Come Seek With Me

In the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, on the Via Dolorosa, stands a Roman Catholic church bearing the above tiled work of art.   The work is called the 'Mother of Hope' in English and depicts Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  While aesthetically pleasing, I get the distinct feeling that Mary's friends and neighbors in Nazareth would have a hard time recognizing her.  I think in the Christian world, it can be much the same with Jesus.  As a Christian, do I represent Jesus in a way that His friends and neighbors would have recognized Him?   I found myself thinking about that during my time in Israel.   Paul speaks of provoking his Jewish brothers to jealousy for their salvation  in  Romans 11 . But how can that happen, if our Jewish brothers do not recognize the way we represent Jesus...Yeshua? What changes are we willing to make to better represent Jesus...Yeshua to His own kinsmen? What changes am I willing to make in order to more authenti...

the desert beyond Be'er Sheva It was a hot June afternoon as I looked out into the desert near Be'er-Sheva.   Though the ruins of the ancient town were before me, I was more inclined to turn my back to them in order to take in the land outside the town walls.   I had something on my mind...   I was thinking of a history from Genesis chapter 21 .  You know the story, I bet.  Isaac is weaned, and Sarah sees Ishmael making fun of Isaac during his celebration.  Sarah demands that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. Scripture tells us that, "the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's eyes on account of his son." ( Genesis 21:11 )  --I know many often think of Abraham as having only one son, Isaac, but the truth is that Ishmael was his first born.  Abraham loved Ishmael, and the demand from Sarah to send him away must have cut like a knife to his very core. But we are told that Abraham did send both Hagar and Ishmael away... Why? Because "God sa...

Stock photo used to protect privacy - not an actual location photo The location is only known by word-of-mouth.   The building, nondescript. There is no signage.  But a quiet stream of people find their way to it. And the sound of singing can be heard echoing in the alley... It is a Messianic congregation of believers in Yeshua in modern-day Israel. During my recent visit to Israel, I had the great privilege of visiting a Messianic congregation for a portion of their Sabbath worship service.  Of all the places our team visited in the land, this was by far my favorite experience.   The building was not beautiful.  The context was not historical.  Our time there was incredibly limited.  Yet, it impacted me more than almost any other aspect of the land. If you care to know why, give me a few more lines of your time... The music was authentic...Hebrew worship, straight from the Psalms.  

The Gate of... Leshem... Abraham... Dan... This gate been called many things over the years.  It is now being excavated in Tel Dan (the Hill of Dan), which is located in the far North of the State of Israel.   The city of Leshem is where the tribe of Dan settled after "the territory of the the children of Dan slipped away from them" (Joshua 19:47).   So, what about this visit made me "forgive" Dan...and why had I been holding a grudge?   First, let me say that I have been in the wrong on this grudge...and God used the visit to Tel Dan to set me straight.  I am so thankful for His loving correction!   My grudge stemmed from these issues: 1) Dan did not conquer their tribal land.  2) Because of this, Dan moved to Leshem...a place that they were never intended to have been. (Joshua 19:47) 3) When the Kingdom split into Judah (south) and Israel (north), Dan became a place of idolatrous worship where a festival was put in place ...

Georgia גורגיה Bulldogs בולדגס Go Dawgs! So, in this blog, I am going to show you some of my favorite souvenirs from Israel.  I had to start with this t-shirt; being a "Dawg" fan keeps peace in the family, as my husband is a graduate of UGA.  If you happen to be offended by this, never fear!  Israel boasts Hebrew t-shirts for every team.  Pottery Abby found quite a bit of discarded pottery along our journey.  The piece at the top is from Beit Shemesh (think Sampson in Judges).  The bottom two pieces are from Har Megido.  Har Megido in Hebrew = Armageddon in English (think Revelation 16:16).   Sand We gathered this sand in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen...Caesarea by the Mediterranean Sea.   This was the site of Herod's palace and the home city of Cornelius the centurion. Rocks Can you see the salt on the rock to the far left?  Abby fished these rocks out of the Dead ...

the Jewish and Christian path to the temple mount Going Up... I was shocked that our group of believers was actually allowed to go up to the temple mount where The Dome of the Rock now stands.  Notice the wooden "temporary" walkway in the featured picture. That is the walkway that both Jews and Christians are allowed to use in order to access it.  While it definitely screams "second class citizen" compared to nicer paths that Muslims use, it is a path. There are Jews who "go up" regularly to visit the real estate that they believe once boasted their temple.  Security is TIGHT...especially for Jews and Christians.  Several in our group were made to cover their arms and legs during our visit.  The Beauty... I had never really paid much attention to pictures of The Dome of the Rock, so I was quite surprised by its beauty.  The gold dome is well-known, but the ancient tiles are quite magnificent, too.  Here is a better picture of the detail: ...

Welcome to a view or two of The Mount of Olives.  When visiting Israel, it is easy to see why it is called that.  The mountain is covered  in olive trees.  It is also in close proximity to the temple mount and the city of Jerusalem.  It is a mountain that you have heard of within the pages of your Bible.   Abby was impressed to find a camel on the mountain.  🐪 We know that Jesus made many references to the Mount of Olives in the New Testament, and the book of Acts tells us that when the disciples watched the resurrected Jesus go up into heaven, "then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives." (Acts 1:12)   The prophet Zechariah tells us that it is to the Mount of Olives that Jesus will return.  "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem" (Zech. 14:4). This is a picture from the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the mountain. Abby and I walked from the top of the ...

Our first view of the Mediterranean Sea from Jaffa Welcome to Jaffa and Caesarea by the Sea!  You likely know both of these city names from the pages of your Bible.  Jonah made Jaffa famous (it may be called Joppa in your English Bible).  Jaffa was also the home of Simon the Tanner from Peter's vision.   From Jaffa, you will recall that Peter sets out for Caesarea by the Sea to meet a gentile believer, Cornelius.  This meeting between Peter and Cornelius turns out to be the avenue by which The Holy Spirit opens the New Covenant to the gentiles.   This. Is. Good. News!   So, in a sense, I think of Cornelius as an ancestor to all of the gentiles who have come to faith in Israel's Messiah.  It was surreal to visit both Jaffa and Caesarea and recall that it was on that very real estate that God began calling the nations...calling me...to Himself.  This is the site of the home of Simon the Tanner 1 Now [there was] a man at Ca...