God doesn't compromise...

There are a lot of things that I compromise on... The color of the car I want to buy, the amount of playing time I want to give Connor in football, what we should eat for dinner. Compromise in some areas is actually a good thing. It keeps the peace. There is one area where compromise is not only a bad idea, it puts us on the wrong side of righteousness.

I have been reading Exodus for my morning quiet time this week, and do you know what? God never compromises. Now, some might say, He did with Abraham over Sodom and Gomorrah. Not really, Moses was trying to compromise, but God did exactly what He had determined to do. God doesn't bend to the will of men. There may be no better example of this, than when God called Moses to tell Pharoah to Let His people go. Look at all the places where God was called to compromise.

Chapter 5- Moses first approaches Pharoah with the message. Pharoah's response? The people have too much time on their hands, make their burden heavier! Verse 20-25, the people and Moses say...Why? stop! You have made it worse....compromise. Basically they called for The Lord to settle here with Pharaoh's new terms. But Gid will not compromise.

Chapter 8- After the third plague and with the threat of the fourth, Pharoah offers a compromise. (V.25) go worship, but IN the land. Now this is way better than his first offer! I can imagine the people saying, "take it, this is way better than what we've had." The problem is God's word is God's word. What He says He means. He will not compromise.

Chapter 10- The threat of the 8th plague has bent the resolve of Pharoah. He offers a compromise (v.8-11). You may go out of the land, but only the men. This is a big step! What a deal! The men could leave and worship in the promised land?! The problem was, God word's is not up for compromise, even with such a "great" offer of hope.

(Later in) Chapter 10- after the 9th plague, Pharoah offers his best deal yet. All the people can go, just leave your stuff! Wow! The world today would kill Moses and attack his Lord for denying such an offer. How greedy can you be?  Don't use women and children as pawns to be casualties to your heard headed faith convictions! How much you must hate the people to hold to God's word in light of the harm that you will cause! Heartless, spiteful. God's word was not up for compromise.

Chapter 11:31-32- God's word is filled completely! If the poeple of God would have rejected the truth of God in exchange for peace with Pharoah, not only would they have made the God they worship their enemy, they would never have know the full blessing, the full freedom that comes when we are unwilling to compromise His standards.

In our country churches, Christian charities, moms, dads, and young adults are compromising God's word because of pressure, feelings, desires...a little peace somewhere (inside themselves or with those around them.) The world around us is saying "compromise." You can serve God and use His words however you please. Get the best deal that helps you sleep at night, raise more money, fill more seats at church. The problem is, although we think we are making a good deal for ourselves and God, when we do these things we are actually sell God out, and then pretend that He affirms our word/wants over His. This simply doesn't work. The peace that you have comes because "Pharoah" isn't attacking and the "Egyptians" are smiling, not because God's will has been done. 

I understand. No one wants to be at war. Especially with their child or friend. All indicators point to the fact that if we don't compromise, if we don't tweak God's word, then we will have war. Check this out, the people of Isreal never lifted a hand! In Fact, God tells them in Ex.14:14, don't fight, be still, I've got this! We are called to love and live by the Word of God. Don't steal your own joy by compromising on the Word of God. Don't make yourself and "unintentional" enemy of God by taking a deal that compromises His word. His plans for you and I are too bright! He will  provide, trust Him to not only sustain you, but the protect and let you thrive when you follow Him all the way. (Those whispers that say otherwise are not a new tactic, they've lost the battle many times over, but what else can a dying foe of The Lord do but whisper his threats as he sees his life slipping away?) Don't be afraid....smile, The Lord will fight for you, too!

Back at Home, and Ready to Move!

Well, we made it back home! It was a wonderful trip, but my bed feels better than a hotel any day! We had no problems on our way home (other than enduring a 13 hour flight!) 

No kidding, if you have an extra $150, definitely upgrade seating to premium economy, don't know how I

would have made it home otherwise! Mom and the kids picked us up and I can tell you...I loved seeing my children! Jet lag is still leaving a mark, but hopefully that will end soon. 

I have been considering the best way to share it with you all! If we were to sit down in one session, we wouldn't move for hours! SO---Starting this Wednesday night, on Wednesday Nights and Sunday Nights at North Woods we will walk through the scriptures together! Using Pictures, Stories, and God’s Word we hope to bring to Bible to life in a personal way!

