Pictures of the day

The stairway into a purity bath

The hills that King David hid

Doug swimming in the Dead Sea

An explaination of the ramp at Masada

This is an explanation of how the Roman's built a ramp into the Masada. It was quite a project and the Roman's were cheated out of a victory. When they arrived on the site they found more water and food than they knew what to do with. 900 people could have lived on the amount of food and water for 5 years.

Getting a bigger picture of the last days of Jesus

This is the Western or Wailing Wall. Directly to the East of this wall was the Holy of Holies. When the Temple was being rebuilt the second time everybody was asked to contribute what they could. The poor offered their labor and built this wall. The Western Wall was the last wall standing after the burning of Jerusalem.








This is the site that is believed that Jesus was born. I am facing the manger where it is believed that Jesus was placed after he came into the world. The star that I am touching is to represent the star that guided the wise men from the East.






The tour is slowing down in pace. We spent the morning visiting with a scholar who explained the final three days of Jesus life. He said that they are two different stories with Jesus betrayal and death. The first story has Jesus more human and while he was in the garden the pending death overwhelmed Jesus to the point of a nervous breakdown and slowly he pulled himself together. The second story has Jesus more pious and in control. The reasoning of the more pious and controlled image is to provide comfort because of a vulnerable understanding of Jesus and his humanity. Another layer of understanding was discovered.

We then spent the remainder of the morning reviewing the material and visiting the Dead Sea scrolls. The building itself was designed to duplicate the "cave" that the scrolls were found. The review took place was we looked at a model of Jerusalem during the 2nd Temple period.

That afternoon we drove to Bethlehem and toured the sites where Jesus was born and where the shepherds were told of Jesus' birth. The site is an active worshiping site and every Christmas they sing Christmas Carols.

It is the Palestinian side of the "wall". That was a study in contrast. More on that later.

Be well

This is the group singing Holy Night at the site that is believed to be Jesus' birth site.

Shore of Galilee

Sunrise on the sea of Galilee. I missed the sun actually breaking over the mountain, but still being there opened the mind and heart to a deeper and richer meaning to history.

Amazing Grace

The person next to me has a strong voice so you will hear her. The echo lasted about 8 seconds. It was amazing to hear. Enjoy

Sunday - Day off

Today was a day off from the tour. We had different choices to worship and being the Episcopalian that I am I chose the Anglican Church. I am sure that surprised some people. The moving part of the service was that the liturgy followed the same structure that is used in Wyoming. I felt connected with home and found comfort in knowing that the very words that I were saying were being or will be repeated all around the world. It was nice to be home even when I am over 5000 miles away.

I spent most of the day walking around and taking in the sites. I attempted to retrace some of my steps from yesterday, however I got all spun around. My new friend K.C. is from LA and is from the Presbyterian church who also is about my age and graduated from seminary the same year I did, tried to understand the conflict in this part of the world. We did this as we looked at the wall being built around the West Bank. Talk about a moment in history.

It is nice to have my feet on the ground around here. As I look about the stories of the Bible and the long history that is connected to them are taking on new meanings. They are very layered and rich with meaning.

I will wrap up here. Talk to you soon! Be well my friends and may peace prevail on earth!

Pictures from the "Old City"

These "poles" were all over the Old City. I like the idea!

This is believed to be similar to the holding cell for Jesus as he was being questioned by the religious authorities. There was about 30 people in the room during this picture.

This is believed to be a path that Jesus walked on going and coming from his trial.

Saturday Events

Saturday was full! We got an early start and "ran" where Jesus walked. When entered Jericho Gate and walked through the Old City. The primary path we followed was the stations of the cross that were established by the Crusaders. It was not the exact path that Jesus followed because the stations of the cross is an European creation. It as a fast and furious trip and it was exhausting to hear later about all the things that we did.

Some of the highlights for me include quite possibly seeing where Jesus body was laid. It is hard to pinpoint some of these sites because of a couple of things. One, the city was burned. I know it is hard to believe that a city of stone could be burned, but it is possible. The stone that was used is limestone which holds water. If the stone gets hot enough it would explode. So, the Roman army collected wood from all around the area, and set it on fire. The results were the heat of the fires did create enough heat to destroy the city. The location was not well kept until a couple hundred years later, so debris piled up and now people depend upon tradition and other sources to take an educated guess. Nevertheless there is something powerful about what has happened and what is happening as we speak.

