Not Quite Ready for This

So, I don't really know how to say this but...I don't want to go back to the States.  At least not yet.  This trip has been absolutely amazing and I've had so much revealed to me that I don't want it to end I guess.  Even the fact that I missed the first two days of touring didn't change the outcome of things for me.  In fact, I really believe it made it better for me.  I gained a much deeper appreciation for being here in Israel and a much deeper understanding of what the scriptures actually would have been saying since they are written within the Jewish mindset.  Today I had completely free and was able to visit the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem which by far the best museum in remembrance of that terrible tragedy.  It was an extremely moving experience to see how much pain and suffering was endured by these people and helped shed some light into the feelings of Jews in todays world.  I cannot imagine how to deal with something like this, and from my perspective I wonder how they could be restored.

This is not the answer they want to hear but I just see such a need for Jesus among this broken people.  It hurts me to think about how Jesus' own people don't share in His healing.  They have been through so much and I think what is needed is much more sympathy and love towards them.  I know we have our stereotypes of Jewish people being no more than rich mongers who want to rip you off and keep everything for themselves.  That is not the heart of the Jewish people though.  I've seen a people who is deeply devoted to God which is the same God that we serve!  They refer to them in such glowing terms as their "Beloved."  One Orthodox Jew who I have been able to speak with on a couple of occasions told me about how Christians always think Jews are legalistic and are so caught up in the Law when in reality they love keep the Law that was given to them by their Beloved.  It invokes images of Psalm 1 where it says:  "For his delight is in the Law of the Lord and on His Law he meditates day and night."  I nearly started crying writing that just now.  It is so moving to me to have seen the true heart of a people who loves their God passionately.  But it hurts and breaks my heart to see them still waiting for the Messiah to come and save them when He has already come.

However, God loves His people, it is so apparent to me here in this place.  And so I would encourage everyone, whether you know a practicing Jew or not, to take special care to reach out to them with the love of God.  As Christ came and loved us so we should love others, especially His own people.

And so with my heart broken for a people and not really wanting to go home I must say I am not ready for this.  I'm not quite ready to leave because I still think God has more to teach me here.  So I know I will return because there are many things that are yet to be done.  

So thanks everyone for following this blog on my tour of Israel.  Be assured it will not be my last time here.  We leave 1am local time from the hotel to head towards Tel Aviv and be on our way to Istanbul at 6 am.  After a 2 hour flight and a short lay over we will be headed back on the 10 hour flight to JFK and New York City.  Be at peace, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Shalom,

-AM

Last tour day

Today was the final tour day here in Israel.  I wish it would never end.  We visited Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran and finished the day floating in the Dead Sea.  Masada was the last stronghold of the Zealot Jews in about 70 AD when the Romans crushed the Jewish revolt in Israel.  At Masada every man, woman, and child were put to death because they realized they were defeated.  It is a sad story but it helped to shed some light on the mindset of the Israeli people in this current crisis in Gaza.  In Masada the Jews were surrounded on all sides with absolutely no other options.  Many feel the same oppression on all sides now:  Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.  Not to mention the threats to them as a nation that exist from Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terror groups.  They have always it seems had this sense of fear about them and the fact that if they did not fight for themselves, in fact, no one would.

I'm not condoning the hundreds of people dead in Gaza right now, but I think things are a lot more complex than many of us in the United States would like to admit.  On one side we only see Israel not being wanted to exist and that they need to fight for everything.  On the other side is the fact that the Israeli army is reportedly responsible for almost 1,000 deaths in the Gaza strip right now.  As I said before our primary concern should be to be praying for the peace of Jerusalem and not taking sides and viewing one side as better and more moral than the other.  Because the fact is that neither side has been completely in the right and you can't give one the moral high position over the other.

Just thought that would be something to think about as you process the plethora of news headlines that are thrown out there today from every single direction.

Peace to You,

-AM

The Mirror of the World

It was impressed upon me today something that I had been feeling ever since arriving in Jerusalem.  For the past few days I have been so moved by what I have been seeing through Psalm 122 and praying for the peace of Jerusalem as I mentioned earlier and also in meeting the people who live and work in Jerusalem.

