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!

On the Outside....not looking in, yet!

Alright, Christi and I have been talking about how to bring you with us through our day, we have pictures! I hope that you have been able to see them, some awe inspiring, some just funny! Our group is just the six of us, Christi's aunt and uncle, and her cousin and his wife! I couldn't imagine a better group to experience this with...we are having a blast! Our guides name is Lazarus! He is an Armenian Christian who lives here in Jerusalem! He is very knowledgable and has a quick wit!(he definitely watches a lot of American TV!)

Today we spent all day outside of the walls of Jerusalem. We covered about 6 miles on foot. We began our day at the top of the Mt. Of Olives and ended it at the Wailing Wall. ( I know the Wailing Wall is inside the Old City, but we took a tunnel from outside to get there...so I am calling it good.)

We began our day backwards. Starting at the end...so to speak. We began at the Church of the Ascension. It is a church that was built where traditionally it is said that Jesus ascended into heaven. I thought 2 things: -Jeus picked a great spot. From the Mt. of Olives you could see all of Jerusalem and the City of David! -secondly, why did they put up big walls around the church so that we could not look to see the exact view that those disciples did as they left that mountain with their new marching orders "start in the city and take the Gospel to the ends of the Earth." 

 

Then we went on the the garden of the Lord's Prayer. It wasn't built until the 19th century, but it was on the Mt. Of Olives and since at least the 3rd century it is held that this may be the place...Anyway, you know what I thought! If I was a disciple, I would come back to tht place regularly. You could see the top of the hill where the ascension occurred, and pray "Thy kingdom come!" And really get it! 

From there we walked the path that is used to celebrated Palm Sunday. Down to the Garden of Gethsemanie. Is is bigger than I thought. A small part of the olive groves is kept up by a church. This is where Jesus prayed on the night his arrest. So many things rushed through my mind, but the biggest wow moment was when I realized that we we still on the Mt.! You see Jesus was captured at the bottom, but by the end He conquered and left from the top! What a Savior we have! He turns Satan's biggest "victories" into stepping stones for His will! 

We walked though the garden to the City of David. Just outside the city of Jerusalem. Here was saw remains of the palace, Nehemiah's wall, Hezekiah's tunnel, and walked through an old Canaanite tunnel that led to the water source for the city. Yes, David, himself, may have walked the same tunnel as he led his men to take the city!

 

Then we walked to the pool of Siloam! You know where Jesus healed man born blind! People used to cleanse themselves in the waters before entering the holy city. The old roman road that led from the pool into the city has been covered up, but we walked through the drainage system used to collect water. It was dug under the road, and the road stones were the ceiling for our Tunnel. Super cool!

We came out at the temple steps...one short, one long, over and over. It made entering the temple easier, and helped you take your time as you climbed. We ended at the Western Wall of the Temple (the Wailing walls for the Jews) it was a site. Jews believe the Holy Spirit is IN the wall and that prayers all go throu there on the way to God. So the closer they get...the quicker their prayers rise. Here as much as any other, God's Word jumped out to me. The Word says that WE are filled with the Holy Spirit, and that He is our guide. I am so grateful for such an indescribable gift, and long for the Jews to know the truth that will set them free. 

 

 

There is so much more, but that will have to wait until we see you again. The Bible is coming to life and weaving a picture that is more intricate and beautiful than I could have ever thought before. Oh, how beautiful are the works of our Creator. Please continue to pray for our journeys and our kiddos! 

He's Lord over the Wind and Rains

Well, we have had a wonderful start to our week here, we saw a ton today...but I need to bring you up to speed on what happened last night, before I bring you to this afternoon!

Last night when we landed at the airport it looked bad, very rainy, thick fog, and weather forecast to stay that way all week! I will try to attach a couple of pictures so that you can see. The fog was unusually thick, the drivers all had on their their hazards, you really couldn't see 10 feet in front of the car. We thought...cold, wet, windy week...not the best environment for our first (and maybe only) trip to Jerusalem. 

We went to bed with the windows open. It was hot inside and cool outside and we decided that high humidity was better than heat stroke! Time change got us a little. I found myself waking up every hour. Around 2am I just started talking to God. I know it was prayer, but it felt like a real conversation. I would think, then He would bring scripture, insights to mind...back and forth. 

We all as a group had decided that The Lord brought us here, and if it was for a wet visit...that was ok. Not our preference, but we aren't the ones calling the shots. (Left to ourselves, none of us would even be here, so what would we have to complain about?) 

Anyway the wind was wild during the night. The streets are so narrow and the walls and buildings, so high, that it would be still one second, and the next a wild/strong winds would suddenly whip by, then a moment later...stillness. As I listened, it was like The Lord opened up the Bible to John 3. You know the conversation. Let me remind you of the part before v.16. Jesus explains being born of the Spirit to Nicodemus and in v. 8 says, " the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you don't know where it comes from or where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." 

