Normandy,

I'm ending the evening excited about speaking to the Retired Teachers Association tomorrow. I can only imagine what my high school counselor, Mrs. Barger would be saying if she were living.....I can hear her saying "I thought we'd never get you out of high school". Admittedly, she did metaphorically kick me across the graduation stage, and for that, I;m glad. I will be speaking to the group about the Triad Flight of Honor.

Being June 6, my mind has been on the shores of the Normandy coast. Our entire family was blessed to spend two weeks in this now peaceful French countryside. As we strolled by the white wash granite grave markers, so perfectly lined up at Colleville-sur-Mer, Franch, Omaha beach. I felt so humbled to realize that approximately 2,500 Americans and 3,000 other Allied troops died on D-Day. Most of them 18-20 years old. Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno & Sword....these are words that should never leave the tenancy of the American mind. This generation understood what freedom was. Because of them, my generation and my parents have basked in the glow of their valiant work and sacrifice.

I have included a few videos we took in France. I hope they evoke in you the emotion of pride and appreciation for what Brokaw called The Greatest Generation.

A memory placed in a safe part of my mind.

You may know that in 1994, after two years of searching, God pointed me in the direction of Edmonton, Alberta Canada to locate Elizabeth's birth mother. This blog day is not long enough to share with you that story. You may be interested in watching this 21 minute video about that part of our lives.

While the experience of connecting a 27 year division was fulfilling to all parties, the part that I remember today was a letter that Elizabeth received about a week after that telephone reunion. Overnight, Elizabeth learned about her 4 new siblings. I look back and now realize what a pill to swallow. Two brothers and two sisters.  The letter was from a sweet little 12 year old name Erin; Elizabeth's new Canadian sister. To begin the letter, she acknowledged that her mother and father shared with her the revelation that she had a sister in North Carolina. In that first paragraph, in her young innocent way, she said the news was like "winning the lottery". She was so excited about inviting this stranger-new sister into her familiy....this stranger, who just a decade later would wear a wedding party gown and be in her wedding.

I remember the day that we landed in Edmonton, Canadian to meet these strangers we now called family. Crossing the bridge on the North Saskatchewan River in the heart of this new city, I gazed downstream without complete understanding of what God had accomplished in our lives. 

Today, so much water has melted and flowed down this glacier fed river, forging its way through the Canadian Rockies. Like the grand mountains along the river, we all stand back looking down into the valley of memories where two families were brought together from circumstances of despair to a glorious reunion. God can make bad into good!

Like God's plan for our salvation, this story is one of relational reconciliation. In the end, Erin's belief of Elizabeth being like winning the lottery was so much larger than event that.... the beauty of it was everybody recieved the fruits of this reunion.



Hosanna

Going through the Dung Gate of the City in Jerusalem, it was as if we were going back into time. It was our first up close meeting of "the Wall".

First, the incredible feat of building this "fortress" is amazing. Today, even with machinery, I'm sure it would take years. Yet, over 2000 years ago, this city was built with the mind and strength of men.

Despite my amazement of the Human side of the construction of the city, what truly touched me was the realization that Christ himself had walked the very streets we were on.
An overwhelming emotion came upon me the first day in Jerusalem and follows me even today. I have certainly been burdened in my life with sin, but the sensory experience of seeing the walls and cobbled stone streets, hearing the Hebrew and Aramaic language and smelling the fresh scent of the yellow flowers that grow around the wall reminded me of the debt I owe that I cannot repay.

Elizabeth picked up a handful of flowers and threw them into the air. I caught this moment on film and have called it "Hosanna in the highest". The word Hosanna means "save us".

This day, I was graciously reminded of my sins but quickly celebrated in my heart on these stone cobbled streets that He is Hosanna in my life.

Music & the heart

Ephesian 5:19 "speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord"
Visiting the cathedral beside the pool of Bethesda, Jerusalem, I was moved by this stranger who walked to the front of the chapel and began singing. The acoustic were incredible....but more importantly, was the evidence of this person's desire to praise God. The Cathedral was not full of people, just a few  tourist. As he began to sing, heads were raised, then eyes were closed.

There was no commandment given for the "act" of worship to sing; just an overflow of a person's heart who realized where they stand before a holy God.
Whether it is a robed choir accompanied by the greatest musicians in the world, or simply one man pouring out his soul....music is the only art that gives the human an expression that connects the heart, brain and eternal soul together.

