Day 4:
Today we went to Tel Arad and observed a Bedouin Shepard boy. I learned that the Bedouin culture is that of hospitality. The question that I ponder on throughout the day was how I can be hospitable in a culture that has such abundance? At this point I am not sure what it looks like. The other question I was pondering is: How do I fully depend on God when I live in such a culture that is full of abundance? As of right now, for me to fully depend on God, I have to be less selfish with my stuff.
Day 5:
Today I climbed Masada. A Fortress Palace built by Herod the Great which is atop a 1000 foot mountain. The trail up was step with a lot and I mean a lot of stairs (700 to be exact, and no I did not count them all). For me this was the hardest hike I have every done. I was only quarter of the way up and my heart was pounding and my lungs trying to take in every bit of oxygen they could. At about the half way point, my legs were jelly, I was alone and ready to give up. In that moment God provided Andrew as a source of encouragement. We together continue to climb up, Andrew being a constant source of encouragement. God gave me the strength and grace to make it to the top. The other two spots was En Gedi and Qumran. More on those when I get home.
Day 6:
Our fist day in Galilee. We began by climbing Mt. Arbell, near the sea. The trail was a challenge but compared to Masada was easier. The end of the tail required me to do some vertical rock climbing (with metal hand holds of course). At the top the view of Galilee was amazing. We spent time in worship. The next stop was the Mountain of Beatitudes. I wouldn't call it a mountain but rather a hill. Being on there and listening to the sermon on the mount gave me a new sense of the words of Jesus. Our next stop was Korzen one of the cities Jesus visited. Here I learned how important family and community are to the Jewish person. Living in community offers support and countability. When a son went to marry, he would build a room off his parents house, eventually creating a community. How can I promote community at home? How can I minister to the family in a culture where the family is fading?
Day 7:
Today we went to a Zealot town and had a synagogue service. What really struck me was how important the word of God is to the Jews. It is the center of the service. When it came out everyone would touch the scroll. The question I asked myself is how important is the living words of God to me? I know that they are important but so often they lose their meaning and I forget their importance. The Bible becomes just another book. The service also made me appreciate the Jewish heritage that Christianity grew out of. I hope to bring some of the elements of this service into my own personal worship. We then went to Caesarea Philippi and Tel Dan.
Well that is all for now!
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