Ok, back to highlights. I also touched the traditional spot in where the cross was placed into the hill. I didn't get to spend much time there because of the crowds of people who were gathering around and they too were attempting to see the same locations.

The Old City itself felt like walking around in tunnels and caves. Most everything is surrounded with stone including the ceilings. It is also dark because of the lack of sunlight. As we traveled around the city our guide (a formal army officer who was personally involved in the opening the city during the war) talked about his experience. It puts a very current human touch to the life of the city.

Overall the trip is going very fast and we are covering lots of material. It will take time to process everything.

Be well

More Pictures

The pulpit(?)

Streets of Nazareth

Layout of Joseph's shop

Day 4 of the Holy Land Trip

We departed our kibbutz and drove to Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle – The area was very closed in with buildings and people. The bible does not “leave an address” and so most people depend upon tradition to help place the locations. One of the important aspects of the changing the water into wine is the human relationships. For a family or couple to run out of wine during the wedding celebration would start a rumor about that the hosts were poor or cheap. Not a good thing. Now I think about the statement that not only there was more wine it was the best wine of the celebration. What a turn around of events for both the host and the newly wedded couple.

We continued to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation. Again the bible did not leave a precise address and so we call upon tradition. What was an interesting fact is that within walking distance was a well respected learning center of Jesus’ time. As most of us know, about twenty seven years of Jesus’ life we don’t have any records of what took place, perhaps this was when Jesus received his formal education. In today Rabbi meant religious leader where during Jesus time Rabbi was teacher in the stricter sense of the word. We, the group, were told that the readings from the Torah were assigned readings much like a lectionary (more on that later). Joseph's Workshop was actually quite large. Carpenter was also stoneworker and general contractor.

The place was very crowed with people both visitors and residents. The place itself is very hilly. It is really green and full of life. It reminds me of San Francisco. The streets themselves are narrow and full shops. We talked about the distances people traveled in those days. When Mary traveled to Jerusalem to be registered it would take a person about three to four months. Now a person would also visit with family and friends along the way. When Herod became paranoid in his old age it made sense for Mary to head to Egypt for safety and to return to Jesus place of birth might have been a bit risky. Going to Nazareth made sense at so many different levels.

The trip into Jerusalem was as study in contrast. As we left the area we drove down below sea level about 1400 feet. As we drove down the surrounding area became increasingly desolate. When we drove by Jericho (which was out to our right in the distance) we could clearly see that we were in an area that did not support much life. The Jordon was to our left but there was not much in the way of plants or trees. A person would be hard pressed to find water or food in this part of the world. This was the area in which it was believed that Jesus was sent to be tempted and also this was the area that was believed that Moses saw the promise land and turned back.

The drive into Jerusalem was like driving straight up a cliff, within 15 miles we climbed over 1400 feet in dry ground. I am still trying to get my mind around how difficult or different traveling on foot would have been. We arrived in an air-conditioned bus and it took us about an hour to cover the distance. Where people of Jesus’ time walked and had to plan out their trip for a longer time period.

I could go on, but I am going to wrap it up now. Today is Saturday and which we will “run” where Jesus walked. Talk to you soon.

The opening view of Jerusalem. From the Mount of Olives

Doug at the shore of Galilee after sunrise

The remains of Peter's house. A church is now built over the top of it with a glass floor so that people can look down into it. Really COOL!

Moses' seat in the synagogue.

The area that Jesus was believed to be baptized.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fish – This was the first stop of the day. Most of these stops have churches built or being rebuilt over the site. We talked about the “olive presses” and what kinds of stones were used. It was volcano rock which is a very hard rock. The olives go through about three different presses which the first press is the premium oil. They are many uses of oil, cooking, lamps, and other items. The site itself was a church and so I could only image what it might have looked like with the feeding of the multitudes, but our time there was short and we quickly moved on.

