back.

Well, after one of the hardest nights of sleep in my life, I'm back in the states, back in Fairhope, back in the office.

Let me encourage all two of you that read the blog to visit the Holy Land. Don't wait. Don't make any excuses, and I know you have some good ones. Visit the places that you skim over in reading God's word.

Thanks for reading.

She tripped and fell...

The oldest traveler with our group is somewhere around the 80's in age. I still can't believe that she's managed to stay toe-to-toe with the rest of us, but she has and it's been a blessing to watch.

I sat and ate lunch with her on a stop in Masada. We're both slow eaters (her because she's just learned in her life to slow down and enjoy, me because I really really enjoy a large heaping plate of food), so as everyone else went to buy their one-day-will-be-boxed-up-and-thus-I-proved-my-point-that-they're-useless souvenirs, we sat in a cafeteria and enjoyed each others company. She has such a wonderful spirit, and it seems that I have much to look forward to at 80 years of age.

But I want to tell you that bit about her so that I can tell you this: she tripped and fell walking into the Garden Tomb.

And as we helped her up and inside the tomb, I was overcome with joy. Now I don't get my fun out of watching 80 year old women trip and fall, although I do enjoy watching a good tumble (and please don't worry. She didn't hurt herself.).

But I do enjoy knowing that each of us - a 23-year-old all the way up to an 80-year-old - all approached the Garden Tomb having fallen on our own faith at times, wondering of the faithfulness and sufficiency of Christ. And I enjoy knowing that each of us stepped into the tomb and found the exact same thing: He is risen.

"He has risen."
Matthew 28
Mark 16
Luke 24

ADDENDUM: Monday's blog

I realize now that Monday's blog may have given a pretense that none of our group other than myself understand where Christ is found. Let me just clear that right up...

I struggle with finding Christ.
Quiet times lately? What quiet times?
The more I prepare a message for youth, the more hypocritical I become.
I approach God with more suggestions than I do submissions.
I don't pray enough.
I don't praise enough.
I scrape by on knowledge of scripture.

I could go on.
But that's just to let you know that I'm no different than my friends that I traveled with. Read on to the latest post.

"What kind of fish are in the Dead Sea?"

10:12PM here
12:12PM home

Today:
Masada, Qumran, swimming in the Dead Sea

No big thoughts today. Only this:

Rob and I decided it would be a good idea to see if we could swim down to the bottom of the Dead Sea (almost 10x saltier than the ocean). The bottom where we were floating was only about 6.5 feet down. No problem, right?

I'm sure we looked awesome from ashore - flailing legs, cries of pain, snot streaming from our noses.

We couldn't even touch the bottom. Heck, we probably didn't reach 4 feet; but the good thing is that my sinus cavities haven't been as empty in months. Thank you, Dead Sea.

I forgot to mention...

that there was a cease fire in Gaza as of 2am yesterday.

11:12PM here
3:12PM home

Today:
The Israeli Museum (Dead Sea Scrolls), Historically probable location of the Upper Room, House of St. Mark - emotionally probable location of the Upper Room, Jerusalem Archaeological Park - The Temple Mount Excavations/Southern Wall Excavations, Western Wall, Cardo

Even at the risk of sounding like (or reminding you that I’m) a 23-year-old naive, mostly ignorant, spiritually immature Christ follower, I’m compelled to say this:

******
There are so many experiences our group has had here halfway across the world since last Tuesday - experiences that have charged our spirits, challenged our faith, and pushed our eyes further into (not beyond) the words of God. Today most of the group came to a climactic point of their journey in the House of St. Mark, the emotionally probable location of the Upper Room. While our heads told us that this church was not the likely location, our hearts said something different. The room was filled with God's presence. Could you see it? Smell it? Taste it? Hear it? No, but you knew it. He was there, and we worshipped.

Now I'm leaving out a tremendous part of the story of what happened in St Mark. I'm leaving out the beautiful spirit that was Justina, who sang "The Lord's Prayer" in the language of the Lord for us in the church. I'm leaving out the stories of his presence in that church that she so eloquently and passionately told.

I'm leaving these things out because they allow (and, dare I say, encourage) us to miss what God is doing.

I hear you saying, "But Gabe... that’s what God IS doing."
Hear me out – you're bound to find yourself on a spiritual high here in the Holy Land. Ask any Christian pilgrim here "How's your trip so far?" and you'll only hear words that affirm this place as a sort of Prozac for Christians. But I'm troubled to see that so many seem (and please notice that I say “seem”) to be emphasizing the place as spiritual in and of itself, rather than historically significant to our faith. There's a huge difference.

