Tuesday, September 30, 2014

31 Days of the Holy Land


Welcome to 31 Days of the Holy Land**
 
Scroll Down to read Day 1.

Click the links below to read the other days.  I'll be adding a link each day for 31 days. 

Day 2:   Tel Aviv
Day 3:   Caesarea Maritima 
Day 4:   Mount Carmel 
Day 5:   Megiddo 
Day 6:   Mount Precipe and Diamonds
Day 7:   Tiberius and The Galilee  
Day 8:   Sailing on the Sea of Galilee 
Day 9:   The Jesus Boat 
Day 10:  Mount of the Beatitudes 
Day 11:  Capernaum  
Day 12:  Tagbha -The Loaves & Fishes
Day 13:  St. Peter's Fish 
Day 14:  Caesaria Philippi
Day 15:  Baptism in the Jordan River 
Day 16:  Beit She'an
Day 17:  Arrival in Jerusalem 
Day 18:  Jerusalem - The Old City Area
Day 19:  King David's Tomb  
Day 20:  Jerusalem Beauty
Day 21:  The Upper Room 
Day 22:  The Mount of Olives 
Day 23:  The Lions Gate and the Power of Prayer
Day 24:  The Tomb of Yeshua?  
Day 25:  The Garden Tomb
Day 26:  The Cardo
Day 27:  Temple Mount or Bust?
Day 28:  The Western Wall  
Day 29:  Bar Mitzvahs at the Western Wall
Day 30:  Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls  
Day 31:  Swimming in the Dead Sea
Bonus:
Masada
Israeli Art I Loved  
Tour of the Western Wall Tunnel
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly  
My New Igbo Friends


My friend, Shelby and me in Israel - a dream come true.

This was my second trip to Israel, and Shelby's first.  Shelby is a member of our congregation, and she and her husband blessed me with the gift of this trip.  Ever since my first trip in 1996, I've prayed to return to the Holy Land, and am so thankful that His answer was "yes". 

After twelve hours of travel, our plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, then we traveled by bus to a hotel on the Mediterranean Sea, where we spent our first night.  

I was very excited to be in Israel during the week of Hanukkah, and what a delight to see this menorrah set up in the lobby!  In Israel, G-d's Feasts and Festivals are honored, and I really like that.



The menorah has oil in small cups, which are lit for eight nights during the holiday, and the card has the prayers for lighting the menorah.  Since it is traditional to eat donuts during Hanukkah, these treats were available for free to guests.  


We arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon, so there wasn't time for seeing much of the surrounding area.  Our tour guide introduced herself, went over our agenda for the week ahead, then hosted our group (fifteen of us) to a sea-side restaurant nearby. 

We visited a wonderful restaurant with the most beautiful buffet of food I've ever seen.  Israel is famous for her olives.  These are some of the many types grown there in the area. 

 Aren't these breads beautiful?  I love the way they are displayed.
There were so many vegetable dishes and salads.  All were prepared in unique spices which I really enjoyed.

 Israel is also known for the beautiful fruit grown there.  In addition to these, were dried and fresh figs, pomegranates, persimmons, grapes, and more:  the candy provided by Adonai, right? 

 I fell in love with the painting on the ceiling of the restaurant, and would love something like it for my bedroom.  I could lie in bed and imagine myself at the beach.  

Israel is famous for citrus, and these artificial tress and oranges set a delightful atmosphere for dining, as we looked out over the Mediterranean Sea.  On the wall in the back is a greatly enlarged black and white photograph of an orange grove, with the oranges in bright color.  


My next post will be about our first full day in The Wonderful Land; but before we take off for Cesarea Maritime, I'll have to show you some other wonderful things I saw in the hotel the next morning. 

**I am joining The Nester's 31-Day writing challenge. 

******

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

L'Shanah Tovah - Happy New Year 5775

photo courtesy of The Graphics Fairy


At sundown today, Rosh Hashanah begins and with it, the beginning of the High Holy Days.  Rosh Hashanah is also known as the Feast of Trumpets, and it is the first day of the year on the Jewish Calendar.  It will be the beginning of the year 5775, so Happy New Year, or L'Shanah Tovah in Hebrew.  As Messianic Jews, we say
L'Shanah Tovah B'Yeshua 
(Happy New Year in Yeshua)
As believers, we are commanded in Numbers 29:1

 “‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a holy convocation; do not do any kind of ordinary work; it is a day of blowing the shofar for you.   (See also Leviticus 23:23-25).

