ISRAEL TOUR DAY 9 - Thursday, February 10

This was the final day of the tour for those of us who were not going on to Turkey – which was an optional addition to our tour. We wheeled and carted our bags to the bus after breakfast and were on our way.

Last night we got to meet Madeline, who is the Tour Coordinator/Agent for Bell Wholesale Travel. Madeleine has a larger-than-life personality - and she joined us today for our final day of touring.

The first thing we saw today was the Model of Jerusalem as it would have been in the Second Temple Period. This is an amazing model. It is outside, and there is a path that leads around it. It is absolutely wonderful for seeing what Jerusalem would have looked like at the time Jesus lived. Mark pointed out that Jerusalem would have been much smaller at the time of David – and that though the structures would have been amazing for his day – they wouldn’t have been amazing by a later standard. The Model is next to the Shrine of the Book, which was our 2nd place to visit.

The Shrine of the Book structure is interesting. It looks like an inverted Hershey’s Kiss – but is actually very creatively shaped like the lids of the jars the Qumran scrolls were found in early in 1947. They don’t allow any pictures inside the building – but what is inside are copies of the scrolls presented in very low light – with an elevated area that has an entire 66-foot-long duplicate of the scroll of Isaiah – reconstructed precisely as it was found. There is a lot of info online about the scrolls as well.

One of our surprises for the day was getting to go to the International Christian Embassy. Four of us in the group went to school at Northwest University with a man and his wife who were at The Christian Embassy for several years – so it was special for that reason – but also special because all other embassies are in Tel Aviv, even though Jerusalem is the eternal capitol of Israel.

Our Jewish contacts for the tour seemed to be very moved by the fact that the Christian Embassy stands with them; especially because there have been many Christians over the years who have believed in a replacement theology which states that the church replaced Israel as God’s favored ones. That just isn’t true. We are grafted in– but Israel is – and has always been – at the center of God’s heart. The time of the Gentiles is near its end – and Bible prophecy will be fulfilled demonstrating that reality.

It was a cold and blustery day – so a good day to be inside! Our next stop was another welcome surprise – a visit to the Knesset, the parliament building for the State of Israel. We were given a very nice tour. The artwork in Chagall Hall, which is used for State receptions was all designed by renowned artist Marc Chagall, who was Jewish. There are 12 floor mosaics, one wall mosaic and three enormous tapestries – which are all part of a whole – but each complete as individual pieces. I didn’t know Chagall was Jewish. That was a delightful bit of information.

We weren’t allowed to have cameras inside. Consequently we didn’t have cameras with us to get a picture in front of the beautiful menorah across the street from the Knesset. I know that disappointed Madeleine – but it would have been another ‘walk’ that we knew some people wouldn’t want to do – because of the distance of the walk – and also because of the weather…. I had pictures of the menorah from my trip 5 years earlier, so it wasn’t a loss to me – but I know people would have loved seeing it under other circumstances.

We had lunch at a Kibbutz Restaurant. I failed to write down the name – but they had a very interesting focal point in their landscaping – barrel cacti growing out of a form that looked like a large barrel cactus. It was intriguing.

As we headed for Tel Aviv, Mark pointed out the area where David met Goliath, and Anita suggested we sing the children’s song, “Only a Boy Named David.” It was another of those wonderful moments sealed in my memory – a readily retrievable mental image of the very valley where David stood up to and conquered Goliath.

Once in Tel Aviv we dropped off luggage for those on the Turkey leg. Yep – that’s what we called it – the Turkey leg. It was not my invention – but I liked it!

After they deposited their bags, we got down to the waterfront area just as the sun was setting. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an opportunity to get good pics of the sunset, though several of us tried from the moving bus….

After we stopped we got a few night pics along the waterfront and from a little knoll that had an interesting arch at the summit.

We went to Maganda – a Yemenite Restaurant – for dinner. Coincidentally, it was the same restaurant I had my farewell dinner at 5 years earlier. It must be very popular with the Tour crowd!

Dinner was delicious, but a bit rushed. We didn’t have time to sing the songs I had hoped to end our tour with – but that’s O K. We dropped off the 8 Turkey Tour folks, then the rest of us headed for Ben Gurion International Airport to begin our journey home.

It was wonderful of Mark to stick with us and make sure we were on our way! He truly was a wonderful tour guide – and one of the amazing reasons the tour was such an excellent tour.

We boarded the plane for a 11:55 p m departure. Fortunately, it was not full – so many of us were able to have 2 seats so we could stretch out a bit. Alice had a whole row of 4 seats.

I'll save the journey home for the final day - which was an all-travel day, and then the writing about the journey will be finished!

LENT 2011, Day 20

Today marks the halfway mark through the Lenten journey! It feels good to make it this far. Committing to writing every day - without ever skipping - is a discipline. I take the commitment very seriously.

But - interestingly, as is so often true, Isaiah's mood and tone in chapter 64 (the chapter for today) echoes my own oft-felt feelings. Chapter 63 ended with Isaiah basically saying to God, "I don't feel like one of your favorites any more." And he continues that theme in Isaiah 64 - pleading personally and for his nation.

Still - even in his lament for Israel's abysmal behavior and God's subsequent anger, there are nuggets of hope:

Verse 4 proclaims, "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him." That declaration is followed by one of my two favorite verses in this chapter, "You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways."

Verse 5 is a clear portrayal of God's interaction with his beloved. He cannot ignore or neglect his own. He is faithful. He will act and interact. In this acknowledgment we are assured of his loving care. Feelings cannot be the barometer we use to judge God's presence with us. If we are faithful, He is. In fact, He is faithful even when we are faithless. He cannot do otherwise. It would violate His character.

As I lay in bed this morning - awake when I should have been still sleeping - God brought past lessons to my mind. Lessons on love, faithfulness, gentleness. I need all of those reminders. I was tempted to recite a litany of my shortcomings to God - but He stopped me after about 4 and reminded me that He sees me through the filter of the blood of His Son. I don't deserve His love, but He loves me anyway.

That brings me to my second favorite verse in chapter 64, verse 8: "But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."

Two choruses come quickly to mind:

Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way.
Thou are the potter. I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.

and

Spirit of the Living God fall fresh on me
Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.

The inaudible prayer I am accustomed to adding to that is "gently Lord." I want to be conformed to His likeness - but I am perfectly aware the journey that direction holds a lot of challenges. I cannot anticipate in advance that I'll be up to the challenge - but I know with absolute confidence that He is. "I will never leave you nor forsake you" means exactly that. My confidence has to be in Him and Him alone!

LENT 2011, Day 19

I'm sure glad Isaiah has some truly 'up' chapters. This isn't one of them.