Psalm 150

¹ Praise the Lord.^[a]

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

What song is on your mind today?

Post trip quiet time

Still getting up early from the remains of jet lag, I began my morning early with a cup of Starbucks and then opening up my IPad to Matthew 23. It was easy to place myself on the Temple Mount, on the eastern side toward the old City of David near where the market would have been. We entered this area through the "Dung Gate". Jesus, in a bold move spoke directly to the Pharisees.

Boldly, he was telling them "you don't practice what you preach. He makes the comment that they "travel across sea and land to make one proselyte", and yet this proselyte becomes twice the "son of hell" that they themselves are.

In verse a five , Matthew talks about their need to wear phylacteries, citing that their desire is to be seen by men. In the streets of Jerusalem, I can't tell you how many phylactery wearing men I saw. But this morning, I thought, in our Christian world, do we not have a type of phylactery we wear? ....guilty.

Also , verse 23 caught my heart and eye.... "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

In the streets of old town Jerusalem,we visited the market. We saw a number of spice shops. Part of the temple experience was bringing spices to the alter area. Do we ever practice our particular kind of religion, leaving out justice and mercy, then feeling justified by a particular brand or methodology of religion! Isn't it deeper than that?

Read this and reflect on the photo below. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
My thought for the day is "what is Christ telling me in these passages, ......a lot ......

Walk with us 30 feet below the surface of the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

A Ride on a Boat in Special Waters....

Today we started in a wooded ship in a port of Tiberius. We set sail onto the Sea of Galilee. Once we were in the middle of the sea, the captain cut off the diesel powered engine. Now, we were floating in the middle of the sea that Jesus Christ had been on. The Scripture was read about how Christ asked Peter to get out of the boat and walk to him. Keeping his eye on Christ he began his walk. Losing faith, he began to sink. Oh, how we must keep our eyes on Jesus Christ.

We sang christian songs and then i was asked to be the DJ on the boat. I began by playing the Zoe song "all who are thirsty", played a few more Zoe songs and then reached deep into my Southern roots and played Ralph Stanley " Angell Band".

We ported in a town call Capernaum. This settlement is located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.

From Capernaum Jesus chose many of his apostles from fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, John) or publicans (Matthew.)

From the Scriptures we can learn that Jesus taught with authority: Mark 1:21-28; and that Jesus and his followers went into the town of Capernaum.

We learned that when the Sabbath day came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed by his teaching and appreciated his ability to teach with real authority; unlike the teachers of the religious law.

Amazingly, we entered the synagogue where, a man who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting at Jesus, "why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One sent from God!" Jesus stopped the man and said. "Be quiet! Come out of the man," he ordered. Hearing that, the evil spirit screamed and threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. The audience was amazed, and they began to discuss what had happened. "What sort of new teaching is this?" they asked: "It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!"

News about Jesus spread very quickly throughout the region of Galilee. Scripture says that Jesus heals Peter's Mother-in-Law and many others: Mark 29-34. Later that evening after sunset, many sick and demon possessed people were brought to Jesus. The entire town gathered at the doorway to watch Jesus. Jesus then healed many people.

The remains of Peter's house in Capernaum can still be seen; including the inner room which was probably used as the very first Christian. There is now a church built over these remains.

We also entered the Monastery where Jesus preached the beatitudes. We left these beautiful gardens for lunch and guess what for lunch......you got it....Fish from the Sea of Galilee (fried head & all)

After this, we headed for the Golan Heights, a heavily disputed area of the Middle East. As we traveled Hwy 98 toward Syria, we were able to see the road to Damascus where Paul was spoken to by God. Active mines were present along the road and pointed out by signs. To the west, we were able to see Mt. Hermon, the suggested place of the transfiguration because of the elevation. This is a snow covered mountain.

After leaving the northeastern most point of Israel, we headed south back to the Sea of Galilee on the south west corner, where probably 20 of our travelers chose to be rebaptized into the river Jordon. This was a special evening event seeing so many restate their faith and be rebaptized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPcA4ccYFAg&feature=youtube_gdata_player


A couple corrections: the lights I saw last night were NOT the Jordan. Also, Seleba, our tour guide does speak Aramaic. His church, The New Syrian Christian Church prides itself in using the same language of Christ.