Mount of Beatitudes –The views of the Sea of Galilee were spectacular from the top of the “hill”. I tried to image what it was like to have a couple of thousand people gathering to listen to what Jesus had to share on that hillside. I was told (and it was tested) that the people at the bottom of the hill could hear just as clearly as those at the top. The place was really busy with other tour groups coming and going. The building itself is modern (it was built around 1930’s) and well maintained.

Koranzim – This was one of the villages that Jesus condemned. The place is in different stages of repair. The enlightening activity was the seating arrangement for the Passover meal. It is not like the arrangement that we are most familiar with people sitting in a chair. Also the room itself was more less open toward the front and therefore people would leave that part of the table open as well. I cannot go into much detail here, but it does challenge the “De Vinci” code image. We also saw the place were people would bath themselves to become ritually clean. The water had to be “living water” which had to be moving. That was cool.

Capernaum – This was the location Jesus spent most of his time ministering and the location of Peter’s house. It was a richer location “on the way to Jerusalem” because of several reasons. One, it was a stopping point for those who traveled by foot. People would stop at this location for the night. Also the area around the place had more resources like places to grow food. Capernaum was destroyed by an earthquake in 740 AD.

From Capernaum we rode on the Sea of Galilee which provides about 30% of the drinking water for Israel. It is a fresh water Sea and currently it is at one of it’s lowest points due to an extended drought. The boat stopped out on the water and we listened to the stories about how Jesus silenced the storms. As I looked around I could see the shore line in all directions. What has been an insight for me is how close everything is to each other.

Most of the group decided to eat the fish. They serve the fish with both the heads and tails attached. I personally don’t eat fish very often. The reason for this is that I really don’t like the bones and have found fish to rather bland. The fish was good and I was quite satisfied when I was finished. As I walked around after the meal the signs coming off the beaches has this to says. “Go in Peace.” That was nice.

We finished the day at the Jordon. The place has been really built up with commercial businesses. Some members of the group got baptized (for a fee a business would provide rental clothing to go into the water). The water was cold from what I have been told. I didn’t go in but took pictures and noticed some really big cat fish swimming around the shore line. Again was taken a bit back by how close everything was and how green the surrounding area was.

We ended the day looking at a boat that was discovered that was dated back to Jesus time. I was struck by the size of the boat. It is not really that big. One would really have to pray in the midst of a storm not to be capsized! The boat itself was built out of twelve different kinds of wood which meant that people would use everything they could fine to make boats in this area. It is considered a national treasure.

Talk to you soon.

Here is a picture of us walking about in Joffa (spelling could be off).








Pilate summer's home that includes a fresh water pool in the Mediterranean. What fun!











Feeding the horses around the final battle ground (end times!)








Elisha's view of the world. Impressive!








Hello folks. My body is still trying to make the adjustments to the time change. I am sitting in the lobby of the hotel at the edge of the sea of Galilee. We arrived to late to get pictures, so those will appear tomorrow.

Our day started following Peter's foot steps in the first part of ACTS. Saw where Paul was going to be tried and he made the announcement that he is a Roman citizen and was sent to Roman. Herod was the Great because he was a great builder and build he did.

We say the location of the Transfiguration. To climb that mountain or hill a person had to be in good shape. I will write some more. Like I said my body is not quite adjusted to the change.

(this is a picture of the group as we began the checking in process)


Well I am "in-country." I am taking some time to get adjusted. The Hebrew language works differently and goes left to right, so when I logged on to post this blog I had to make the correct changes! What fun.

I was one of the "chosen people" for the intense security searches. What this meant was that I had to leave everything including my carry-on and return an hour and half later to the check in counter. At that point they checked out my shoes with the sniffer, and escorted a group of us to the gate personally and put us directly on the plane. All went well.

The fight itself was a new experience for me. I was told to take a blanket which was packed into my check luggage, but that turned out not to be a problem because the airline provide one without charge. I watch a couple of movies as I drifted in and out of sleep. We arrived about 5pm local time which meant it was about 8 AM my time. I noticed that we left in the dark and we arrived in the dark. The up-side about having the extra security was that my bags were the first off the plane. =0)

Some of us have already walked around to get our bodies adjusted to the time change. There was a rain storm that concluded when we landed and so it is a bit wet outside. Also the wind is really blowing and so it feels a bit like home. The Mediterranean sea is one block away from the hotel, however it is about 9pm local time and dark. The waves are really pounding the shore.