Today as we went to the Mount of Olives and went to the Dominus Flavit church which is the place where Jesus is said to have wept for Jerusalem as he approached it.  We had some time to reflect in the chapel and sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Amazing Grace.”  It was very moving.  We stood out on the platform overlooking Jerusalem and I felt very very heavy as I looked out at the closed off Golden Gate to the Temple Mount.  Dr. Notley shared how Jerusalem and it’s pain and violence has affected not only Jerusalem and Israel, but really that the divisions and quarreling that have happened there are a reflection of the distress of the world and especially individual human hearts.  As I looked on at the Beautiful Gate that is blocked off and filled in I saw that really as the reflection of the human condition:  The brokenness, the bitterness, the fighting, the anguish; it all plagues or has plagued every person as it has Jerusalem.  What made me lose it was realizing how when Jesus returns He will come from the Mount of Olives and enter through the Beautiful Gate into Jerusalem.  And likewise Jesus is trying to enter each one of our divided hearts.  But humanity has blocked off the gate to so much.  My heart broke as Dr. Notley articulated how I have felt since we arrived in Jerusalem.  It was truly prophetic words from God.

As my heart broke, I felt compassion for the broken like never before.  It made me realize that this is truly the condition of the entire world and not just that of Jerusalem.  And the Holy Spirit is starting to stir in me my reason for being a vessel of His healing.  I’m not sure what God is telling me in all this, but He wants to bring me into something deeper and here I will wait and just listen for Him to make His will known.  I’m excited!

Tomorrow is a trip to the Dead Sea and Masada for our final day of touring.  More from there later.

Shalom (Peace and Wholeness to you)

-AM

Quick Update

Just a quick update for today.  We stayed right around the old city of Jerusalem for the entire day viewing parts of King David's original city and walking around the temple mount.  It was amazing because one piece of rock and some stairs are still left over from the 1st century temple of Jesus' time.  I was able to stand at the exact spot that Jesus most assuredly walked on every time he came to the Temple.

The most moving moment of the day came when we had the opportunity to pray at the Western Wall on the western side of the Temple Mount.  I kept hearing all of the people around me praying and crying out to God and all I could do was stand there in the rain with my cardboard yarmulke on and pray that God would continue to do what He has promised:  Build His Church and call His children to Himself.

That's all for now.  We are headed up to the Mount of Olives tomorrow and to the Holy Sepulcher which is over the area of Jesus' death and resurrection.  More to come tomorrow.

Peace,

-AM

The Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail!

 Today we took a morning tour of the old city through the Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian quarters.  We went to the Temple Mount as well and saw the Wester Wall as well as the Dome of the Rock.  I was deeply moved by hearing the prayers being offered up to God.  I just felt a cry of desperation rising up in me.  I could hear it in their voices as they offered up prayers on Shevat (Sabbath).  I don’t know if I should call this emotional or spiritual but I felt a connection to the people there and my heart absolutely broke for the situation they found themselves in.  In an unstable region many Christians are put to the test on both sides.  I had the opportunity to each lunch with a Palestinian CMA Pastor today and talk in his Jerusalem shop for about 3 hours.  It was such a blessing and an opportunity to share with each other about our faith and the struggles we face in two very different cultures as well as share a love of turkish coffee and my new favorite middle eastern dish:  Chicken liver and kidneys on a pita!  I was so amazed as other pastors came by and visited as well as other believers.  He introduced me and I was happy to meet with them.  There perspective was very fresh.

As Palestinians, they are very disappointed with how Israel is handling the Gaza situation.  But they are also upset with Hamas and how they are provoking Israel and the rest of the Arabic world to continue to act in violence.  They know many people in the Gaza Strip I was told and they are just praying that the cycle of hate is broken by God.  I think that is what I was struck by the most.  They don’t depend on any of their own strength to do anything at all.  They witness in a very hardened region of the world whether you are jewish or muslim.  The pastor told me how many muslims receive visions from God after having the Gospel preached to them and that this was his experience of conversion as well.  He made the point from Luke 4 when Jesus said, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”  He said this is so important to understand.  “We do not build the Church God does.  And the gate of hell can’t even stop it!  We do not taking enough time to soak in the meaning of that verse and all that it does for us.”

