lukeneuman.com

So I have officially moved my Post-IBEX blog to lukeneuman.com, where I will be keeping people up to date on my life, pardon the bugs while I try to work them out... check it out... see ya

Community Aspects in India

Tonight Ken and Mary Waldock, veteran missionaries to India, shared about the work in the very needy country of India. It was so exciting to hear about how believers are growing in this country. When someone becomes a believer in this culture they must be cast out of their family, and ostracized from his home. Therefore the church in India must be a welcome community in which is extremely welcoming and seeks to build up the body of believers. Hebrews 10:22

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Return of an Ibexer and new home LukeNeuman.com

hey guys, So I have officially moved my Post-IBEX blog to lukeneuman.com, where I will be keeping people up to date on my life, pardon the bugs while I try to work them out... sorry I have been away so long... the Lord has worked some amazing things in the last two weeks in Israel.. he has helped me through the valley of the shadow of death, and has caused me lie down in pastures, where I shall not want. Praise the Lord I am home back in the California... Pray that I will not get comfy here, this world is not my home I am just passing through... the treasures of this earth have no value to me... Lord help me to regard above all else... I am so happy to see many friends back at Master's... Lord give me humility as I return to a dry land... help me to thirst for the water which springs forth from your word.... peace....

Day 2 of Excavations

This morning I woke up in a very different manner than I would have ever dreamt of. The voices of lots of girls talking excitedly, in what seemed like a rush up the stairs toward the bus, startled me as I looked at my watch at 5:40 AM. Only then did I realize that I had forgotten to set an alarm, as I quickly shot up to my feet and peeked out the window. Lo, and behold, what did I see but a crowd of girls in their pajamas, in front of our dorm, including Thais who was holding on to the horns of a goat. I was quite shocked, and tried to convince myself it was not a dream. She was pulling the goat by a small string, and I could not imagine what was going on. I quickly rushed to the front door, where a couple wing mates were already watching as the girls opened the hall door of the other guys dorm and shoved the goat inside. This was quite a site to see, and you had to be there to appreciate it. I stumbled back to my room to wake up my roommate, Amos, but I could barely explain it, since I was laughing so hard. Anyways, I got dressed and headed out for another day at our excavations in the City of David. Today was a new day, and hopefully we would cover new ground, as we continued to make progress in the pit, where we had been digging the previous work day. I started at the back of the line this time, where we were dumping the buckets on the side of the hill. The need for a retaining wall for all this dirt was soon satisfied, as we started placing broken stones together in a wall formation. However very soon this whole hill had its fill of dirt, and we had to cross the street, and place the dirt halfway up another slope where a garden was being planted. This meant stretching out our assembly line, and making more work for the people at the end of the line. We would receive the buckets, walk a few steps, and pass it up the slope to the next person in line. We found that if we kept the momentum going, as we lifted the heavy buckets above our heads, it was much easier for the next person to do the same. We got into a rhythm, and this worked well until lunch or so. One problem we faced was that the buckets were being filled almost the whole way, to the point that they were to heavy, and some sides began to crack. That morning, I believe we had to take nine buckets out of commission, which decreased our overall productivity, or so it seemed. They were always asking for more empty buckets, which we were low on. Another thing I noticed was that the buckets were being returned with dirt crusted on the bottom, making the return load heavier, and in the end reducing our efficiency. We had more fun playing the “Telephone” game, where a message at the back of the line would be sent to the front, and then back again, to see how much it had been corrupted on the way back. When it was our turn to dig in the hole it was very rewarding to see how much progress had been made since yesterday morning. We quickly got into our bucket filling routine, and it was really neat to see the shaft we had found the previous day, which had been widened. The day before people had gone down the narrow opening and today it was large enough to stand in with a bucket, and easily fill many buckets. This first shift I was mostly splitting rocks with the sledge hammer, which I also learned to use. The archaeologist who had joined us, Nasser, showed me how impacting the surface on the side was more effective in cracking larger rocks. We then would scoop the smaller rocks into the buckets and send them up. One more thing I learned that day was a technique for separating the buckets which are stuck together. We had already tried pulling them apart using two people and twisting opposite ways with no luck. Nasser showed us that if we struck the buckets on the side of the cave wall they would come apart much easier. Overall these two days excavating taught me much about working on a team and showed me how to interact with people while working hard. I have a greater appreciation for archeologists who spend their whole life digging. On our way out, we stopped by the excavation near the Pool of Siloam that is still in progress, revealing a Roman street from the first century.

Excavation in the City of David

Bright and early we loaded the bus, with the sun just barely in our view, we were already thinking of the work we would put ourselves through today. We started by reading Romans 8, a very encouraging chapter which helped us focus on our goal of being conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. We would soon learn of the trials of working together as a team of sinful, selfish humans, and the price we pay for our words. Soon we were arriving in Jerusalem, where we got off just outside the Dung Gate, as we walked down into the Kidron Valley, on the slope, called the City of David. After gulping a few glasses of juice, and a few bites of pita we were on our way down Warren’s shaft, a small part of the large ancient water system, which supplied the population just over the hill. We then descended the cavernous tubes, over a fence, and onto a squablly ladder, where I plopped my feet into some mud, as drops overhead intermittently splashed my bare head. I was not prepared for this yet, they had not told us what to expect, and I had no idea what my working conditions would be. Quickly I decided to make the best of it, and fortunately my attitude changed as I started working, picking at the dirt, and shoveling soggy clumps of mud into buckets, which were then lifted to a person on the ladder. Just before getting started our professor took a picture of the four of us, mainly to record the level at which our excavations commenced, and to track the progress at the end of the ordeal. He told us that this stratum of dirt had already been well documented, and it was unnecessary to record the pottery in situ. We soon developed a method for the way we worked at the hole in front of us, marked by progress in making it deeper, while simultaneously removing the old dirt. We peered into the darkness hoping to find some valuable treasure, perhaps only a jar handle or some other humans’ garbage. Too bad this place had already been explored. It was interesting as we worked to really start to appreciate the amount of work involved the daily job an excavator must have for months on end. After just getting into the groove, merely twenty minutes later our shift manager would call down the hole and we scrambled back up the ladder to the top, where more people would take our place. We then skinnied out a narrow way to the outside world where bright sunshine met our faces, and we were momentarily blinded with something which was so pleasant as clean air, and familiar surroundings. It was quite a relief to be out in the open, after only being trapped in the cave for a relatively short period of time. Eventually we had to learn to adapt to the “bucket brigade” where passing and receiving buckets was of prime importance. Then the man at the end of the line would dump the dirt into a pile, as he watched all the ancient remains fall out, and returned a stack of empty buckets back down the line. This was made quite a bit more entertaining, however with the occasional conversation, interspersed with random songs, and shouts of the “the buckets are coming, the buckets are coming.” We also learned to deal with our neighbors who we were working with, and managed to not kill each other as we would “accidentally” a heavy load or burst of work would come at us. Lunch a much welcomed break from our tasks was provided by our professors, and included delicious Pizza Hut orders, along with juice and fruit. This was quite a treat for us as we had been quite exhausted from the mornings’ ventures in the ancient water tunnels. Next, my group was sent to the pottery labeling house at the top of the hill, near the headquarters of the excavators, Eli Shukrun and Ronny Reich kept all their massive collection of archaeological remains. We were briefly instructed as to the procedure whereby we would label the small partitions of broken pottery, spread out on a table, after dusting and preparing the “label”, with finger-nail polish. We were told to print carefully and in very small, but clearly legible letters. The pottery included details of the area of excavation, the locus, and piece number, and sealed in a plastic bag. This was not too hard to accomplish as we worked, in what seemed from an untrained eye a craft shop. This was quite interesting, while at the same time, proving itself to be quite tedious. I was glad when the hour rolled around meaning it was time to pack up and leave for home. I learned very much this first day, and will not forget some of the experiences which have marked me for life, including a better appreciation for archaeological excavations.