Please listen to the beautiful sound of the shofar

The Scriptures say that when Yeshua returns, the shofar will sound.  Wouldn't it be wonderful, if all the shofars around the world were blowing, and He returned on that day?  Here is the passage, in I Thessalonians 4:16-17 in the Complete Jewish Bible:

 16 For the L-rd himself will come down from heaven with a rousing cry, with a call from one of the ruling angels, and with G-d’s shofar; those who died united with the Messiah will be the first to rise; 17 then we who are left still alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the L-rd in the air; and thus we will always be with the L-rd. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

There are some who firmly believe He will return during this time.  I pray He does, because I long for His return.
You can learn more about this holiday and read my past posts that explain more, by clicking on this link.

Rosh Hashanah begins the Ten Days of Awe, which are a time of reflection, meditation, and prayer to Hashem.  It is a time to get alone with Him, search our hearts for sins in our lives, and to repent.  Repent means to turn around and obey G-d's Word and follow His ways (Torah).  This song is my favorite about what repentence (teshuva) really means.  Please listen:





Because this is a holy time of introspection, I will not post again until after Yom Kippur. I will be back on Sunday, October 5. At that time, I will post about our Rosh Hashanah celebration, and also about our Yom Kippur service.  

I will pray for you, dear Gail-Friends, while I am away, and please pray for me.  Until then, I say L'Shanah Tovah B'Yeshua (Happy New Year in Yeshua).  And may the year 5775 be a sweet one for you.

*********
  I'm linking up today with:

 Spiritual Sunday

GRAND Social

All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
 The Gathering Spot Link-Up

Modest Mom Monday Link-up 
Share Your Stuff Tuesday
Jenny's Monday Meet-Up



A Return to Loveliness



Winsome Wednesday A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday 
Wake Up Wednesday

Hearts for Home
Favorite Things 

Fab Creative Friday
Friendship Friday 
Freedom Friday

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Israel Trip - Jerusalem Beauty


We left King David's Tomb, and headed for the Garden of Gethsemane.  I took some photos that show the  diversity and uniqueness of my beloved city, Jerusalem.

The photo above is of an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) soldier.  It is normal for these men and women to be armed, and I think it is one of the beauties of Jerusalem.  Some people are afraid to visit the city because of the violent Arab attacks there.  I felt safe seeing these protectors on duty. Below is a group of IDF soldiers on a tour of the city.




I was struck by the beauty of doors, and here are a couple of photos that show the play of light on stone in the beautiful city of gold.  I love the alcoves and archways, the darkness and light we saw as we made our way through the winding streets.









And cats are everywhere in the Old City.  They seem well fed, don't they?  Isn't that golden Jerusalem stone beautiful? 

We made our way back to the bus, and here are a few photos of the city on the way to the Mount of Olives.



Jerusalem has many hills, as you can see above.



The photos above and below are of a shopping area in the Arab quarter. 



This building has a couple of water storage units on top.  There are many of these in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is unique in that it is home to Christians, Muslims and Jews.  The Garden of Gethsemane is in the Arab quarter of the city.  The Garden sits on a hill, known as the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem's Old City.  The area between is called the Kidron Valley, and is covered with the graves of thousands of Jews.  The white boxes in the forefront of the photo are tombs. According to tradition, when the Messiah comes through this gate, the dead will rise to meet him.  This is why so many graves are on this spot.  Who doesn't want to be first in line, right?







The photo above is a closeup view of the Eastern Gate, also known as the Golden Gate, which leads to the Temple Mount.  I got excited when I saw this.   This gate is a Holy site for all three faiths - Jewish (arrival of the Messiah) and Christian (entrance of Yeshua on Palm Sunday and His second coming) and Muslim (site of future resurrection).  Isn't it amazing that all three faiths believe this?

The gate was built in the 600 - 700 AD over the ruins of the second temple  gate,  and has been sealed since the 1600's.  This is significant because of this Scripture:  

 Ezekiel 44 2: "This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the L-RD, the G-d of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut". 

I have chills when I think on this, because my eyes are seeing Bible prophecy fulfilled in this place.   

My next post will be about the Garden of Gethsemane, where Yeshua, the Messiah, prayed the night before He was crucified.  What a blessing I received in that place, both in 1996 on my first trip, and on this trip, too.

I hope you'll come back next week, Gail-Friends. 