His insights are so true and so powerful for us to remember a world away.  I want to ask to continue praying for the peace of Jerusalem as I urged everyone yesterday and specifically for this pastor and his family.  That they would be protected from any local tensions and that God would use this humble man mightily for His Glory!

With all the violence and tension that happens here in Jerusalem and seeing hell’s evil and hurt running rampant through this land it is such a message of hope to hear those words from Jesus.  After feeling disturbed at how things have played out thus far in Israel it was the best encouragement I could have received:  that no matter how hard the enemy presses in the Church will stand and shine like a city on a hill because Jesus Christ has ordained it so!

Blessings,

-AM

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Psalm 122

A Song of degrees of David:
I was glad when they said unto me:
'Let us go unto the House of the Lord'.
When our feet stood within thy gates, O Jerusalem;
O Jerusalem, built as a city that is united together;
For there the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord,
as a testimony of Israel,
to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
For there are set thrones of judgement,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
they that love thee shall prosper.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will say now,
peace be within thee.
For the sake of the House of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.

We arrived in Jerusalem today after touring many archaeological sites along the Jordan valley and ending with a stop in Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity which is over the approximate spot of the birth of Jesus.  As we made our way closer to Jerusalem we saw signs warning of minefields along the side of the road and we had to cross through check points since we came into Jerusalem from the West Bank and entered and exited Bethlehem.  It made me pause and think of how out of place this tension felt compared to the calm north in the Galilee.  I was very disturbed at how as I had an anticipation at seeing Jerusalem was suddenly distracted by the evidence of war and suffering that was occurring all around us.  I would ask all of you to pray for the peace of this City of God.  To pray for His people and that most of all that there will be salvation for both the Jews and Palestinians and that their chains would be broken bringing real freedom to that region of the world.

Keep Praying,

-AM

Evangelical Triangle

What a day we had!  Here are the highlights and thoughts for you.

Bethsaida

At Bethsaida we learned that it is not actually the site of the New Testament city of Bethsaida but an earlier Gershite city that reached its zenith during the Hellenistic period about 100 years before Bethsaida in Jesus’ time.  It was actually almost non-existent by the time of the Jesus.  At this site we took some time to observe the person of John the Baptist.  It was interesting to learn that he really had some of his Messianic ideas very wrong.  He felt that the Messiah would come to crush the Romans and rise to be the judge as the prophets say.  Instead Jesus comes only fulfilling the first part of the prophesies about the blind seeing and the gospel being preached to the poor.  John even had his doubts when he asked Jesus whether he was the one to come or whether they should look for someone else.  John became a doubter towards his death, however Jesus is still quoted as affirming and praising John’s preaching of the message of repentance to everyone.  It comforts me that even the “greatest among men” could have shortcomings that Jesus is able to look over!

Mt. of Beatitudes and Korazim

Jesus defends His status as a law abiding Jew.  He keeps the law in its fullest meaning and does not break the laws as it is often assumed he does.  Jesus is a very devout and faithful Jew.  The main discussion here was Jesus calling His people to righteousness and what that looks like in terms of the Hebrew.  The word actually means to be in the business of mercy and caring for other peoples wants and needs instead of focused on ourselves.  This was connected nicely at Korazim where we considered that Jesus wasn’t looking for an Israeli Zealot cheering section after the freedom of Israel but rather people who were willing to be like Jesus.  People who were willing to live and act in this very different idea of righteousness.

Capernaum

Probably the most powerful moment of the day came while in the church that sits over the home of Peter in Capernaum.  We all started singing “I love you Lord.”  It is such a simple and old song but it just resonated at that time of day.  Having been traveling through the Evangelical Triangle (Capernaum, Korazim, and Bethsaida) this day had an impact on me as I realized the we walked in the footsteps of Jesus and were understanding more about who He really was and began to grasp the gravity of His teaching to a Jewish audience.  As we sang that simple song in this 8 sided catholic sanctuary we could sense the Spirit of God descend on that place as if Jesus had just entered Capernaum after 2,000 years away.  I am still moved from that experience as I began to simply get a better picture of what it means to be like Jesus.

