Who's With Susie?

We thoroughly enjoyed the contrasting shows we saw in Myrtle Beach, SC -- Good Vibrations and The Carolina Opry. We were surprised and delighted to discover that Calvin Gilmore, the producer/director for both shows -- and Bill & Lu Walker's son-in-law -- had hired "All That!" as dancers for the productions. "All That!" became well-known when they were contestants on NBC's America's Got Talent. They are fantastic.

Doesn't Susie look like she's enjoying herself?

A Hero

Today Kenneth Reusser will be laid to rest, but he always will be my ideal of a patriot warrior. As a Marine flyer, he was shot down during WW2, three times in the Korean War, and once again in Viet Nam. He earned two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts, two Legions of Merit, and fifty-two other medals and ribbons throughout his long and dedicated military career.

However, many people do not know that his father was a pastor. And, in the later years of his life, Ken's faith in God strongly asserted itself again. Twice he asked me to help him formulate plans to share Christ with military buddies for whom he was concerned. After some personal financial setbacks, I wondered if Ken & Trudy might become bitter, but, to my delight, these difficulties only drew them closer to the Lord.

On numerous occasions Ken risked his life in battle, so that others might live. In that way, he was like the Lord Jesus, who said: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (Jn. 15:13). I was privileged to call Kenneth Reusser my friend.

Talk about Tenure!

The beautiful St. John's (Lutheran) Church in Charleston, SC was dedicated in 1818. Dr. John Bachman served as the congregation's pastor from 1815-1874. Maybe I'm just getting started in Beaverton!

Besides pastoring the church, Dr. Bachman was influential in the SC Lutheran Synod (1824), the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (1830), and Newberry College (1856). I'm not sure how he found the time to assist his ornithologist friend, John James Audubon, in publishing his Birds of America and Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America.

Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates!

Yesterday morning we filled a box with favorite chocolates from the Chocolate Tree in Beaufort. And, yes, that is where Forest Gump's box of chocolates was from! Today we dipped our toes in the Atlantic very near the lagoon where the film's Viet Nam scenes were filmed. I have really enjoyed spending several days with Mac, the Williams' 19-mo. old grandson.

Visiting Other Churches

During my sabbatical, I am visiting a wide variety of churches and worship services--eight to date, with two more tomorrow. Each service presents me with a special opportunity: to worship and to observe.

In New York, I twice attended St. Paul's on the Hill, the Journey church, and Metro Baptist. I was in two services in Israel, and, on my only Sunday in our area, I attended Abundant Life Church (Happy Valley and the 1st pic) and Imago Dei Community (Franklin High School). Tomorrow we will visit The Baptist Church at Beaufort (2nd pic), where our friend, Melanie Williams, is the Minister of Music. They now have two morning services. Their 9:00 a.m. "Covenant Service" features classic hymns led by their choir and pipe organ as well as corporate confession, silences, and litanies. In other words, this is their "liturgical" service. Their 11:15 a.m. "Convergent Service" is led by their worship band and incorporates a casual atmosphere.

I have a lot of thoughts and impressions from being a visitor--I prefer the term "guest"--in other churches. Let me share just a few.

1. How you are greeted, seated, and put at ease makes a HUGE difference. Even churches that think they're good at this need to continue working at it. Any number of "small things" make a difference to a first-time guest. And, even if the church doesn't completely have its act together in doing this, one friendly person can make a lasting impression.
   
2. Trying to categorize everything in terms of age is silly. For instance, there were more seniors (55+) than young people in the 8:30 service at Abundant Life, but the music was contemporary and loud--much louder than in our services. No one was holding back; the congregation was very engaged.
   
3. The best preaching is still biblical preaching. At Abundant Life, the message series being introduced that day was "Don't Let Your 'But' Get in the Way"! The message, based on Gideon's experience, was excellent. At Imago Dei, Pastor Rick McKinley preached a good verse-by-verse message from I Cor. 9.
   