It begins with a vibrant display of the vengeance of the LORD poured out on Israel's enemies. The specific country that is mentioned is representative of all the others - but my thoughts go back immediately to Petra, Jordan - to the amazing Rock City that was once a mighty, impenetrable fortress. When we were there, we were told that is in the area of the ancient Edom....and that area is one of the many countries surrounding Israel who are very much against Israel.

I love many individual people whose countries and beliefs are in conflict with God's Truth. I want them to come to truth - not be destroyed. I yearn for them to have the scales on their spiritual eyes peeled away so they can see Jesus for who he is - not merely some prophet in a long line of prophets - but the One sent by God - God Himself who took on the form of man by coming to be born of a virgin - Yeshua ha Meshiach, Jesus the Messiah. Truth personified. Jesus own words recorded in John 14:6 are: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

So - this presents a painful reality. While on one hand I am grateful for God's faithfulness in redeeming Israel, it is painful to think of the enormous grief that is in and will continue to be in the world until the time of perfection in His kingdom comes.

I don't have to look far these days to see the result of that pain - nations crumpling, economies teetering, calamities unnerving...prophecy unfolding. The earth groans for its Savior, and in times like these, so do I.

The good news in Isaiah 63 is that the LORD'S mercy is remembered, reviewed and revealed. Verse 14 holds the key: "So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name."

It isn't about us (humans) - it is about HIM! He will make a name for Himself. He will be faithful even when we are faithless. He will redeem. He will do what He has promised. He is the fulfillment.

The end of verse 16 states, "you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name."

Even in a chapter that has so much that is depressing and discouraging, there is HOPE! Blessed by the Name of the LORD!

LENT 2011, Day 18

I lay awake last night anticipating what might be next in Isaiah, eager to awake and read the next chapter. The chapter today is Isaiah 62. I have no idea why - but it brought immediate tears to my eyes. It is a jubilant chapter of what God will do (is beginning to do, already, I believe) for Jerusalem, for Zion, so tears were a surprise response.

The song that leaps to my mind is REDEEMED. "I sing for I cannot keep silent. His love is the theme of my song. Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed by the blood of the lamb...." Indeed, Isaiah 62 begins with the assertions "I will not keep silent" and "I will not be quiet."

What a beautiful chapter showcasing God's intentions for his beloved Zion. And - in verse 8 the declaration of absolute assurance: "The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm" and then it continues to spell out what he is swearing to do for his people. What leaps out to me is his absolute promise. There is no 'if my people' stated, as there was so often in the Old Testament. This is non-negotiable and inviolable.

I also thought of Jesus when I read those words 'The LORD has sworn by his right hand'. It is the designated place of honor for the One who is fully God, fully human...he sits at the right hand of God.

Matthew 26:63-65 (NIV, ©2011)
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."

The same story is related in Mark 14:61-63. Later Mark 16:19 confirms, "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God."

There are other references - including the witness of Stephen when he was about to be stoned. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55)

This One, who is fully God, who gave His life for our redemption - the perfect lamb -
sits at the right hand of God - and intercedes for us.... My Lord and my God, I am overwhelmed by your incredible mercy!

LENT 2011, Day 17

It amused me to write the day of my journey. Lent excludes Sundays - but, to me, 40 days is 40 days, so it seems odd to have time outs in the journey....and my commitment to write daily isn't compromised - it's just not actually '40' days....

My chapter for today is Isaiah 61, which is an absolutely thrilling chapter of promise for the future of the nation of Israel. Even Isaiah found pure joy in proclaiming the prophetic news God gave him, for he begins this chapter with what can easily be viewed as a personal expostulation that was also prophetic of Jesus' ministry, and of a future time on the horizon, a layered promise:

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor"

...and the litany of promises continues....

It is amazing to read this in the light of history. For those who first heard this promise, the promise was still a long way off. After all this was written more than 680 years before Jesus' birth.

What is thrilling in reading this is knowing that these were the very words Jesus read about 30 A D - over 700 years after Isaiah penned the words. The record of that event is recorded for us in Luke 4. Jesus had spent his 40 days in the desert in preparation for his ministry on earth - and had preached in the synagogues throughout Galilee, including Capernaum, which was his home base for his 3 years of ministry. Everyone everywhere he went praised him. Then he dropped by his hometown. Nazareth. He went to the synagogue - as was his custom - and he stood up to read. The scroll of Isaiah was handed to him, and he unrolled it until he came to this passage, which he read aloud:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Then he said, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Luke reports that all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips - but then somehow the tide turned. He had just proclaimed himself to them as the Messiah - and they couldn't get past their reality that he was Joseph's son.

His response to them seems a bit cutting - but I have to remember that he knew their hearts. In any event, their interaction culminated with their taking him to the brow of the hill to throw him off the cliff...but he walked through the crowd and went on his way.

Jesus would experience the pendulum-sway of the crowd's emotions more than once in his journey to the cross - and it started here.... I have to remember that. Adulation and contempt are bedfellows, and never far apart. I have to remember not to take either seriously. But - that is just an aside....

What is absolutely thrilling is seeing the layered promise. Isaiah was thrilled to get to be the one to report this. Jesus was the fulfillment of the primary promise, and the full meal deal fulfillment is yet to come, with the restoration of Israel and this tiny little nation taking her rightful place in God's design. Stay tuned!

As a little postscript - it is also absolutely wonderful to read this with the cities and the geography of the area so clearly in mind. I was just there! And believe me when I say, there is a palpable reality in being on that holy ground that Israel is the center of God's heart and in God's time all that he has promised will come to pass. Isaiah prophesied it +-2680 years ago. We are on the cusp of seeing it. As I said, stay tuned!

ISRAEL TOUR DAY 8 - Wednesday, February 9

My roommate, Eunice, stayed home sick this day. I brought her some breakfast, gave her some meds from my stash, prayed for her to get better - and off I went. (I looked for Hanan, but didn't find him, so assumed he decided not to come after all....)

Our first destination of the day was The Jerusalem Archaeological Park – which is an archaeological "dig" in the ruins around the outside of the Temple Mount (Mt Moriah AKA the historic Mt Zion). The Roman Cardo along the outside of the wall of Temple Mount has been uncovered - as well as enormous stones that were part of the temple destroyed in 70 A D (just as Jesus said it would be.) I took lots of pics of things outside. (We were not allowed to take pics inside.)

Then we went up a wooden ramp to Temple Mount. When I was at the Western Wall 5 years earlier, the ramp was not there, and visitors were not allowed to go up to Temple Mount. As I went up the ramp I peeked through the slats and got some pics of people at prayer (and study) at the Western Wall.

We saw the Dome Of The Rock and the water source for the Muslims’ Ceremonial washing. The building of 'The Dome of the Rock' is enormous. Much larger than I had supposed. There were several groups of men gathered in study circles around the courtyard.

We saw the exterior of the Muslim Al Aksa Mosque, which is built on Temple Mount.