A sermon on the Mount....

This was a unique place, one that I will never forget. The Sea of Galilee remains very much as it was when Jesus gave his teachings.  Click on the photo for a message.....

Waking up this early morning in Israel, our last full day, I have my first bout of sickness...not bad, just sinus "stuff". I certainly must give a shout out to my sister in law Christie Sharp for sharing a supply of Z Pac. Between that and Elizabeth painting a picture on my throat, nose and chest with Vicks, I believe I will be OK.

We have a full day today, only to rest at 4PM for a quick shower an  then straight to Tel Aviv to catch a 9 AM flight.

Today we will be walking the The Via Dolorosa , Latin for "Way of Grief" or "Way of Suffering". It is a path within the Old City of Jerusalem. History has it to be the path that Jesus walked carrying his cross as he climbed the salvific way to his crucifixion. The winding route from the Antonia Fortress west to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — a distance of about 2,000 feet. Today we will follow it and celebrate the ending of our pilgrimage.

This trip has been a life changing experience for me. I will never read God's word the same. It has assisted me with biblical geography, New Testament philosophy and world religion.

The photo included was probably my favorite breakfast, a fresh cinnamon roll and a doppio expresso.

The Western Wall, up close and personal

Our journey today began with a visit to the Wailing Wall. It is no longer called that because the Jews decided to begin rebuilding the worship emblems for the future building of the Temple. A remnant of the Second Temple, for Jews, this is considered to be the holiest place in the world. According to the Kabbalah, it is where the divine presence of G-D rests and prayers are answered. I didn't spell the name of God because that is a violation of Jewish law and the way you see His name spelled through out Jerusalem. People travel from all over the world to partake in the tradition of placing inside the cracks of the Western Wall a slip of paper containing a prayer, a request, or a personal wish. As you can see in the photo, I offered a prayer at the wall. I want you to be certain that I have no belief that the location was magical, mystical or anyway a way to get closer to God. However, it was awesome to realize that I was only feet from the original Most Holy Place where The ten Commands, Ark of the Covenant and God himself rested.
As required, I wore a Yamaka in this area. Yamakas represent your reverence to God. The crown of the head represents the "crown" spot which is thearea of the body that connects us directly with god. The yamaka covers this spot in respect of God.
I am thankful the veil is torn and we are able to go directly to the Father through Jesus Christ.

And about Christ. We visited the traditional site of Calvary. Armenian monks were singing hymns. What a total sensory experience. First, seeing, the rock of Calvary, the architecture dedicated to Jesus Christ. Second, hearing; The Armenian choir lifting their praises to God. Hearing the weeping of believers who were feeling the guilt and forgiveness of sin. Smelling; The smell of fresh roses that were laid down by what appeared to be an Ethiopian woman. Finally, tasting. It just so happens that I did not bring my water bottle on this mile + - journey. I was thirsty with a dry mouth. Then it dawned on me the words of Jesus, "I Thirst".

Tired

I have been too tired at night to blog, however some of these photos should paint an image of our day in Jerusalem. It was Friday evening and Jewish sabbath started at approximately 6 (or when three stars appear in the sky).

The most profound experience of the day was the fallen pinnacle of the temple. Now laying on the ground, we were able to touch this biblically significant piece of history. How significant was this stone? It was there where the book of Matthew accounts, Matthew 4:5 "Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point on the temple. ....."It is also written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Good verses evil.

Some bible scholars will say "I thought the temple was completely destroyed...yes it was, but the City walls were torn down and reclaimed.

We visited a scale model of the city, then saw the original dead sea scrolls ( the originals were given to our tour guide's great uncle by Bedouins in the late 40s).

Then on to Bethlehem where we visited the church of the Nativity. What does one do when they enter the cave where oral tradition declares that this is the site where the Savior was born? The way the location is, you are required to duck (bow down) to enter which I thought was symbolically appropriate. That was surreal. There were both Christians and Muslims in line to see this. Muslim venerate Jesus Christ, but only consider him a prophet and not part of the trinity.

We ended the day at the traditional shepherd's field (not Troy's for those of you that know him LOL). Even today, nomads have sheep in these fields. The topo is so much more hilly than I imagined.

