Just Some Thoughts

I was just sitting here in my hotel room thinking about being here in Israel. It is so amazing to be in the place where Jesus walked and performed miracles that are still talked about today. Some believe and some do not believe just like it was in Jesus day. But here is the thought that struck me. I was in Iraq in the fall of 2009 where it is believed that the garden of Eden was, which is where God started with man, who fell to evil. And on Monday I was in Megiddo which is the valley where the battle of Armageddon will be fought. What is significant with that is Megiddo is valley where the place of the final battle of good and evil will be fought.

Now whether you believe or not, I have now been in two places that are significant to man and God. The Word says that every word that the Lord has spoken will come to pass. It will not matter whether you believe it or not for it to come to pass, and I have been in both places. I think that is so cool. God has blessed me to be able to be in both areas and to experience these great happenings in my life. I do not know when Jesus will come or when the final battle will be fought, but I have been there. What a blessing!

Now whether or not your theology lines up with these things, whether I was in the exact spot or not, is not the issue. God is still God, and He is faithful to bring things to pass. He is also good to allow me to experience these things in this lifetime. I have always believed I have been called to the Kingdom of God for such a time as this, and so to experience these two events in the past year is to me exciting!

Well, what can I say. I am pumped and I am enjoying the blessings of God. So, have a great day and take a blessing.

Day Five of Our Isreal Trip

Well we have completed day five and we are now in Israel, and in fact we are in the city of the great King, Jerusalem. It was a great day of travel and sight seeing.

Our morning began at 7:30 as we boarded the bus for Petra. This city is an ancient city that was built in the mountains of Petra. It was a bustling city and it literally was carved out of stone in the mountains. We walked into the ruins that were discovered in 1812. This city had been covered up after a massive earthquake destroyed the city. There was evidence of pagan god worship, a Treasury, burial sites and caves that people lived in. Jaida traveled into the city on horseback along with David Kress and Karen Butler. The rest of us, in desperate need of exercise, walked about 2km to the site.

It is hard to believe that man could build the things that he has build throughout history. These old buildings were carved out of the stone of the mountain with none of the modern equipment that we now possess, and the detail is awesome. We spent about 2-3 hours in the ruins looking at what used to be a bustling city and then made our way out of the mountains. We had a three hour bus ride in front of us so that we could be reunited with our guide Zvi and our driver Colby. We traveled about one and a half hours and stopped for a traditional Jordanian lunch. It was very good. We then re-boarded the bus for the Jordanian border. We said goodbye to Khaled our Jordanian guide and crossed over into Israel without any problems (namely me).

When we cleared customs and passport control we headed for Jerusalem. It took us about 45 minutes to drive. We passed by Jericho which is the oldest city, and traveled up through the West Bank to enter Jerusalem. Once in the city we made our way to Mt Scopus, which is where it is believed that Jesus would have looked over the city and wept when He made His way into Jerusalem. It was a great moment and we prayed a thanksgiving prayer for the trip and a blessing to the city of Jerusalem. We then made a toast to the city with some grape juice. After leaving this area we made our way to the Grand Plaza Hotel for the next three nights.

We will be visiting several sites while here in Jerusalem. It will be a great three days and I will post our visitations tomorrow. In the meantime be sure to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Day Four on Our Israel Trip

Hi! I am back online after making a trip into Jordan. While in Jordan we were unable to use the Internet so I had to wait until today.

Day four began with a trip to Beth-She'an. This city is best known for the place in the Old Testament where the body of Saul and Jonathan were hung on the city Gates. It was also a very cultural city during the time of Jesus and was highly influenced by Maximus Auerelius the Emperor of Rome. In recent modern times it was known as the sight for the filming of Jesus Christ Superstar back in the 70's. From this very historic city we moved to the boarder of Jordan to begin the process of passing over the border of Israel to Jordan for our journey to Petra.

We made it to the Israel side of the boarder and it was a unique experience going through customs and passport control. We had no problems clearing the Israeli side of the boarder and boarded another bus to be driven to the Jordan side of the boarder. We said goodbye to our current driver Colby and our guide Zvi until Thursday afternoon and made our way to the Jordanian border. There we were greeted by our new guide for the next 24 hours, Khalide and a new driver that we could not pronounce.

Let me tell you that the Jordanian side of the boarder was a little more interesting. Once again, being a savvy international traveler, I was detained while all the rest of the group passed through the passport and customs area. They were taken to the bus while I was detained for questioning. It was fun for a while. My new guide and Jim Brown stuck around for help and moral support. Finally after about an hour of questions and answers I was approved to go into Jordan. I love it and thank God for his help getting me there. We quickly exited the building and got on the bus before someone could change their minds.