As for Temple Mount – it was amazing to be where the 2 temples from Israel’s history had stood – another of my highlights. We were only allowed to stay until 10 a m. A man came and told us we had 2 minutes to leave.

Saw the backside of the Golden Gates – the Eastern gate where Jesus will return to the Temple Mount. It is sealed shut with thick stone masonry. And - the Muslims have a graveyard right in front of the gates. They believe that no respectable Jew would go through a graveyard to get to and through the Eastern Gate - the Golden Gate - so believe their act of placing a graveyard at the entrance will deter the fulfillment of the prophecy.

After we left Temple Mount, we went to the Pools of Bethesda, which was much larger than I imagined when reading about this place where Jesus healed the paralytic man.

The Pools of Bethesda are right next to St Anne’s Church. St Anne was the mother of Mary. We sang in St Anne’s – Holy,Holy, Holy…. I LOVE how the first strains of the songs become harmony for the next phrases. It was absolutely beautiful! Another of my highlights!

Walked through the Muslim Quarter through the Via Dolorosa – or at least a good part of it. We visited two churches in one courtyard. One was commemorating where Jesus was condemned: Church of the Condemnation. Next to it is the church memorializing where he first fell under the cross – and it had original stones with games carved into them that the Roman soldiers were purported to have played on.

Our journey of following the stations of the cross ended at the church of the Holy Sepulchre – but it’s just a lot of ‘commemoration’ without any true identity…. It's a huge ornate structure within a larger old church structure, and it just doesn't feel right....

For lunch I had another delicious falafel in the Old City – then went shopping for a while. I love the ambiance of the Old City. The Old City of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters – Jewish, Muslim, Armenian and Christian. We were in the Jewish Quarter 2 days before - and in the Muslim section this day.

I bought 5 scarves – 2 in the first shop we were first taken to, and then 3 in another shop, because the first one didn’t have enough color selection. At the first shop we were told, “Mark’s group gets 50% off.” So – at the 2nd shop I refused to pay more than that. The 2nd shop owner started his price at $30.00 each - and I ended up paying $15. each.

After spending time in the Old City, it was like experiencing a Time Warp leaving the Old City and walking through a modern shopping area. Quite a culture difference!

Our last place to visit for the day was Yad Vashem, the Shoa Museum – aka the Holocaust Museum, honoring all who were killed under Hitler’s genocide. It also honors those who tried to help. There was a large group of young Israeli soldiers there the same time as we were, so it wasn’t easy to see everything – but we needed to scurry through anyway. Really our whole tour was like a Cliff’s notes version. We went a lot of places – but we didn’t have time to do any of the sites thoroughly. There just isn’t time. It would be easy to spend a day – or half a day – at most of the sites and still feel you could see more....

The entire building is filled with compelling images - it is horrific to think of all they suffered, while most of the world turned a blind eye. Last fall I read "Stones from the River" by Ursula Hegi. It helped me understand a bit more of how a nation could be duped - thinking no one could actually do such a thing - while watching their neighbors disappear....

It appalls me to think that there are those who teach it never really happened. They should be forced to see the evidence. "Never again." That's the cry that must ring out at the gross injustice. We must learn from the past or we are doomed to repeat it.

Back to the hotel for dinner, packing and sleeping...at least a little! Eunice had a good, restful day and felt a lot better by dinner time. I had the joy of visiting with a few folks before hitting the hay...another highlight. Thus ended another wonderful day!

LENT 2011, Sunday, March 27

Isaiah 60 prophesies the future glory of Israel - something that will come in all its glorious fulfillment with the coming of the Lord in his thousand year reign in the New Jerusalem.

From this vantage point, we can at least conceive that it is plausible, since Israel is at least a nation again - but can you imagine those who have read this throughout the ages between the time of the destruction of the temple and diaspora in the first century A D until 1947, when it was finally declared there was going to be a homeland for the Jews once more? For centuries, those who read the Hebrew scriptures yearned not just for the day when Israel would be restored - but for the truth of this prophecy to be fulfilled.

Israel is a nation, but not yet surrounded with the peace and promise of Isaiah 60.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come," God prophetically says to Israel. "The Lord will rise upon you...nations shall come to your light.... The wealth of the nations shall come to you.... ...he has made you beautiful. Your gates shall be open...that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations.... For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; those nations shall be utterly laid to waste.... ...they shall call you the City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. ...I will make you majestic forever.... The LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. ....your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous.... I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it."

Wow! With nations collapsing all around this tiny little country that God holds at the center of His heart, it looks like the hastening time is here!

LENT 2011, Day 16

My chapter for today is Isaiah 59. I read it shortly after I got up this morning - but didn't have time to write right then. And I'm glad I didn't - because I have had more time to mull it over - and one of the observations I can make now that I wouldn't have thought of earlier is that according to this chapter, God has what is equivalent to a junk mail file.

The chapter begins by telling us that it isn't that God cannot save, or cannot hear - but that our sins have created the separation that keeps him from listening. Just like my junk mail. I have my e-mail filtered so nothing goes into my primary mailbox that is not from an approved source. I get lots of mail in my junk mail file - and most of it doesn't ever get opened. Every now and then someone I do want to hear from will get my email address and write to me - and I have to transfer those mails to my primary account or after a prescribed period of time, they are just automatically deleted.

The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man is the one God absolutely hears. And - righteousness is by His standard, not ours. He has some very specific instructions for how we should live. The Bible is the handbook for living the Christian life. It isn't presented as optional for consideration.

If we want to be in good standing so our prayers are heard, we have to be intentional about our walk. We are told to hide His Word in our hearts so we won't sin against Him.

Like Pastor Peter says, "He loves you just the way you are - but He loves you too much to leave you that way."

I don't always like His discipline - but I'm grateful for it. It means He hasn't given up on me! I love the t-shirt that says, "Work in Progress. God isn't finished with me yet."

Lord, I want my life to be lived in response to Your love - and in a way that pleases You. Amen.

LENT 2011, Day 15

Isaiah 58 speaks volumes!

Through Isaiah God tells His people - Israel, and by extension, us - the kind of life He wants us to live. He rails against false fasting - its inadequacy to reach Him - and defines the following as the kind of fast He wants of us: (Isaiah 58:6-7 ESV)

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

The following verses tell how God will respond when we live in that kind of righteousness. The promises in His response to right living are phenomenal, but conditioned on the ifs. "If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted...."

"And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." And more....

In this chapter God also commands how we should treat the Sabbath. That is an area we have become lax in following. I don't believe it is about the specific day - Saturday or Sunday - but about the way God is honored (or not honored). And - as the beginning of the chapter so pointedly reminds us: it isn't about appearances, but about the condition of the heart. God looks at the heart. Worship is from the heart, not what is visible to others externally. Every day should be an act of pouring ourselves out in worship - in tangible response to His grace, and Isaiah 58 gives me lots to chew on for today....