4. The variety of worship services is infinite, but there is only One Lord that we worship. Let's speak kindly of our fellow Christ-followers even if we prefer a different type of worship experience!
   

Looking for a Father's Day Gift at Phipps Plaza

"Maserati or Bentley...Maserati or Bentley? Susie has really good taste!"

Time to Slow Down

If you've been reading my Holy Land posts, you may feel like I've given you an awful lot of information. However, let me assure you, what I've shared is just the "tip of the iceberg."

On our first day of class, our coordinator told us that during our three weeks together we would "pack in" more than we could absorb. Then, we would spend the rest of our lives "unpacking" it. I believe she was right.

On August 16, my first Sunday back from my sabbatical, I will have an extended slideshow highlighting my trip to Israel. Of course, even that will be the tip of the iceberg, but it will be a start.

For those of you who have been reading these blog posts regularly, thank you. Writing them has been a way for me to integrate some of my experiences, so you have helped me!

However, during this next phase of my sabbatical, I need to relax a bit more. I will continue to blog, but only once--or perhaps twice--a week, instead of daily. After a busy week at home, Susie and I will head to the Southeast for three weeks. Until then, SHALOM!

On to Amman

On the last day of our course, we began in Amman, Jordan. When I asked the derivation of the city's name, I had one of those "ah-ha" moments. It's called Amman because it is the land of the "Ammonites"! (See Gen. 19:38 and Deut. 2:19 if that doesn't mean anything to you).

Today Amman has a population of 2.5 million. However, after its heyday as a Greco-Roman and Byzantine center, it was struck by several earthquakes. Until the late 1800s, it was just a small village in the midst of magnificent ruins. The picture I'm posting shows part of the restored city gate from the Greco-Roman period. (For the purposes of scale, notice our group on the lefthand side of the pic).

However, as impressive as these ruins were, the finds that most intrigued me were in the nearby Jordanian museum. Although the museum is small, it contains some priceless artifacts -- pieces of the leather Dead Sea Scrolls, for instance. However, the 2nd picture I'm posting, the "Deir Alla inscriptions," was my favorite exhibit.

I know it's not much to look at, but let me tell you the story. In 1967 these inscriptions were found at Deir Alla in the Jordan Valley written in red and black ink on one of the walls. They can be dated sometime between 840-760 BC. The inscriptions relate a previously unknown prediction of the prophet Balaam, son of Beor. In case you skipped over Numbers 22-24 in your morning devotions, Balaam was hired by the Moabites to curse the Israelites. However, God prevented him from doing this and even used Balaam's donkey to rebuke him!

The significance of this is simple: Balaam is the first Old Testament prophet to be specifically named in this type of extra-biblical inscription. Although this doesn't "prove" the story from Numbers, it reminds us that the Bible should be taken seriously as a historical document. That's one of several things that sets it apart from many other religious writings. Unlike the Bhagavad Gita, a famous Hindu sacred text, the Bible is populated by real, not mythological, people. And, unlike the Book of Mormon, my Bible has maps in the back. We can locate many of the places where events in the Bible occurred, but that is not the case in the Book of Mormon.

Please understand: I'm not interested in attacking the religious sensibilities of other people. However, it's important for us to love God with our minds as well as with our hearts. Baseless emotion is as dangerous as arid intellectualism. Didn't Jesus have something to say about that (Mt. 22:36-37)?

The Wonder of Petra

I don't have a "formal" Bucket List, but visiting Petra has been on my informal list for several years. And it exceeded my expectations in every way!

Petra is located in Jordan about three hours south of Amman and in the large valley that runs south from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Although people had lived in the area for generations, it was the Nabateans who made it famous when they chose it as their capital around 100 BC. As a people group, they likely were an amalgamation of the Bible's Edomites and a group of semi-nomadic tribes, the Nabatu.