That verse took on new meaning. I can imagine Nicodemus thinking. I have heard that wild wind 100 times out of my window. It suprises me by it's suddenness and strength.  His reaction shows the same suprise as I did when I heard the wind last night! He says, "how can this be?" I thought last night, as I heard that wind and thought of that passage...Lord I want to be ok with that! Not suprised by the sudden "stillnesses" of your Spirit's moving, nor by it the direction you wish to carry me, not even by the strength of you movement. I just want to go with it! So today especially, as I heard the wind, felt it, even missed it, I am reminded of how I am subject (joyfully) to His wind, I don't need to know where "that cam from God," nor, "what do you want from me?" I just want to be where it moves!

By the way...today was sunny! And somehow....the forecast suddenly changed for the whole week! Many more days to come that are supposed to look just like today! We'll see. Either way, I can't wait!

Answered Prayers

Well, we have arrived in Jerusalem! I can honestly tell you, The Lord gave us opportunity to live for Him yesterday. There were many things that didn't go as planned for some time, and Christi and I found ourselves often saying, "we can choose to let this discourage us or we can choose to believe that God has a plan." The day was great, we choose the latter.

All of our prayers for travel were answered! Our plane from Chicago was on time! We arrived in Istanbul 80 min. Before our flight left to Israel. It was a whirlwind! We got off on the Tarmac, shuttled to the main terminal, went through security, again, and ran to our gate. We arrived just in time for our bus to take us back out on the Tarmac to board the plane! We made it!

Ok, so if you are a C.S. Lewis fan, you will appreciate this. We flew on Turkish Airlines. Every time we boarded we sat down and were given Turkish Delight! I loved it, Christi not so much...but as soon as I saw it I thought of Edmond and how the White Witch tempted him with it!  I understand the temptation!

We landed in Tel Aviv late. It was already dark. I was struck by how modern of a city it was. I felt like I was in Dallas or L.A. The airport has some Roman artifacts on the wall, it was beautiful. 

So, all is well, we are  heading out for the day. I wish I had more time to write to you. I will have to update you on how God controls the weather a little later on!

Forgive my spelling...Christi hasn't checked this one yet.

All Aboard

Boarding begins in 5 minutes and we are ready! Daylight savings will throw a wrench in things. Normally Israel is 8 hours ahead of us in Texas, but with daylight savings, I think we will only be 7 hours ahead. (Israel does daylight savings on 3/28.) If I am right, that will put us landing in Istanbul around 10:45 am. Lord willing we will make our connection in Istanbul to Tel Aviv (it is only a 1hr 35 min connection time) and then we will arrive in Tel Aviv at 8:10pm, Israeli time...so 1:10pm Sunday afternoon in Texas. 

Talk with you all tomorrow! Have a great day of worship in church!

Prayer and Purpose

Well, today is finally here! Tonight at 10pm our plane will head out for Istanbul and then Israel. It is surreal to be honest with you. The Lord has provided perfectly for each leg thus far....He has been our Ebenezer...I know His grace will continue.

So many of you have made certain that Christi and I know that you are praying for us. It really means a lot, because I know of your sincerity and love for us. In my Bible study time this morning I camped in Colossians 1:9-10.  It says, " and so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased praying for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of The Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the the knowledge of God."

The more I considered this, the more joy & confidence I had. Prayer is the most important act in our Christian life. It is when God brings us into agreement and comfort with His will. I am reminded that as you all are praying for us, that God will lead you to lift us up - in exactly the way that God wants you to.  I not only hope that your prayers will be answered, I pray that you will draw nearer to God as He leads you in your prayers for us.

What will your prayers be? Specifically, I don't know that one, but in general, pray that we be filled with the knowledge of His will. When I read this, I thought that this really made sense. As we go to Jerusalem, we will see the Bible come to life! When I think of what filled means, I think of a glass being filled up with water. No room for all that air that used to occupy the space inside...it is gone. I don't want to have questions that need to be answered on this trip, I don't want to have expectations, I want The Lord to set the agenda and fill me with the knowledge of it! I desperately want to understand it. I want it to shape Christi and I indefinitely (& I long to bring that back and share it with you all.)

Our request for you today it that it will do just that. As Paul wrote, we will "walk in a manner worthy of The Lord" as we are in Jerusalem and when we return. That the way we conduct ourselves from the airports, to the shuttles, to the hotels, to the holy sites.... in a way that will be fully pleasing to God. That we will not "spill" His will out, and let ours reclaim any of that space. Pray that every good act that we have opportunity to do...that we will do it, and that The Lord will bear fruit in our lives and those we encounter though those actions. Finally, that our "cups" would grow larger while we travel, so that we will have a greater opportunity to know God, more! Better! Deeper! 

I have a taste of why Paul and John wrote that they couldn't wait to share their joy face to face with the other believers they wrote to....although I don't know what lies before us, I can't wait to share it with you face to face.