasn't sure that luck was harmonious with the idea of a completely sovereign God. So instead he began wishing people "providential blessings". At the time, I liked the phrase and began using it as well and it seems to have stuck with me. I'm still not sure what I think about luck but the more I think about it, I really do want others (and myself) to experience the good providence of our Lord in life. And I think that using the phrase sounds all cool and theological and stuff. OK, all of this is preface for my real point.

When I took the trip to Israel with my mother (pictured with me), I remember being incredibly grateful to God that He allowed me to see all of the places that I saw. But now, three months later, I am even more grateful that He allowed me to see those things with my mother. On Tuesday, my wonderful mom was diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer. Having lost my father to the same disease twelve years ago, it was very hard news to hear. We don't know how long we will have with mom, but I am so grateful to God that I got to see the places where Jesus walked with the woman who first took me to church and helped lay the foundation for me coming to know Christ myself. I will never forget walking the streets of Jerusalem with mom and eating falafel at a little restaurant. That time with her seeing those things was a providential blessing in the truest sense of the phrase. Thanks, Lord. I pray that You will give us many more in the time we have left together.

Dead Sea

This picture was taken on 28 March 2006. I only recently acquired it from a friend. This is from the trip to Israel and it was taken at the end of our last day there. We were staying in a hotel on the Dead Sea and some of us couldn't resist the opportunity to actually float in the famous body of water (I'm on the right). It was a truly unique experience. The water is so full of minerals that you can't sink. We basically walked out until it was up past our waists and then leaned back like we were reclining in a chair - and that's about as far as we got. If you float on your stomach it is almost impossible to get your feet under you and touch bottom. You are better off rolling onto your back and standing up that way. It was an amazing evening. The sun was setting, the water was warm and in the distance we could see towns on the opposite shore of the Sea in the country of Jordan. How often do you get to do that? Very cool.

Blog Management

10 June 2006

OK, so I have much I want to write about, some serious and some fun. I hope over the next few days to get a little of both on the blog, but for today I thought I'd try a fun one.

My friend, Chris, over at Nihilfit is right: if you are trying to keep track of more than a couple of blogs, you really need to sign up for a Bloglines account. It is free and allows you to track all of your blogs from one page (click on image for a better view). In two clicks you can see who has posted that day and who hasn't, saving you the trouble of manually checking each blog for updates. Subscribing to blogs is fairly easy and you can even have the site add a "Subscribe with Bloglines" button in your browser bar so that when you stumble across a new blog you can add it to your list of feeds in two clicks.

The site allows you to read the posts straight from the Bloglines page or you can go to the blog itself. Bloglines doesn't give you all of the formatting of the actual blog, but it does include any posted pictures. It is simply one of the best tools on the internet that I have seen. So sign up!

I'm back

25 May 2006

So school is out and I'm hoping to start blogging a little more often. This started as a travel journal, but I think I'd like to turn it into something more regular. So...here we go. I'll usually stick to my thoughts on life, but today I have something fun I recently discovered.

The picture is a screenshot of a computer program (Macintosh only) called Delicious Library. It allows you to catalog your books, movies, music and games and then track the people that you loan them out to. The really fun part is that if you connect a firewire video camera to your computer, the software turns it into a bar-code scanner so you can scan in all of your items really quickly. After you enter/scan an item in, the software looks it up on Amazon.com and loads all of the relevant information and a cover photo. Very cool. I still have a few books to enter, but it is really handy. The software costs $40 but was totally worth it for me. I think there are some free web-based offerings out there and I would assume there are some Windows-compatible offerings as well. But if you are a Mac person and have a bunch of stuff that you want returned when you loan them out, Delicious Library is for you. Check it out at www.delicious-monster.com

A fresh reading

4 April 2006

This is my first post-trip post. I can't promise that there will be all that many in the future, but when I experience something worth talking about, I'll post.

So this morning was the first chance I have had to really sit down and read the Bible since my trip to the Holy Land. Before I left a bunch of people told me, "you'll never read the Bible the same again." Of course, being the self-conscious person that I am I thought, "Oh no, what if I go to Israel and it doesn't change how I read the Bible?!" But as it happens I needn't have worried. As I read Matthew this morning it was really strange because when it talked about the places that Jesus was, I could actually picture the scenery and landscape in my mind. Having seen the places made reading very different. I've believed the Bible was reliable and authoritative for many years, but as I read this morning, there was more of an experience of it being rooted in history and a real geography. So I guess it is true, I really won't ever read the Bible the same again. I'm very grateful for the experience.