Please note --  due to preparations for the upcoming High Holy Days, I will resume posting about my Israel Trip on October 7. 
***************
  I'm linking up today with:

 Spiritual Sunday

GRAND Social

All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
 The Gathering Spot Link-Up

Modest Mom Monday Link-up 
Share Your Stuff Tuesday
Jenny's Monday Meet-Up



A Return to Loveliness


Winsome Wednesday A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday 
Wake Up Wednesday

Hearts for Home
Favorite Things 

Fab Creative Friday
Friendship Friday 
Freedom Friday

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Israel Trip - King David's Tomb

Zion Gate - Old City of Jerusalem

The morning of our fifth day on the tour found us in the Old City of Jerusalem, and our first stop was at the tomb of King David of Israel.  This is believed to be the site where he was buried. In the picture above, our group is getting ready to visit the site and we are standing just inside the Zion Gate.  

Jerusalem is unique in that it is holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.  Keep that in mind as I tell you the following story.

As we approached the site through a beautiful little courtyard, we saw this golden statue of King David playing a harp.





One cannot help but notice that King David is missing his nose.  Natalie explained that the statue was placed there by Catholics.  Jews do not believe in statues like this as the Torah forbids making graven images.  No one knows who broke the nose off, but she'd heard the suggestion that it was probably a Jew - just to make a point.   With the nose broken off, it could not be an image of King David, right?  Such logic -- Oy Vey!



The photo above is a view of the tour group making our way to the tomb of David.  I don't know about you, but I think Jerusalem stone is so beautiful.  When the light hits, it turns to a gorgeous golden color.  That could be why the city is called "Jerusalem of Gold".  It is also very slippery when wet.  More about that later.



When we entered the tomb area, I saw this sign, which I thought was an indication of a ladies restroom.  No.  It was the sign indicating where women were to enter the room.  In Jerusalem, when entering Orthodox areas, women are separated from men. Below is the beautiful view of the women's entrance to the tomb:





This decorative screen is the separation point.  

The photo I took inside the room was not usable, so I borrowed these two from Wikipedia.  Below is a close-up view of the decorative covering of the tomb.  I am always impressed by the beauty of Jewish decorations, tapestries and coverings.  I am sorry I couldn't figure out how to make these two photos smaller, but they do show the beautiful details well. 

 Jerusalem Tomb of David BW 1.JPG
"Jerusalem Tomb of David BW 1" by Berthold Werner - Own work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.


King david tomb.jpg
"King david tomb". Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons.


While viewing the tomb, I heard a man singing in Hebrew, and it sounded so glorious.  I stood in awe and worshiped Adonai for as long as I could.  Then as we were leaving the building, I looked to the left and saw the cantor / singer.  This was a special moment that stands out in my memory.  The light and the whole atmosphere were golden.




This is one of my favorite memories and photos of my trip to Israel.  The man is wearing the traditional tallit, which my husband always wears in our synagogue. The man is wearing tefillin (also called phylacteries), which are two small leather boxes that contain verses from the Torah  They are worn on the forehead and on one arm and are held in place by leather straps. Jewish men wear these during  morning prayers.  

As we were leaving the site, I saw this beautiful golden Chanukah menorah.  Once again, I was thankful to be in Jerusalem for the Holiday of Lights.


In my next post, I'll show you what is upstairs in this building.  I'm sure you will be as surprised as I. 


***************
  I'm linking up today with:

 
Spiritual Sunday

GRAND Social

All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
 The Gathering Spot Link-Up

Modest Mom Monday Link-up 
Share Your Stuff Tuesday

Jenny's Monday Meet-Up




Winsome Wednesday A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday 
Wake Up Wednesday

Hearts for Home
Favorite Things 

Fab Creative Friday
Friendship Friday 
Freedom Friday



Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Thankful Thursday - August in Paradise


I'm thankful for the beauty in Florida, my home state.  Most weekends, my husband and I take a ride through the wildlife preserve near our home.  He drives while I take pictures, and we listen to the radio, mostly to a radio station that plays the oldies from the fifties and sixties.  Sometimes, if we go early on a Sunday, we listen to the Prairie Home Companion.  It is such a sweet time together and with the L-rd, because we praise Him for the beauty we see around us and that we get to live in paradise.

On our drive last week, we saw several  pairs of sand hill cranes.  They are usually seen in pairs, and sometimes with baby chicks.  We saw this couple and noted that both had a missing foot.  They came really close to the window, so I was able to get some great close up photos.  You can't tell from the photos, but these birds stand about three to four feet tall. 




That day, we also saw a raccoon.  Doesn't it have the cutest little face?  This one was large -- probably about three feet long from his nose to his tail. 