Consecrated Goals Part 2

I have done a little more thinking about my last post, and I think I will come from a little different perspective this time... WHY I LOVE BEING AN MK? This post was spurred by an article read in this month's message magazine put out by ABWE. Obviously there are both positive and negative aspects of growing up on the mission field. Lets start with a few of the good things: Positives: International exposure multi-language capabilities Seeing God's providence I got to "witness God at work in changing lives in other cultures, sometimes in dramatic ways" Negatives: False expectations of God to provide for my desires and my plans which are not part of his plan for my life. It is relatively easy as an MK to trust that God will provide for you, and sometimes I take this for granted. I must be continually on guard that I am not setting these expectations of God to fulfill my own goals and desires. I have faith that he will somehow work a miracle, and poof there is the money for the trip you need to take or the food you need to eat. It is very easy to get into a "Let go, Let God" mentality, where I think I can just sit back and watch God work, without doing my part! Is this right and wise or is it foolish and lazy? WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES DOES MY UPBRINGING HOLD FOR ME? We all have been given unique opportunities which have allowed us to grow, mature, and stimulate us to the point where we are at right now. However along with this is the responsibility of being a good stewardship of these experiences which God has brought me through. I guess I could talk about this in a couple other posts, and still not cover the surface of this topic. But briefly, I would like to question you why God had you grow up where you did and what you should do with that experience.

Consecrated Goals

Goals are usually a good thing, they help us accomplish things, and keeps us focus on the job we are doing. Guys, especially like myself, are extremely goal-oriented and this sometimes can be a great temptation to let our plans get in the way of our relationship with God. When we ask God for guidance or wisdom in a situation which we have hidden or unspoken motives for self-accomplishment we are actually committing idolatry. In Romans 12:1-2 we are told how we can find the will of God, but first we must consecrate or sacrifice our desires, plans, and goals for our life and lay them on the altar before God. We must bring all areas of our life under the lordship of Christ for the advancement of His Kingdom. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." "The Holy Spirit regularly has to convict and forgive us of our "success orientation", which rules our hearts in place of the "service orientation" that befits a redeemed rebel." - James C. Petty

Spiritual Idolatry

The other question of which God has brought to my mind has been the seriousness of idolatry. God requires all of our worship, and will not allow us to praise anything or anyone else. The Shema, or the passage in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 has been constantly brought up in our classes and in various other ways, and has been used by the H.S. to convict me of not loving God with all my heart, mind, and strength.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you today shall be on your heart.

Do I find my joy in another human? Could this ever be right to do? No! We thank God for many people, and give him the glory for any and every joy which he brings into our lives.--Pause-- Why God am I thinking such thoughts? Lord, please help me wait for your timing God! -- Lord I pray that your word would always be on my mind, and that I would guard your commandments in my heart. Lord you are gracious, abounding in love, satisfy me with your love. I long only for you, and no one else. It is amazing what God will teach you when you are afflicted. God has been teaching me patience and has taught me to entrust things into his hands, in every area of my life. Lord, I pray that I would hold loosely to earthly "treasures" and replace it with the Hope of eternity with You, which is inconceivably better than anything else we could ever want. "Now [praise] to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20)

Approaching a Holy God

I have been meditating on Micah 6:8-

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

” But how in the world are we able to stand in His presence, knowing the wickedness of our heart? This is the question with which I am faced, how can man approach a perfect God? I was reading the Jewish Siddur yesterday, which brought to surface a dozen other questions similar to this one about our theology of prayer. Many times we accept the fact that we can pray to an awesome, perfect, unchanging God and do not think of the ramifications of such a powerful truth. “Hear, O ye mountains, the Lord’s controversy,” (Mic 6:8) And Moses went up unto God…. Moses is able to approach Hashem, only with intense fear riddling his being. The people were terrified at approaching at God, which brought them to the realization for the need of a tabernacle or temple where they could come to Him, and He could dwell among his people. Therefore God provided for this communion which he desired with man. During this passover week we get to see how the lamb was sacrificed to God and then they ate the remainder, thus having dinner at God's house. God has always been about pursuing man, and making a way in which man can approach him. We were lost in our sin, and His ultimate plan consists in providing a way for us to come to the father through only one mediator, the man Jesus Christ. He provided again, when he sent His son, to become a man on earth and to be our sacrifice, and eventually be our High Priest, so that we may come before the Throne of God and worship Him. (Heb. 4:14-16, 8:1) Remember His provision for his people and this should allow you to trust Him with the plans for your life. Lord I thank you for your provision, but this is how I feel: I am so overwhelmed with what I have to do, it is very easy for me to get distracted, Lord help me stay focused, and I pray that I would not pass up any opportunity you would have that you would use me for. God help me not to be so busy with my routine, that I shut people out of my life, but help me to align my priorities, in order to take advantage of the time and circumstances you have orchestrated during this season of life. Yesterday, traveling through the Israel Museum, I met a man, Nunu, from Portugal, who did not know the Lord. It made me very sad to hear him say that Yeshua Hamashiach didn’t matter, and that he was just any other person in history. Lord give me a greater heart for the loss, and give me wisdom to proclaim your works at the right time, with the right words. Lord, I fear that I am not taking advantage of everything here at IBEX, help me to use this time for learning not only extracurricular stuff, but give me discipline in my academics. I bless you Lord and give thanks for every trial that tests my faith in you, so that in the end You will receive all the glory and honor and praise. (I Pe. 1:7-8)