Unknown Soldier

1 April 2006
Next stop, Piazza Venetia. Across from the old palace where Mussolini stood on his balcony and preached his fascist blah-blah to the masses stands a memorial that includes the tomb of the unknown soldier. Like the one here in D.C., they have guards who watch it around the clock. I don’t know if they change regularly or not but they stare straight ahead and don’t blink like the one’s in our capital.

Afterwards, we ate some good pasta, shopped and had some of the aforementioned gelato (coffee and lemon). We then hopped back on the metro and headed home in time for a nap. All in all, a great day with good weather and great sites.

The Pantheon

1 April 2006
Next stop, the Pantheon. Originally constructed as a temple to a multitude of pagan gods it was redesigned in the second century by Emperor Hadrian and for centuries has served as a church. A couple of Italian kings are buried here as is Raphael (the great artist, not the ninja turtle).

The most amazing part of the building, though, is its architecture. At the top of its dome is a large hole or oculus (pictured). It is not filled in with glass but is open to the elements. So when it rains, water gets in the Pantheon. There are small holes in the floor of the building that allow water to drain out quickly. A large ring around the inside of the hole serves as a sort of capstone and helps keep the dome from collapsing. It is quite a site.

Spanish Steps

1 April 2006
Fist stop, the Piazza Spagne and the Spanish steps. Every tour books says you should see the steps and if memory serves, there is some famous old movie where the heroine sits on these steps and eats gelato. But aside from the Bernini fountain at their base, they are pretty much just steps and we have walked so many steps the last few days that they all start to look the same. That said, I’m glad I saw them.

The Metro

1 April 2006
I don’t know why, but I never quite feel like I’ve had the international experience unless I’ve ridden the public transportation. Today it finally happened. We had a “free day” which meant that the tour bus wasn’t going to pick us up and drive us from location to location. If we wanted to see any more of Rome, we would have to fend for ourselves.

I love opportunities like that. Armed with my trusty DT Top 10 Rome tour book and a few Euros I lead a small group a couple blocks down the street to the Metro stop. We all purchased 24-hour metro passes (good for all forms of public transportation), hopped on the subway and were off.

“Look lady, I never walk into a situation I can’t walk out of.”

31 March 2006
The quote is from Robert DiNero’s character in one of my favorite spy movies, Ronin. The movie has some of the greatest car chase scenes of all time in it. One of the characters drives a Citroën in the movie and I can’t help but think of the movie every time I see one driving around Rome. The side streets here are as narrow as they are in Nice, France where the movie takes place and it is easy to imagine one of these babies chasing an Audi around. Very fun. Oh, and our tour bus driver the first day looked exactly like Jean Reno who played Vincent. I almost asked him if I could take his picture but I didn’t want to freak him out.

The Senate and People of Rome

31 March 2006
For over 2,000 years, the abbreviation of the Latin for the title of this post (SPQR) has served as the symbol of Rome. It is still found all over the city today even on objects as mundane as water line covers in the sidewalks (pictured). It is amazing to be in a place where history and tradition has been preserved for so long. It makes you wonder if we will still see the letters U.S.A. in our part of the world in another 1,800 years.

My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius…

30 March 2006
OK, so I couldn’t resist that one, but standing in the Coliseum this afternoon almost left me speechless. The stadium is literally colossal. The tour guide said that it held 70,000 people. That is the equivalent of Arrowhead Stadium – except that they built it 1900 years ago. It felt like being at Arrowhead except it was all made of stone instead of concrete.

The emotions it evoked are hard to describe. It was a mix of awe and horror. As a feat of engineering, it is absolutely amazing. But when you think of what happened inside its walls, it was profoundly sad. Death as entertainment is almost unthinkable to the 21st century North American mind. And yet for almost 500 years it was the norm in Rome and in some parts of the world the practice (at least animal killing) has survived to this day. The whole experience was a little overwhelming.

Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica

30 March 2006
We started our day in the heart of the former empire by touring the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. The odd part of the tour was that you were more aware of the creations of some of the world’s most famous artists (Michelangelo, Rafael and Bernini) than you were of being at the center of Christianity for most of the past two millennia – Jenni, you would have loved it. The paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine were amazing. As usual, I wish we had had more time to just sit and soak it in. Our pace today was pretty brisk and I felt rushed most of the time.

I’m usually not that impressed with churches, but I have to admit that standing in the largest church in the world was impressive. The Basilica of St. Peter is two football fields long inside and you just feel dwarfed by the size of the whole thing. The Greek and Latin writing that runs around the top of the walls near the ceiling has to be three or four feet high because it looks large from the ground and has to be 30 feet off the floor.

Michelangelo’s sculpture of Jesus and Mary was incredible to see. If I understood our tour guide correctly, it is carved out of one piece of marble – not an easy feat. It was worth seeing for its artistic value, but I can’t say that it moved me on a deep level. I suppose I don’t have the eye for art that others do. Maybe if I’d spent more time there it would have sunk in a little more. I’ll stay longer next time.

Masada

28 March 2006
From Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, Herod the Great has his fingerprint all over Israel and the fortress at Masada is no exception. How in the world they were able to build such an extensive military outpost on top of such an isolated hill is beyond me. Herod himself had a three-level palace built complete with bath houses and places to entertain guests. The rooms were covered in marble in some cases and mosaics in others.

The fortress is most famous for the battle fought there between the Jews and Romans in the second century. After the Romans had crushed the majority of the Jewish rebellion that started in Galilee, they were left to fight the last band of rebels who had holed up at Masada. After an extended siege, the Romans finally breached the gates one night. They decided to wait until morning to enter the fortress and take the Jews as slaves. During the night, the Jews decided that rather than live as slaves they would die as free men.

So they killed everyone in the fortress except ten men. The remaining men drew lots and the one who drew the shortest had to kill the rest of the men and then commit suicide (a terrible sin in Judaism). When the Romans arrived the next morning the fortress was silent. They did find two old women and a baby. The women supposedly told the story to Josephus and he included it in one of his histories.

When Israel became a nation again in 1948, the military started a new tradition. After their six months of basic training (and we wonder why their military is so good) each soldier climbs the snake path (about an hour climb) as the sun rises and when the get to the top they promise to never let Masada fall again. It is an incredible story about the human desire to be free.

Holocaust Museum

28 March 2006
We spent an hour at the Holocaust Museum this morning. I’ve never cried at a museum before, but I got misty-eyed a couple of times at this one. The museum is both beautiful in its construction and haunting in its content. “Crime Against Humanity” just doesn’t quite do justice to what happened to the Jewish people. At times I found myself angry at the people who perpetrated the crimes and at others I felt both sad for the victims and ashamed that the rest of the world, including many Christians, waited so long to do anything. The time there felt very heavy and disturbing. At the same time, I highly recommend the experience to anyone.

Wailing Wall

27 March 2006
This afternoon we ended our tour of the old city at the Western or Wailing Wall. A Jewish historian explained to us that the wall itself is actually not part of the temple, but part of the wall surrounding the temple and the surrounding courtyards. It is, however, the closest point to the holy of holies that the Jews have access to and so they go there to pray.

As I stood watching the orthodox Jews pray I had a different reaction than I did my first morning in the city. Rather than wanting the Muslims to be thrown out so that the Jews could have their temple area back, I found myself thinking of John chapter 4. It is the passage where Jesus tells the woman at the well that the location at which one worships God is irrelevant since God Himself is not a localized being. He is spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and truth. Although it was neat to be able to pray at such an historical site, I found my self very thankful that God hears my prayers and accepts my worship in Kansas just as much as He does here in Jerusalem.

Garden Tomb

27 March 2006
For the second time on the trip I got choked up this morning. We started the day at one of the two proposed sites of Jesus’ burial – the one known as the Garden Tomb. Our guide through the site was right proper English gentleman who made a really good case for this being the likely site. Whether it is or not, it certainly looks more like what the original site must have been like (translation – there isn’t a church built on top of it).

