The Next Step in a Journey...

I started realizing the inconstancies sometimes of blogging about my travels when, for right now, they aren't happening all of the time. However, here are some things that have been rolling over in my head and are looking to possibly happen for the future...

Ensenada, Mexico 2009! I'm headed down to Ensenada with my church for a week long missions trip to build houses and help be Jesus to the people of that city. It will be really exciting to see my friend Greg who has been following God's call down in Louisiana, but will be joining us in Mexico for the week trip. I've been to Mexico one other time in the past but I feel this is a time when I have started to understand my calling better. To a point where I know a little better about what it means to be missional with people and be Jesus to them.

Missional may sound kind of complex, but it's really just a buzz word that a lot of emerging churches are using to describe how we do ministry and church in the world. It is an approach the means more than just going up to someone and telling them they need Jesus. It's about showing a genuine interest in a persons well being. It's about building relationships with people and helping them with not just spiritual needs, but emotional and physical ones as well. It's about loving people period no matter where they are.

So when I say I'm going to be missional with the people of Ensenada, Mexico that's basically what I mean. It's a new place for me personally to be at. I'm not just going on a missions trip for the sake of going on a missions trip. I'm going because as Jesus said: "Since the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God has been forcefully advancing." I have been called by God to go and preach the Kingdom of God to the world. To bring hope to all people that Jesus saves. So I'm excited to go!

I'm in Ohio right now on spring break visiting friends. I will definitely have some time this week to write some more about being missional and all that jazz. Looking forward to it.

-AM

My Heart Speaks Out

Its a cloudless morning.  The wind is blowing just enough to make my hair wave in the wind.  Echoes of songs sung in the chapel behind me are still sinking deep into my soul and causing my head to spin.  Eventually, the melody and words of worship sink so deep that they penetrate my very heart.  It breaks.  Shatters even.  I feel completely taken back as if a hot wind knocks me to the ground.  I sit there, on the precipice, over looking a sight that has caused others to weep more than once.  

I hear the words of a man, ragged from persecution and sadness, a prophet even, who was here before me wept intensely as this place was destroyed by war.  The old man's heart broke as mine had done.  He would no longer hear the sweet songs rising up to heaven, he would no longer hear the sound of celebration.  There was nothing before him but a wasted land and a wasted people.  Another man approaches many years later and stands perhaps in the same place that I know sat, completely heartbroken, this man's heart broke as well.  Though I would never say mine broke like his broke.  The people below were singing, celebrating, living their lives as normal individuals, but he saw deeper than that.  He saw a torn people, there, in that city.  He saw a torn land, plagued by war.  He saw every place like it that has ever existed in history.  This man sobbed, in a way that others could probably not.  He cried out:  "How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"

I hear these voices as I sit there overlooking that great city, Jerusalem.  I see some of it's brokenness and heartache.  I see it's desire for something more.  Then I wake up from my dream.  With the picture in my head and the burden in my heart.  You see, while I felt the pain in my dream of a city that was broken and chained, I knew that this was much more than just a city on my heart:  Standing there with its stone walls and ancient buildings.  No, that was just the symbol of what my heart had been pierced by.  There on that mount overlooking the city, I heard the cries of the lonely, the poor, and the oppressed.  I heard the cries of those who were bound in the chains of addiction and believed they were destined to live with them on forever.  I heard them all ask and beg:  Is there any hope for me?!

When King David looked at the beloved city of Jerusalem he was inspired to sing and encourage everyone to pray for it's peace.  I would encourage you to pray for its peace as well.  But I do not mean just the city.  I mean the symbol of what the city stands for.  Pray that the peace that passes all understanding comes upon people so that they will know hope.  Pray that those who know hope will hear the cries of those still in their chains and will run their with the hope and freedom that we know.

I'm sharing this today specifically, because I feel it so intensely right now.  I talk to a friend and can see they are hurting so much, but don't realize they don't have to live with that kind of bondage and pain forever.  You've all heard it said:  "To whom much is given, much is expected."  We have been given much hope.  Let us then give what is expected of us.

Psalm 122:6 says:  "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may those who love you be secure."

Peace be with you,

-AM

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