So the Dates of our journey together will be:

Wednesday, March 19^th – First Impressions / Culture / Introduction

Sunday, March 23^rd – Our time in Jerusalem (Outside the City Walls)

Wednesday, March 26^th Jerusalem Continued (Inside the City)

Sunday, March 30^th – From Jerusalem to Galilee (Caesarea to Nazareth to Tiberius)

Wednesday, April 2^nd – Around the Sea of Galilee (Jesus’ Primary Ministry Area)

I really hope that you will join us for one or all of these special times! I know that many of you "made" the trip with us, and we want to make sure that you hear it from the source and give you the opportunity to ask questions and hear all the things that we couldn't fit in the blog! 

Thanks again for staying with us on this journey! I can't describe how much it meant to us to know that so many of you joined us! 

Hard to Get Better Than This!

Today was right. That is simply the best way to describe it! Every day was wonderful in its own way, but today hit the mark! 

We started the day at 5:40am waiting on the Sunrise. It was supposed to rise at 5:49, but no one told the mountains that! We saw it cresting over the top about 6:05, the reflection on the water...I know why Jesus loved this place. Point of information, it seems like most of Jesus' ministry was on the north and west side of the Sea of Galilee...we are staying on the west side.

Our first stop of the day was in Bethsada. This is where Jesus feed the 5,000. There is a church there. It is the only church that I can say that I loved. The floor was mosaic tiles from the 5th century...wow. But there was a rock there, now catch this. The Jewish Christians in the area saw this place and this rock as a place of worship since 28 A.D.! Yes, Jesus was around still then! Why did they love this spot? Because they saw him work a miracle here, he fed the 5,000! That was wow! Outside the church was a 5th century baptismal pool. You sat down, and bowed into the water to be baptized!

(The last picture is the baptismal pool)

Next we went to the Mt. of the Beatitudes! This is not far from Bethsada, and from it you can see almost every city that Jesus ministered in! I can imagine He went up this Mt. and prayed over each city as He spent time with the father! We stayed for about an hour and read through scripture as we looked over the sea and cities. I tried to sit facing the way the disciples would have sat to listen to Jesus, simply envisioning the words in my Bible, coming out of my Rabbi, My Lord. A lot is said in those 3 chapters in Matthew. I know that they would have come up many times in the future conversations of this crew. 

Afterwards we went to eat and then onto Capernaum. This is where Peter's mother in law lived, and since Peter was a fisherman, where he lived too. Oh yeah, Jesus called this home as an adult too! In this town, so many miracles occured! The 4 friends lowering the man through the roof, the centurion who had amazing faith asked Jesus to heal his son, and so many more! Once I get here, I get it! I see it all, and can imagine how it all happened! I can't wait to share it with you! I can't describe it to you in words.

Finally, we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. On our way to the real boat, we stopped and saw a 2,000 year old boat! What a great visual of the type of boat the disciples may have used! On the boat we delighted in where we were. We read the stories of the storm and Jesus walking on water, we. Spoke of how Jesus could have seen the disciples from the mountain he was praying on, and how he must have smiled, knowing what was about to occur. It was special. 

(The final picture is the view from the boat. You can see the Mt. and the place where Jesus fed the 5,000)

This was a day of taking it in. A reminder of what I have I common with our Savior and how small I am in comparison to who He is! What a Savior we have! It has been a delight to share and see the land of my Lord.

How Precious You Are

Well, today is our last full day in Israel...tomorrow we travel all day (from 6pm Houston time, Saturday until 7:15pm Houston time, Sunday). Today though, can't miss today! Today is cloudless! It is going to be a beautiful one. We woke up to see the most beautiful sunrise! I watched as the sun peaked over the mountain tops and glistened on the sea. The birds flew as if vying to be first to drink deeply of that morning sun. 

As I watched, I read Matt. 5-7. In Chapter 6 , verses 25-26, Jesus reminded me of His love. " Don't be anxious about life...Look at the birds of the air:they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet the Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they."

The response your heart should jump with is "Yes!" You would be right! With all of the beauty of this land, all of the majesty of creation, we are more precious to The Lord than the sum of it all! Today He has awakened me with a deep reminder that He loves me. I pray that today He will whisper the same to you. Listen....can you hear it?

A Day in Galilee

It was a wonderful day in Galilee. Although I do not think the cities that we visited today look like they did in the times of Christ, I must say the land is beautiful! Today we spent time in Cana, Mt. Tabor, and the Jordan River.

We began the day at our hotel! We are staying on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is beautiful. Different than the beauty of Caeserea, but with mountains and the color of the water...wow! I wonder how many times Jesus, as he walked along the shoreline, looked at the scene and pictured all he would do.