As with all of the experiences I’ve had here, I’m trying to find the challenge. The challenge that comes from this observation isn't that we should try to see God in our own lives, in our own town, or in our own churches… In fact, I’ve realized there's not even a challenge at all. The fact is that our faith demands of us more than it challenges us. There's a huge difference there too.

The demand here is that we MUST see God in our own lives. We must see God in our own town. We must see God in our own churches. And what’s most, we must see God in ourselves.

All week I’ve watched beautiful people of the Jewish community, locked by their own law, handcuffed to the law that Christ lived and died to free them from. And yet here we are – Christians free from the law, and most seemed to have traveled halfway across the world to experience the risen Christ. Isn’t He in us? Wasn’t it Paul that clearly told us that in Galatians?

“For through the law I died to the law that so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (2:19-21 NIV)

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not exempt from this. I too find myself struggling with finding God in the ordinary, daily life of anytown USA. I’m 23-years-old, a 9-month-old youth pastor, and hold a degree in English for crying out loud. If there is anyone that still struggles against the handcuffs of ignorance, of limiting Christ in my own life, it’s Gabe. But I feel compelled now to offer more of myself to Christ when I get home, not because I’ve found a spiritual high here in the Holy Land, but because I’ve found what we all seem to be doing a terrible job at in our little south Alabama American church: seeing Christ right where we are.

He’s not just here in Jerusalem. He doesn’t make himself known only in the little church that houses the supposed Upper Room. He is in us. His word demands our excellence in finding his extraordinary gifts of grace and mercy, peace and joy, hope and faithfulness in our own lives. We must continue to seek him there. He will meet us as we gather in Jerusalem, yes. He offers grace and peace for those that kneel at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, sure. When you walk through the beautiful Garden of Gethsemane, I’m almost certain that you’ll experience a comforting arm of faithfulness around your shoulders. But did he not come that we would know him better than that? Was the temple not destroyed and the curtain torn in two?

So maybe you’re asking, “What do we do from here?” “How do I meet the demand to find God here in my own life?” And the answer, I believe, is as simple as opening the word of God, reading it with a heart bent on knowing his will, and lifting your prayers to a Savior who CAN meet you anywhere anytime.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)

Day 4 of touring

8:26PM here
12:27PM home

The Temple Mount, Pool of Bethesda, Church of St. Anne’s, Antonia Fortress, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jericho, Desert/Wilderness…

Several interesting things happened today. I’ll share one:

Several groups of Nigerians – some of which I encountered in our hotel elevator and began to chant, “We love Obama! We love Obama!” the entire 8-floor ride – have been touring, often being at the same sites at the same times as our group. While we were outside of the Pool of Bethesda (remember Mark 2 when Jesus heals the paralytic), a few of these groups converged together and began to dance and sing in their native tongue, giving praise to Jesus… right there, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Next, our group gathered in the Church of St. Anne’s (a few steps from the Pool of Bethesda) and sang together as a congregation. As we were singing, one of the Nigerian groups stepped in to hear our praise. I heard them praying and praising God as we were singing; and after they were done applauding us, I realized the unbelievable experience we all were blessed to have.

Are you familiar with Psalm 93?
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all
peoples. 1-2 NIV

How about Revelation 7?
… there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 9-10 NIV

God is good. He is so good.

Non-stop touring

9:57PM here
1:57PM home

Sea of Galilee (on a boat), Mt of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Beit Shean, Tabgha, Peter's Primacy, Baptismal Site at the Jordan River, Nazareth, Megiddo, Caesarea, Mt of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, House of Caiaphas, Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity - Nativity site, Shepherd's Fields...

That's all in three full days of touring! And I think I may have missed listing a couple.

I won't go into detail for each of the places because, frankly, I don't even know where to start. The whole area is so amazing. Three things that I've failed to accomplish: journaling enough, capturing enough photos, and capturing enough video. There's an abundance of experience and information here that just one 10-day trip can't handle! And to think that I've got 4 more days of touring...

Just to name one amazing experience: I gave the message to our group in an olive tree garden adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane. The gardeners let our group into the gates of the garden and closed them behind us. We were the only ones there; and besides the noise from the street below, we were able to hear the wind blow through the branches of the magnificent olive trees, hear the birds calling overhead, and we read through the incredible gospel accounts of the Garden.

And after we withdrew "a stone's throw" from one another, I read the words of the prophet Isaiah:

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid upon him
the iniquity of us all.
53:5-6 NIV