ISRAEL TRIP 2011 Day 7 Postscript

I can't believe I forgot to write about one of the huge object lessons from the trip, which is the lesson of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the terminus of the Jordan River.

To backtrack - earlier on the trip we stood at one of the main sources for the Jordan River at Caesarea Philippi (AKA Banias or Panias) - where the water gushes out from beneath the rocks to become one of the 3 main sources of the river. From not far below Banias, the Jordan River this time of year rushes and tumbles, water a dirty brown with all the silt it carries on its way toward the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is full of life. Fish and freshwater crabs thrive in its waters. Villages and cities thrive on its shores.

As the water leaves the Sea of Galilee to continue the journey south, the Jordan River is calm. And it continues down through the West Bank to its destination: The Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is...dead. No life in it. It is a great salt sea, and the lowest place on earth. Water evaporates - but there is no exit - so no life.

It was a wonderful visual object lesson and message for our lives. The Holy Spirit pours His life into us - but we must pour it out to truly be alive in Christ. If we are not giving as well as receiving, we become stagnant. Dead.

I've thought a lot about the lesson of the Dead Sea. I've been in an 'in between' time in my life. We go through seasons - and it will always be so - but the Lord doesn't have a retirement plan. He redirects us to what's next - but to our final breath we always need to be asking, "What next?" And then - "whatever our hand finds to do - to do it with all our might!" With His guidance and direction, of course!

I looked up the verse that challenge comes from. It is in Ecclesiastes - and is part of a rather depressed view of our existence on earth - but that one thought has merit. The Presbyterian Church I was part of for most of my adult life commissioned us each year for the tasks & ministries we had committed to do, and part of the challenge of the commissioning was to serve with energy, intelligence, imagination and love. I absolutely loved the intentionality of it - and took the commitment very seriously. It echoed the protestant work ethic I had been raised with, and resonated with my soul as the right way to live.

Lord, I need some specific direction right now. There are so many available options and opportunities. I want to choose what You want. Today would be good timing!

LENT 2011, Day 14

My chapter for today is Isaiah 57.

On occasion the thought has run through my mind that when good people die perhaps God is sparing them from something far worse…and today I found that truth in Isaiah 57:1-2.

"The righteous man perishes and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity; he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness."

What these two verses say to me, literally, is that some people are taken from this world prematurely because of their righteousness. They are protected from calamity. They get to enter peace. It is only a slight silver lining in the clouds for those who are left behind – but their joy in being with the Lord is to be celebrated.

Meanwhile, we mourn.

God sees impeccably with an eternal view. We have a hard time grasping his view, and see as though through an opaque, dirty window.

This chapter has very clear indictments for those who worship idols, with a concluding promise of their destruction: The wind will carry them off, a breath will take them away.

And then the following promise for those who place their faith in God: (13) But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain.

Then, further promise, in verse 15: For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit….”

I love that. I want to just stop there and enjoy the promise. Right here, in the Old Testament, long before Jesus even came to earth, God declares through the prophet Isaiah, that He dwells with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit. Throughout the Old Testament we see glimpses of that. Samuel and David come quickly to mind. God has always wanted to have a relationship with His created.

There is more to be gleaned – but my grandkids just got here, and I have to go….

LENT 2011, Day 13

Before I leap into today's chapter, I have to take one step back briefly to the topic of Jesus as the living water. John 7:37-38 records what Jesus declared on the last day of the fall Festival of Tabernacles AKA Feast of Booths celebration - about 6 months before his death. It is significant in our journey through Lent - so I don't want to miss this opportunity to share just a bit more about Jesus' profession of being the living water.

37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

He is the source of life. He is the living water. His Holy Spirit, which He poured out at Pentecost, allows us to jump into that stream of life and water - to be filled with God's presence and living water, and have it flow into us and through us. It is the Good News of the gospel: Jesus came that we might have life, and have it to the full - abundant life! His life!

My chapter for today is Isaiah 56. It begins with defining the plumb line to live by: The ESV translates it as: "Keep justice and do righteousness" The NIV says, "Maintain justice and do what is right."

This chapter prophesies the coming of the One who will come. It states, "My salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed." Jesus is that Salvation.

It is exciting to see the prophecies throughout the Old Testament that point to the Messiah - God's Salvation - but it is also good to pay attention to the reality so clearly conspicuous that 'soon' is in God's timing - not what men might have thought. Isaiah recorded this portion of what God revealed to him approximately 690 years before the birth of Christ - yet God's call to His Old Testament followers was a call to faithfulness in doing what is right to others, and living right by God's standard in personal practice. Even then, God's design for life was grounded in faithfulness in relationships to others and to God. That is significant. And 'soon' was still 690 years off....

This chapter has some other wonderful nuggets. One is the affirmation for the 'stranger.' Even though God sent Jesus to His own - the Jews - God makes it clear that the foreigner who is committed to Him is not excluded. He even promises the eunuchs, who could never be fathers to birth children, that they have an inheritance in the LORD.

The chapter ends with a rebuke of Israel's teachers - blind guides who are without knowledge, according to verse 10. Verse 11 says they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.

That brings 2 Timothy 4:3-4 to mind, which is a warning we need to pay attention to today:

"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

I learned a hard lesson a few years ago. People can be honest, good people, and still not tell the truth - because they don't have the truth to tell. There are lots of areas within God's Kingdom where a diversity of opinions are O K - - but the basic Good News of the Gospel is not up for grabs. There is only one way to God. It is through Jesus Christ - through the blood that He shed on the cross. Jesus was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God had His salvation story in place before creation. He is all-knowing. He knew what would happen - and he planned for it. Jesus' death was no accident. He wasn't killed because He upset people. He was killed to be the one final required blood sacrifice. He was the perfect lamb.

God limited the option for Salvation to being through Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, the Life; the door to the sheepfold; the one and only way to God. Salvation does not come on a potluck platter with a number of options to choose from. God is very clear about that. Yet, it is a popular teaching these days - that we wouldn't want to limit God - that if God chooses He could save through any number of other ways. He can't. He gave His Word - His living, loving Word. There is only one way to get our names on the guest list - and God's Word spells it out clearly.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain....

Just a little bonus for today: Jesus is the Lamb of Revelation - the only one worthy to open the seals. Just as Isaiah was prophetic - and has come true - so The Revelation of John is prophetic - and will come true. It is distressing when I hear teaching that tries to reason away God's truth - people who don't tell the truth, not because it is their intent to lie, but because they don't know. And those teachers always manage to find itching ears to teach to.

Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

We live in that time - when people call good evil, and evil good. When people exchange light for darkness.

Matthew 6:23 laments, "But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"

The good news is: I don't have to shout against the darkness. Shouting against darkness doesn't dispel it - it just makes a lot of noise. All I have to do is shine light into it. Light dispels darkness. That light is Jesus Christ. Shine, Jesus, shine!