When I have more, I will try to explain the impact this day has and will have on my life.

It is now Saturday evening.
We drove up to the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. When you are at the top, you can turn and see the desert and the dead sea. The mount now is surrounded by Arab residents. Elizabeth and I stood in awe of seeing this city with over 2000 years of religious and spiritual significance.

When we left our hotel (Leonardo Hotel), located in the Gahenna district, the city reminded me of our Sundays...everyone walking or driving to Synagogue only with their phylacteries, black outfits, tassels and hats. However, around the Mount of Olives, it was a regular Saturday and not a religious sabbath due to the number of Arabs.
By the way, some of you may recognize Gehenna. This is the word "Hell" in Hebrew. But, I will tell you, the hotel and district is pretty snazzy.

The Mount of Olives overlooks a cemetery dating back to the time of Christ. Jews are not buried in a casket and in the ground, they are buried in an above ground tomb. They are white and frankly beautiful all lined up. The scripture came into my mind in Matthew when he rebuked the Pharisees saying " “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." I truly now understand what he was saying. From a distance, this field which lies at the foot of the Mount of Olives is beautiful, but the reality is there is nothing inside but dead mens bones.
Nevertheless, this was the location for Jesus' last night.
After walking down through the 2000 year old grave yard, we met our bus at the base of the Temple Wall in front of the Golden Gate (which is closed). We traveled to the site of the last supper. This location has switched hands between the Christians, Crusaders, Jews and Muslims.

We end the day shopping in the old city. If I heard once, I heard a thousand times, "let me make you a deal".

The experience is more than I can write in this blog. I hope you're enjoying it and the photos!

Shalom!

Early Morning Jerusalem.

Rest is something we occasionally got on the bus. But when we were not resting, I have been absorbing every ounce I could. Jerry Morrison, who took this trip last year prepared me by saying "Saliba, (the guide) will share with you so much that you simply can't get it all in". Well Jerry, way to be a prophet.

I want my children and my parents to someday see this land. It is so amazing to connect years of bible instruction. My return would be especially for my son Lewis who I am certain has read the Old Testament more than any of us.

Today, starting at dark, begins the Jewish sabbath. It is hard to believe that with one square mile of where I have just rested, Jesus Christ was tried, convicted and crucified.

Entering the Holy City

Waking up to a sunrise beaming in the distance mountains of Jordan and reflecting off the Dead Sea, Elizabeth & I had a great nights rest. And get this.....Fox News!! Hungry early this morning, I literally ate 28 olives, 4 over easy eggs and water melon. Something told me that I would need a lot of energy on this windy day.

Riding north along the Dead Sea, our first stop was Masada. My son Lewis told me the story of this battle to end between Romans and Jews. I honestly had very little knowledge about the story. I'll assume you are like I was and tell you about this epic story and magnificent place.

Masada was the last bastion of Jewish fighters against the Roman army. The fall of this historic location signaled the destruction of the Kingdom of Judea. The story is a Jewish cultural icon and a symbol to its people of humanity's struggle for freedom and oppression. Built by Herod, who was the king of Judea, Masada is a mountain palatial fortification. The amazing fact about this breathtaking place is the elevation difference. The entrance road, beside the Dead Sea is literally at the lowest elevation on earth. The accent to the top of Masada is 1300 + - feet. Recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus, in 73/74 AD, the Romans invested over 8000 troops to remove 960 Jews holding out high above the Rift Valley. Lead by Eleazar Ben Yair, this Jewish leader convinced the entire community that it would be better to take their lives than to live in shame and humiliation as slaves. See Photos....Maybe Google the story.

For years I have heard about the dead sea scrolls; today I saw the actual cave they were retrieved. Found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea,
the name of the location is Khirbet, Qumran. This is located in the West Bank.

Our last stop along the Dead Sea was Ein Gedi. According to the Old Testament, the Bible reads that approximately 3,000 years ago David hid from King Saul at Ein Gedi. In the cave that we saw, David surprised King Saul and spared his life after finding him unarmed. Saul said David would succeed him on the throne. Located within a 1/2 mile of the Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, which means "spring of the goat" is teaming with waterfalls, pools of water and two large streams. Ein Gedi served as a water source during biblical times (Joshua 15:62, I Samuel 24:1-2). It was such an incredible thought to know that David, a man after God's own heart, David, the slayer of the Philistine giant had been in the very place we stood.