Fun in the Galilee

We got back from Galilee last night, and I am jumping ahead in homework this week as we have 4 for weeks before we head back to the States. We had a great week, and made so many memories and learned so much. I will write a little something later about the highlights of the weeks, but praise the Lord everyone is fairly safe. Oh, and yes if you didn't figure it out yet by the pictures I shaved my head on our first day away!! Just thought I'd let you know LOL ~ekul namuen

First day in Galilee

Here is an excerpt from my journal describing the first part of my week in the Galilee: We woke up the next morning, after spending the night in a really nice hotel in Nazareth and headed for Sepphoris another Tel which would have very interesting artifacts. Unfortunately, I had to ride back to our hotel with our bus driver, Moshe, to pick up the camera which my lazy brain forgot at breakfast. I was able to talk to him on the way and start a friendship with him. When I returned to Sepphoris, I got to explore the site on my own, running around from a synagogue to a tower and back across some ancient excavations where several large mosaics were preserved. The previous day we had the privilege of visiting a rolling stone tomb, near Megiddo, and then had lunch, and spent the afternoon in a reconstructed first century village in Nazareth. They had donkeys, a synagogue, wine press, olive press, kitchen, and various homes with villagers going about their daily tasks. It was very interesting to see a little piece of what this place may have looked like when Jesus walked this earth. Our next stop was Cana of Galilee, the possible location of the first miracle which the Messiah would change water into wine at a wedding. We made a stop at the Golani Junction, a famous military site, for some hamburgers at McDonalds. We finished off our day by hiking up Mt. Arbel a great lookout over the Sea of Galilee, giving an overview of the small area where most of Jesus’ ministry would take place. We hiked around the mountain to some awesome caves, and then came running down through slippery rocks and mud, before we wiped our shoes and had a great cookie treat which Becky had sent along. Austin found an a cave which had a Seder plate used for Passover, and a couple books in Hebrew, which had been burnt in a fire. We were then headed for our new home for the week, En Gev, on the Eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, where we would have an awesome “field trip/vacation”. However before we got to our resort we stopped for a picture on the bridge crossing the Jordan River.

Free Day

So basically today was pretty much the most awesome day ever. I woke up this morning just in time to make it for the bus, which was to leave at 8:30, for the Yehudiyya hike, a cold water swim/hike. I had just woken up a few minutes before, when I was asked to read Ephesians 5 for our morning devotions. It was a hard passage for me to read, understanding every part of my wicked nature which was exposed by this passage. Various events made me very vulnerable, which required a deal of humility throughout the day. I understood the importance of purity and learned to demonstrate love in a new way. We hiked down a canyon to a large waterfall with a rock just to the left which I jumped off and landed into ice cold water. It was pretty awesome. We kept hiking through many slippery rocks, countless jungle forests, and rushing rivers. I enjoyed it very much, mostly because of the company which I had: Paul, Brooke, and Thais. On the way home I had a great conversation with Thais about an interest in getting to know her better and just sharing different ways we have grown, and how our friendship was progressing, yet still realizing how little we know each other. We returned to En Gev famished, ready for a great lunch of Middle-eastern tacos, with meat, cheese, and salsa. Then for dessert I had a delicious brownie with chocolate chip cookie dough on top. To top it off I ate a couple slices of juicy watermelon. After lunch, we had a great time watching Brooke and Thais being baptized by Randy, on the beach of the Sea of Galilee. It was such a growing experience as we watched them tell their stories of how they came to repentance and acceptance of Christ into their hearts. It was so neat to see how God has changed them and given them a new love for the word and knowing God himself personally and individually. Randy explained the long process of making sure that they decisions were genuine, and told of us of the responsibility of the church to accept them and teach them. As the threesome walked into the water, the crowd on the beach sang, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, until they reached a deeper portion. Then Randy each asked them the question if they accepted Jesus Christ as their husband, and they said “I do”. It was a very different baptism in this way picturing the marriage between Christ and the Church. When they came back to shore we sang the song again, and then proceeded with group hugs. For me it was a very joyful moment, because I saw the great love they had for the Lord, and the complete change of lifestyle which the Holy Spirit is working in their lives. For other people whom I talked with afterwards it was a challenge of responsibility to hold the girls accountable with their walk with Christ. This involves confronting sin, and restoring believers to the body when needed. For the girls, it was a huge blessing for them to see a body of believers who genuinely cared about them, that they would come see God’s working in their life, despite the extremely cold and wet temperatures on the beach. The girls then went back to their rooms and took warm showers, and I went back and looked at pictures and watched the videos, until I got a call from Thais, and invited them to come over and rejoice with us. We looked at more pictures, and then bored but definitely having fun; we watched the last part of Stuart Little, making comments about the movie along the way. We had so much fun with a pillow fight, and just spending time together. After this we were headed towards the reception when Ryan came up to me and asked me if I wanted to play ultimate Frisbee, which I reluctantly agreed since they needed another player. I played for about 45 minutes and had a blast, and took a really long shower afterwards. Then I headed for the internet room, and stopped by the store where I met Jeremy, who was picking out some treats for the baptism girls. I decided it was a good idea, and I would pitch in and get some celebration goodies for them, as I helped him choose milk, chocolate bars, and chocolate eggs. It was great to choose these and then to see their reaction as we ran to their room getting drenched in the pouring rain. However we had to hurry to the bus, to make it to our dinner at a nearby fish restaurant and our boat ride on the Galilee. This was awesome, as well, since we had a great dinner, talking about the many houses we lived in and just how much we were used to packing and moving. We enjoyed it very much, until it was time to go on our boat ride. This was very neat as well, as we were all very cold on the windy lake. We sang a couple songs, including “It is Well With My Soul”. I got to spend some time alone up on the front of the boat as we floated back into the harbor, where an interesting cow smell pleasantly greeted us. Then we rode the bus back to camp, and decided we were going to learn how to swing dance, after an ice cream treat. The store was actually closed so our plans changed again. But no problem they had chocolate back in their room, where music was already playing. Paul showed us the few basic footsteps of swing music, and after a little practice, I attempted to swing with the girls. I had never attempted to dance before, and can barely keep a beat when playing guitar. However, I had a great time learning to dance with Thais—she made it so much fun, even though I was clueless of what I was doing. Around 11:00 we decided we were tired, and would let the girls go to bed. So we ended the day with a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for the great time we enjoyed together as we bonded as friends. Goodnight friends, and thank you Lord so much for your blessings!!