We also saw signs of fall.  My mother always said, "When you see the goldenrod bloom, that means cool weather is coming."





We don't get much cooler weather here, but I'm looking forward to a little relief from the consistent ninety degree temps we've been having through August.  


I'd love to hear what you are thankful for today.

 Thankful Thursday is my day to focus on and be thankful for the good things in my life. 
***************
  I'm linking up today with:

 
Spiritual Sunday

GRAND Social

All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
 The Gathering Spot Link-Up

Modest Mom Monday Link-up 
Share Your Stuff Tuesday

Jenny's Monday Meet-Up




Winsome Wednesday A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday 
Wake Up Wednesday

Hearts for Home
Favorite Things 

Fab Creative Friday
Friendship Friday 
Freedom Friday

Wisdom Wednesdays # - Are you seeking the Truth?


I am so grateful for my Bible.  It helps me see the good and the beautiful in my life.  The Scriptures have led me to wisdom, which is more valuable than any amount of money.  A billion dollar lottery is tiny compared to the wealth of wisdom. 

In my reading of the Scriptures today, I was impressed with this passage in Proverbs 3, and I highlighted the benefits of following G-d's ways:

13 Happy the person who finds wisdom,
the person who acquires understanding;
14 for her profit exceeds that of silver,
gaining her is better than gold,
15 she is more precious than pearls —
nothing you want can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand,
riches and honor in her left.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who grasp her;
whoever holds fast to her will be made happy.

And there is even more.  I encourage you to read the whole chapter and write down the many gifts of wisdom.  

True wisdom is not just reading the Scripture.  Wisdom is obedience to G-d's ways...not the ways of men, churches, religions, or denominations.  

I can't tell you how many times I've heard teachers and preachers say, "The Old Testament is not relevant to today."  And yet, those same teachers pick and choose the parts of the Old Testament they like.  A good example is tithing.  Yes, they love that one.

Beloved, these are false teachers.  Yeshua said they are ravenous wolves who have come to kill, steal and destroy the sheep (Matthew 7:15-20)  Don't follow a teacher who disregards the Torah** and the Old Testament.  Yeshua embraced it and obeyed it.  After all, He is the author.  He is the G-d of the entire Old Testament.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8)

Yeshua also said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."  (John 14:15)  Remember, the New Testament had not been written at that time.  Also keep in mind, Yeshua is G-d in the flesh, the author of Torah.  

Until I began to study Torah, I puzzled over some of the sayings of Yeshua.  Now I understand them.  I encourage you to study the Torah.  It is the basis of all understanding of Scripture.  It is the source of wisdom (Truth).

One day we'll stand before G-d and answer to Him alone. So, don't look to a man, a religion, a denomination, or a teacher. Get on your knees with your Bible and seek Him alone. If you are sincerely seeking, you will find the Truth. Then, it's up to you to obey it.  

Remember the Ethiopian eunuch - he was reading the scroll of Isaiah, and seeking to understand.  G-d sent His messenger, Phillip,  to guide him to the Truth (Acts 8:26-40).  If you seek, you will find:


Matthew 7:7
“Keep asking, and it will be given to you; keep seeking, and you will find; keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.


2 Chronicles 15:2
He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Y’hudah and Binyamin! Adonai is with you, as long as you are with him; if you seek him, you will find him; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you!

I believe our lives, families, country, and the world can find peace if wisdom is found and applied.  The chapter quoted in Chronicles above is a good example.  Wisdom (obedience to ADONAI) has been replaced with un-truths and half-truths (lies), and society is bearing the consequences.

I encourage you to read 2 Chronicles 15, Matthew 7, and Proverbs 3.  They are all related.  The common theme is "wisdom equals obedience to G-d's ways".

Here is what the Bible says about Truth:  "Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your Law (Torah) is Truth."  (Psalm 119:142)   The whole chapter is compelling if your are sincerely seeking the Truth.


** The Torah includes the first five books of the Bible:  Genesis, Exodux, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
***************
  I'm linking up today with:

 
Spiritual Sunday

GRAND Social

All Things Bright and Beautiful Link-Up
 The Gathering Spot Link-Up

Modest Mom Monday Link-up 
Share Your Stuff Tuesday

Jenny's Monday Meet-Up



Winsome Wednesday A Wise Woman Builds
Whole Hearted Wednesday 
Wake Up Wednesday

Hearts for Home
Favorite Things 

Fab Creative Friday
Friendship Friday 
Freedom Friday