and so it is...

2006-11-30T18:58:00.000-05:00

Handcuffing the Arms of Father Time
The time is currently 1:39am and I just recently finished my last final paper. It was enjoyable to write, I learned some, and I think it turned out alright. What kicks me though is this: in less that 24hrs I will be on my way home. I vividly remember my first encounters here in Israel. I used to stop and be in wonder and amazement that I had shekels in my pocket. Now, I have the same feelings and thoughts as I consider the reality of how soon I have to leave.

I’m nervous, scared, and excited to come home. A lot of different feelings are being pumped through my veins.

Nervous because I am scared…

Scared because of what might or might not happen when I return…

And excited because soon the questions will be met with answers…

I’ve been in Israel for over three months now. I’ve seen, experienced, and learned quite a lot. New thoughts have been given to me as well as new confrontations. Victories have occurs as well as defeats.

What am I’m going to say to people?

How can I adequately relate what I have been through?

What are their reactions going to be?

What is my life going to look like in the not too distant future and is this going to bring me joy or sadness?

The answers to some of these questions are about to be discovered. For I have realized that they are only time, an ocean, and a conversation away…

2006-11-29T14:03:00.000-05:00

Me, my sister, the Canadians, and a hole in the city wall that lead to...

2006-11-28T12:38:00.000-05:00

Beauty and the Beast (a rather handsome Beast I might add)
So, my big little sister came to visit me over Thanksgiving and we had a good time. Hands down it was the best Thanksgiving I have experienced yet. We had amazing food, lots of laughs, and good friends to share it all with. Here are a couple of the experiences he shared together during Alicia’s trip to the Middle East.

Scary Suits
Towards the end of Alicia’s trip we rented a car and headed up to the Galilee and needless to say we had a couple of interesting experiences. We got up to the Sea of Galilee and decided that we wanted to take a little swim. We stopped at three different spots and they were progressively sketch.

The first one was down a gravel road and was simply a dirty beach and no one was swimming. An elder couple was eating and several kids were riding their bikes around, so we decided to move on.

We made our way on to site number two. Thinking back on it, I’m surprised I didn’t wake up in a bathtub full of ice cold water with one of my kidneys missing. This place was something out a horror flick. It was at this hotel and there was no one there. There was stuff all over the place though, such as a baby stroller, drinks, and chairs. It looked like there was a party and everyone disappeared. There was a pool, but no water in it and a couple of really big dogs barking at us. Alicia and I just looked at each other and decided to jet.

The final site showed signs of better days with a rusty ferris wheel and the remnants of a staff full of misfit carnies. We asked how much to use the beach and they said 50 shekels so we replied, “see you later.”

We gave up on swimming.

Pounds vs. Gravity
That night we camped out on the Cliffs of Arbel. By the time camp was set up the sun was getting rather low. So, I wanted to gather some firewood for a little fire, but there were only a couple of trees and they were on the cliffs edge. I climbed on down and got some wood and on my way back up I needed to use both hands to continue climbing. So, I yelled for my sis so that she would grab the wood and she eventually found me. However, instead of helping me with the wood she reprimanded me. She said she was calling for me earlier, but I didn’t hear her. She asked me if I was alright and I replied that of course I was. She thought I was hurt because I didn’t reply to her calling and she said, “I was trying to figure out how I could pull your dead lifeless body up this cliff.” Now that’s love.

Finale
Alicia and I went to the Galilee and camped and hiked on the Cliffs of Arbel, chilled at Elijah’s cave, and saw a beautifully landscaped Bahai temple. In Jerusalem we went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Western Wall, and what kind of brother would I be if we didn’t go visit a hole with the Canadians (pictures soon to follow).

Bragging Rights
My sister and I are similar in a couple of ways. Hair and eye color (some people say we look alike but they lie). We both have very strong personalities and can be rather bull headed at times. However, my sister and I are different in ways as well. I’m a lot bigger than she is and she’s a lot better looking than I am (any guys reading this and are interested in my sis better be bigger than me…just an fyi). I’m athletic and she’s a genius. Alicia is much more of a stronger person than I am and I have a lot of respect for her because of this and for many other reasons.

My sister challenges me and pushes me for my own good. I NEVER would be here in Israel if it wasn’t for her pushing me to do a semester abroad. The finances and class schedule I didn’t think would come together, but they have. I didn’t think or care to check into it but I did because of her. My time here in Jerusalem has been the greatest opportunity and experience of my life. It never would have happened if it wasn’t for Alicia.

