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.