Day 4 - "Wow!"

There is no better way to describe Petra. Truly the site lives up to its name and title of being one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The day began with a short journey from Eilat, Israel into Jordan. Jordan is an Arab nation, 90% Muslim. Though not the best of friends, they are peaceful with Israel. I enjoyed the whole experience of traveling into an Arab country much more that I thought. I was fascinated by the towns and the culture, though I must say the border crossing was a bit intense.

The whole day began at 7:30 on the bus and ended 13 hours later, 10 of which were spent crossing the border (just kidding). However, the border crossing did take a very long time…the lines were very long.

Interesting sites along the way. You don’t see a lot of ducks standing on cars in Puyallup. Could be some sort of new type of hood ornaments or something. The terrain is unlike any other but reminded me a lot of Nevada and parts of Arizona. You could definitely tell that you weren’t in Israel anymore.

Literally, everywhere you turn there are pictures of the King. Here is a picture of King Hussein (on the left) who was a very popular king throughout the world. He worked tirelessly and continuously throughout his life to advance the cause of peace between Jordan and Israel which he successfully achieved in 1994. He died of cancer in 1999, his son Abdullah (on the right) succeeded his father as current king of Jordan. According to our guide he and the queen are very well liked and following in the footsteps of his father.

The walk into Petra is spectacular. The colors are amazing and you see various carvings in the rocks, many of which are tombs.

Like many of the sites in Israel, you are so overwhelmed at what you are seeing that you can’t begin to describe it. Many of you have seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. They filmed one particular scene at what it known at the Treasury in Petra. As we traveled two and a half miles down the narrow canyon lined path my heart began to anticipate what we were about to see…though could not fully grasp what lay ahead.

What you are seeing in this picture of the treasury, is only two of the three stories. There is a third story buried beneath some 40 feet of sand. The entire face was carved out of the sandstone by artisans who would hang from ropes as they carved. They estimate that it took between 30-40 years to carve. It was carved in the 1st century BC as a tomb for an important Nabataean king.

All along the way there are little children selling rocks and postcards and jewelry. You have to be very careful to not engage them too much, otherwise…as many found out, you will have a tough time shaking them. They are very persistent. These are Bedouins and there are camels and donkeys everywhere offering rides.

Thinking that this is it…you continue down the road to see numerous other tombs. Everywhere you turn there are more and at one point you see the face of a massive rock wall covered with tombs in the rock. I didn’t even realize this was there until I happen to look back and couldn’t grasp what I was seeing. The size of these carvings are enormous. It is believed that at one time as many as 20,000 people lived in Petra.

After walking approximately four miles, we stopped at a restaurant located in a beautiful setting. After eating a late lunch we started the trek back. There is only one way in and the same way out of Petra. It was easy to refuse the camel and carriage rides heading into Petra, but more and more people were taking advantage of them coming out of Petra. One of those was Sue. I took this as she was whisking by. She wasn’t sure what was worse at the end, walking or being bounced around on the bumpy rocks coming out.

Needless to say, there were a lot of people sleeping on the way back to Eilat…I was one of them. One of the many blessings of the trip to Eilat was sitting next to Candy Barton. She was a delightful elderly lady. I could help but think of my mother (who is 83) as Candy sat next to me, wondering how my mom would do on this trip. I know that she would love to have been able to come in her lifetime. I found out that Candy was 92 years old, 93 in June. She was quite the trooper!

Well, tomorrow we are headed back to Tel Aviv. Sorry for the delay in getting these posts out. Continuing to have internet problems, but will eventually get them all posted. Thanks for taking the time to read.

Shalom!

Day 3 - Communion service at the garden tomb...

Our day started with breakfast with Ronnie Cohen. Ronnie was our tour guide on our trip last year and will be our guide for next year’s trip as well. We also made arrangements last summer for him to come to the church and share with us about Israel. He has become a good friend and looking forward to having him lead our trip in 2011.

By far, the best part of the day, was a communion service led by Pastor Chuck Smith at the garden tomb. The garden tomb is located in the heart of an Arab neighborhood. I am fascinated by the Arab culture every visit to Israel. It is especially interesting when you consider that the people of the Arab nation are descendants of Ishmael.

Generally, there are numerous groups taking communion at various locations throughout the garden, but Pastor Chuck’s group was so large (ten tour buses) that they reserved the entire garden for Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. The picture on the above shows just a portion of the group filing into the garden tomb area. I was blown away to hear that this was Pastor Chuck’s 40th tour. As for me, four down…and thirty six to go.