Things are different since leaving Jerusalem. We have joined up with the group from FPC Houston and are having a great time. We are moving slower, but eating better! So we are making stops, instead of spending the day in one place.

Our first stop today was where Jesus turned the water into wine. There is a church built over the foundation of a home where it is traditionally believed that this miracle occured. In the church they had a water jar from the time of Jesus that would have been like the one that Jesus would have used in the miracle. My guess is that it is nothing like what you have pictured in your mind! take a look below.

After we left from Cana we stopped on Mt. Tabor. Now you may be thinking, what happened on Mt. Tabor? You are not alone...me too! I didn't know what to expect from this stop, and it was the most interesting of the day. This mountain is thought to be the location of the Transfiguration! Read Matt. 17:1-13. It was said to be on "the high mountain," which Tabor was often refered to as the high mountain in the region. As I went out on the upper observation deck it was like the Bible flashed through my mind! If Jesus were standing at the top, I thought of where the disciples would sit. From the mountain you could see Megiddo and the Valley of Jezreel. So much of the Old Testament occured in this valley! In Judges, Deborah and Barak were here, in Samuel, part of Saul's anointing process was here, the Philistines would later kill Saul and Jonathon here in the valley at the base of Mt. Gilboa. One day, this very valley may mark the final battle, where The Lord finishes things once and for all!  What a beautiful view through time!

From there we stopped for lunch and then went on to the Jordan River. Now, this is not the place where Jesus was baptized, but it is the same river! It was beautiful. The natural beauty and the clarity in the water! I was baptized in a pond as a child...this water was much cleaner and clear! There were many people getting "rebaptized" in a group (from KSBJ). I am not a superfan for rebaptism, just for ceremony, but I can celebrate with them desiring to have something else in common with my Lord! 

I could sit in each of these places from hours, talking with The Lord, and allowing Him to be my tutor. (That is part of the gift of the Holy Spirit you know!) It was a short day, but Lord willing we will have strength in store for tomorrow! It should be filled with even more to delight in! A boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, a stop in Capernium, a visit to the location where Jesus fed the 5,000, and finally a stop at the place where Jesus gave the Sermon on the mount.  It has been good, every day is sweeter, and this will be a week that Christi and I will share forever. 

From Acts and Back

Today we are visiting Caesera Maritime, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth, and we will finish in Tiberias. 

Ok...kid in a candy store today. The road may not be the same, but we are traveling the route that the disciples knew well. Our first stop is Caesarea by the Sea. This isn't Caesarea Philippi (where Jesus was in Matt. And Mark), but it is still a great place especially for us non-Jews! It was a friendly place for the Gospel, the final stop for old Phillip after he witnessed to the Ethipoian eunuch, and where Paul spent many days. After his conversion, the disciples in Jerusalem "smuggled" him here for saftey, and it is the last place Paul stepped in Isreal. He was jailed here, but Felix gave him liberty because he knew of the Way. This is also where Paul appealed to Caesar here (and the Gospel spread to Rome!). BUT...Caesarea is where Cornelius the Centurion lived.  The one who had the vision! Peter was led to go and pronounce the Gentiles as "clean" to become a part of God's family. The Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles here (for the first recorded time) and the world changed! My heart jumps for joy to think that I am privileged to delight in the roots of our faith! Praise God that the Holy Spirit has fallen on me! Sweet Gift of God!

Ok, that was amazing! The most beautiful place! I can see why it was where Pilate lived! This was the last view Paul saw of his homeland.

Now, we are on to Mt. Carmel! Yes, where Elijah had the showdown with the prohphets of Baal! 1 vs. 450! Yet the 1 wasn't Elijah, it was The Lord! No contest! On this mountain, King David met Abigail and Samuel and Saul went to worship. It is really a series of mountains over 24 miles long!

We stopped for lunch and then on to Nazareth! This is the place where it was announced to Mary that she will be the mother of the Messiah, and the place where Jesus grew up! Now, we didn't get to stop at the church of the annunciation (the place presumed that Mary was told about her role in history), but instead we stopped by the Arab Israli Bible Society. This is run by a young woman who is charged with leading the ministry to get the Word into the hands of millions in the upper Galilee area. In five years, what she and her husband are accomplishing is amazing! From children's books, to magazines, to getting the word to Muslim women (which she and they risk much to do) it was an amazing stop...I must say, the faith and devotion to spreading the Kingdom is incredible! If every church had 20 people that devoted in our country - Revival would be the norm, not simply a prayer. I was challenged and inspired today. God is so good!