Great and mighty works of the Messiah

Bill was talking about another blind man who was healed and it seems like this must have been the 50th blind man healed during his ministry. However, my friend next to me explained that this miracle was a unique sign of the messiah, the one who would come. It would be a miracle reserved for Yeshua, and only he would perform the healing of many blind. It just goes to show how he came to the darkness of our sinful world to show us the light. It is just truly amazing that God would come down in the form of man, humbling himself as a servant to love us to the ultimate cost, where he would have to sacrifice everything including his life. This is just a small picture of how much God loves and cares for us. I am so glad for his everlasting love which he showers on us every morning.

Back in Israel

yes I am home safe back in Israel... it is soo good to be back.. we got back last night around 10:30... I am going to try to update my blog this week before we leave on our galilee trip on Saturday... I have a lot of work to catch up on, especially since a couple projects are due this week...

Headed back home

We are on our last day of touring Egypt. We have seen just about everything there is to see. We are tired, but have lots of stories to tell, and many pictures to show. I will write most likely Friday night when I get back to the moshav. We are in Aswan, the furthest city in the south, and will be taking a night train tonight to Cairo, then up to the border (about 6 hours) then to Jerusalem (another 5 hours). Making a total of about 22 hours on a train, bus, or taxi. See ya--- luke n

Egypt and Craziness

I am in Cairo, safe, and sound, even after playing frogger on the craziest streets I have ever seen. The drivers here are even worse than Brazil, and yet God has kept us safe. It has been a great trip, as we are on our third day traveling. Thank you for your prayers. We will probably return Friday afternoon to Jerusalem. I am learning about life sacrificing desires and culture values for the good of the group. It has been hard, but God has taught me so much. It has actually been a fairly relaxing time here in Egypt. Yesterday we met with another group at the Cairo Museum which was pretty awesome, so we went for an American dinner on the Nile. I can’t wait to get back and see my friends back at the Moshav… miss you all

Negev Trip

Negev Field Report Beer-sheva was our first stop on our long four day Negev trip. We read about the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20, as we stood in front of a horned altar (Ex. 27) which was a symbol of God’s power and mercy. The horns of the altar, made out of acacia wood, and overlayed with bronze are a symbol of strength. An example of Adonijah grabbing hold of horns and was shown mercy in 1 Kings 1:50. We talked about the size of Solomon’s temple, being 20 cubits long, as described in 2 Chronicles 4. Then we moved on to the archaeology of the site, on Tell- Beer Sheva, where we saw a well from 1200 BC and a chambered gate, and storehouses. These were probably were built for storing wheat, grain, oil, and wine. The people of Israel started their wilderness wanderings from Kadesh-Barnea, through the Desert of Paran, to a city called Avdat, to a large crater called Maktesh Ramon, to Etzion-Geber, and then East to the Way of the Wilderness, and North to Edom. Our next stop on our Negev trip was Arad, built originally by Solomon, and conquered by Shishak, then rebuilt by Manasseh. It was rebuilt six times, and the ruins we see today of several fortifications are from 9th century BC. There is a horseshoe shaped fortification from the early bronze age, surprisingly very close to the surface. The living in the Negev was rather precarious; the Israelites would have to learn to depend on God, as they roamed around living in tents. The region around Arad is used mostly for farming, even though it is semi-arid, corn crops may still be grown with adequate irrigation. There is an Israelite fortress with 3 rooms, an outer courtyard, a court of sanctuary, and 2 matzevot from around 1000 BC. Archaeologists did find ostraca, potsherds with writing, from the time of Hezekiah (586 BC) with the inscription Bet YHWH. We also saw an Arad house from Early Bronze period, dating to around 2200 BC during a time of centralized government. There was a lot of mining from the Dead Sea, and this is 200 years before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their wickedness. We continued on our way south through the Negev, until we got to a hiking place at Nahal Zin, in the wilderness highlands. We visited the Nabatean city of Avdat in the middle of the desert of Paran. We then continued on to the “exalted crater”, Maktesh Ramon, about 20 km from Kadesh Barnea, from where the spies were sent into the Promised Land. The southern border of Canaan runs along the southern edge of the Dead Sea, through Nahal Zin, Kadesh Barnea to the Brook of Egypt, draining into the Mediterranean Sea, just past Mt. Sinai. The next day, Bill set us free in the Wilderness of Paran, where we roamed for about 40 minutes, in contrast with the 40 years of the Israelite’s wanderings in the wilderness. It was a very good time to spend reading a portion of God’s word to the Israelites from Deuteronomy 8. We learned how seriously God takes our acknowledgment of him. If we forget the Lord and do not follow all of his ways—then God warns us that we will perish. One verse, in particular, caught my eye as I read it, “Beware lest you say in you heart, ‘My power and the might of my hands have gotten me this wealth.’” We got to learn various other insights from other people who shared what God was teaching them during their quiet time reading Deuteronomy 8 in the desert. We then hiked a little more in the Red Sand Canyons, before we headed toward the port city of Eilat. We would then spend the afternoon resting on the beach, and playing ultimate Frisbee after eating Pizza Hut and snorkeling at the coral reefs in the Red Sea. It was an awesome day, needless to say. That night we also saw a jewelers shop, which showed us how beautiful gems can come out of a very simple, ugly rock., namely the Eilat stone, a greenish blue beauty. We spent the night on the boardwalk, relaxing and enjoying friends, before another long day on the bus. We had almost forgotten that we were still at school on when we started out on our third day on this field trip. However, we put our thinking caps back on when we reached the model of the tabernacle. The tour of God’s house proved to be a great object lesson of our faith in God’s plan for redeeming humanity. The picture which stood out the most to me of Christ love for us was the acacia tree. Here in the middle of the wilderness stands a scrawny, thorny acacia tree, which God chooses to build his tabernacle out of. All of the temple furniture was to be built out of this wood, and covered with bronze. What a beautiful picture of how Christ chose our bodies as a temple for him to live in when we are covered by His righteousness. Every object, dimension, color, and shape in the tabernacle had some significance.