Talk to you soon. We start the "tour in the am."

Departure - Casper

Well folks, I am sitting in the Airport in Casper. Getting here was quite the labor of love. On Sunday I presided at two services starting in Fort Bridger and worked my way across the state. I stopped by the nursing home to visit with one of the members of St. Thomas. Last evening I said my good-byes to my girls and Kellie and drove to Casper. That was a long day of driving.

I am a bit nervous about this traveling. The nervousness comes from the unknown. I always become a bit anxious when I am doing some thing new and then I remind myself to relax and have fun. I tell myself "let it come to you." and everything will work out.

Saying good-bye to Alexis, Olivia, and Rowan was harder than I thought. This will be the first time that I have been gone this long. I hope that the absence makes the heart grow fonder. =0)
What are my thoughts? I hope I have everything packed. It seems to be more trivial and I know that if I need anything I will locate what I need along the way.

Well I am going to sign off for now. I will see about dropping a note when I arrive in New York.

2 Days before Departure

Well folks it is getting closer. I am entering a "breaking orbit" phase of the trip. What I mean by this statement is that transiting from work to travel for any length of time requires some intentional effort. Before I head to Israel I have two church services to lead and quite a few miles to drive between Fort Bridger Wyoming to Casper on Monday.

The bags are slowly being packed. Kellie wanted to double check to see what I am taking. She doesn't want me to be unprepared on my trip. I am working on collecting all the paperwork and putting in one location for quick retrieval. I located the missing Blackberry. St. Anthony came through one more time. I found the phone in the driveway and it works. So, that piece of equipment is also packed a way. I have the traveling money secured and now it is a matter of putting everything together before Sunday evening. Sometimes traveling is tedious.

There isn't much more to say at this point. I will drop a line or two along the way on Monday. I will be taking my computer so I will attempt to locate "hot spots" as I move across this wonderful place call earth.

4 Days before Departure

Yesterday I chatted with Andy Kerr in Casper. Andy comes to the Diocese of Wyoming in the way of long distance. He spent time in the Philippians (Andy I hope I get this right) and he was passing on some international travel tips. He loaned me a Blackberry (his old one) for me to use to text message back to Wyoming. He shared with me how to make an international call. I regrettably lost the phone and I am praying for St. Anthony to help me find it or to have the phone found! Andy also told me how to locate an adapter for my computer and other electronic devices that I may need during my trip.

As I get closer the reality of what is going to happen is starting to sink in. I am still in a state of shock that this is even happening in the first place. I can look and see that I have tickets in my hand and receive daily postcards from our host explaining what we need to do to be prepared. As I talk to other people about what I am about to do the excitement builds both for me and the other person. This trip is more than just for me to have a spiritual sabbatical, but it is a blessings for all who worked hard to make this a reality, which includes the Diocesan staff, the churches in Region IV (the southeastern part of Wyoming) and the Knights of Templar. I am truly blessed.

5 Days before Departure

One of the great things about being a member of a church is the wide range of relationships that a person can call upon. I am a Diabetic type II which means that I take medicine and need to test by blood sugar levels from time to time. As the security on airlines increase they become a bit more sensitive to sharp objects like lancets. To make sure that people have the needed equipment to maintain their health a letter of Medical Necessity can be written by a doctor and Faxed to the travel agency. Well I was running out of time and my doctor was booked up. So, I shared my situation with another member of the travel team. No problem. My fellow traveler has a letter of medical necessity that includes a glucose meter and he said that I can borrow his meter if I need to check my blood on the flight. God finds ways to meet our needs along the way. That is all for now.

6 Days before Departure to Israel

Well, I have received all my airline tickets. My departure will be on Monday Feb 9, 2009 out of Casper at 9am. From there I will be heading to Minneapolis for a stop over for about an hour. From there I will fly to JFK. I will wait at the airport to process through security. The flight from New York will be leaving around mid-night so that we all can sleep on the way. It is a direct flight from New York to Tel Aviv.

I am really touched by the excitement I see in those I share this news. The people of Rawlins appear to have a spring in their step and the smile in Dixon are a bit bigger. It is an exciting time. Everything is coming together quite nicely.