What better way to start off the day than a little float in the Dead Sea??  Perfection!

We arrived back in the land flowing with milk and honey late the night prior, not allowing us to experience the indescribable sensation of floating in this unique Sea until this morning – which was probably better.  We arose at dawn, and a few of us girls first made our way to the hotel’s Spa which had a heated indoor pool filled with water from the Dead Sea – it was open for an hour in the morning for women only, so we joined the local women in this relaxing past-time – however we stuck out like a sore thumb being among the few women not dressed from head to toe in burkas – an interesting experience.  Then we wandered a few minutes down the road to the actual Dead Sea and enjoyed the beach practically to ourselves with the sun beaming on our excited faces. The water was a pristine blue, and although the water was a bit chilled, we loved it!  You should definitely add this to your bucket list!

After being thoroughly refreshed, we loaded the bus and made our way to Masada, which definitely became one of my favorite sites of ruins from the trip.  To give you an idea of its scale, I snapped a shot of this painting …

This ancient city built on top of a massive rock plateau overlooking the Dead Sea was fortified yet again by Herod the Great (it is truly unbelievable how much Herod did in his lifetime – although he clearly thought the ends justified the means, leading to his nickname of the 2 B’s – the Butcher and the Builder as aforementioned).  However, Masada is most known for its bloody final stance by the Jews as the Romans were about to seize the city.  According to Josephus, the Romans surrounded Masada on all sides and built a ramp to ultimately lay seige on the land.

But when the Romans finally breached the fortress on April 16, 73 CE, they discovered that the 960 inhabitants commited a mass suicide because they would rather die free than live as a Roman slave – supposedly the men killed their families and then drew lots (which were found) for the man who would ultimately kill the rest of them – a very sobering story.

We ascended to the summit via a cable car, and then soaked in the sites as we tried to imagine what life would have been like in this ancient city.

Yet again, I could not help thinking about the story of these stones – what they held when Herod’s Palace was built on this summit, when the people felt safe within the fortress and went about their daily lives unafraid, when the Romans were slowly surrounding and reaching closer and closer to the top, when the men decided to commit a mass suicide, when some of the children couldn’t understand, when the last man stood and took his own life, when the Romans breached the walls and realized what had happened… such stories in these stones – a repeating theme of this trip that will probably only continue.

To lighten the mood a bit after our time at Masada, we experienced incredible hospitality and one of my favorite meals of the trip at a Bedouin village that was built to show what an ancient Bedouin village would have looked like.

And did I mention we had some fun riding camels?

Over lunch, Kimberly and Pastor Lyon recored a soon to be aired CBH program focusing on the link of the Bedouin hospitality to that of Abraham’s hospitality to the three visitors in Genesis 18.  Being in this place absolutely makes the stories I’ve read for so long come alive – I am eager to begin my seminary classes with these scenes fresh on my heart and mind.  As Pastor Lyon said on Sunday night, for some reason God chose to reveal Himself on this very land – and I’m realizing how important it is for me to understand this place and the framework of the culture when diving into the study of the Word.  So often it is easy to clothe the Scriptures in my modern day Americanized concepts of what they should look like – and although the Word is just as applicable to my life today as it was when it was written, knowing and seeing the background of those life-changing words breathes new life onto them, especially onto scenes that have previously been easy for me to overlook.

And the above statement will guide these next three days, which will be spent in Jerusalem as I try to take in the sites of the city with all of my senses – it feels appropriate that Jerusalem is our last destination – as if everything else was leading up to this.

Petra cannot be described in words – so I will save you from my often verbose descriptors and allow you to journey through some of my favorite photos from this breathtaking place.  (Click on any photo to enlarge the album into a slideshow).  If you are curious to see more, the rest of the photos are on my Facebook page

The morning brought with it abundant and life-giving sunshine as well as one of my favorite sites of ancient ruins thus far – Bet She’an.

Our group somehow had a stolen hour to ourselves in this fascinating ancient city which lies at the junction of the Valley of Jezreel and the Jordan River Valley. And according to 1 Samuel 31, this is the very location where Saul’s body was hung on the wall by the Philistines – probably on the wall surrounding the Tell (the great mound in the middle of the above photo).

We wandered through the excavated streets and structures from the Egyptians, Romans, Byzantines, and more. Because we wore ear pieces allowing us to easily hear our guide describe the vast history of the places we visit, I was able to venture just ahead of the group most of the morning and truly take in the life that was held on these very streets over the centuries – scenes from the memory of this site seemed to flood my seneses as I imagined what I would be doing as a 24 year old female during the life of this place – the various roles I would have played as an Egyptian, a Roman, etc. My favorite part of traveling is trying to tune into the unique rhythm of a place – if you listen, you can feel it – and no other place will move you in quite the same way.

A few of us couldn’t resist being invigoratingby racing to the top of the Tell and overlooking the valley of ruins.

Fun trivia for you – a portion of Jesus Christ Superstar was filmed here in Bet She’an, and they left a remnant from their filming on the Tell.