Pastor Chuck gave a tremendous message speaking of what the stone covering the tomb represented: a dead concept of God, a dead desire to redeem man, a dead religion and a dead hope. He then spoke of what came about when the stone was rolled away…through Christ: a living concept of God, God’s desire to redeem man revealed, a new and living religion and a new hope was born. It was truly one of the best communion messages I have ever heard. It is a powerful thing to hear such a message, literally within a stone’s throw from the actual tomb. 

Originally I thought we were heading straight to Eilat at the Southern tip of Israel, but we got an unexpected surprise with some extra time touring Jerusalem. We went to the Temple Institute, a group of very strict Jews who are convinced that they will the ones who will build the third temple. They are in the process of building, to scale and specifications, all of the elements of the Temple. Today we looked an authentic table of showbread made out of acacia wood and overlaid with gold among some other items.

Jenny and I visited the Temple Institute on our first trip to Israel, a pastor familiarization trip, in 2006. We visited a number of sights with the idea of being able to select the sights we wanted to visit when we led our own tour to the Holy Land. I opted to leave the Temple Institute out and the visit today confirmed my decision. They give an ‘unbiblical’ presentation on why and how the third temple will be built. It was sad when one tour participant asked the very young guide of the tour, “What do you say about Jesus?, to which she said he was a Jew who studied to be a Rabbi but never finished. There was nothing more she wanted to say.

Before boarding the bus to Eilat, we visited a tour site known as The Burnt House. Everywhere you turn in Israel, they are excavating another site. This particular dig, unveiled a house with some conclusive evidence that it had gone through a severe fire. Among the remnants found were some kitchen items, a spear and a woman’s severed arm. They believe that it was one of the homes destroyed when the Temple was destroyed and Jerusalem was burned in 70 AD.

By 2:30 that afternoon, we were back on the bus and off to Eilat. After a very long trip, we arrived at around 9:00 PM just in time for a very late dinner. The hotel is very nice and we are all looking forward to our journey into Jordan and visiting Petra. This will be my first trip into an Arab country and really looking forward to it.

Shalom!

Day 2 - "Jet lag is real!"

After a very long day of traveling, we arrived in Tel Aviv at around 12:00 PM. Walking off the plane is always fun as you quickly realize that you ‘are not in Kansas anymore’. I love walking into the Ben Gurion airport, very modern with its unique décor.


This is the first trip to Israel which I take where we are not met with a tour guide and tour bus. Just the four of us heading to the Taxi line. Thank God most of these people speak English. We all piled into what wasn’t much bigger than a Geo Metro (maybe slightly bigger…but not much). Couldn’t believe that we all fit with our luggage and all, then off to Hotel Gilgal. I always try to strike up conversation with the people…though never met with much warmth. I have come to understand that it is partly because they either don’t speak English very well or partly because they just aren’t that friendly.

What a delight to find that our shuttle driver to Jerusalem was a wonderful Jewish Christian man named Ofer (Hebrew for ‘fawn’), who had come to faith about 10 years ago. It was awesome just listening to him share his faith, his love for the Lord and his frustration with all of his years of Hebrew schooling where the Rabbis conveniently left out the parts in the Old Testament which spoke of Jesus. One of the great things about visiting Jerusalem…is the opportunity to meet new people. As we got were dropped off at the hotel, he gave us his card and said if we needed anything at all, just give him a call and he would be glad to help us out. We knew that it was true. I love how the body of Christ is everywhere. Jesus said that faith in him makes us true family…we certainly found this to be true as we met this new brother in Christ.



After a sweet trip through the heart of Tel Aviv, on a beautiful sunny day, we arrived at the hotel, checked our bags and began the 1 ½ hour wait for our shuttle. The Hotel Gilgal is where we will be staying during our time with CC Tel Aviv. As you can see, it is a nice hotel (at least the lobby…we haven’t seen the rooms yet), and it was nice hearing Christian music playing in the lobby. We believe that it is some sort of a retreat center of sorts. Looking forward to the time in Tel Aviv, walks along the Mediterranean Sea and the ministry opportunities the Lord has for us.

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem, one I have not stayed at before…very nice accommodations. Wanting to take advantage of our daylight, we quickly hopped a taxi to the Old City of Jerusalem and a very quick tour. Donna, one of Healing Hearts representatives from New Jersey, had never been to Israel before…it was a very emotional and moving experience for her. Sue opted to stay at the hotel and get ready for tomorrow as she had previously toured Jerusalem.