We ended the day by entering the Holy City of Jerusalem. Our driver took us to the Jewish University overlook. When I saw the Dome of the Rock, for the first time in my life, I really understood what a slam it was on Judaism. Placed directly on top of the Holy of Holy's Place, Jews no longer have their temple. I am excited to follow the footsteps of Christ over the next few days.

By the way...I rode a camel today.

Heading into Palestine to the Dead seen

Boker Tov! Good Morning in Hebrew! or Brich Safo , Blessed morning in Aramaic!

We visited Beit She'an this morning first thing. I have include a few photos that can speak volumes more than my writing. Located in the Jezreel Valley area, Beit She'an National Park houses some of Israel’s most spectacular archaeological finds. The excavations first began in 1989. The excavations here were completed in around 1996. The site leaves you with the thought of how engineer minded these people were; an ancient large amphitheater with a capacity of about 7,000 + -, a Byzantine era (eastern Roman Empire) colonnaded street, ritual baths, a pottery workshop, a basilica, a Roman temple and more.

Before the Byzantine era, It was on the walls of Beit She'an that the Philistines hanged the bodies of King Saul and his sons after being defeated on Mt. Gilboa. The site was overwhelming. In the large amphitheater, I stood at the center of the stage and voiced "My fellow Americans", the acoustics were amazing.

We then traveled to Gideon Springs. Reading from Judges 7, "So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh". God displayed his ability by taking what Gideon though would be 10,000 soldiers down to 300. With these men, and nourishment from this stream, Gideon defeated the Midianites. The lesson according to Gary Chapman was, "not by might, but by his power".

Heading south, we entered Palestine. The terrain changed. I would compare it to a mountain desert. We entered the city of Jericho, a city located in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. Well below sea level, it is 10 miles north of the Dead Sea. Jericho is the lowest permanently inhabited site on earth. Our guide referred to it as an oasis. It is also believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Just before lunch, we heard the Islamic call to prayer coming from speakers of the minaret at a local Mosque located in the center of this city, which is populated by approximately 20,000. Seliba, our tour guide pointed out the mountain where oral history says Jesus was tempted by the Devil.. Also, the "valley of the shadow of death". As a side note: I didn't enjoy the lunch today. As we were being seated, a cat exited our table. Jerry Morrison told me that we would soon desire America food....I'd pay $45 for a Lexington BBQ sandwich, Cheerwine and hush puppies!!!

We ended the day at the dead sea. A very nice hotel. We all went swimming. YOU CAN'T SINK!!! My face burned where I shaved this morning because of the salt cotent. I honestly think that everyone underestimates the salt content in this water. It is amazing!!!!

See this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbSUkD3Rtks

Here are the days highlights.

http://youtu.be/HkxU_adad0o

Wow....

Today we traveled North from Tel Aviv visiting Caesarea. This is an excavated site that sits on the shore line. A beautiful amphitheater with seating for up to 5000 and faces the Mediterranean Sea. The acoustics were incredible. David Moore and Carolyn Chapman sang "How great Thou art". It was a beautiful offering. Tour groups from different countries applauded their performance.
Caesarea was where Herod Agrippa I was eaten by worms after allowing his subjects to praise him as a god. 'On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted,"This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.' (Acts 12:19-23) We saw the exact location this happened in the Theater.

Caesarea is an important site in Christian history. It was the place where Pontius Pilate governed during the time of Jesus. This was where Peter converted Cornelius, a Roman, the first non-Jew to believe in Jesus. Paul was also a prisoner for two years in Caesarea.

We left these beautiful ruins and headed North for Mt. Carmel, only miles from Lebanon, just west of the Golan Heights. We visited Mt. Carmel, a place of significant old testament history. On top of the Mountain is the Carmelite monastery where there is a statue representing the Lord's victory through Elijah over the prophets of Baal. From the top of the monastery, you can look out over the valley of Armageddon. The guide referred to this valley as "God's Playing Ground". From this view, you could see Nazareth. A really awesome view.