LENT 2011, Day 12

One thing I can say for certain: it has been far too long since I read Isaiah - and this is the first time I have used Isaiah as my daily devotional reading.

I began the journey through Isaiah before I went to Israel February 2- 11, as preparation. It was the perfect book to read with Israel in mind. It was the basis for my devotional reading while in Israel, and has continued, obviously, since returning. It has been equally compelling reading for the journey toward the cross - and resurrection. Isaiah is packed with the clarity of God's passion for His people. And for us who are His adopted children - and to God, once adopted, you are His child, no longer identified by your adoptee status.

Isaiah 55 is my chapter for today. It brings tears to my eyes, songs to my lips, and a passionate desire to faithfully follow.

(Verse 1)"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;...." Just as Jesus taught the Samaritan woman at the well, He is the living water. Come, you who are thirsty - and drink.

(Verse 6) "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near...."

The verse goes on to proclaim God's heart of compassion, His desire to forgive - if only we turn to Him. His thoughts are higher than man's thoughts. Man gets hung up on what's fair - God is hung up on compassion and forgiveness. We would relegate people to the punishment they deserve. He extends infinite mercy - but not forever. He makes an outlandish offer for forgiveness - but inherent in the message is the warning that He won't always be found - that the time for seeking Him will come to an end. Yet, He declares His Word will not return to Him empty. It will accomplish what He purposes, and succeed in the thing for which He sent it.

That is such a great verse. It is another reminder that God is God and He will accomplish His plan. He lets me partner with Him, and in that I find fulfillment, but as I've said on other occasions - I can either go with Him, or get out of the way. His Word will produce fruit.

And near the end of the chapter is the inspiration for another favorite chorus:

"You shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth in singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

Israel will be restored at the end of time. Her fields will produce - the barren ground will bloom. I was just there. The prophecy is being fulfilled - and this portion of its fulfillment is just a taste of what will be. The growth of plants and trees witness God's faithfulness. When the cypress and myrtle replace the thorns and briers, "it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." That declaration is how the chapter ends.

ISRAEL TOUR DAY 7 - Tuesday, February 8

I can't believe how long I'm drawing out the writing process for reporting about the trip Feb 2 - 11. I am definitely in the homestretch now!

Tuesday, February 8 was our desert day: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, The Dead Sea.

Even though I was in Masada 5 years before it is still exciting – and still heartrending to visit. From 37 BC - 4 AD Masada was Herod's winter palace - and veritable stronghold because of its position.

The historian Josephus reports that after Herod died this area was annexed to Rome, and the Romans stationed a garrison there. One of the first events of the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans (which began in 66 A D) was the conquest of Masada. And - it was the last stronghold to fall. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, the remaining rebels fled to Masada. They held out until sometime in 73 or 74 AD - when they realized the Roman forces were going to overtake them. Rather than be taken into captivity – and have their women abused – they decided to end their lives. Men killed their own families. Then those who were left drew lots to determine who would kill the last ‘other’ person. The last person had to commit suicide – something unforgivable in Jewish belief. According to Josephus two older women and five children hid to avoid the slaughter. They were the only ones left to tell the story. To me they were the ones who held onto life and hope. It would have been terrifying to be faced with either choice – what they feared, or what they could control – but by doing what they did they ended all possibility. I have a very personal bias against their choice – even though I understand it.

Suicide is a permanent solution to what is often a temporary problem. Theirs was a difficult choice - but since my mother committed suicide when I was 7 years old, I really, really hate suicide. It takes God out of the equation and denies hope. They terminated their family lines. That is heartbreaking.

Visiting the area and seeing the footprint of the palace on the hillside and all of the partial walls of homes and shops is a wonderful opportunity to get close to history. I took lots of pictures!

Our next stop was the lowest waterfall @ the Ein Gedi Kibbutz – natural springs in the desert! David was here! He was hiding in one of the caves we saw when Saul went in – not knowing David was inside. David could have killed him. Instead he cut off a portion of the hem of his garment as proof that he meant him no harm.

Then on to Qumran – where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. There are many caves – and we saw those visible from the viewing area, with Cave 4 very close to us. The scrolls are housed in The Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem – though it is actually carefully crafted original-looking copies that people actually view.

Our final tourist spot in the desert was The Dead Sea – some of us went in! It made my skin soooooo soft. I love that feeling.

Hanan came over that evening after dinner, retrieved his coat, the turtle and bowl Al carved for him, and the beef jerky I brought – and he brought his dog for me to meet. He tentatively planned to join us for the morning – but I said goodbye just in case…. I knew he had to work, so might not be up to joining us for a 7:30 departure.

I got to visit with a small group of tour members before going to bed – which was pure joy! And thus ended another perfect day!

LENT 2011, Day 11

Isaiah 53 was such a wonderful chapter to go to sleep with last night. As I approach my morning devotions today I am filled with praise. My chapter for today - Isaiah 54 - just extends that praise.

Isaiah 54 is another love letter to Israel, with the promise of God's unfailing love. It shows us what the restored, dearly loved Zion will look like.

This is also a chapter that rings true for me as a promise for believers, and one verse, specifically, is a promise that God gave me a few years ago.

I was in the middle of an extremely difficult situation. I had done precisely what I believed God asked of me, and the results were not what I would have scripted. In the throes of the challenges, one day when I was driving home from church, God spoke to me and said, "No weapon fashioned against you will stand."

In reading Isaiah 54 this morning I read almost the same words, and it brought back the memory forcefully of that moment and that difficulty. What did surprise me is that none of the 3 versions I looked at just now state it precisely the way God did when He spoke to me.

Isaiah 54:17 in the ESV says, "no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed...."

In the NIV it states, "no weapon that is forged against you will prevail...."

In the King James it reads, "No weapon that is forged against thee shall prosper;"

I am surprised to read the variety of versions, and find that none of them matches the exact words God spoke to me - though the meaning certainly is the same. I just find it interesting - but that is an aside. The important thing is that God uses His Word to speak to us, and nothing He tells us will ever be in violation of the promises already recorded in His Word. That is one test for whether what people hear is truly from God.

And - though this chapter is a promise to Israel, I can observe from my personal experience, that God used a brief message out of this very chapter as a promise to me. The promises are for Israel - and by extension, for us.

My only regret this morning is that I didn't absorb the rest of this verse in that time of trouble. I must not have looked it up then - but it still speaks to me now!

The whole of verse 17 in the NIV states:
"...no weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the LORD.

Even more important than the promise God made to me, this promise to Israel in these days of turmoil, with nations all around them crumbling and warring, gives me comfort. G-D is Israel's defender. As this chapter states earlier in verses 7-10:

7"For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
8 In a surge of anger
I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting kindness
I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD your Redeemer.