Four Day field trip

Pray for my recovery from my sinus infection, and for our trip to the negev. It looks like it is going to be a really fun trip, but it won't be easy. thanks

Life is precious in God's Hands

The clock is ticking, time is passing. With every moment, every breath, I want to be used by God. My time here on earth is going, going, gone. I am just a vapor, or fog which rolls in and goes away. We are like the grass of the field, or the chaff that blows away from the wheat. I don't won't to sound morbid, but death is inevitable. I am so anxious to see my Lord, it is impossible to express such joy of the thought. I must not attach myself to the things of this earth, Lord help me to cling loosely to my temporary treasures.

Lord, make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; Surely every man at his best is a mere breath.

Psalm 39:4-5 Here is a favorite song of mine written by Chris Rice: Life Means So Much Every day is a journal page Every man holds a quill and ink And there's plenty of room for writing in All we do is believe and think So will you compose a curse Or will today bring the blessing Fill the page with rhyming verse Or some random sketching Every day is a bank account And time is our currency So nobody's rich, nobody's poor We get 24 hours each So how are you gonna spend Will you invest, or squander Try to get ahead Or help someone who's under Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life And don't you think giving is all What proves the worth of yours and mine Teach us to count the days Teach us to make the days count Lead us in better ways That somehow our souls forgot Life means so much Every day is a gift you've been given Make the most of the time every minute you're living

Don’t worry, put your hope in God each day!

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Mat 6:25

Don’t we worry too much? God gives us only enough strength for today. He imparts his grace to us, day by day, but only one day at a time. “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22-23) The only thing we know for certain about tomorrow is the assurance of faith, that God will still love me. He has promised to not overwhelm us with more than we can handle. (I Cor. 10:13) Obviously we cannot do anything on our own. In Christ alone I put my trust, for it is in him that we can do all things. (Phil. 4:13)

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. - 1 Peter 3:14-17

“Be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in you.” This is the reason that I am studying. I must come back, after several hours reading books, and refocus on why I am exerting such effort at learning these things in college. Praise be to Adonai Yireh (Lord Provider) Gen 22:8

יהוה יראה

Holocaust Remembrance

Since Friday, when in modern Israel class we started to study about the holocaust, we have been talking about the facts of this mass murder. I started reading about it, in a book I have to review by Thursday of this week. It is really hard for me to read about the events without stopping and getting emotionally stressed out. This morning we visited Yad- Hashem, the memorial/museum about the holocaust and it impacted me so much, to realize how much people suffered from this tragic yet allowed by God to happen. We can look at the holocaust with different perspectives, and see a couple facets. First we could look at all the six million Jews of the holocaust, and their families. Maybe even hear stories from survivors, who lost everything, including loved ones in the holocaust. Second we could look at the perpetrators of the holocaust and wonder what would have caused them to go to such lengths of exterminating their brothers. What kind of person would try to eliminate another human race? Last of all we could look at the holocaust, and see the philosophy which was beginning to gain acceptance in the world around the middle of the twentieth century, the theory of evolution, proposed by Charles Darwin. His book the Origin of Species, or the The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Just reading these titles is obvious that the Final Solution proposal was parallel with the theory of "survival of the fittest". If we stop and realize that this is how wicked and depraved man really is, we can start to understand how much we need to be saved. Do we not recognize the dignity of life, that man was created in God's image? We say that we should learn from the Holocaust so that nothing like this would ever happen again, but what about the huge massacre of babies through abortions since 1973 in America? Is this not very similar to eliminating a massive selection of human life? How has our thinking about the value of a human life changed? Now we are terminating, killing, murdering, callit whatever you want, millions of babies who would normally grow up to be humans just like us. Does this not count? Can we really allow abortions to continue like this? Who are we to choose to terminate babies lives? However it is not just the physical life that is terminated. The story does not end here, the really sad part about it is that so many Jews died without knowing Jesus Christ as their personal savior. It is very sad to think that so many humans in a very short period were to spend the rest of eternity in hell, a punishment beyond all others. Yet the Bible teaches that "He hath not the son, hath not life", and that those who did not receive the "free gift of God", namely salvation, would be condemned to hell. Does this not make us want to proclaim the gospel even more? Does this not burden you to witness to those who have not heard or accepted the grace God gives?

Life Lessons in Israel

Hello again from the Promised Land, So I am trying to figure out an interesting way to recap the events of my life in the past two weeks. I am sorry if this page takes forever to load because there are so many pictures, please let me know if this is a hassle for you. I think I will start out though with more recent and see how far back I can go. Today was another Friday, we had a Land and Bible quiz this morning, after studying 3 hours last night. I also had to finish reading our book the Land Between which was due along with all of our SMM maps this morning. It was a lot of reading, including many passages from the Old Testament, and even whole books. I feel like I have read and know a lot more about Old Tetament geography and events now. As far as spiritual lessons... the Lord has been teaching me so much... I am just scratching the surface of understanding how vital it is to pray with God, and to spend time with him. I started praying with my roommates every night at 11 pm before we go to bed, and it has proved to be very fruitful, as we share requests, and talk about various things that are going on in our life. It has allowed me to have some influence on their lives, and them on me. We are growing together and getting to know each other much better. I am so glad to have Laney and Amos as my roommates. However as far as the spiritual lessons I am learning from other people, the Lord has blessed me very much. In Land and the Bible, Bill has been talking about faith from Hebrews, the foolish belief in the unseen. It has been provoking my mind to think about my faith, and how it compares to the heroes of the Old Testament. Also in Bible study we have been studying wisdom, and how we as men should apply this in our lives. Our study this week focused on listening and speaking less. This is one area I would really like to develop with my friends, as I know I have a huge problem of interrupting other people. It is a matter of putting other's first, and thinking of them before I even start to open my mouth. Lord, please help me with this bad habit, and help me to listen better, both to other people as well as to your voice. Help me to be still before you, and realize your awesomeness. It was great to do this on another deserted hill/canyon near Tekoa, after we talked about the prophet Amos, and how you used him to warn your people of coming destruction if they did not turn from their ways. Lord, you have been so merciful with us... and we cannot begin to express how thankful we are for you grace that you give us to be your children. The other recurring theme that God has been teaching me through various sources, is the brevity of life, and making the most of every day. On the bus the other day we were reading Ecclesiastes and the whole theme of the book caused me to rethink how short life is, and how the decisions we make on earth will affect us in our eternal life. It is so much important to have an eternal view on things, to keep this in mind when making daily decisions. Which leads me to the other lesson He has been impressing on my mind, to store treasures in heaven and to hang on loosely to the things of this earth. Whether it be people or possessions, we do not own anything, and anything we have is given as gift or blessing from God, by his own choice. Most importantly God has taught me the value of true friendship and am seeking to learn more about how I can be an instrument in God's hands to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ at IBEX, pray that I can do this effectively. Pray that I would reach out and care more about other people and really want serve them in a way that pleases God.