Most of Petra was destroyed by an earthquake in 363 AD, but what remains is both spectacular and mysterious. The Nabeteans carved giant tombs into the red sandstone. Look carefully at this picture, and you can see that the little white figures are people! This tomb is not unique. There are dozens and their variety and size are remarkable.

The aspect of our visit that I most appreciated was our hike to the "High Place." According to our guide, this is the best preserved sacrificial altar in the ancient world. After seeing it, I must agree!

It reminded me that the Israelites were constantly tempted to set up their own "high places." It was there that they would worship other gods, or, in other instances, where they would try to blend their worship of Yahweh with the gods of the peoples around them. Through his prophets, God decried their unfaithfulness: "On every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute" (Jer. 2:20).

When we read of their idolatry and other sins, I think American followers of Christ tend to rhetorically ask, "Isn't that terrible? Why would they ignore their history? Why didn't they repent?" Here is what I think, though. God's people were not intentionally trying to be unfaithful. However, they--like we--were seduced by the influences all around them. Allow me to illustrate.

If the rains were slow in coming and the crops were jeopardized, the Israelites might make a sacrifice to Baal. Why? Baal was the storm god. "If it works for the Philistines or the other Canaanites, maybe it will work for us too. We're not abandoning our worship of Yahweh. He is a great God; He brought us through the wilderness, but we need a god who can help us right now and right here, not a desert god."

And, just like the Israelites, I think American Christians pretend to worship the King of the Universe, while too often we "recreate" God. We want a god who will do exactly what we want, but who will not demand too much of us. We want a god who will give us prosperity and pain-free lives.

Jesus said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Ouch! The sole reason I'm willing to do that is because Jesus says that is the way to authentic life.

Jerash (Gerasa)

The highlight of our first day in Jordan was our Jerash visit. This was a Greco-Roman city known in the New Testament as Gerasa. In Jesus' day, it was one of the self-governing cities of the Decapolis. (We earlier had visited Pella and Gadara.) I had heard of these cities, but I was amazed at how large and magnificent they were. In my picture, the "city council" hall is in the background.

Again, though, a simple lesson stands out: wealth, glory, and fame are temporary, but the Word of the Lord remains forever!

Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain

No one should come to the Holy Land unprepared to climb a lot of stairs! Everyday we have climbed somewhere and usually several times a day. To reach the most interesting sites, you've got to climb.

In the first picture, our group is climbing a narrow stairway to the roof of Nebi Samwil, the place that both Muslims and Jews honor as the tomb of Samuel the Prophet. The main part of the building is a mosque, but, once you enter the foyer, you can turn to the right and go into the synagogue in the basement! And, despite all that, it is extremely unlikely that this is where Samuel is buried!

Regardless of the history, from the roof you have a panoramic view of the Central Benjamin Plain and the opportunity to reflect on why so many different groups fought for control of this area.

And, a climb like this, reminds me of two of life's primary lessons:

1. to reach the top, you usually have to begin at the bottom; and
2. the only way to get to the top is one step at a time!

Have a great day; my group leaves this morning at 6:00 a.m. for Jordan.

A Tel of Two Cities

A "tel" or "tell" (if you use the Arabic spelling) literally means "hill" or "mound." In archeology it refers to the site of an earthen mound in which the remains of a city of worship center may be found.

Cities often are built on the ruins of previous cities and typically make use of the materials left at the site. Therefore, it takes a great deal of skill to determine the "story" of a particular site. In some instances, there are twenty or more "stratum"--layers--that must be evaluated and classified.

During our field trips--about 70% of the course--we have visited numerous tels. On the first day of our Galilee outing, we visited Tel Dan, a significant archeological site a few miles from Lebanon.

I'm posting my picture of a very important find: a city gate built around 1750 BC. Some of the gate area is reconstructed, but the mud brick arches were preserved when the gate went out of use and was buried under a later phase as part of the defensive rampart of the city. The gate is called Abraham's Gate because this is the period of the biblical patriarchs and because the Bible tells how the people of this city took Lot captive until Abraham rescued him. So, the first "tel" was Laish, the Canaanite city that existed before it became "Dan."