9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

The LORD has not forsaken Israel. This tiny little country is the center of God's heart - and He is her defender. I absolutely believe God will bless those who bless Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:29 says:
"Blessed are you, Israel!
Who is like you,
a people saved by the LORD?
He is your shield and helper
and your glorious sword.
Your enemies will cower before you,
and you will tread on their heights.”

LENT 2011, Sunday, March 20

Isaiah 53 is a chapter of prophecy of the suffering Jesus would endure.

In Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah prophesied Jesus' birth:
"The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

Isaiah 53, in contrast, provides a very clear picture of the suffering Savior and what He would endure for us at the end of His time on earth. This chapter also provided a songwriter the words for the following chorus:

He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities
Surely He bore our sorrows
And by His stripes we are healed.

What a chapter for the Lenten journey - a must read!

Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Thank You, LORD. The price it cost You to bear my sins and free me from all guilt overwhelms me. Thank You for Your inconceivable gift. You are amazing - and it is amazing that You yearn for a relationship with each of Your created.... Lord, teach me Your way and help me be obedient to Your will. Amen.

LENT 2011, DAY 10

My chapter for today is Isaiah 52. It is exciting, and it elicits exhilarating emotions. The problem is I don't have enough time to write all I would like - but I need to maintain the discipline of the blog!

It is such a beautiful chapter! Promise of the Lord's Salvation. Praise for the One who was to come bringing good news - and who will come again and bring peace to Jerusalem, the Holy City. Portrayal of Jesus' enormous unjustified suffering as the sacrifice - marred beyond recognition.

Out of the multiple images and messages, my favorite is Verse 7, and it comes forth in song:

How lovely on the mountains are the feet of Him who brings good news, good news.
Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness - Our God reigns, our God reigns.

And in the song the last phrase is repeated 4 more times: Our God reigns. In times like these, that is the firm foundation of my life. Thank You, LORD.

LENT 2011, Day 9

My chapter for today is Isaiah 51. I love reading this one in the ESV because of the word parallels and comparisons it illuminates.

V. 1 "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord....
V. 5 "...My righteousness draws near...
V. 6 "...my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed....

V. 7 "Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law;
V. 8 "...my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations."

Tucked into Verse 7 is a reminder that the righteous are not to fear the reproach of man. That, too, is a good reminder for me...and often a hard lesson to follow.

This chapter also includes a favorite chorus, with the following words in it:
Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return
and come with singing unto Zion;
and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads.
They shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and mourning (sighing) shall flee away.

I love that promise. I know God was speaking directly to Israel - but by extension, there are promises here we can take to heart as well. All believers are grafted in. Still, I love His commitment and promises to His chosen people - and there definitely is a reminder in verse 16 of Israel as God's chosen.

"And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, 'You are my people.'"

God's love for His chosen oozes through the declarations of this chapter - and I have selected my favorite morsels - but it also speaks clearly to the suffering of discipline His people will be submitted to. And that is a reality in my life as well. God disciplines those He loves.

Thank you, Lord, for Your amazing love - love that sent You to the cross as the sacrificial lamb, paying the debt for my sins; and thank you for Your discipline that draws me into the absolute awareness of being a favored child of Your love. Help me learn the lessons You are seeking to teach me.

P S: I went back and re-read my first 5 days of last year's Lenten blog after I wrote this morning.... I was on a very specific journey immersed in Jesus' life for last year's blog - - and it makes for far better reading.... And - I needed to be reminded of the lessons I was learning, so re-reading it was good for me.

I'm a bit discouraged right now - admittedly too influenced by the opinion of friends I care deeply about - certain of a truth that is painful - but walking on eggshells about confronting the issue.... Just saying - what I am reading is dovetailing with the discipline and conviction I am living.... God's Word never returns to Him void.

LENT 2011, Day 8

My chapter for today is Isaiah chapter 50. It speaks clearly of the obedient servant - and verses 6 - 8 leap out at me as prophetic (when written) of what Jesus would suffer - - and his determination to see God's will through to completion. Perseverance is an appropriate reminder in this trek toward 'remembering Christ's death'. We forget too easily all He suffered for us prior to His victorious resurrection. We want to hasten past that part and get to Easter Sunday.

But - - Yeshua, the Messiah, was a suffering servant. He calls us to servanthood as well. Being a servant means obedience. It means sacrifice. I like the idea of total commitment to the Lord, but the reality of it when lived out is quite another story. It is far more than submission. I find the heart is willing but the flesh is weak. I grapple. Thank God He understands us, knows us completely, draws us, nudges us, teaches us...forgives us.

I am inspired by others who are faithful followers. The story of St Patrick is a good one for this St Patty's Day.

My daughter, Erin, posted the following on her blog a few days ago. Today is St. Patrick's Day - - so I am sharing this with you today:

Patrick died on March 17th around the year 460 A.D. He was British, and was captured by Irish raiders and sold into slavery at the age of 16. As a slave, he worked as a shepherd and he turned to God to help him through it. I think God used that time to show Patrick that God was his great shepherd, and as Patrick cared for those sheep, he grew in understanding of God's care for him. After 6 years and prompting by God, Patrick escaped Ireland and returned home. He studied to become a priest, then God called him to be a missionary. He returned to Ireland to share the light and love of Jesus Christ. He served as a missionary there for 30 years, brought literacy to Ireland and initiated the Celtic missionary movement, which was a source of missionary zeal and learning. His spiritual descendants moved from Ireland to Scotland, then to England, across the channel into the low countries and finally into central Germany. His example is one of: a deep love of learning, spiritual discipline and missionary zeal.

In the words of St. Patrick,

"I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me."

As we celebrate Patrick this year by wearing green and eating green foods and dancing some Irish jigs, let's remember that GREEN symbolizes the eternal LIFE we have in Jesus Christ... Thank you Lord! THAT is a reason to celebrate!!!

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back - and may the grace and peace of Jesus Christ fill you....

LENT 2011, Day 7

Isaiah 49 is another love letter from God to Israel. He reminds His chosen people that He can no more forget them than a mother can forget a nursing baby. What an image. Nothing elicits more compassion than one's baby crying.

In Isaiah 49 God promises Israel "I will contend with those who contend with you."

Those words strike a personal chord for me. In August 2009 I visited a church in Centralia to be present for the baptisms of two very special people - and in that service, God spoke to me and said, "I want you to contend for the things I contend for."

As of that date I wrote the following prayer in my prayer list: "Lord, what You clearly spoke to me was that You want me to contend for what You contend for. Help me ascertain exactly what that means and follow that design for my life."

Lord, today, may that be so....

LENT 2011, Day 6

Isaiah 48 is my scheduled reading for today. Isaiah is the scribe - but God is the speaker. One of the first things that strikes me is His identification of His people - 'those who are called by the name Israel,' and His assessment of them: 'who swear by the name of the LORD and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.'