At one point during his presentation he said, with tongue in cheek, that we had come all the way from Kansas for nothing. He quickly assured us that what he meant was that the tomb we were going to see was empty. It was at that point that I stared to get misty-eyed. To be in a garden with a tomb in it at least somewhere near the actual site and to be reminded that Jesus had not only been buried but raised from the dead was moving. There is no body. He is risen from the dead. He has no equal in all of history. And because He is risen we have hope for new life now and eternal life after death. Being there was amazing.

Via Dolorosa

27 March 2006
Walking the route that Jesus likely walked from his beating to the place of His crucifixion and supposed burial at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was a good experience. But like about half of the experiences on the trip so far, it went by too fast and there wasn’t enough time to stop and appreciate each of the stations of the cross. Part of that had to do with the fact that for the locals, life has to go on. So the streets are packed with merchants and shoppers alike. Occasionally, a taxi rumbles down streets that are barely wide enough for it to squeeze through. The noise and busyness make reflection difficult at best.

That said, walking the route was cool and I’m glad I had the opportunity to do it. I’m also very glad that my mother was able to walk it with me. It is long and uphill most of the way, but she hung in like a trooper and did great. I was really excited for her. I know it is something she will remember.

Culinary detour

27 March 2006
Yet another great local experience today. After walking the Via Dolarosa, we hung out in a little shopping market for a bit and found a good back-alley coffee shop (Liam, you will appreciate this). They served real Arabic coffee that they make a cup or two at a time. It consists of one very large scoop of coffee some sugar and some cardamom that goes into an amount of boiling water that is much less than we would expect. The result is a strong, spicy, sweet coffee that is a little on the thick side. As a bonus, you can look at the grounds at the bottom of the cup when you are finished. ☺

And the Word became flesh...

26 March 2005
This afternoon we had the opportunity to go to Bethlehem which, like Jericho, is currently a Palestinian portion of the country. After passing the checkpoint through the wall we went shopping at a store owned by a Palestinian Christian, ate lunch and then went to the Church of the Nativity. Like many historical sites, it has a church built over it to "commemorate" the event but the effect is much less commemorative than it is annoying. The picture is of a portion of the cave where Jesus was likely born (or a cave much like it). The indentation in the wall, which is currently filled with the big candle display, was probably a carved-out feeding trough for the animals who lived there (and thus, Jesus' manger).

I have to confess that all the gaudiness of the location made it hard to imagine what the original might have been like. Nonetheless, being in Bethlehem in a cave that may have been Jesus' birth place was pretty amazing. I love that God became a man and dwellt among us.

The Wall

26 March 2006
This one is for Matt and John Harty. The Berlin Wall was torn down a year before I first traveled to Eastern Europe. Evidently, the Israelis are ponying up for round two. The wall is designed to separate the Jewish and Palestinian sections of Jerusalem and to help prevent acts of violence. Considering that the Palestinians just elected a new Hamas-controlled government a few weeks ago and the Israelis are having their elections in a few days, this is a very interesting time to be in this part of the world. As we walked outside the Old City today we noticed an increase in military personnel at the different entrances. It is always odd to see 19- and 20-year old men and women (military service is compulsory for both men and women in Israel) toting the shortened version of the U.S.-made M16 in public places. We’ll just pray that no one gives them a reason to use them.

Food part 3

26 March 2006
OK, now this is what I’m talking about. We had lunch at a little local falafel stand today. The food was really good and pretty cheap. It was fun watching the guy deep fry the falafel balls in between making the sandwiches. This evening we traveled to a spot outside of the city in the Judean desert and had dinner in a tent that was supposed to simulate a dinner during Abraham’s time. I think the atmosphere was more period than the food was. We did cook our own pita bread over a fire, though. The rest of the meal was served while sitting on cushions in the tent at a very low table. The food came in courses and consisted of a choice of four or five different “salads” which were more like collections of vegetables with vinegar on them, a main course of herbed chicken and meatballs with saffron rice and a dessert of dried fruit including dates, apricots and raisins. It was quite the feast!

Queen of the desert

25 March 2006
This afternoon produced the funniest moment of the trip yet. We were given last-minute permission to visit Jericho (which is still Palestinian-controlled). Site-wise, there wasn’t much we could see. But as we stopped to shop at one of the gift stores, my mom decided she wanted to ride a camel that was sitting in the parking lot. A young man named Samir helped her up into the saddle and after a very wobbly stand-up by the camel they took off across the parking lot. It was only a short circle around the lot, but seeing my mother on the back of a camel and listening to her laugh made me crack up myself. She really seemed to enjoy it. I still can’t believe she did it. It was worthy!