After enjoying the endorphin rush of the climb, we loaded the bus and departed for Jordan – I again had a bit of trouble crossing the border as they kept making calls about my passport, but all ended well. Kimberly had told me that the contrast between Jordan and Israel would be apparent upon the moment of crossing the border – and it was. Israel is truly a land flowing with milk and honey, whereas Jordan is much more sparse and impoverished. It was reminiscent of Kolkata and Uganda in some respects, yet with a dusted tan backdrop of vast, rocky mountains.

But what struck me most was the women – there is this quiet and beautiful strength I have noticed about the face of a woman in an extremely male-dominant society – the same realization hit while again in Kolkata and last year in Syria – and the memory was brought to the forefront of my mind upon catching the glance of a woman with captivating brown alomnd-shaped eyes while peering through the bus window. The quiet strength is an almost indescribable trait with which I cannot empathize and only notice – and yet it is somehow an unspoken bond between the women of the land.

We journeyed through the rocky and barren terrain up to Mount Nebo – and I must confess that the drive alone challenge my spirit and nearly left me sick to my stomach – I truly could not imagine wandering through that land for 40 YEARS with Moses!!!! It was a big check for my spirit to begin to question whether I would remain faithful and trusting of the Lord’s promise to Moses or if I would have added to the chorus of complaints.

And with this terrain in mind, the veiw from Mount Nebo was even more powerful. There was a slight haze in the air and visibility was therefore not as clear as some said it can be – but it was breathtaking to see the land gradually become more smooth and reveal a valley of fertile land.

I kept trying to imagine the emotions Moses would have felt upon finally approaching this summit. One of the pastors in our group encouraged us to remember that the man who stood on top of Mount Nebo overlooking the Promised Land was the same man overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy while standing before the burning bush. And yet because of one act of disobedience, he was only able to view the Promised Land and would never dwell in it. It was overwhelming and impossible to imagine what filled Moses as he stood at the very place where my feet were at that moment – perhaps a mixture of relief that it was over, grief over that one act of disobedience, awareness of what Joshua would face as he would then lead the people, amazement at the scope of his life and how God had fulfilled His promises that must have seemed absurd at the time, peace that He had continued to press on and lead faithfully even when He knew He would never set foot in the lush land, joy that His descendents would finally taste the fruits of the land flowing with milk and honey…

Pastor Lyon also reminded us what a cost is attached to leadership. This notion urged me to pick up a rock for myself and a couple others who feel called to be leaders of The Church – it is only a rock, but it symbolizes much to me – it symbolized the importance of never forgetting what saying Yes to the call entails, it symbolizes that God will fulfill His promises, and it especially symbolizes the realization that I may never actually walk in the Promised Land but I must remain faithful to it – it reminds me that my obedience matters not because of what I may get out of it, but because of what it may prepare for God’s people that I may never (and probably will not) see this side of Heaven. I pray that at the end of my life, I would be able to see a glimpse of what a life of obedience could prepare – however, that must not be the goal – the goal must not be for some satisfaction just for myself – it must ultimately be for the glory of God and His people – it is easy to say, but much more difficult to allow to sink into the core of your being – but it does fuel me to keep pressing on and keep telling the people to ‘go forward’ (Exodus 14:15) as Darlene Zschech urged the listening lead-worshippers at the Hillsong Coference a few years ago. It was all sobering for me in a necessarily holy way.

With a full heart, our day’s journey ended in a Bedouin hotel in the outskirts of Jordan – only after watching Indiana Jones on the long bus ride to get us ready to explore the ancient city of Petra the next day!😄

Perhaps it’s the fact that a decent night of sleep accompanied me last night for the first time in quite a while, or that coffee is finding its way into my daily life here more often than usual – but this morning brought with it an awakening for me, allowing me to be truly present in this place since we have arrived – finally slowing my racing mind and multi-tasking notions enough to embrace and drink in the sacred moments here that can become so easy to miss.

We left our hotel in Tiberias as the dawn quietly began peeking through the fog-laden scenery surrounding the Sea of Galilee. There was something beautifully meditative about the chill of the air and the drizzle sneaking from the hovering pillows of rain clouds. It was such an unassuming morning. And something Pastor Lyon said last night struck me – he mentioned how important it is to note that this place is somewhat unassuming and yet this is where God chose to reveal Himself out of all other places in the world – and the people He often used (and uses) are typically unassuming (Mary, Peter, Mother Teresa…) – with this framework in mind, it is quite striking to let the realization take hold that He can yet do something extraordinary with our own unassuming lives.

As we drove throughout the morning, I began to think of the quote,

The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart. (Helen Keller)

Those words encompassed me as I looked through our bus window realizing I could never capture the depth of beauty of the scenery in words or in photos. And those words sunk even deeper when I placed my iPod on shuffle and the song ‘Yahweh’ began playing. My eyes closed as the lyrics and melody swept over me and somehow the modern Israel began to drift away and the land Moses, Joshua, Peter, Paul, etc. would have viewed filled my imagination. As the lyrics “We look to Yahweh, our hope is Yahweh…He shall reign forever…” played, it was as if the song from the days of Noah and Abraham and onward filled my spirit – the song of those who have gone before us – the song of those who declared that regardless what the world said, they would look to Yahweh – the song of the cloud of witnesses.