We finished the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.  We had the motor turned off and it was so quiet that evening on the lake.  As we just sat there and listened to God and imagined Jesus out with His disciples on the lake fishing with them and teaching them his ways.  Soon He would be headed toward Jerusalem to bear the cross and suffer for far more than just the Jews.  And tomorrow we also will begin making our way towards Jerusalem to contemplate Jesus culmination of His life on earth.

Shalom,

-AM

Springs of Life

Finally touring with the group today was a blessing for me.  I'm so grateful to be here in the places where Jesus ministered in Galilee.  The countryside is beautiful and we have absolutely amazing weather to go along with it.  Today we visited a few different sites north of the sea of Galilee including Tel Hazor (pronounced Hat-zor), Tel Dan, the ruins of Ceserea-Philipi, the possible site of the Transfiguration and the Golan Heights region.

Just a quick rundown on some of history behind these places:

Tel Hazor was the cheif Canaanite city in norther Palestine when Joshua was and the Israelites came into the land.  It is described in Joshua 11 as being burned by fire when the Israelites destroyed it.  We were actually able to see the residue of a fire from that time period in the rocks.  It could have very possibly been the burning of Hazor described in Joshua.  Later it became one of Solomon's fortified cities that guarded the northern entrance to Israel.

Ceserea-Philipi was a place that Jesus spent a significant amount of time and was the place where Peter's confession of faith was made.  The town is also at the foot of a mountain described to be the possible location of the transfiguration of Jesus.  The view on top of the mountain was breathtaking.

The most moving location for me was Tel Dan.  We visited En Dan which was the spring at Tel Dan.  It is always flowing even during droughts.  Our professor explained that he has come up to that spring after 3 year droughts and still the spring would be flowing consistently.  Jeremiah uses this as an example in Jeremiah 2:13:  

For My people have committed two evils:  They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

The imagery here is very agricultural.  For those who would dig cisterns for themselves would know exactly how much water they had at all times and could control and predict what would come next.  However, the spring is a risk.  It is much less predictable and there is a level of trust that must be taken when dealing with the spring.  Like God we are called to stop doing our own way and to take the risk of living of the real Living Water that is God.  Living in that place I am unable to measure my life and make it predictable.  Instead it has become a life built on faith and living by these Springs of Life.

I've been having some trouble uploading pictures to my blog.  If you have facebook you can look at them there.  Otherwise I will try and figure out that situation.  In the meantime thank you for your continued prayers.

Shalom,

-AM

SHALOM!

Greetings from the Holy Land!  I am sitting in our hotel lounge overlooking the Sea of Galilee!  I cannot believe I am actually here right now!  I had a great taxi ride to meet up with the group as well.  It was a two hour ride and my cab driver was a messianic jew!  His perspective on the person of Jesus and His fulfillment of the law so so fresh and real to hear.  It has now set a great tone for me for the rest of the trip.  I will post some pictures soon that you all can enjoy.

Shalom,

-AM

This Is Where the Stories Come From

The title is two fold.  Really, this place, Israel is where the stories come from.  The story of a faith and belief in something so irrational and so impossible that it just seems to good to be true.  But when I said this is where the stories come from, I also mean that these kinds of situations is where great God moments emerge from.  Being unable to go with my group to Israel this past Saturday gave me a chance to step back for a couple days.  I had been rushing around visiting friends and family back home and packing everything up for school for next semester and getting down to Nyack just made me feel very chaotic and not focused on the whole purpose of the trip and why I felt the desire to go in the first place.

For two days, I got back in position, settled myself and prayed that God would show up which is what I should have been earnestly asking for from the start.  I think now with all that has transpired since Saturday evening I can say that God has met me on this trip.  That I am now in the right spirit to be traveling in Israel as the Holy Spirit reveals more of God's identity to me.

As I write this next part I have since boarded the aircraft and am flying over Nova Scotia.  I am excited.  I have finally settled down knowing that I am on my way to my destination.  Let me quickly sum up exactly what happened...