Afternoon in Bethlehem

On Wednesday, we were on our field trip, and we were going to spend some time in the Arabic city of Bethlehem. Just two weeks ago, a friend of mine from Master's was there and witnessed a shootout. There has been quite a bit of tension in this small town just outside of Jerusalem. Even more people were worried after the new electorate of the Palestinians was sworn into office on Saturday. The Hamas group, irrecognizably a terrorist group, has taken control now after the elections of the Palestinians in all of their territory. Anyways, back to my story: so 40 of us IBEXers were in Bethlehem, and during the whole time we were there we only saw 3 other tourists in the whole city. Obviously people were not as willing to come to this popular tourist trap, because of the recent happenings in the town. Anyways, we went and saw the Church of Nativity, which is about 1700 years old. I could tell you all about it now after our Land and Bible quiz (it was built for Helena, Constantine's mother, in Byzantine period (c. 325AD) then was rebuilt and improved by Justinian 200 years later.) After briefly visiting this church and singing "Silent Night" by the manger, we were left on our own, which was awesome. We had about an hour and a half to eat lunch and venture through the city. Quickly, Brooke, Thais, and I were off to see the city, however, when I tried to go through the small door, which led to outside, I made a mistake. I attempted to do the "limbo" through this small passageway, and fell backwards onto my backpack, and just started cracking up, laughing so hard. I just layed there for a few seconds while everyone laughed so hard, while two guards came to see what was going on. This was the start of a very fun afternoon with my friends. We stopped a couple block s away at an Arabic "sandwich" shop where we got filafels for each of us, and a really good cold drink, which tastes something like Strawberry juice. We went on our way till we found a water fountain, where we stopped and ate our lunches, almost in the middle of an intersection of the old part of town. It was a very cool location where we could see the shop owners, and they could and did watch us eat our lunch. We had fun talking, and then an elderly lady came up to us, just to be friendly. In the meantime, Brooke, sitting next to me had just knocked my open bottle of juice into the fountain, where it turned upside down and to my amazement, no red liquid was coming out of the open top into the semi-clear/dirty rain water. My senses told me I should retrieve it, so I quickly snatched the bottle from the cold water, and turned it right side up, it looked like the water had not mixed very much at all. I poured just a tad off the top and drank it and it tasted delicious. This is just really funny that nothing came out when the lid was not even on, and it was turned upside down. Anywho... the lady started telling us about how she got here, and where her family was and remarked how pretty our eyes were. It is really strange I guess to have colored eyes in this part of the world. We learned a little bit about the Arabic culture, and then went on our way to explore the city. My goal was to find some stairs that led to a rooftop, to where we could see the rest of the city and have a good view. After walking a little ways down a street of shops, with everyone asking us if we wanted to buy something for "one dollar", we found a decent set of stairs which looked promising. I proceeded up the stairs cautiously and found it led to a couple porches of some houses. We looked around and noticed that the roofs were not exactly connected together like they are in Old City Jerusalem, but are individual buildings. But then a woman came out of the house and started motioning us toward her. We thought, she is inviting us into her house, how interesting. So we followed her down a narrow path, and into a house, where little boys were playing and talking. She invited us in and showed us her "living" room which was covered with mats on the ground and Islamic images on the wall. We knew for sure that this family was hardcore Muslim. It was so different in a way, yet she was very nice, and friendly, as she spoke in Arabic to us, hoping we could understand. Even when she found out we only spoke English, she would still talk to us, as if we understood everything she was saying. She introduced a man, and several of her boys, and then sat us down in some chairs, as she offered us Tea or Coffee. We accepted the tea, and she immediately went around the corner to the kitchen to prepare it. She then motioned us back to another room, where there was a TV and pictures on the wall of family members, she explained who everyone was, and who her husband was. She also showed us that she had 9 sons and 1 girl. She spoke very little English, but it was just enough to barely communicate. Then we went back in the other room, and the hot tea was ready, where we started to sip. I tried to cool it off, but it was really hot, and I burnt my tongue immediately. I am such a wimp when it comes to hot drinks. So I switched with Thais, who had already blown hers off, and seemed cooler than mine. It was really good, and sweet tea. Kinda reminded me of Capim Santo, anyways we conversed for a while, just drinking in the different culture around us, not really knowing what to do or what to say. We then looked at our watches and noticed we were supposed to meet with our group in like 10 minutes, so we tried explaining that we had to go. She wanted to show us how she makes the pita bread, and invited us to stay for lunch. When she couldn't convince us to do that, she said we could come back and sleep there at her house. She really was interested in getting to know us, which is really funny. Finally, we managed to leave, hopefully without offending anyone, where we immersed ourselves back on the shopkeepers road, headed back, all the way so very excited about what we had just experienced. We could barely believe that we had just been invited in a Muslim house for tea. However we still had 10 minutes to burn, so we decided to explore a couple more streets, where we met a little school girl, who knew a little more English and showed us around a little after talking with her a bit. Then we headed back to the group, only to find that Jeremy Phelps, had a box in his hands with two chickens in it. He had bartered from 200 shekels, down to 40 shekels for the two chickens, to give it to Bill our professor. We had stories to tell, and I still wanted to get a muslim male headdress like Saddam Hussein, however they were 30 shekels, which I didn't have on me. We headed back to the bus, and got back into our field trip mode, but we will never forget this day in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem and Herodium area

