The Dead Sea sits at 1400 feet below sea level. Where Debbie and I live in Palmdale, Palmdale sits about 2900 feet above sea level. Trying to swim in the Dead Sea is imposisble and floating is your only option. Very odd experience trying not to float.

Another highlight…

Entering the security gate at Bethlehem had to be another powerful experience that I still don’t think I have totally yet processed. I don’t think I completly knew the extent of the situation between Palestine and Israel until coming to Israel, especially the issue of the security gate. We had an Israeli guide who stayed at the gate and when we entered Bethlehem we had a Palestinian guide. Both gave to us to two very different experiences. I think coming to Israel and seeing for myself and hearing some of the details has diffinetly opened my eyes and will keep me better informed on how to pray. The biggest prayer is for peace between both groups and resolution quickly between Palestine and Israel.

Hearing the story behind the Dome of the Rock on the temple mount was another powerful experience for me. I took this picture on my blackberry. This Muslim Shrine is standing over the place where it is believed that Abraham went to sacrifice Issac. Tradtionally, it’s also believed to be standing over the site of the Holy of Holies of both Solomon’s temple and Herod’s temple.  We also took a trip to the Isarel Museum which gave us more of the context for the 2nd temple during the time of Jesus.

Finally, the wailing wall or the western wall…

The Western Wall or the Wailing Wall was another experience I will remember. We got to go and pray right at the wall. We witnessed several bar’mitzvah’s and saw one group carrying out the torah during a bar’mitzvah. Some of the young adult men come down with their drums and shofars and will for fun help celebrate the bar’mitzvah with the family by providing music.

My preaching will be different in so many ways. I was sharing with someone that there are a couple of sermons that I wish I could take back. I know this much, I’m going to pay a little more attention to the context as I read the scriptures. I’m going start paying attention to the small details.

In the coming days once I come out of my fog I hope to share a little more of my experience in the Holy Lands. I leave this one final picture…

We were on our way to the City of David and took a path by a school where some kids were feeding some neighborhood dudes…

Tourism is down about 40%. I felt very safe and I urge you if you are able to take a trip to the holy lands. It will give you a new understanding to God’s Word.

I have not had much time to blog about my trip to the Holy Lands because the tour I am on has kept us pretty busy. I have posted a ton of pictures on my facebook in case you are interested. You can view them here, here, here, here, and here. 

Some have asked why I am in Israel. In case you are wondering, I’m traveling with a group of pastors from all over the country who are from a variety of denominations and faith backgrounds. The trip was made possible by some folks and after Deb and I talked some we thought I probably should attend given the fact that the trip experience will add to my ministry as a pastor and teacher of God’s word.

I’ve been in Israel since last Tuesday. I have never been out of the country other than to take youth groups to Mexico on mission trips. I have friends, even Deb who have traveled abroad, but I have never done something like this up to this point in my life.

The plane ride over felt like time had stopped. Especially given the fact that I was stuck in the middle seat between two friends who didn’t want to sit next to one another and demanded that they have a window seat and an aisle seat. Sometime early morning as the sun began to rise and as it felt like I was up all night and that a truck had ran over my body, I noticed that some men from the Jewish community, flying to Israel with their families, were up beginning their morning prayers. Many covered with prayer shawls holding their Hebrew scriptures. I have not seen this before and I must admit that it was very surreal to witness and it made the final leg of the journey feel like a wonderful way to begin, if you will my “pilgrimage” to the holy lands. I definitely felt the presence of God on the flight and was thrilled to start my trip.

When we arrived another fascinating moment was when I got off the plane these same men, because it was almost evening, had all stopped at the terminal gate, looking over the airport, reciting their evening prayers. Again, this added an excitement for me to the trip that I was about to participate in something that will change my life and the way I do ministry as a pastor.

As we boarded the bus to our hotel, I realized that it was morning in Los Angeles, and that we were about to go to dinner at the hotel. My body was and is still not insync although one of the patrons of the hotel we’re currently staying at said to me, overhearing a conversation I was having with one of the other pastors, “You won’t adjust until you arrive back home and than all you will want to do is go to sleep around 5pm every night for about a week.” Just wonderful I thought.

One of the highlights of the trip was that the hotel in Tel Aviv was about a block away from the Mediterranean Sea. It happened to be windy and raining when we arrived and some of us walked over to the shore and I tried to imagine what the Apostle Paul had experienced himself as he had spent time on that body of water I was standing in front of and watching the waves crash onto the shore and the lightning off in the distance. Here is picture I grabbed as I stood on the shore:

Let me say that on every stop, someone has read scripture prior to visiting a site. This has made what we were visitng even more exicitng, understanding the context for the stories we have read and heard preached on, and preached about so many times.

The next morning we made our journey up to Galilee, with a stop in Joppa or “Jaffa.” We continued the journey to Galilee, visitng Caesarea and visited some sites that Herod had built which were fascinating. As we spent a couple of days in Galilee, I grabbed this shot on the first morning:

Again, you can see some of the pictures I took on my facebook or if you have a flicker account, you can search for me and see some of the pictures there. I haven’t loaded them all yet on flickr, but hope to do so soon. I’m off to lunch, but will continue some of my reflections and highlights later on this week as we get ready to head back to the states.

By the way, if you get a chance to read this Debbie, I miss you and the kids terribly and I love you with all of my heart.

What an awesome place to think about what it means to follow Christ.

We had a full day. Left Galilee for Cana. Saw where Jesus turned water into wine possibly. Drove to Nazareth, visited the church of the Annunciation and walked through the streets of Nazareth. Drove down to Jerusalem. The contrast between Galilee and the Jezreel Valley and where we drove by Jericho and the dead sea is amazing. In Jerusalem tonight. Long day. Lots more to do.

Sitting on the shore of the lake of Tiberias or the Sea of Galilee this morning in utter silence was awesome. Again, it makes you rethink how one should preach anything having to do with Jesus and this body of water…

If you want to hear someone really sing, “here comes the sun,” I point you here.

Have begun the journey to the Holy Lands. I have a 4 hour layover before the flight leaves at 11:50pm. Ughhh.