Although there have been many other significant "finds" at Tel Dan, one outshines them all. In 1994, excavators found three basalt fragments of a memorial "stele" (a tall, narrow slab of stone or wood inscribed or carved with names, laws, pictures, designs, or dedications). Together the three fragments measure 9 inches by 16 inches; the complete stele may measure 39 inches by 19 inches. Here's what's interesting--to me, at least: the stele seems to indicate that the Aramean king, Hazael, was responsible for its erection. This is the same Hazael that is mentioned in 2 Kings 8:7-15 when Elisha visited Damascus and pronounced that Hazael would become the king of what is now Syria. Elisha then wept because God showed him that Hazael would attack Israel.

According to the Bible, Hazael became one of Israel's most dangerous enemies, possibly even reducing Israel to a vassal state for a time (2 Kings 10:32-33). In lines 7-10 of the stele, the text contains the letters 'ביתד וד', the House of David, as a reference to Israel. This is the first time that the name, David, was found at any archaeological site dating before 500 BC. Not only that, the lack of a "dot" as a separation point between the words "house" and "David" implies that the term "House of David" had become a fixed phrase and was still in use 200 years after his death.

Furthermore, a press release issued by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time of the discovery stated: "It is reasonable to assume that Jehoash, king of Israel, who fought the Arameans three times and defeated them (2 Kings 13:25) recovering territories previously lost, including the city of Dan, symbolically smashed the stele erected there by Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus."

Perhaps that's too much information for you, but consider this: some scholars have doubted that King David and Solomon ever existed! Their thinking was that these great kings of Israel were mythological, on a par with Britain's King Arthur. The discovery of Tel Dan stele has made it difficult for them to maintain that position. Once again, we see that the Bible should be taken seriously as a historical document. But some of us already knew that, didn't we? (Does that sound too smug?)

There's much more I could say about Tel-Dan. At least, though, you now know something more about Laish and Dan and "The Tel of Two Cities."

Walking on the Sea -- Second Try

It didn't work the second time either. Maybe I would have more luck if Jesus was the one inviting me to walk on the water. "Fools plunge in" and all that sort of thing.

On the other hand, this morning I didn't sink at all. It probably helped that I--we--had a boat underneath our feet.

What a great way to start a day: a quiet cruise to the middle of the Sea of Galilee; then reading the scriptures about Jesus calming the storm. When we docked, we saw the 2000-year old boat that was discovered beside the Sea in 1986. The scientists who worked on the project managed to preserve this astounding find, and we now have a much better idea about the type of boat Jesus and his disciples sailed in. (The pic I've posted is of a reproduction of the boat, but, if you're interested in more info, try http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/galilee-jesus-boat.htm.)

Later that morning, we saw the "Sower's Cove," one of the main spots where Jesus might have taught the people from Peter's boat. Do you remember the miracle that followed and how Peter reacted? If not, read Luke 5:1-11.

Jesus won't call most of us to walk on the water, but he wants all of us to "launch out into the deep and let our nets down for a catch" (Luke 5:4). As followers of Christ, we need to be "fishing" for men and women, boys and girls. Are we?

Walking on the Sea

I tried walking on the water tonight. I was less successful than Peter.

However, I did enjoy walking in the Sea of Galilee. The water was warm, the lights of Tiberias beautifully twinkled from the opposite shoreline, and a half-moon softly illuminated the water. It was wonder-full!

When I considered coming to Israel, I had no idea this would be one of the highlights, but it is. Isn't it interesting how God can blindside us with a blessing?

I didn't walk on the Sea of Galilee tonight . . . but I didn't ride a bike the first time I tried.

I probably just need more practice. Tomorrow night sounds like a good time.