Garden of Gethsemane

25 March 2006
Of all the places we have seen so far, this is the one that really moved me. As we sat on the hill and looked out at the olive trees, some of which may date back to Jesus’ time, I read Matthew 26:36-56 and was moved to tears. It was easy to imagine the disciples leaning against some of those trees and falling asleep while Jesus prayed. I got choked up as I read where Jesus calls Judas his “friend” – you can’t be betrayed by an enemy but only by a friend. I was amazed at His rebuke of the disciple who cut off the guard’s ear. At any time, Jesus could have stopped the whole process by summoning 10,000 angels to defend Him but He didn’t. He knew what was coming and He willingly went there – for me and for you. Even now it is hard to write this without getting teary. It was so powerful to sit in the place where He chose to go to the cross. It will be hard to forget.

Jerusalem

25 March 2006
As we took the bus from the hotel this morning to the Mount of Olives, I found myself getting angry as I looked across the Kidron valley at the old city. The gold top of the Dome of the Rock and the other mosques and prayer towers made me very sympathetic to the Jewish people and I found myself wanting to have all the Muslims expelled from the city and country. I know I’m supposed to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me, but I kept getting angry that the Muslims had invaded the city a number of times and had intentionally done things to it that would make life more difficult for the Jews. The things they did just seemed so antagonistic. I probably need to pray for compassion and understanding.

Cave #4

24 March 2006 - Qumran
OK, this was one of my favorite sites so far. After seeing a short movie on the Essene community, we walked through the ruins of their village and then sat across a chasm from Cave #4 (pictured). According to our tour guide, this is the cave where the entire scroll of Isaiah was found in 1947/48. What an amazing thought that for over 2,000 years the complete scroll sat undisturbed and preserved in a clay pot in that little cave. The Romans never found it, the Turks never found it and yet at the right time (at the time Israel was becoming a nation again) the Lord allowed a Beduin shepherd for find it and then quickly sell it to the United States where it was cared for and preserved until it was eventually bought back by the Israeli government. The Word of God preserved for over two millennia! The scroll that put an end to much of the criticism of the Old Testament messianic prophesies. In a little cave in the side of a hill in the middle of the desert. God is kind and wise.

Bet She'an

24 March 2006
The ruins were incredible. It is the largest excavation site we have seen yet. Again, Herod the Great might have been crazy, but he sure knew how to get things done. The theater had three levels of seating, there were two bath houses, you could see where some of the markets were and the columns that lined the main street were flat-out huge. It was very impressive. It was strange to hear more about the Roman city that was built on top of a Jewish historical site than we heard about the stories of the Jews at this place. It is likely the site of the death of King Saul and his son, Jonathan – both significant OT characters. Yet we hardly heard about them at all. I suppose that there isn’t much that has been excavated that is from ancient Israel, but still they could tell the stories.

Food part 2

23 March 2006
So this afternoon, I ate fish from the Sea of Galilee. It sounds really impressive and was actually pretty good for lake fish. That has probably been the highlight of the food adventure so far. There has been a lot of humus and vegetables (salad at all three meals) and, of course, no pork. And for the most part, I’m really liking the food.

But I have to say that I still feel a little insulated from the culture and food here. One of my favorite parts of international travel is going to the local restaurants and trying to order food in a language you don’t know and never knowing what you might get. It is part of the adventure. But that may not happen much while we are in Israel. We are traveling with a tour group and mostly eat at the hotels we are staying in. It is part of the package and is convenient but steals a little of my joy. I hope that doesn’t sound too whiny because I’m enjoying the trip, but I kind of hope Rome is a little less structured, at least as far as the food goes. More to come…

Mount of the Beatitudes

23 March 2006
This is definitely the coolest non-ruin site we’ve seen yet. I read Matthew 5 while looking out at the hill on which Jesus likely delivered the Sermon on the Mount. The hill is sort of scooped out and forms a natural amphitheater-type effect, so Jesus’ voice would have carried very nicely. It was amazing to think that He delivered such a powerful and world-changing message at that spot. As I read about the kind of people who enter the kingdom, it made me want to be that kind of person even more. It was very inspiring.