She has taught me the meaning of family. As I said earlier, she doesn’t have any money because she works for a non profit, but she scrapped what she did have together and came to visit her baby brother. That act holds a lot of significance and love in my eyes.

Alicia challenges my thoughts on politics, religion, and theology. She opens my mind and eyes to new thoughts, ideas, and views. We disagree sometimes, but I’m glad she challenges me.

She corrects me on my dinner manners, which really annoys me, but I know it’s for my own good. Take smaller bites. Chew with your mouth closed. Blow your nose don’t snort it up. Wear a black belt not brown. The list continues.

It was nice to have my big little sister come over to visit, but its better knowing that I have a sister that loves me, wants the best for me, and will always be there to challenge and encourage me.

2006-11-28T09:34:00.000-05:00

Israel and so much more vol. 4 (sister edition)
several thousand words from my sis' camera...

2006-11-22T08:26:00.000-05:00

A Big Fat Turkey
Thanksgiving is coming up this Friday. What a beautiful opportunity to spend time with our families that we love and be thankful for all that God has blessed us with. Well, that’s ideally what should happen. However, in actuality a lot of people or going to spend time with their annoying in-laws, fall asleep watching football, and get even fatter than what they are.

I find it absolutely hilarious whenever I hear Christians state that smoking is a sin. They use passages in the Bible that talk about how our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that we need to take care of them. I would agree that this is true and that smoking is harmful. Smoking leads to cancer and cancer in the #2 leading cause of death in the United States. Smoking is bad for your body. But would you like to know the #1 leading cause of death in the US?

Heart disease…

Do you know what causes heart disease? Unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, and being overweight. Indeed, there are ways of contracting heart disease that are beyond a persons control and there are people who simply cannot lose weight. I realize this. I know this. So, I’m not raving to these people. Just to those who can control their weight, but just don’t care enough to. Maybe some of us should stop smoking and maybe others should stop eating Oreo’s. Just something that makes me laugh. Adventures in missing the point. I’m in the same boat quite often as well.

Another thing to think about this holiday weekend. I got an interesting email recently that shares some startling facts. The email read that if 20 people sit down at your table, representing the world's population, three would get a gourmet meal, five would get rice and beans, and 12 would receive a small portion of rice. The issue isn’t lack of food it’s an issue with distribution.

Check out: www.one.org

Anyway, the whole reason I started writing was to say that in the next hour and a half I’m leaving for Tel Aviv to go pick my sis up from the airport. This digression simply spilled out. She’s coming to visit, see the land, and to hang out over the holiday. She’s leaving on Monday, but it should give us enough time to go visit some stellar sites. I’m thinking about…

Giving her a tour of the city…

Snorkeling in Eilat…

Hiking in Qumran…

Swinging by the Dead Sea…

and hiking at En Gedi…

Should be a good time and I’m really stoked about her visiting. We have a lot to talk about and share with each other. I really value that she’s coming for a lot of reasons, but one especially…

My sister graduated from APU in 2003 basically paying for college on her own. After graduation, she spent 2.5 years in Togo, West Africa with the Peace Corps and now she is working for a non-profit organization called Illinois Citizens for Better Care. Needless to say my sister is an absolutely amazing person. Due to the call on her life she has no money and it doesn’t seem to bother her.

She values and loves her little brother so much that she scrapped what little money she had to fly to Israel to spend the holiday with me. I wouldn’t even be in this country if it wasn’t for my sister’s influence.

I think my little big sister is an amazing person and I’m completely stoked about being able to spend the holiday with her…

2006-11-22T07:07:00.000-05:00

Jordan
As I wrote early I recently spent four days in the country of Jordan. The trip in general was somewhat of a shoulder shrug for me. I didn’t find a whole lot to be that interesting or exciting, but there were a couple of things that did enthrall me.

Ramoth-gilead
I’m sure this site had some historical/biblical significance to it, but I was a little distracted. As I wrote a couple of posts ago I want to build a bow. Well, my buddy Benaiah found a 30 lb flint stone for the arrowheads. I ended up digging it up with my hands and hauled it around from bus to hotel to bus to hotel to bus to hotel to bus to border checkpoint to bus to my room. This find was the highlight of my day because how cool is flint!?!

Body of a Greek God
Day two of the trip we visited the city of Ramon. We went to other places but this was the only one that was any fun. At this site were the remains of a Herculean Temple with these monstrously huge columns. The enormity of them blew me away. Also, there was a nice little museum that had some cool artifacts.

