Wow! After two years of planning, praying, preparing, fretting, worrying, crying . . . well you get it. After packing, and planning, and unpacking and packing and praying, I sit. There is absolutely nothing else to but to rest in Him. There is so much to see when we get to Israel, but we can't miss seeing what has gotten us to this point and what is there for us on the way. We cannot step over blessings while trying to get blessings.
Please remember each Sojourner and our families: Alice, Charlene, Grace, Ingrid, Doug, Sara, Sonia, Scott, Emily. Oh yes, we have asked you to pray. Pray? For what. Most have said they are praying for my safety, that's good, but that should be an everyday prayer (smile). So when I ask that you pray for me it is the same prayer for all of us on this trip. Pray that we hear God is such a way that we know He is the one guiding. Pray that we get still before Him and allow Him to guide us. Pray that for every "aha" moment we have with Him we exhibit it in such a way that it flows through us from Him. Pray that we love others as Jesus has said. Pray for unity on the trip and unity among God's people. Take care dear hearts!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
One week to departure and counting...
Easter Sunday marked the start of the 7-day countdown to our departure. The sense of awe is increasing as we approach the day of our departure.
Our pastor's sermon included a discussion of the two disciples walking the road to Emmaus. I was listening intently when the magnitude of what is about to happen struck me. We are going to be on that road. The pebbles that tumbled and rolled under the disciples' feet are probably weathered and gone, but the road is still there. We will be on that road. We will be in Jerusalem and watch the sunrise burst forth over the same hills that Jesus saw illuminated in its warmth. We are preparing for the Bible to come alive for us in ways that it never could in our own country.
Archaeologists and historians like to engage in the debate of whether the holy sites of Israel are actually the 'true' sites of the events of the Bible. Is this really the upper room or is it just a house? Is this mountain Mt. Sinai or is it that mountain next door? Scientists need such precision, sojourners do not. The patriarchs and the matriarchs of the Bible all walked the land of Israel. God met each of them there in a distinct way and some of them he lived with when he walked the land. It's good to remember that God is not a god of reruns. Bible events will not replay just because someone happens to stand on a particular spot at a particular time and in a particular way. God meets his children as he has met believers throughout time - when they least expect it and in a way that is most powerful. In these last seven days, we are continuing to prepare for a meeting with God.
The day after the resurrection the disciples knew that their lives had been changed. I am sure that we will feel similarly after our first sunrise in Jerusalem.
Our pastor's sermon included a discussion of the two disciples walking the road to Emmaus. I was listening intently when the magnitude of what is about to happen struck me. We are going to be on that road. The pebbles that tumbled and rolled under the disciples' feet are probably weathered and gone, but the road is still there. We will be on that road. We will be in Jerusalem and watch the sunrise burst forth over the same hills that Jesus saw illuminated in its warmth. We are preparing for the Bible to come alive for us in ways that it never could in our own country.
Archaeologists and historians like to engage in the debate of whether the holy sites of Israel are actually the 'true' sites of the events of the Bible. Is this really the upper room or is it just a house? Is this mountain Mt. Sinai or is it that mountain next door? Scientists need such precision, sojourners do not. The patriarchs and the matriarchs of the Bible all walked the land of Israel. God met each of them there in a distinct way and some of them he lived with when he walked the land. It's good to remember that God is not a god of reruns. Bible events will not replay just because someone happens to stand on a particular spot at a particular time and in a particular way. God meets his children as he has met believers throughout time - when they least expect it and in a way that is most powerful. In these last seven days, we are continuing to prepare for a meeting with God.
The day after the resurrection the disciples knew that their lives had been changed. I am sure that we will feel similarly after our first sunrise in Jerusalem.
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