On Saturday evening as I was checking in I was informed that my passport was damaged and I would not be able to fly.  I was completely shocked and not sure what to do.  I was given some good advice by Dr. Notley and Dr. Walborn as well as Wink Thompson who arranged our travel and accommodations, about figuring things out to join up with the rest of the group in Israel.  I was praying hard.  Like really really hard.  It was a wake up call to how I just wasn't really in the right spirit to be traveling and I was being shaken up.  Anyway, I got the information I needed to go to get a new passport on Monday morning.  Sunday I had to have my passport photos completed however, and wasn't sure how to take care of this.  Jimmy gave me a good idea to check on someone to do them and it worked out great!  (Thanks Jimmy and Bill!)

Second miracle was getting someone to be willing to drive me to the passport agency an hour and a half away in Connecticut early on a Monday morning.  Enter Jon Chowansky (Thanks buddy.)  My really good friend Jon that I met at Seton Hall University (Before I transferred), said he would take me up to Connecticut and then to JFK afterwards.  (What a pal).

Second problem solved, now just to get the passport.  I arrived without a good copy of my birth certificate (I had a scan), and was not sure how things would go.  I got my forms together and got a number to get in line to get a passport.  I began praying and asking God that He would get me my passport.  Then I stopped and thought, why should I ask for so little of God?  Here I am a college student who never has money; why wouldn't I pray that my fairly new passport would be considered defective and that a way would be provided that I wouldn't have to pay!  I prayed for just that:  A free passport.  And...God delivered massively!!  A fresh passport completely updated and replaced and I didn't have to pay $135 for a new one!  Miracles upon miracles!

I was so blessed to be able to have this experience honestly.  I feel like I will have a much deeper appreciation for this trip considering I almost wasn't able to go on it.  I'm still not sure what the whole point of this little detour was.  But in some ways it is a lot like Paul.  He didn't always go where he wanted to when he wanted to.  But things always worked for the glory of the Father.  See, it's stuff like this.  Time's like these.  That's where stories come from.

Next blog from Israel,

-AM

And then life hits like a train...

So problem.  I am not in Israel right now.  I am not flying to Israel right now.  I am sitting in the food court at JFK International Airport waiting for someone to come pick me up from the airport.  Apparently my passport has damage to it that makes it unacceptable for travel.  My fault.  I didn’t think there would be damage since I’ve used it twice in the past.  However, for those of you that were absolutely dying to follow this blog have no fear.  I will be joining the rest of the group as my flight has been changed to Monday evening and I will be in Israel on Tuesday.  (Thank you ticket counter attendant for being so kind to me!)

Am I disappointed?  Absolutely.  I would be lying if I said I was ok with it.  But just like anything that happens in life, I’m sure this will produce character (if handled correctly) and a healthy paranoia that my passport is always in tip top condition!  And so, instead of lessons learned in Israel I will be learning lesson about dealing with disappointment and being patient for things that are worthwhile.  (Not to mention that I have invested $3,000 into this trip!!)  Instead of just giving up and not going on the trip, I will continue to see what God can do in this disappointing time and still keep the anticipation of going on this trip.  I think now more than ever, I will be thankful for the experience.  Perhaps even more thankful that I ever would have been and I will never take it for granted.

I was just thinking of the song by Brenton Brown, Everlasting God.  The verse to that song is so simple but so powerful in its message:  “Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.”  So I’m not sure what to do with that except wait upon the Lord and see what He wants me to do.

Please continue to keep myself and the rest of the group in your prayers that all goes according to God’s big plan!

-AM

And here we go!

Writing this quick note from a friends house where I stayed last night in Nyack.  I will be meeting up with everyone in about two hours over at the college and we will be headed to JFK to catch our 6:00 pm flight.  We received an email from our professor this morning who is already over in Israel taking care of some business.  He said all is quiet and our anxieties should be put to rest.  

I am very excited about what this trip will bring.  I was talking with a friend last night who is also a worship leader and we were discussing songs coming out of our experience over there that have a deep connection to the Promised Land.  Especially with Jerusalem and all that is said in the Psalms about Jerusalem and its prominence and importance in a spiritual sense.  As we tour and as we meet people of this region I fully anticipate God to begin doing something miraculous.  I really don't know what it is, but whether it is some songs are written, or its just a fresh perspective I'm resting assured that God has great plans for our travels in the middle-east and He will show Himself brilliantly!

Next blog from Israel!

Stay Classy,

-AM