Petra
So, remember in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Indy ends up finding the Holy Grail in a palace type structure that is carved into the face of a cliff? Yea, that’s Petra and it was by far the most stellar place in all of Jordan that I visited. When we got to the path that leads into the ancient city, I booked ahead of our group because I was so excited. Ever so conveniently my batteries in my camera died right before I got to the Treasury. So, any pictures you see of that are from some of the other students here. I looked at the Treasury for about 30 seconds and then said to myself, “I’ll be back to see this later today,” so I continued to blaze a trail. I found that there was another structure somewhat similar to this one called the Monastery. It was about an hour long hike up a trail, through this mountain, which lead me to my destination. I looked at the Monastery for a little while and then opposite the Monastery I saw a large rock hill with a tall standing stone structure on top of it. When I saw those standing stones on top of that hill the first thought in my head was not the following:

“I wonder why the person(s) built the standing stones…”

“I wonder what they were commemorating as they built this…”

“How long ago was the structure built…?”

“How long did it take this person(s) to build this standing stone…?”

The only thought that was going through my head is the following:

“I have to go up there and build a bigger one…”

I wonder why that is?

What about my heart, character, ego, psyche, or DNA caused me to think in this manner?

Whatever it was I ended up spending the next three hours building a bigger, taller, better standing stone. From the time I arrived at that site until I left I carried stones, piled them up, and built higher and higher. That’s all I did and I had a blast. I felt like such a man grunting, hauling large rocks, and constructing. I spend three hours doing this and it was fantastic.

As I placed the final stone on top I then began to talk to GOD. I told Him that I wanted this to commemorate the life that He has called me to live. However, now as I sit and write this I wonder if I built it to pat myself on the back. I carved my initials, a cross, and YHWH in Hebrew, so maybe it was for mixed reasons.

I do not know…

Misc
After I was done playing with the Flintstone legos I made my way back to grab some lunch. On the way, I had some tea with a nice Nabatean girl and bought an overpriced camel bone box. I don’t know how profitable this type of business really is. At this girls store I ended up in a conversation with a British man, who has been living in Israel, concerning the absolute existence of GOD. Random.

Stupid Human Pet Tricks
On our last day in Jordan I was sitting at breakfast in between Meredith and Benaiah with a couple of elder Canadians across from me. I was eating my light breakfast when Benaiah made a statement. He said that he could blow an egg clean out of its shell. The Canadian across stated his disbelief, but I, yes I, had faith in the jungle native man named Benaiah. After a few moments of preparation the egg was ready for launch. Benaiah put his lips to end of the egg and out shot the hard boiled egg. I never saw that before and I found it to be impressive. So, I got a couple of eggs and Benaiah taught me a new trick. Oh joy.

End
Jordan in general was alright, but there were some major highlights in this prolonged textbook of a trip. I rode another camel, climbed some rocks, and saw a couple of stellar sites. Petra was by far the main event, so I’d definitely encourage people to go there. It was a good time and my last Field Study. So, the trip as a whole was a bittersweet symphony…

(pictures of this trip can be found below)

2006-11-22T06:58:00.000-05:00

Israel and so much more vol.3 (jordan edition)

2006-11-10T06:49:00.000-05:00

“No soup for you!”…well thank God
Here at JUC we have two cooks. One serves lunch and the other dinner. Lunch is always…interesting. We all know what I mean by that. Each day before I waste my time climbing the stairs into the kitchen to get my food, I look into the dinning hall to see what’s to eat and to get peoples reaction to it. Today I continued that trend. The main course was pita, fried cauliflower, fried eggplant, and fried peppers. I passed. But, then I noticed that there was soup. So, I asked how it was and here are some of the replies/conversations I heard concerning it…
__________________
“I think it’s a little…grainy”
-Joel
“It tastes like a burrito.”
-Jesse
“I don’t think so.”
-Ben
“So what do you think it tastes like then?”
-me
“I…I don’t know”
-Ben
_________________
“How’s the soup?”
-me
“It’s…it’s interesting”
-Jess
“Look what happens when you let it settle and then pull up what's from the bottom…”
-Hannah
“…gaaag…”
-me
________________
“If you want to get the full experience, taste the stuff that settles on the bottom. I heard it was ground up chickpeas…but I think its cornmeal.”
-Emilee
“It tastes like the remnants of potato soup.”
-Jeremy (The Canadian)
________________
"It tastes like pureed beans."
-Benito
“It tastes like a combination of pea soup, oatmeal, and cinnamon.”
-Johnny
“When I leave my spoon in the soup for a little while and then try to pull it out…I can feel the resistance.”
-Li
________________