We traveled to our first stop which was Mt Nebo where Moses was buried by God. As you recall Moses could not go to the promised land due to disobedience of striking the rock twice. He was however able to climb Mt Nebo and see the promised land. You will find this in Deuteronomy chapter 34. At a restaurant on Mt Nebo we ate lunch after a three hour bus ride. We then visited a Holy Catholic church which had a very nice mosaic floor. The view from outside the church to the Jordan Valley was breath taking. You could almost see the Israelites traveling through the valley on their way to the promised land. From here we traveled to the city of Mabada to see the worlds oldest map in the form of a mosaic. It was really neat to see. Over two million pieces were used to put this together. From Mabada we moved on to Petra were we retired for the night to get ready for day five.

Pastor Mike and Team Greeting from Israel

Pastor Mike Greeting from Israel

Day Three of Our Israel Tour

We got off to an early start this morning. Our first stop was at a site that displayed a 1st century boat. This was the type of boat used during Jesus' time, and it was quite a find several years ago. After the video explaining how it was found and the process of preserving and moving the boat, we saw it firsthand. We then had time to shop in the gift shop for some souvenirs. From here, we went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we enjoyed the worship ministry of Daniel Carmen.

From there, we boarded the bus where we headed to the Mount of Beatitudes. Jaida ministered from Matthew 5 and 6. We enjoyed the gardens and the beautiful church on the site. It was quite exciting to see where Jesus spoke to so many, and it was evident by the lay of the land how the sound works in a natural amphitheater. We moved to one of the cities that Jesus cursed, Capernaum, where we saw the home of Peter where he healed his mother-in-law. Jesus did much of his ministry in that area, and we saw the ruins of an old synagogue and many ancient artifacts.

For lunch, we went to a local Israeli restaurant for St. Peter's fish. Yesterday, we experienced felafel, an Israeli food, and today we enjoyed fish and salad in pita bread. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and firsts.

After lunch, we went straight to Banias, which is the site of worship of the god Pan at the place called "The Gates of Hell." In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples "Who do men say that I am?" This is the location of that conversation. There we had ice cream, and then traveled to the Golan Heights. There we saw the UN station near the Syrian border. We saw many old bunkers and tanks that are remnants of the Yom Kippur War of 1973. It was quit amazing looking at old history, and having a guide who fought in the Six Day war.

From the Golan Heights we went to a Shofar factory and then to the River Jordan for a good old fashioned baptismal service. It was a great experience and a wonderful day. We all rejoiced at what God has been doing in us and through us. We then headed back to the Ron Beach Hotel for our evening meal and packing for tomorrow. In the morning we are heading to Petra in the Nation of Jordan. See you then.

Day Two of Our Touring In Israel

Day two of our trip to Israel got underway at 8:00 AM Israel time, (midnight your CST) from the Sharon Inn in Tel Aviv. We made our way up the coast to Caesarea by the Sea. It was the location where Paul the Apostle made his appeal to King Agrippa. It was a great site to tour. The amphitheater at Caesarea is in great shape and is still used alot today for concerts and other events. This city was built by Herod the Great. We saw the former palace location, the hippodrome, and other ruins from the crusaders to the Byzantines.

We then moved on to Mt Carmel where we visited the site of I Kings 18. Elijah the prophet called fire from heaven and then outran the chariots of King Ahab. From there we stopped for lunch and had an Israeli local dish. Then it was off to Megiddo. This is the site of the final battle of the book of Revelation. It is the site of the battle of Armageddon. This Tel was the site of Solomon's water supply and the place where he kept some of his chariots and horses. It was amazing. From there we moved to Nazareth.

The City of Nazareth, the place where Mary the mother of Jesus lived and was visited by the angel Gabriel. We went to the Catholic Church in Nazareth that is built over what is believed to be the home of Mary. From Nazareth we went to the city of Cana. Listed in John chapter 2, this city was the site where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. We visited the Catholic church built there in honor of this event. It was here at this location that we did a wedding vow renewal for Randy and Dorothy Smith. They were originally married February 14, 1997. It is the only wedding I have been apart of that had bells go off and an IDF F-16 fly over. Wow what a neat ceremony.

From Cana we left and found our way to Tiberis where we are currently lodged for the night. It was a long day of travel and walking. God is so awesome and when you consider the feats we witnessed today done thousands of years ago it is overwhelming. We have such technology advancements, and the things we saw done by Herod and Solomon really lets you know that these were bright men. We know Solomon was a wise man, but his exploits of getting water to Megiddo was truly amazing.

Well it is now 9:10 PM Israel time and 1:10PM CST time. That means that it is time to hit the sack. SO until tomorrow I trust the God of heaven will bless you abundantly above all you could ask or imagine in Jesus name.