That is precisely what we witnessed conspicuously on our recent trip to Israel, particularly in our visit to the Western Wall where Jewish faithful come to pray. They are faithful to the God of their Fathers - but they do not worship in TRUTH OR RIGHT,because they rejected God's Son - their long-awaited Messiah - when He came to live among them.

In Isaiah 48 God takes His chosen people to task for their bullheadedness. He tells them what their lives could have been like had they only listened - lives of true peace. He reminds them of His provision in the wilderness. And He lets them know they will not be completely cut off - for His Name's sake.

The prophecies of old are meshing and being fulfilled with incredible speed. My heart aches for the pain of the groaning of the earth and all the people who are so tragically affected. Even though this is what has been foretold, living through it - seeing the tragic events of prophecy unfold before our eyes - is painful. And it should be. It reflects Jesus' sorrow for Jerusalem when He looked out over the city with an aching heart and proclaimed, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." Jesus' statement is recorded in Matthew 23:37 and in Luke 13:34.

An old, old song comes to mind:
In times like these we need an anchor. In times like these we need a Savior
Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the solid Rock.
This Rock is Jesus, yes, He's the One. This Rock is Jesus, the only One
Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the solid Rock.

We can learn a lesson from the boats that were saved when the tsunami hit Hawaii. Those that were offshore were safe. They rose with the tide, and experienced no harm. Those that were supposedly 'safe' in the harbor were destroyed as the waves and the surf pounded against them. God knows the 'safe place' for us spiritually is in the center of His will - and He is with us in the boat, no matter how stormy it gets.

Lord, help me hear Your voice clearly, and follow where You lead - even in the storm.

ISRAEL TOUR DAY 6 – Monday, February 7

This was our first day touring in Jerusalem. I was supposed to meet my friend, Hanan, in the lobby, so he could join us for the day, but I couldn’t find him. Then it occurred to me that since there were 2 sections to the hotel (which there were) perhaps there were 2 lobbies. I ran to the bus and asked Mark, our tour guide, if that was the case. He said it was, and said, “Go look for him.” So – I literally ran through the corridor separating the 2 lobbies – and there he was. Being a bit frantic wasn’t the best way to start a day – but I was incredibly relieved when I saw him! He had been waiting for more than 15 minutes, wondering where I was…. And my theory is: 'All that ends well, is." I owe the whole tour group a big thanks for waiting for us! Thank you, everyone!

Our first stop was on the upper part of the Mount of Olives. We had our group picture taken there – and it turned out really well – except that I didn’t believe the guy when he said the back row should take 2 steps back. I thought he meant 1…. He meant 2. A few people got on the camel that was there. I thought that was something we’d do in the desert, so I didn’t….

As we stood near the top – with our bird’s-eye view of the city, we sang the chorus Anita taught us: ‘As The Mountains Surround Jerusalem. ‘ It is a beautiful picture that will remain indelibly ingrained in my memory.

We opted to walk down the hill of the Mount of Olives. That was special to me. Even though the hills are lower and the valleys higher than they were 2,000 years ago, this is as close as one can get to ‘walking where Jesus walked.’ There – and along the Sea of Galilee….

We saw a crypt site where bones are kept. Bodies were only kept in the grave about a year – then the bones were moved to crypts after the first year.

The first church we stopped at that day was The Sanctuary of Dominis Flavit aka The Teardrop Church, where Jesus’ weeping for Jerusalem is commemorated. Once inside Barb Block started us in singing Holy, Holy, Holy. What is compelling about the church is the window that opens to the City of Jerusalem, with the Dome of the Rock clearly in view.

We walked on down the mount to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations – aka Church of the Agony. The church is constructed right over the large rock that is purported to be where Jesus prayed during his agony – when his disciples couldn’t stay awake to show support for him. It was somewhere on this very hillside that happened, even if not precisely at that specific spot. Outside, in the Garden of Gethsemane, there is another rock to kneel at as well. A couple of the Olive trees there are the largest we saw in Israel.

We drove to St Peter en Galicantu church. Saw the exterior doors and the ceiling inside, and then went directly to the dungeon underneath – where it is believed Jesus was held under Caiaphas’ house during his illegal trial. It was absolutely compelling.

Ray Wing read Psalm 88 in response to Mark instructing that it be read from the Bible on the podium in the dungeon. It is a Psalm written by one who likens his overwhelming troubles to being placed in a pit – but the visual the words graphically depicted was of the reality Jesus experienced in this very real pit. They’ve carved out openings so it can be viewed more easily – and have carved out steps to get down into the pit – but in Jesus’ time, that wasn’t how it was.

There was only one entrance then: a hole at the top through which a person would have been lowered – or raised, by a rope slung under the arms. It would have been pitch dark, cold and lonely…as isolated and desolately alone as any person could feel. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. Surely He bore our sorrows, and by His stripes we are healed.

We sang 2 songs. Knowing another group was waiting for us, we sang the second one as we exited, and the Chinese tour group that was waiting to come down to the pit took up the same chorus and continued it…. “Hallelujah, Thine the Glory. Hallelujah, Amen. Hallelujah, Thine the glory. Revive Us again.” That was an incredibly special moment – one of my most precious memories along the journey. “We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love – for Jesus who died and is now gone above – Hallelujah, Thine the glory….”

We went to the historic site of the Upper Room, then on into the Jewish Quarter to a shop run by a Rabbi to hear him talk. He was both intelligent and articulate – and genuine in his beliefs, but He doesn’t have eyes to see that Yeshua (Jesus) was and is the promised Messiah. He does not believe that the blood of the lamb shed at the first Passover would have saved an Egyptian firstborn male had one been in an Israelite’s home where the blood was over the doorpost.

Yet, that very event of the first Passover was what Jesus commemorated with His disciples before his death, and where he taught them a new view of Passover from that day forward – that He was the lamb slain before the foundations of the world – that He was the sacrifice, and His shed blood was the only source of Salvation, and that at every future Passover they were to remember His death until He comes again, rather than remembering the children of Israel and their exodus from Egypt. New wine. New wineskin.

We were ‘released’ to go scout out what we wanted to have for lunch – with a gathering time and location defined. For lunch I had another wonderful falafel. It was so big I gave half of it away. During lunchtime Hanan took me up on a roof nearby so I could get pics of the Western Wall and of a model of the future temple.

Right after lunch we saw the Menorah that is to be in the next temple. It started to sprinkle – and because the weather looked so nice when we started that morning, I left my coat on the bus. Hanan left to go let his dog out and left me his coat. I was very grateful for it later.

Next we went to pray at the Western Wall. Mark told us they do not prefer to have it called ‘the wailing wall’…. We got hailed on. Some people creatively protected their heads with chairs.

