"A Beautiful Purpose" (March 15)

I stepped outside this morning and gazed out at the Sea of Galilee. I felt the warmth of the sun and  began to move my feet to the catchy tune and lyrics that were playing in my head. "Oh, there's something 'bout the way, your sun shines on my face, it's a love so true I can never get enough of you, this feeling can't be wrong, I'm about to get my worship on, take me away, it's a beautiful day!" (Jamie Grace. Always a good choice for morning worship!)

Once the bus was loaded, we set out for Jericho. As we approached the city, excitement filled my heart, and when I saw the rubble, I was amazed. (All I wanted to do was jump out of the bus and walk around the whole city 7 times!) To think, that we were actually at the place where Joshua and his army overtook the city of Jericho. God gave them victory, and the great walls fell at their command. (Awesome!)

 

We hiked up the mountain of ruins, and once at the top, we were able to see for miles. It was there that Saad pointed out Mount Nebo. The place where Moses beheld The Promised Land. The place where he breathed his last breath. The place where The Lord Himself buried him. "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face." Deuteronomy 34:10

Wow...we could see it all! Story after story, happening after happening, location after location, the Bible definitely came alive on top of the Jericho ruins today.

Our next stop was Khirbet Qumran. Located 9 miles south of Jericho, it is the lowest place on earth, where the sun beats down fiercely, and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written and hidden. I walked through the excavation site and was completely blown away. There was a library, a bath area, a kitchen, a couple of sleeping rooms, and a reflection area. The stones were etched and placed with precision; however, none of that is what amazed me the most. It was what happened between those walls, so very long ago, that made me stand in awe. Scholars devoted their lives to the copying of the Scriptures. And when danger arose, they took the completed manuscripts and hid them in the surrounding caves; believing that God would reveal the hidden scrolls at the exact time they were to be revealed. The scholars gave their lives to this monotonous task, to this lonely quest, to this hidden ministry; and by doing so, their beautiful purpose was fulfilled.

 

Next, we traveled into Bethlehem. The birthplace of Jesus. I wasn't sure what I thought it was going to look like, but what I saw definitely wasn't it. There was trash and graffiti everywhere. There was also an uneasiness that I couldn't explain.

We began our time in the city by doing a little shopping and I was amazed at the olive wood carvings. (So pretty!) We then made our way to the Church of the Nativity. We walked through the immaculate cathedral and then descended down into the cave that is believed to have been the "stable" where Mary and Joseph stayed the night there were no rooms in the Inn. The place where Jesus was born. Where he took His first breath. I was expecting a great spiritual moment when I reached the bottom; however, what I came upon instead was a crowd of people. People from all over the world and from all religions were there to see the place where the "holy child" was born. I looked around and I was confused, disturbed, and to be quite honest, claustrophobic. I shut my eyes tight and tried to imagine what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph to enter this place, after traveling for so long, and to hear their Savior's cry for the very first time. But, it was a struggle to concentrate. I inched my way around to the back of the cave and it was then that I saw the shrine. Made in honor of the man who devoted his life to the translating of the Bible into the King James Version. He lived in that cave for 53 years and translated and wrote and translated and wrote. His life, he gave, to the furtherance of the Gospel. The Bible. The Word of God. Jesus. What a beautiful purpose.

 


My Savior was indeed born in Bethlehem, in a cave on the outskirts of the city. If it wasn't for His birth, He would have never lived, and if He had never lived, He would have never died. Had He never died, He would have never rose, and had He never rose, our lives would be purposeless.

His life gives our life purpose.

To know Him, to love Him, to enjoy Him, to glorify Him, and to share Him.

A beautiful purpose.

"I Will Follow You" (March 14)

"Do you follow me?" I have heard this question probably a hundred times since I stepped onto the bus that first night at the Tel Aviv airport; we all have. It is something that our beloved tour guide, Saad, asks quite regularly in his teachings. Almost as if he uses it in his speeches as I tend to use "umm." He makes a point, and then says "Do you follow me?" He defines a word, and then says "Do you follow me?" He makes a joke, laughs at himself, and then says "Do you follow me?" Over and over, often to the amusement of his listeners, he uses it.

As we made our way out of the church building at the Mount of Beatitudes this morning and walked down to the spot where Jesus preached His sermon, I heard it again, "Do you follow me?" This time, however, it wasn't with my ears that I heard it, but with my heart.

We sat down on the rocks and looked out over the Sea of Galilee, and I was speechless. JP Spees (KSBJ DJ), opened the Bible and just stood there. He was overcome with emotion. We all were. He cleared his throat and with a strong voice began reading aloud.

As the beautiful words of Matthew 5 filled the air, I was broken...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled..."

In that moment, I was lost in the beauty. Completely awed by the love of my Savior. Jesus spoke those words, on the very mountainside that I was sitting on, so very long ago; and yet, they haven't lost their power. They still comfort. They still teach. He still comforts. He still teaches.

The scenery before me was breathtaking. The green grass, the solid rocks, the water's edge. I gazed out, and heard it once again..."Do you follow me?"

We traveled to Capharnaum next and then on to Tabgha to see the area where the feeding of the five thousand took place.

 

We also visited Peter's Primacy and walked on the rocky beach where Jesus reinstated Peter by asking him three times if he loved him. My mom and I crouched near the heart stones that were placed there and held up the "I love you" sign for a picture. Afterwards, we walked to the edge of the Sea. So clear. So beautiful. I bent down to touch the water, and I heard it again..."Do you follow me?"