I have never fully been able to comprehend that great cloud of witnesses with my logic, but as the aforementioned quote said, I feel it with my heart. It is what fuels me as I have opportunities to be a lead-worshipper – that somehow we are connected to that cloud of witnesses of those who have gone before and those who will follow. After ‘Yahweh’ overwhelmed my heart and played several times, I turned to the Gungor song, ‘We Will Run’ – and it was as if that was the song of our current generation in my spirit – the song of The Church around the world – the song of those who are continuing the sound that has been recorded throughout history of those who again say that they will look to Yahweh regardless of what the world says.

There is something about this place – I remember feeling it as well especially in the place of ancient Antioch where we were last year – you can almost hear the voices of those few known and countless unknown faithful followers urge you to keep going – to keep pursuing – to keep pressing on to your own promised land. And to be honest, I need this Truth to be constantly on my mind.

Speaking of pressing forward, we pressed on with another nonstop day beginning with Caesarea Philippi – this ancient pagen center of worship served as the famous setting for Jesus and his disciples in Matthew 16:13-20, in which Peter confesses Jesus is the Christ and Jesus declares that ‘upon this rock (Peter) I will build my church.’

We then had the opportunity to go to the Sea of Galilee and view a boat excavated from the area dating back to the First Century. Afterwards, we boarded a boat called ‘Faith’ and sailed to the middle of the sea (more accurately termed a lake).

As we were sitting on the serene water, we worshipped with a small worship team who owned the boat. It was beautiful as the songs flowed from Hebrew and English words. Yet what consumed my thoughts most often was the question of whether or not I would be willing to jump in the water and walk in faith as Peter had done. It is easy to say that I would until I stand on that very water and realize that endless doubts would probably fill this over-analyzer’s mind. (Will most likely be wrestling with this for a whole – in an important and healthy way).

Onward we marched to the Mount of Beatitudes as the sun began to shine through the beautifully dreary day.

Our final destination of the day was the site where Jordan River baptisms are held. Eighteen members of our group decided to be baptized in the murky and nearly freezing water during the last few moments of daylight – each had a unique and personal reason for this act of obedience and testimony in the story of their faith journey – it was a beautiful and powerful site.

More to come as our journey continues tomorrow to Bet She’an, Mount Nebo, and more…

Shalom.

4:30am lulled me from a surprisingly restful sleep without much grace in allowing me to return to another hour and a half of slumber. But it was nice having a slow-paced morning before our 7:45 start time. And I got to watch my mom ring in the New Year on Fox News!!!! Although I have to say that I am not too happy with Fox News for only showing the first minute of her epic version of the Star Spangled Banner – they should have at least shown the last minute!!!! But regardless, I am so proud of her!

Our journey began in Caesarea – a stunning seaside city, which has held historical significance since King Herod built it somewhere between 25 and 13 B.C. (King Herod was called the 2 B’s by Josephus: the Butcher and the Builder). The text of Caesarea is in Acts 10:1-6.

We congregated in the ancient theater area as Pastor Lyon and Kimberly recorded the first Christians Broadcasting Hope (CBH) recording of our trip. What a gift to be led through this land by two of my favorite teachers and spiritual leaders!

As we sat in the ancient theater, I could not help but closing my eyes and picturing a 24 year old female sitting on the same stones 2,000 years ago – a different circumstance but perhaps someone sitting in that very place between now and then was filled with similar emotions that are swimming in my spirit at this point of my story. I never want to miss the humanity that has walked these stones – and I pray that I resist any urge to belittle this significance of this land to merely names recorded and solely architectural accomplishments – but to remember the fears and joys and doubts and faith and flesh and blood that walked among these very stones – we are connected.

Our day brought us past Mount Carmel and Mount Tabor (believed to be the Mount of Transfiguration) and then to Har Megiddo (Armageddon) – the place holding such important stories including those of King Ahab and Solomon. An ancient well built by King Ahab was still in tact, and it was surreal to walk through that place where the women of the day would have gone daily to fetch water for their families. We didn’t get much time to bask in the place, but once we ascended to the top, my breath was taken as I viewed the stunning overlook.

The Bryan and Katie Torwalt song, “I Breathe You In God” couldn’t help but escape my lips.

Our final primary destination of the day was Nazareth. To be honest, fatigue struck me about this time, and it was a struggle to allow my senses to truly embrace all that was occurring. We visited the site believed to be Mary’s home, which is now the Church of Annunciation – where Gabriel would have visited Mary.

This is a site that I believe will hit me most upon later reflection – the unbelievable privilege to have stood on that very land.

We also visited the church believed to be the place where Jesus read from Isaiah upon beginning his ministry. Again – surreal (this will probably be a reoccurring adjective on this trip).

Our exhausted but full souls finally found our home for the night in a hotel on the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias – blessed!! We Skyped into Madison Park Church as Pastor Lyon gave the message, of which the contents will probably weave their way into future day’s posts.

Looking forward to turning in early and experiencing the stories yet to be written in the upcoming days.

And I almost forgot – Happy New Year!!! 🎉🎉🎉