Let me share you with another journal from a field trip... I plan writing another post in a few minutes also. The purpose of this trip was to understand various courses that attacking enemies of Jerusalem would approach the city. The easiest way to approach Jerusalem is from the North, coming from the Central Benjamin Plateau, where we visited last week. The secondary approach is a southern approach via Bethlehem. The Eastern approach is from the Mt. of Olives, and the west is guarded by a buffer zone, system of valleys, called the Shephelah. The Hinnom valley on the west is the border between the Benjamin and Judah territories. We first visited the Mt. of Olives to see an eastern view of the city. But first we would stop at Bethphage, the border of the city. This is where his triumphal entry before the Passover started. He had already traveled from Jericho through the wilderness to Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, only two miles away from Jerusalem. This is where Lazarus after four days of being sick was raised from the dead by Jesus, written down in the account of John 11. The witnesses split into two reactions, one of amazement, and the other was a plot against Jesus’ life by the religious leaders. The triumphal entry of Jesus, described in Matthew 21:1-12 was fro m the Mt. of Olives down the Kidron valley, where the people hailed the king with shouts of “Hoshannah”, and waved with palm branches as he rode through the crowd on a donkey. When Jesus saw the city he wept, a condemnation or lament for the destruction that would come in the future, near the site called Dominus Flavit. Bethany is also the place where the ascension of Jesus took place, recounted in Acts 1:6-12. Jesus tells his disciples that power will come upon them to witness in Judea (to the South), Samaria (to the North) and to the ends of the earth. He was taken up in a cloud, the presence of God, and they saw him no more. On the western side of the Mt. of Olives is the private garden of Gethsemane, where the betrayal of our Messiah took place. This happened right after the last supper in the Upper Room as described in Matthew 26:36-46. We also read about the prophetic passage of Zechariah which describes the mountain being split in two, dividing the North from the south, with an earthquake, which functions as an escape route toward the wilderness. David also climbed the Mt. of Olives weeping headed toward the wilderness in 2 Samuel 15:23. We then crossed over to the western side of the city just north of the Valley of Raphaim, to the Ketef Hinnom tombs, which are from the first temple period. Here is where the oldest piece of scripture was found, written on small silver scrolls. The priestly blessing from Number 6:24-26, was written on two silver amulets which date back to 600 BC. Then we made our way south joining the road of the patriarchs, to Bethlehem, where we stopped. We were shown the Church of the Nativity where traditionally Jesus was born, and sang Silent Night here. The church was built around the manger and stable where they thought that the Savior came to earth as a baby. Surprisingly it was very quiet and peaceful in Bethlehem. We then traveled outside the city to some fields, where the shepherds would have been watching their sheep, and an angel appeared. This is also the place where the story of Ruth took place, as she gleaned the wheat harvest in the fields of Boaz. We then went to Herodian, a hill built in memory of Herod the Great, and the place of his burial. There are lots of ruins at this site, from the 1st century AD. There are carved underground tunnels which go down into the original rock, which were used during the first Jewish Revolt in 66 AD, to take over the Herodian fortress. These tunnels were originally used as water cisterns for Herod the Great, where aqueducts channeled water to the base of the hill, then it was hauled up and stored in cisterns. In the second Jewish revolt of 132 AD these cisterns were used as a defense mechanism. We also saw a first century synagogue, inside the Herodian fortress. There are only two other places which have a similar synagogue, at Masada, and in Galilee. Next we traveled to the Tekoa-En Gedi route which follows the ridge to the Nahal Arugot. The Bercah Valley is called an Emech in Hebrew, which is where Jehosophat leads his troops when he faces the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites at En Gedi. The Lord told Jehosophat that he would not have to fight this battle, so he should put the choir out in the front lines, leading them through the desert of Jeruel. Jehosophat seeked the Lord for help, and he defended his people against a huge army. Every person will sometime face a situation where he will not know what to do, and we must set our eyes upon God, and ask him for help. A Judean vineyard was also pointed out, similar to what the spies who went into the land of Canaan may have found when they were surveying the Promised Land which God would give to the people of Israel. We crossed a lot of ground today, and we probably walked very near if not in the same airspace of many Bible characters, such as Abraham, Jehosophat, Jesus, and Judas. It was very enjoyable, and I learned so much about the geography, events, and even spiritual lessons.

New Galleries Added

I just uploaded a few pictures to two different galleries: here are the pictures from our Temple Mount Trip: here are the Dead Sea Hike Pictures: one is more scenic and artistic: City of David: Art and Architecture and the other is mostly pictures of IBEX people tomorrow I leave on a camping trip to the dead sea... and for those of you who missed the previous links to galleries here they are: a night in Jerusalem and my trip to Israel and last but not least my brother's family and cute nephew and niece have fun, and see ya later ekul namuen

the Lord will Provide for His People

So, nothing like redeeming the time, by getting up early. This is awesome, I have like two extra hours added to today. Anyways, Sorry I have been gone so long friends. I just got back from a couple blessings from the Lord. He has helped me trust Him, to just lean on him, when I am thrown a couple curveballs. I just got back from a couple computer crashes including: a few blue screens, two windows installations, one complete backup lost, and a main hard drive failure, as well as a couple other minor difficulties. I praise the Lord for these events, --- "even tho it is well with my soul" -- my favorite song this semester. We have sung this tune several times in large acoustically prone chapels around Jerusalem. In the end, I believe, although I hope it is not over, I was able to recover most of my 15GB of pictures and another sum of documents from random backups. I thank Him so much, for being my rock, and I realize that I really don't need anything here on earth. He could take all of it away, and yet He would still see *provide* me through the day. (John 8:56) "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." Just like on Mt. Moriah, Adonai Yareh provided a ram for Abraham. PTL

IBEX friends

Lessons I am learning

Psalm 56:3,13

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? For you have delivered my sould from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

God is teaching me not to have confidence in anything that is earthly or material. He is teaching me that I must trust only in Him, and he is everything I need. I must learn to content myself with being satisfied in HIM. Thank you Lord for these times, and places you put me in to make me rely upon you. He is my shepherd and he watches over me. I am so glad to have him guiding me, his lost little sheep. Yesterday as we were on the grassy hills in the wilderness, God was speaking to me, and we talked about many things in which He is showing me a little bit more of who he is. I don't need to question why He does things this way anymore, because I know that He is Sovereign and is working his plan, though it may be rough, it will be smoothed out by His Hand over time.

