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.