Nazareth was interesting. As we entered The Nazareth Church of the Annunciation, I heard a loud speaker over the entire town....It was Islamic Prayer hour. This was surreal to hear. This church was beautiful and the cave which is purported to be the home of Mary and Joseph reminded me of primitive cave like dwelling.

We visited Megidda, an ancient strategic fort along the Via Maris (Road to the Sea) This site dated back to King Solomon.

Our last stop was at Cana of Galilee. Elizabeth & I recommitted our marriage to each other at the reported site that Jesus turned water into wine. Twenty three years earlier, I committed my life to liz, now twenty three years later, I am more in love and more committed.

One of the notes that I took today made me think of Bonnie Logan & Jennifer Fogle at Salem Pregnancy Care Center in Winston Salem. The word "womb" in Hebrew...Rehem means mercy. The bible, when using the original language, gives new meaning to so many things.

We are now located on the Sea of Galilee in Tiberas. It is dark now and we can look across the water at the lights of Jordan.

What a day..........

Leaving Joffa

It's early morning is Joffa. I've been up since 4. I have already Skyped Ashton(daughter), Lewis (son),mom, dad, Todd (brother), Lee and Melissa Rollins and Mackie McDaniel. This is what happens when your internal clock says good morning but the world you're in says good night.

We had a great breakfast. We are leaving the Mediterian coastline and heading for Tiberias which is by the Sea of Galilee.

Day One, We have entered the Holy Land

We arrived in Tel Aviv after an eventless flight. Thanks to Ambien, we both got ample rest. On the descent, we were able to see the boats in the Mediterranean Sea. In customs, we saw Orthodox Jews with their hair locks and black rimmed hats.

The weather was 75 degrees. As we entered the tour bus, Gary Chapman prayed for our tour and also prayed for those back home that were probably entering worship at 930 - 1000 EST.
Our tour began immediately with our guide Saliba, who speaks english, but whose native tongues is Aramaic, which is the language Jesus spoke.

Our first stop was Joppa. The Architecture was what I expected. Beautiful stone buildings overlooking the the port. Joppa has some very significant biblical history. In the time of Joshua, it was known as Japho. It was part of the original inheritance of the tribe of Dan (Joshua 19:46). In Solomon's time, Joppa became a chief seaport (II Chronicles 2:16). More notably, Joffa is the town where Jonah, trying to escape God's will, boarded a ship for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3)- not a good idea. In the New Testament, Dorcas (Acts 9:36) lived in this seaside town. Peter came to Joppa and stayed at Simon the tanner (Act 9:43). It was here that peter, while praying on the housetop, received a vision of the great sheets containing all kinds of animals. This was the official entrance of Gentiles into God's family.

Our tour guide was truly awesome today. Every turn we would make, there would be some factoid of the Christian faith. He shared with us about the 5th Gospel. Im sure you bible students are scratching your head like I was. Saliba said that this land and its geology is the 5th gospel. Seeing the places written about in the testaments, he's right!!! This area is a validation to scripture.

We walked the boardwalk of Joppa and ended up dinner and  watching the sun fading slowly into the west over the Med. What a sunset! For supper, my favorite was the hummus and the roast peppers!!

We have some serious jet lag going on so I will cut it short tonight! Attached you'll find see Dr. Gary Chapman guiding our group with God's word pointing out all the "Joppa" points in the word. Also, our a photo of Liz and I in front of the Mediterranean Sea.

And so the journey begins.....

We have a five hour lay over in Philly. Elizabeth & I are finally feeling the excitement of visiting The "Holy Lands". Since I was a kid in vacation bible school, I was taught about Jesus Christ and his time on earth in this distant far away land. Now, in less than 12 hours we will be landing in Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv was begun by a small group of Jews who migrated from the long established area of Jaffa. The city dates back to 1470 BC. An Egyptian pharaoh mentioned it in letters he wrote. The area is also mentioned in the bible, the book of Jonah. According to some readings, the name of the city was given in 1910. In the book of Ezekiel it says, " Then I came to them of captivity at Tel-Abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar". Abib or Aviv means "spring" in Hebrew. The city population is only 392,500, however the metropolitan population is 3.268 million people. It is only 33 miles northwest of the Biblically significant area of Jerusalem. It is the second largest city in Israel and is situated along the Mediterranean Sea.

We will only be in Tel Aviv for one night and then The Holy City.