Benjamin allotment tour

Benjamin Hike We toured and discussed a large portion of the Benjamin tribal allotment as Bill Schlegel explained the significance of this important region in Israelite history. We visited such sites as Jericho, Gibeah, Nebi Samwil, Michmash, and Aijalon Valley. We learned important biblical imagery which help us understand certain passages in their context, such as a sheepfold, a wadi, the wilderness, and a sycamore tree. Our trip started by talking about Kiriath Jearim, which was a border city of Benjamin and Dan. The first story we recall is the Ark of the Covenant which remained in Kiriath Jearim nearly 120 years total, under the ministry of Samuel. In 2 Sam 6 it is referred to as Baalah of Judah, where Uzzah the priest was struck dead, and where David kept the Ark of the covenant when he brought it to Jerusalem. Next we traveled west toward the Aijalon valley, to a city called Emmaus today. It was the administrative center of the valley in the New Testament. It mains purpose today is the agriculture it produces, and we can see a large wheat harvest. The Road of the Patriarchs passed by this area, and made Emmaus more important. We also saw a Byzantine crusader church in this location. We probably think this is not the Emmaus that two disciples were on their way to when they saw the resurrected Messiah. This Emmaus was a lot closer to Jerusalem only 60 stadia away, when the one is called Emmaus today is nearly 160 stadia away. We followed the Beth-Horon ridge route up from Aijalon to Nebi Samwil, where we had a great view of the valleys around us. The Aijalon valley mostly belonged to the tribe of Dan, much of which was uninhabitable at first. This route was controlled by Ephraim during the fourteenth century BC when Joshua was conquering the land of Canaan. When the Israelites the people of Gibeon by attacking the Amorites, the Amorites fled down Beth-Horon, as they lost to a glorious victory by the God Jehovah of the Israelites. When Samuel chases the Philistines, they retreat down the Beth-Horon route back toward the coast where they lived. The Maccabean revolt also took place near this location in Modiin, as they fought hard against the Greeks. Hellenism was trying to infiltrate the land in the first century BC, and they were trying to forbid Jewish customs, when it culminated by the killing of a Jewish man by Matthias. In the first chapter of 2 Chronicles we already see how the Ark of the Covenant was separated from the Tabernacle, when it was kept on the high place of Gibeon and Nob. This seems to have taken place at Nebi Samwil, where crusader ruins, and a Muslim mosque stands today. This high place of Gibeon, today just a terraced hill west of Nebi Samwil, was most likely the place where Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to God asked God for wisdom. We stopped here and asked Him for wisdom as well. We can learn a lesson from this story, that God puts us in places and situations of uncertainty where we will seek the Lord, which makes us rely on Him for strength. Gibeon, a city just down the hill from Nebi Samwil is seen as an important city because it absorbs most of the traffic coming from the west. The control of this area was a prime indication of who was in control of the whole Benjamin plateau, a comparatively flat approach to Jerusalem. Gibeon was also the location of an Amorite attack led by Adonai-Zedek, against the Gibeonites. Joshua leads his people from Jericho and the Lord makes the sun stand still in a battle at Gibeon, allowing the Amorites to flee down the Aijalon valley to the west. We jumped back on the bus, and traveled for a while until we came to a hill, we climbed where an unfinished house or palace started by the Jordanian official Hussein, around 1948. It has an awesome view of Ramah, Mizpah, Geba, the Pass, and even the Mt. of Olives in the far off distance. This is the location known in the Bible as Gibeah, where Saul fortified, and made his capital city. This is also the place which a story which depicts the wickedness of the time, when a visitor came to a house and was accosted by the men of the village, yet he gave his concubine to them, for their abuse. When he awoke the next morning his concubine was lying on the front steps dead, so he set her on his donkey and traveled home to Shiloh, where he sliced her up and sent a piece to each tribe of Israel, so they would know the consequences and depravity that immorality had reached in the land. Other sad stories also took place on this hill called Gibeah of Saul. Around 900 BC the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms were fighting for a Ramah, located in Central Benjamin Plateau, and can be read in I Kings 15:16 This place called Ramah, is also the home and burial place of Samuel, along the central ridge route. Mizpah, a nearby town becomes the seat of Babylonian administration after 586 BC. Our next stop was at a very important crossroad, called the Pass in several Old Testament stories, located on the ridge between Geba and Michmash. Joshua probably crossed it when he traveled from Gilgal to Gibeon, on his attack of the Amorites in Joshua 10:1-5. The Pass is more widely known for the time that Jonathan leads his troops against the Philistines as they crawl from Geba to Michmash in I Samuel 13:16. The Wadi Suwenit is an important feature right next to the Pass. We stopped and talked a little about the imagery of a shepherd and his sheep, when he took care of them on hillsides, and gathering them into a sheepfold. There is really only one opening or gate to a sheepfold, and the shepherd is there to watch over this gate, to make sure no harm comes to his flock. Our next route consisted of traversing the Ephraim ridge route by Rimmon and Taybe or Ophrah. This led us down in elevation to the City of Palms, or more commonly known as Jericho. Joshua conquered Jericho, with the Lords help, as the children of Israel shouted and blew their trumpets, while marching around the city. Jericho’s location by the Dead Sea, and yet just below huge cliffs makes it really hard to defend, yet it was destroyed and rebuilt various times in Biblical history, as it continued to suffer oppression from the Moabites across the Jordan River. The reason why people kept settling at Jericho was because of the spring down from Bethel which flowed to Jericho. This is where Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind, retold in 2 Kings 2:19. It was also the location of a story where a group of youth was jeering at Elisha as he passed through Jericho, and two bears came and scattered forty two teenagers. Leaving the Jericho and Dead Sea region, we ascended back up the hill in the direction of Jerusalem, as we passed through the Ascent of Adummim, on the South side of the Wadi Qilt, a deep canyon, often called “the valley” in the Old Testament. We also mentioned the Nahal Parat, a branch of the Wadi Qilt, where Jeremiah hid his clothing. This did not happen at the Euphrates but this fruitful valley, called Nahal Parat. Jesus Christ was led into the wilderness near the valley, and faced direct temptation by Satan here. The other story I remember when I see this area is the Good Samaritan. The wilderness was known to be a place where thieves could easily hide and attack travelers who were headed towards Jericho, especially at night. This is probably where the man was assaulted and helped by the Good Samaritan. We traveled a lot of country today, and saw the contrast between the Eastern side and Western side of the hill country. We learned so much about the Benjamin region, and can understand and appreciate so many more Bible stories now that we know this part of Israel.

Responding to an Upward Call

Friday night, we had a really great chapel, with a guest speaker who spoke on counting the cost of taking up the cross. It was such a great message because it was from his heart. We read about this price in Luke 9:23-27. How will I respond to His call? Will I obey? It made me think a lot about a similar lesson God was teaching me at Lake Arrowhead last Outreach Week, here is the post if you want to take another look at it. Am I willing to sacrifice my securities, the these that are keeping "stable" right now? brb