A Day in Bethlehem

It has been a remarkable week. One of our ladies prayed for it to go by slowly for us, and it has so far! Today we spent the day in Palestine! We ran into a good friend from Ft. Worth while we were there, and that was the biggest suprise of the day!

We only made a couple of stops while in Bethlehem. It is outside of Israel in Palestine. Do you know that 30% of the people living in Palestine claim Christ as Lord. I didn't, until today! Pretty cool!

We stopped at the Shepherd's field first. It is the traditional spot where people believe that the shepherds were told about the baby being born to Mary...Our Savior, Christ the Lord! It was cold and rainy, so we didn't get to spend much time outside on the property. There was a large cave. Shepherds we're known to herd their flock into caves (this one had a wide mouth) to help pen them in at night! I thought this was really great. Way easier to watch sheep when they can only get out one side, than trying to lay them in the pasture and have to guard every side. When I picture it, I think of the words of Hosea, how God hemmed in Gomer so that she would have no where else to turn but towards him...I think that we as sheep, and a wayward wife should be grateful that The Lord holds us safe like a shepherd!

Afterwards we went to the "Shepherd's Tent Valley Restaurant." We sat in groups of about 8 and shared a meal, family style. We joined up with the other group and got to know a couple of new friends! It was a great environment, I know why the poeple love to eat and recline in such a way.

Finally we went to the Church of the Nativity. I have to tell you that I was suprised by what meant the most to me. The church was beautiful and lavishly decorated. You had to bow down to get into the church (I love this, it really can knock the pride out of you if you refuse to be humbled!) The area of the cave is marked where it is thought the manger may have laid and where Jesus may have been born. It was nice. This area was a humble area of Bethlehem. BUT, the most humbling time for me, came when we were standing in line surrounded by Nigerians, Koreans, and other nationalities. I look around and thought, "In Heaven this is what it is going to look like. All of these races and nations waiting on every word of our Lord, with one purpose in worshiping Him. I was out numbered if you count by skin color...I loved it! God isn't color blind, He delights in the colors of His children, and so did I. Oh, I can't wait for that glorious day!"

Attached to the church in another cave is where Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, the Vulgate. I thought this was pretty cool, because this was the first time that people could read The Bible in their common language if they weren't fluent in Greek and Hebrew! 

All in all a humbling day.

I will tell you something if you ever make the trip. It is weird being a westerner here. Christi's uncle, Bill, said it best. The sites we've seen will either be venerated or preserved. Many of these sites have been venerated. This means they have been marked in extravagant ways to glorify God and draw people's attention to them. For me, it has been hard. I don't care about the decor. I don't even care about the rocks or dirt, I care about the event that occured here. The decor distracts me from the event and it is easy for me to become judgemental. I prefer the preserved sites. Don't mess them up, I just want to enjoy them as closely preserved as possible to the time of Christ. While that works best for me, other cultures express their worship in different ways, and what hinders me, may help them and vice versa. So as you see the pictures, or if you make the trip. Remember it is not the work of man that you are coming to worship, but the actions of a gracious Lord.

Tomorrow we head to Ceseara by the Sea, Nazareth, and Tiberius. (Megiddo is on the way, so I am hoping we will stop there too!)

Are Your Cisterns full?

Last night we had a terrific storm! I mean, the big kind where your kids end up sleeping in your bed all night! It was magnificent. As the storm raged I thought what the people of Jerusalem must have been thinking on a night like that. 

The thunder...wow. When it sounded, you thought an earthquake had hit! The sound resonated through the city, bouncing off the hard surfaces of the buildings. You felt like it was imminating from all sides! 

The rain...heavy. Not showers and a little heavy, but strong, yard flooding, pools overflowing type of rain. The rivers will be swollen this morning, and the cisterns will be full!

As I prayed and considered all of this, it was when I got to that last thought that The Lord choose to speak! the cisterns would be full! You see we have seen a lot of cisterns! They are all over the city. I only took a picture of one the first day (if you've seen one, you've seen them all), and we must have seen 7 more since.

They were made to collect and store the rain water. Jerusalem is up on a hill, so water is a premium. When it rains, either through pipes or carvings in the stone, water came into the cisterns and began to fill them. Last night, I thought, this rain would have filled these dry cisterns all the way to the top! What a blessing for the people this would have been. The sound of thunder would have been The Lord's wake up call! "A wake, O sleeper" He let us all know that He was lavishing His grace upon us. You couldn't miss the thunder, but you do get to choose your response! It must either be worship and gracefulness, or annoyed and bothered. You couldn't sleep, you were going to wake up tired (I did). How do you respond when The Lord announces Himself in such a way.