Visiting the Western wall (also referred to as the ‘wailing wall’ though the Jewish people do not like it referred to as such) is always a somber event. You realize how desperately these people need Jesus and how futile their attempts to know God in the manner they attempt. The sobering truth is that they are seeking the very God who pointed them to His Son and yet they are blind to it…how tragic. As you can see, by the photo on the right, one young man proudly helps his son to prepare himself for prayer, with the ‘phylacteries’ and all. Whitney made the comment as we watched an orthodox Jewish man on the plane, with prayer shawl on his head and phylacteries attached to his head and arm, “You have got to admire their devotion”, to which there is much truth. Sadly it is so misplaced.

The gold dome of the mosque on the temple mount has become the identifying landmark of Jerusalem. Though this is true, it is also the symbol of the tension that has existed between the Palestinians and Jewish people for thousands of years. As you drive through Jerusalem you can see the stark contrast between these two nations. The picture on the left shows me standing near the Zion Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem. All of those holes around me are bullet holes from the ‘six day war’ in which the Israeli army reclaimed Jerusalem.

One of the great values of touring Israel, is understanding how real this tension is and the role that Israel will play in the last days before the return of the Lord. Ofer, our shuttle driver, reminded us of this tension as he shared how the Jews are not allowed in several areas in Jerusalem: Jericho, Bethlehem and Gaza, just to name a few. I find it interesting that the Palestinians insist that they should have access to all of Israel, and yet it doesn’t work the other way around.


After a good dinner and an futile attempt to get my wireless card to work, I headed to bed…only to wake up about 5-6 hours later at 3:15 AM. I guess jet lag is a real thing.


Today we will join up with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and visit Golgotha and the Garden Tomb, where we Pastor Chuck Smith will lead us in a communion service. What an unexpected blessing, not originally planned, this was. To be a part of what may be Pastor Chuck’s last trip to Israel (though I believe he said that about his last trip here) at the ripe young age of 83, is a tremendous privilege. The Lord has really been putting 1 Timothy 4:11 on my heart, Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. I pray to God, that I will be found as faithful at 83 (should the Lord tarry and leave me here this long) as this godly man has been.


Well that is it for now...


Shalom!

Internet Problems in Israel

Hey everyone...so very sorry for the delay in getting the next days blog out. I am really having some serious problems with the internet here. Can't seem to get my nifty wireless card to work and was up until 12:45 AM last night trying to get the hotel internet to work. Please be patient and hopefully tomorrow I will be up to speed. I am determined to get things going once we get back to Tel Aviv.

Day 1 - "It begins!"

This photo was taken just moments after Whitney and I started the first leg of our journey, 5:05 AM at SeaTac airport. As we walked into the airport, I turned to her and said, “Here we go…’Ron and Whitney’s Excellent Adventure’.” After getting checked in, we met Sue Liljenberg at the gate. Sue is the International Director of Healing Hearts Ministries (HH). HH began as a ministry to ‘post abortive’ women and over the years has evolved into a fruitful ministry which ministers the healing touch of Jesus to hurting women in general.

As Whitney and I talked with Sue at the gate, it became very clear that the Lord has some exciting things in store for this trip. I began to immediately wonder what that would look like. It will be awesome to watch it all unfold.

Our primary purpose for the this trip was sparked by Sue’s desire to see if the Lord would have a HH ministry start in Tel Aviv, Israel. Over the years, my wife Jenny has developed a relationship with Pat Apple. Pat is the wife of Pastor Steve Apple, Calvary Chapel Tel Aviv. In talking with Sue, several months ago, we tentatively planned a trip to see what the Lord would do. And so, here we are!

This will be my fourth trip to Israel, the first being a pastor familiarization trip in 2006. I knew from the completion of that trip, that, as the Lord willed, I would lead a tour to the Holy Land every other year. The trip coming in 2011 will be our third trip as a church. I am already looking forward to it!

A secondary and equally important purpose for this trip, is to scout out some additional options for our 2011 trip to Israel. There are some people, who have participated in previous tours, who would like to do some different things in addition to the regular tour (Galilee, Dead Sea and Jerusalem). Consequently, the first part of this current trip will be to tour Petra, in Jordan (it will be my first visit to Petra), the bulk of the rest of the trip will be to come along side CC Tel Aviv and be a part of their ministry (we will take a side trip to Galilee and Jerusalem).