 

The boat ride into the Sea of Galilee was unbelievable. The weather was perfect and as we recited the Lord's Prayer for KSBJ's pray down at high noon, I was once again awed by where I was. I looked out over the waters and imagined what it might have been like to be tossed about by the waves in the middle of a raging storm. What a sight it must have been to see Jesus walking on the water towards the boat! I looked down at the Sea below me and a part of me (a big part of me!) wanted to jump off right then and there! But, had I been on the boat during the storm that day, would I have had the faith? Would I have walked out to Jesus like Peter did? Would I have given up everything and followed Him, had He asked? I looked back at the shore, completely lost in thought.

After the boat ride, we enjoyed tilapia from the Sea of Galilee! (The whole fish was ordered by another team member. We were brave on this trip...just not THAT brave!)

We then arrived at the Jordan River, and I was a mixture of nervousness and excitement! As I changed into the white robes and made my way down to the river's edge, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. When it was our turn, I stepped into the ice cold water. While catching my breath, I heard it again, "Brooke, do you follow me?" I wadded to Rick, a fellow team member, and he grabbed my hand. He looked at me and asked, "what is your profession today?" And I answered, "Jesus is Lord!" When I came up out of the water, I was able to watch my mom go under. As she came up, I couldn't contain my tears. My life is His. All of it. What a beautiful reminder this time in Israel has been of that fact! Through the storms, He is good. He carries His children in the palm of His hand and nothing, absolutely nothing, can snatch us out.

Though it was cold going in, coming out of the Jordan, all I felt was warmth... and in my heart, I finally answered the question that He had been asking me all day, "Yes Lord, I will follow you."

"Listen to the Stories" (March 13)

I was captivated as our bus pulled out of the hotel parking lot this morning. With a 90% chance of rain in the forecast, I was completely awed by the sight of the sun rays peeking through the clouds. It was cool, but not too cold, and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Mountains so green and  crops so plentiful. "Luscious" was the only word I could think of to describe the sights I saw. The Promised Land. We were making our way through The Promised Land! "A land flowing with milk and honey." The land God gave to His people of long ago. I can only imagine what the Israelites were thinking when they came upon a land so green. So beautiful. So luscious. After wandering for so long in the desert, they too must have been captivated. As Joshua led the people across the Jordan River, the command of The Lord must have been playing over and over in his head. In his heart: "Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you." The waters, the trees, the fruit, the grass, the mountains, the valleys. I can only imagine their faces! Faces, no doubt, filled with mixed emotions. Wonder at the beauty of their surroundings and fear of the great unknown.

When Saad, our tour guide, pointed out Mount Tabor, explaining the transfiguration that happened there, we all looked, and were astonished to see a cloud hovering over the highest region. At that moment, Luke 9:35 came alive: "A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to him." Oh, the amazement that Peter, James, and John must have experienced in that moment!

Our bus pulled up to the edge of a body of water, and as the doors opened, Saad's thick accent rang out: "Listen to the stories of the Mediterranean Sea! Listen to the waves, they'll speak to you." I smiled as I made my way out onto the beach. Oh, if the waters could only speak! The stories they would tell! 

We walked along the sand, exploring Herod the Great's ancient Aquaducts. When my mom and I reached the wet sand, we couldn't help ourselves! Though it was cool, we took our shoes and socks off and rolled up our pants! And yes, dear friends, we splashed around in the Mediterranean Sea!! Then, the rain came! A fast and furious downpour, lasting only long enough for everyone to make a mad dash to the bus. So crazy! So fun!

With wet pants, sandy toes, and damp hair, we made our way to Caesarea (where Paul defended himself before King Agrippa and spent two years in prison, recorded in Acts 26). As we walked up to the Roman Theatre (the place where Peter preached to Cornelius in Acts 10), the sun was shining. We walked down to the edge of the Sea and collected seashells. Walking back up, we were able to take in the entire excavation site, being able to only imagine what the great city of Caesarea had once been.

 

 

Our next stop astonished me, The Jezreel Valley. We hiked up a mountainside in Megiddo and overlooked the place that is called Armageddon, "the symbol of the final conflict taking place at the coming of the Messiah." Solomon fortified the entrance to the Jezreel valley in 10th century BC,  and the excavation site was remarkable. Walls still standing, after thousands of years. So fascinating! On our decent, we came upon a Megiddo water system and ventured down into it's depths. So cool! What an adventure!

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in Nazareth. (The place where Jesus grew up.) The once little city isn't so little anymore. It was booming! There were people everywhere! Even still, our group had the incredible opportunity to visit a small ancient synagogue and sing a praise song together. (A neat experience!)

On every "holy" site in Israel, they've built a church; a big cathedral. Including the place where they believe the angel appeared to Mary in Nazareth. I walked through that church, and my eyes welled with tears. She was an ordinary girl, with a beautiful soul. And God saw her. At the water well. He chose her, ordinary her, to be the mother of His son. That fact amazes me; more than cathedrals, shrines, or certain places on a map. Only God can make the ordinary extraordinary.

What a beautiful day! A day filled with sunshine and grace from our sweet Lord. I can't wait for tomorrow!

If only the rocks, the seas, and the mountains could talk! Oh, I would sit for hours. Hours upon hours, listening to their stories...