What was He announcing, "Those dry cisterns are full!" "You who thirst, will be thirsty no longer!" There must have been rejoicing in all of Jerusalem to hear that sound! 

You know, as a Christian, The Lord speaks to us too! He fills our cisterns to overflowing and gives us water so that we will never thirst again...or at least we don't have too. I think sometimes we choose to be bothered that The Lord isn't more convenient when He chooses to speak to us. Too loud, too powerful, interrupting "our rest/plans." We think of all the work that His showers will cause for us, never taking time to check the cisterns.   

Let us not be such silly Christians. Begging The Lord to move and then completely missing it when He does. Yes the thunder is Loud and the rains are strong...but how else will The Lord fill our dry cisterns so quickly? So Lord, today....fill my cistern, so I may delight and rejoice over Your mercy and love for me.

A lot of walking

Over the past two days we have walked over 13 miles up and down hills and streets of Jerusalem. Today we spent most of the day inside the walls of Old Jerusalem. We accomplished a lot, and I was suprised by what impacted me the most.

We began our day early, leaving the hotel at 6:45am. We had a quick walk over to the Temple Mount. 

We were told that much of our day was was going to be spent in the Muslim Quarter. This means: no Bibles, no Christian jewelry, no holding hands or putting your arm around your spouse or smiling is ok, but not joking...I will be honest my first response was offensive...to show them! But quickly the Lord turned my mind to scripture, the early church, the disciples and Paul. They lived in a time that became increasingly hard on Christians. There were time that they could speak freely and other times they met in secret. I began to think what would life be like if I no longer could have my Bible? My response, for the day at least, was "I have hidden your word in my heart..." They could tell me to leave the Bible, but I know God's Word! The stories of my faith! The words of encouragement. So we spent most of the day without a Bible in hand, yet considered more scripture than if I had spent time scrolling through pages to find a verse! You see, when Satan tries to oppress us, then the Spirit brings a freedom that we don't use when we are living an "attack free faith!"

Now, back to the day, after making it through security we made our way up the mount. Although it is the area that once held the temple of the Jews, Muslims have taken control of it and placed a "sanctuary" over the place where the Temple once stood, and a grand Mosque just South of it on what used to be the temple courtyard. It was an amazing view and I have many details to share with you, but what struck me as funny was the fact that where the Muslims built their Mosque was on the same location where Jesus would have turned over the table of the money changers for making God's house something other than what God intended it to be. I thought to myself, "not much has changed, still people with the wrong motives operating in this place." 

After the Temple Mount we went to the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed the lame man who was trying to get into the healing waters it supposedly had. Well, on our way there we passed a protest. Again interesting, but because of the protest the Muslims shut down the Temple Mount right after we got in, so most of our day was not crowded! 

Now back to Bathesda, or the Sheep Gate. This was beautiful! I found myself stuck by the natural awe of the place and as I looked at the earth where hope went from man to the Son of Man!

From there we walked the Via Dolorosa. The path that tradition has it, that Jesus walked on the way to Golgatha. I had looked forward to this the most! Yet as we walked it...it was neat, for certain...but it didn't have the impact of the places I KNOW that Jesus was. Honestly, I couldn't wait to get outside the walls of Jerusalem..those places that Jesus loved to hang out!

After walking the Via Dolorosa, we drove out to the garden tomb. A possible site where Jesus was buried.

Before we got there, we had a suprise stop overlooking the Judean Desert outside of Jerusalem. Where we stopped we could see the desert and all the way to Jericho! Of course my mind raced from Jesus being tempted in the desert to the story of the Good Samaritan that used this scene as its backdrop! It was definitely in my top 2 of the day!

 Then we went on to the garden tomb. It was much more true to the condition it would have been in during the first century than the places inside the city. Even if this wasn't the place Jesus was buried and resurrected, it sure gave us a feel for the environment where it must have happened! It used to be a grape vineyard. I thought, how amazing it would be that Jesus' first miracle involved wine, his new covenant involved wine, and the place of the resurrection may have been in a vineyard! The pictures were thought provoking and after seeing the tomb we took communion in the garden.

We walked through the Jewish quarter on the way back to the west wall of the Temple Mount. We were able to walk throughout the West Wall tunnel. It spread almost the entire width of the wall, pretty cool.

All in all it was a great day! Tomorrow we head to Bethlehem! I really am ready to leave the city and see where Jesus was born and ministered to the people of Galilee!