Our goal, at the end of the journey, will be to provide a 2011 Israel tour package that will have three options. Option #1, will be to leave a few days early and do some missions work with CC Tel Aviv. Over the years we have made friends with the people in Israel, some of them being: Pastor Steve and Pat Apple, Ronnie Cohen and David Kidron (our tour guides), Avi Maletsky (our bus driver), and others. As a result, Israel has become a part of us (this past year we brought Ronnie to the church to share with the church body). I feel strongly, that if our only purpose of coming to Israel is to the see the sites (though I believe it is important) then we are missing an important part of God’s greater plan for this nation.

Option #2, will be the regular tour of Israel, where we will spend three days touring Galilee, one day at the Dead Sea and four days touring Jerusalem. We will end the tour with Option #3, two days in Eilat, Israel and a trip into Jordan to see Petra. People participating in the 2011 tour will have the choice of any combination of the various options: Option #1 & 2, Option #2 only, Options #2 & 3, or Options #1, 2 & 3. An Israel Smorgasbord if you will!

Hope I didn’t bore you with more details that you wanted. If I did…leave a comment on my blog and I will decide if I need to delete it or not (just kidding).

Until next time!

The ultimate of ‘defining moments’…

There is one ‘defining moment’ that is common to all of mankind, and that is what they will do when they come face to face with Jesus Christ. It is generally understood and accepted that there is a God and that there is an innate (born with) desire to know God. Roy Davis, author of Satisfying Our Innate Desire to Know God, writes, “A compelling urge from the deepest level of our being makes us yearn to have our awareness restored to its original, pure state and we cannot be completely satisfied until this is accomplished.”

It was God who intended that it be this way. Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived said, “He (God) has put eternity in their hearts”. God has not only put such a desire in every person’s heart, but also placed them in pre-appointed times and places in order that they would seek God and in their seeking find Him .

God, on several occasions was heard to have said, regarding Jesus Christ, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! It was Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (to God) except through Me.” Simple logic tells us, that since every person seeks the truth about how to know God from birth, such a search will ultimately lead them to Jesus Christ.

Every person will come face to face with who Jesus is and what He said at some time in their life on this earth. It will be the ultimate of ‘defining moments’. The only question that remains when people meet Him is the timeless question Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” And just like every question that is ever asked, there is a right answer…and a wrong answer. The wrong answer leads to disaster and ultimately tremendous dissatisfaction. However, the right answer leads to ‘complete satisfaction’…guaranteed!

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions!”

I will never forget the day that my father said this to me. He had called me, long distance, after an extended period of me not calling him. When I realized who it was, I quickly said, “Dad…I was going to call you!”, to which he promptly replied with, “Son, the road to hell is paved with good intentions!” I don’t remember a whole lot about the rest of the conversation.

One of my favorite people of all time said, “The good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice…O wretched man that I am!” This is precisely how I have felt much of my life. My mind and my heart race with the things I want to accomplish…and yet I find that it rarely gets past my mind and my heart. Posting to my ‘Defining Moments’ blog is just one of those many things I want to do, I feel I should do, but simply fail to do it. O wretched man that I am!

In my first post on July 25, 2008 (almost two years ago) I wrote a simple definition of a ‘defining moment’, “By simple definition, a defining moment would be ‘moments in our lives that define who we are’.” My failure in posting to my blog is another one of those defining moments which say, ‘you are being defined by what you fail to do’. Ouch! Those are words which cut to my heart and yet at the same time, as I face them head on, cause me to search for a remedy.

My last post was almost one year ago to the day (March 8, 2009). So, what you are reading is my ‘annual’ post, three weeks early…just kidding. I concluded my first noble post, What is a ‘defining moment?, with these words. “And so I will write, and if people read...cool...but if not, I will at least have enjoyed the process of putting my thoughts about the defining moments in my life and the world around us into words.” Oh what noble and lofty words these were, perfectly setting the stage for yet another job unfinished and another ‘defining moment’ in my life. Call me crazy, but it is a little hard to get people to read something when you never write anything!

It was one of my heroes, the apostle Paul, who declared himself such a wretched man. However, at the same time, he declared who it was who could rescue him from his wretchedness. “O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” I thank God that posting or not posting to my blog, cleaning or not cleaning my garage, or any number of things don’t change my standing with Christ. But, they do define me, they speak of who I am which isn’t always who I want to be.

“And so I will write…once again…and this time…if I don’t, I will pull my blog off the internet and put both myself and my two followers out of our misery!”