We drove to the Garden Tomb & Skull hill. This area is called Gordon’s Calvary, after a man who found the site in 1883. Where the buses park is at the street level where Jesus was most likely crucified – and Ray told me there is a theory that the Ark of the Covenant is buried there – that Jesus’ blood would have poured through the earth onto the Mercy Sea. It’s just a theory – but so is the precise location of Jesus’ death and burial. This is not the traditional site – but it is very plausible.

We got to walk through the tomb. If it was not ‘the’ tomb, it was certainly one that filled the bill….a wealthy person’s tomb. And the proximity to the place of the skull – and that it was an olive garden all meshed to making it a very real experience.

We had communion in a tiny little ‘down under’ chapel that we just barely fit into, out of wee little olive wood cups Rick got for us in the shop in Bethlehem. It was a tender, precious moment.

Then it was time to go back to the hotel (the cheap side of The Ramada where things don’t work so well. Actually all of the problems with the hotel were laughable. They don’t use sheets – just duvet covers over the comforter, which is not normal for us. The hot water wasn’t actually hot – just tepid. And the hair dryer was in a drawer in the bedroom area and hardwired with a duct-tape type of casing directly to an electrical conduit coming out of the wall.

The first day we were there our table lamp worked, but then quit. We were lucky. Some people didn’t have heat in their rooms – and when the maintenance man looked behind the outlet, there were no wires to connect to. Definitely not Five-star as claimed – but that was incidental. We weren’t there for a hotel tour! The novelty just added to the adventure.)

(At some point today – we also went to David’s ‘tomb that isn’t his tomb’ as I call it. Women's side was being renovated: i.e., nothing to see, so I didn’t get pictures, and my picture order is what is defining the record of the events of our journey!)

LENT 2011, Day 5

Isaiah 47 is my chapter for today. In it God declares his judgment on Babylon. My search to find out all that Babylon's territory included in ancient times revealed that Babylon included (parts or all of) Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

Babylon was guilty of an attempt at identity theft - - of God's identity! In Isaiah 47:8 and 47:10, Isaiah declares the following of Babylon, '...you said in your heart. "I am, and there is no one besides me."

Those words elicit an immediate reaction. Only God, the Maker of Heaven and earth is the One and Only, the Great I AM. I Am is how He identifies Himself - - and anyone who tries to usurp that Name is guilty of identity theft. My response in reading this is the same as my reaction 5 years ago when our tour bus drove into The Hashemite kingdom of Jordan. There was a huge billboard that stated, "THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH. MOHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER." That, too, is an attempt at identity theft. (The attached is the picture I took from the bus.)

The Bible was written over a period of many centuries, with the first writings being from Moses - with God as the source of the reports written; and the final writings being by John (Revelation) within +-60 years after Jesus' death and resurrection. The TRUTH of God's Word has been proven over and over because everything that He promises comes to pass.

Jesus warned that in the last days many would come saying they were the Messiah. In Matthew 24:4, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives (where I just recently walked), the disciples came to Jesus and asked him about the end of the age.

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many. We've seen it happen over and over - but God will have the last word. His Word declares it, and God cannot lie.

LENT 2011, Sunday, March 13

My scheduled Bible reading for today was Isaiah 46. God (through the prophet Isaiah) provides excellent teaching on the topic of idols. It's definitely a slam-dunk. And in verse 9 and 10 God's word to His people is: "...for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose, ....'

God makes it clear that He has disclosed what would happen at the end - - even before the beginning we identify as the beginning of time. And He will accomplish His purpose. I've said it before - and will likely say it again. We can partner with God - or just get out of His way - - but He will accomplish His will. After all, He's God!

Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and The End.

LENT 2011, Day 4

My chapter for today's Bible reading was Isaiah 45. Over and over in this chapter God speaks through the prophet, Isaiah, declaring that He is God - - He alone, and no other. In verse 23 God declares, 'To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.'

That truth is also declared in Romans 14:11 - - "for as it is written, 'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue confess to God.'

And again in Philippians 2:10 - - so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

One of my favorite choruses also declares that truth:

He is Lord, He is Lord. He is risen from the dead and he is Lord.
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In times like these, I have to look forward to the end of the book. The reality of the process between where we are now and when that reality occurs is filled with pain and sorrow. It would be very easy to lose heart, be discouraged, doubt God's care in the midst of the calamities.

All I know is God is God - and He knows what He is doing.

Near the end of Jesus' life on earth he gave some tough teaching and many turned away from him because of it. At that point he turned to his small band of twelve disciples and asked, "You do not want to leave me, too, do you?" And Peter replied, "To whom shall we go? You have the Words of Eternal Life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God." (John 6:67-69)

I feel the same.

LENT 2011, Day 3

MATTHEW 24:4-14
4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come...."

The END OF TIME has been on my mind a lot lately - and the events happening in our world compel me to pay attention. Nation is rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom - and most saliently this morning my focus is drawn to earthquakes. We've had many bad earthquakes over the last several years - and now another in Japan. This one is more personal for me - somehow more real - because we have dear friends there. The initial televised views of total devastation of areas near the coast are awful. The devastation is horrific.

The verses above represent some of the final teaching of Jesus on earth. Matthew 24 is compelling reading....and it was what was on my mind this morning when I awoke.

However, my scheduled chapter for the day was Isaiah 44. More promises from God for His people, Israel, permeate the verses in this chapter - as well as some very wise instruction all can take to heart, and affirmation of who God is - the first and the last, the creator of the heavens and the earth.

That is where I have to place my trust. Though the earth trembles and wars erupt, though economies crumble and everything about us becomes uncertain - my trust is in the Lord. There is no one else to turn to!

LENT 2011 - Day 2

My scheduled reading for my devotions today was Isaiah 43. Most of it is a love letter to Israel. God's claim on His chosen people - and His passion for Israel is palpable in Isaiah - and very specifically in this chapter.

Jesus' passion was the fulfillment of God's passion expressed in Isaiah. It is both exciting and sobering to read these words penned approximately 700 years before the birth of Israel's Messiah, Yeshua aka Jesus.

We who are not Jewish, but who are believers, are grafted in - thank God for that - but Israel is God's central focus - and reading Isaiah 43 is a definite reminder of that!

Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine...."

Deuteronomy 33:29
Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will tread on their heights.

Psalm 115:12
The LORD remembers us and will bless us; He will bless His people Israel, he will bless the house of Aaron....

The world needs to pay attention. God is Israel's defender. I absolutely believe that God blesses those who bless Israel, and curses those who don't.

I believe that the 'end times' started with Jesus' coming to earth - - and in man's time it seems like the fulfillment of prophecy has taken a long time - but in God's economy of eternity and an eternal perspective, time is a wisp, a vapor....

Everything God has prophesied through the prophets of old - and later through John in the book of Revelation will come to pass - and for those who have eyes to see - is coming to pass rapidly in our day and time.

The storm warning has been posted. I don't have any predictions about when Jesus will return - but it could be very soon!