My Rough Re-entry
Good morning... It can be hard to re-enter life's normal rhythm after being swept up into mountaintop moments. Personally, quietly, my re-entry has been rough. Sharing my truth, I found myself texting a friend in the middle of the night. "I am taking my time re-entering the rhythm of life following our ten day trip through Israel," I shared honestly. "So many people are facing tough challenges. Quiet, sad endings. Cancer treatment ravaging [...]
I’m Sorry. It’s Time.
Good morning... I have texted with a dear friend whose husband was forced to retire this week due to worsening health concerns. "My heart is heavy," she wrote. "We finished moving him completely out of his office yesterday. 35 years as a lawyer, reduced to a few boxes piled in a closet in the home office we are getting set for him. Quite sad." "What a sobering sentence," I texted back. "'35 years [...]
Trip Summary From Steve
Good morning... After exploring the varied history and terrain of the countryside of Israel, Steve emailed our group a summary of our time together. Reliving our moments through the Hebrew words chosen for each day brings on a collective smile, helping us to hear, to remember, to live out our own personal love affair with God. ****** Israel 2022, What a blessing (Barak) it was to be with you all in [...]
Plant Your Feet Now
Good morning... Walking the unique path set before our feet, we might be encouraged by this devotional message rising with the sunshine yesterday morning. ****** DAILY MEDITATION | MARCH 14, 2022 - Find Your Own Path to Love by Henri Nouwen Every time you make free time for God, you clear up a bit of the descending path, and you see where you can plant your feet on the way to love. Nothing [...]
After Mountaintop Moments
Good morning... In every life there are mountaintop moments. The birth of a baby and grand graduations. Joyful engagements and fabulous weddings. Quiet "Ah-ha" moments experienced in private and loud celebrations swarming with loved ones. Once in a lifetime trips and breathtaking vistas. (See the photos and reflections taken from the mountaintop of my first trip to Israel, touching "next" seven times to experience all of our blog posts.) The one thing shared [...]
Israel Day #8: Love And Peace
Good morning... Yesterday we walked through Jerusalem, the city of King David, which he established as the central gathering place for the Jewish people. We explored parts visible, like the Temple of the Western Wall and the wall which encloses the Holy of Holies, an inner sanctuary where only women are invited to pray. Then we explored parts hidden beneath the City of David. Some [...]
Israel Day #7: Remember
Good morning... Yesterday we went to the little town of Bethlehem, a town that is not so little anymore. We visited the multifaceted Church of the Nativity, which was built on top of the cave where Jesus was said to have been born, swaddled in cloth, and placed in a stone manger, a feeding trough for the animals. We took turns kneeling down and touching the black rock floor of the cave, which [...]
Israel Day #6: Holy
Good morning... We spent our final night on the calming shores of the Sea of Galilee before beginning our journey up to Jerusalem. On the way, we stopped in Nazareth and gathered together on the top of Mt. Precipice, a place we could totally envision Jesus standing himself right above his hometown. We read a moving Scripture passage as we looked out for miles in all directions. He went to Nazareth, [...]
Israel Day #5: Hope
Good morning... Yesterday we walked where Jesus walked. We were taught atop a mountain where Jesus taught. We boated on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus boated with his disciples "to the other side," into the unknown. We were given the opportunity to rededicated ourselves to God through a baptism in the Jordan River, where Jesus himself was baptized by John. As soon as Jesus was baptized, [...]
Israel Day #4: Blessed
Good morning... I apologize about the challenges we are experiencing with our blog posts this week. The time change is something I am still trying to negotiate. I think I have figured out a solution, so hopefully we will move more smoothly into our morning messages from here on out. If you missed some of our earlier posts from Israel this week, please touch on the "Previous" button in the top right corner [...]
Israel Day #3: Hear
Good morning... We left the Dead Sea, where the shoreline is shrinking and the water is murky and undrinkable. After a fascinating teaching at the top of Masada, we went to an oasis in the middle of the desert. In contrast to the Dead Sea, we enjoyed living water. From out of the jagged rock faces of the desert, we discovered crystal clear water. We were taught that the water we touched with [...]
Israel Day #2: Community
Good morning... Yesterday's adventure was meaningful and fun. The twenty-four of us enjoyed the beauty of a Negev Desert hike from the base, past an unexpected waterfall and up to the upper rim of a the stunning canyon. We rode camels (hilarious) and ate an amazing abundant lunch prepared by the kindhearted bedouins (a word which means "desert dwellers"). As we drove further down the windy road into the Judean Desert, we descended [...]