Hol van a ti hitetek?

22 March 2006 You have to have seen the Hungarian translation of the Jesus film to get the joke. I hope this made you laugh, Mark. The scene is where Jesus calms the storm on the sea of Galilee and then asks His disciples, "where is your faith?" The Hungarian translation (the title of the post) makes it sound really funny.

In 1996 archaeologists unearthed the remains of a fishing boat (pictured) that has been dated by construction methods to the time of Jesus. It was incredibly moving to think that our Lord sat in a similar boat and commanded the sea to be calm. It was a little eerie see a boat that old. It took the historical society a couple of years to get the wood treated in such a way that it wouldn't just turn to dust when it was taken out of the water it was found in. Definitely a highlight so far.

Caesarea

22 March 2006. The ruins were really impressive. The theater and horse stadium were incredibly preserved and were huge. From what the tour guide told us, Herod was a pretty sharp cookie. The city was designed for the Romans (gentiles) and he built attractions that would entice the Romans to bring their business there.

Herod’s palace was fairly extravagant: courtyards, gardens, a pool and views of the sea from three sides – not bad for a volunteer king of the Jews.

The Roman engineering was impressive. The aqueduct ran four miles from the spring to the city. The theater had two walls the height of the top row of seats that would block out the sound of the sea so that they could have much better acoustics.

The only bummer of the trip was that there wasn’t much to see that corresponded with Biblical stories. Peter’s vision that lead to the spread of the gospel to the gentiles or Paul’s trail prior to his Roman imprisonment would have been amazing things to have seen. But only Roman ruins seemed to have been unearthed.

Tel Aviv

We just arrived this afternoon around 3:00 and between getting through customs, traveling to the hotel, eating dinner and being fairly wiped out I really haven’t seen much of the city yet. But I will say that my first impression of the Holy Land is this: it is green! I really wasn’t expecting that. I thought it would be a lot of sand and wasteland with the occasional burning bush scattered about. But, and maybe this is just Tel Aviv, it is full of green trees, fruit orchards and field after field of corn. It really is the land of milk and honey.

Update: I've changed the picture to one I took of the valley of Megiddo. Now you can see what I mean.

God at 35,000 feet

The older I get, the more I dislike cloudy weather. I can handle a day or two but after about three continuous days of cloudiness I start to get depressed. I know this sounds silly (and I would never say this on a theology exam) but I think that the idea of not being able to see the sun because the clouds hide it from me starts to become of a picture of my relationship with God. The longer it stays cloudy, the easier it is for me to feel distant from God, as if He is hiding behind the clouds. I know intellectually that He is still present in my life, but emotionally it starts to feel as if He has gone into hiding.

Last night (or sometime yesterday – my internal clock is a little wonky) as we cruised at 35,000 feet over the Atlantic, I saw something that gave me hope. The moon was half full and was shining brightly on the tops of the clouds below us. Not normally being on that side of the cloud cover, I was able to see something with my eyes that I usually have to take on faith – the moon was still there, despite the clouds. I guess it reminded me that on any given day, clouds or no, the sun (or moon) is still there. Just because I can’t see it doesn’t mean that it is gone.

And the same is true with the Lord. Even when I don’t experience Him in a way that is as personal or meaningful to me as I would like, it doesn’t mean that He has abandoned me – He is still there. And I guess because I was able to see the moon when I normally wouldn’t have been able to, I have a little more peace about the fact that God is near even when He doesn’t feel like it. I am really grateful that He speaks to us through His creation.

Airline Food

Kudos to Alitalia. The Italians know how to eat, even if it is just airline food. Beef tips in a tomato sauce with mushrooms and olives served with pene pasta, a pickled green bean antipasti with proscuitto (fancy ham, spelling help courtesy of Jon Bullok), fruit, cheese and Italian coffee. Not a bad start to a trans-Atlantic flight. It makes me eager to sample the local foods during the next two weeks. I’ll keep you posted.

Are you ready for adventure?

I'll be traveling over-seas for the next few weeks and some friends have suggested that I create a blog to highlight the trip. So...here it is. I'll try and post thoughts/reflections as well as pictures while I'm on the road. I hope you enjoy it.