Taking all of this into consideration, I ended up having two apples and a PB and J sandwich…

2006-11-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

Sore Eyes
I just got back from Jordan and had some interesting experiences. There will be a couple stories and photographs to come in the not so distant future, but here are some random shots of the trip…

2006-11-03T14:51:00.000-05:00

Back to the Future
Tomorrow morning at the bright and early hour of 6am I am leaving on my last Field Study trip here at JUC. We will be traveling throughout the country of Jordan studying the geography and Biblical significance of the land. I know we are stopping at Petra for a spell, which I’m absolutely stoked about. This trip might also contain another camel ride, some stellar cliffs, and maybe a newly fabricated instrument of self destruction (see previous post, Evolution 10-24-06). We had our last Physical Settings class on Thursday. While in that class I began to think of some other final events that are in the not so distant future in my life.

Only 4 more weeks here at JUC

Only 1 more semester before college graduation

I can’t get beyond that last one. I have no idea what is going to happen after graduation. My Pops would say, “I know what you’re gunna be doin, you’re gunna get a job so you can pay for my Social Security.”

Oh, I have ideas of what I’d like to do. It’s just a matter of finding someone who will pay me to do it…

2006-11-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

Colored Stones (Part II)
The Beit Jala game was very entertaining. It was Jerusalem High School vs. Bethlehem High School. The epic match of David and Goliath was reenacted on that court today. However, there was somewhat of an unexpected Gnostic ending to this tale. I arrived at the school where the game was going to take place and the hearts of the Palestinians were already dismal before the game ever began. The Bethlehem students told me time and time again about how their proverbial mulls were about to get kicked. I had a hard time believing how pessimistic they were. Even the principle predicted the defeat.

The game started and I looked around the bleacherless gym to see that no parents had come to support their children. I asked the principle about this and she said that a parentless audience was the standard. However, there were several Bethlehem students who came to support their team. In the 1st quarter Bethlehem was ahead by 16 points and their attitudes quickly changed. They lost focus, started showboating, and were getting mouthy. Jerusalem quickly came back and towards the end of the game took a 4 point lead. Bethlehem pulled it out in the end with a 53-50 win. In this tale, the Palestinians won the battle.

It was a good game.

No stones thrown.

Which was somewhat disappointed…

2006-11-02T15:39:00.000-05:00

Colored Stones
I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to volunteer at a school in Beit Jala which is in Bethlehem. I’ve been volunteering there for 7 weeks now and every week is better than the last. The West Bank can be a little intense at times. Israel is very modern. I haven’t experienced the slightest form of culture shock since I’ve been here. However, it took me several visits to get used to the culture, environment, and social norms of the West Bank.

I volunteer at a school that has students from elementary thru high school age. I do conversational English with a 10 year old boy named Johnny. The kid is absolutely adorable and he’s really bright. I help him out with his homework reading and then I’ll have a game that we’ll play that will require him to describe, direct, or explain something. We have a lot of fun and he’s really starting to grow on me.

Also, I play basketball with some of the high school students at the school. My skills in the sport are somewhat lacking, but being a Hoosier puts me on par with the guys I’m playing with. Yesterday, when I was at the school, one of the high school students invited me to his game on Friday. So, the principle of the school is going to pick me up at JUC tomorrow and we are going to watch the game together along with some of the other students.

I’m really stoked about being invited and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to spend some time with him, the students, and the principle. It should be an eventful time. These Palestinian kids have minimal fundamentals when it comes to basketball, so it should be entertaining. I wonder if the fans throw stones at the referee instead of off colored phrases of disapproval? I guess I’ll just have to wait and see…

2006-11-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Say Hello to My Little Friends (Part II)
Do you ever feel unappreciated, unwanted, or unloved? On occasion, I used to until I came to Israel. Here I know that every night there are oh so many little critters that rely on me for sustenance, warmth, and protection. I washed my sheets and changed mattresses, but the little guys just won’t go away. This morning I woke up with seven new insect bites that swell bigger and bigger as the day goes on. These bites are a constant reminder that I am loved by the insect community. So, every night as I enter into a state of slumber, I can fall asleep with the warming of my heart, knowing that I am treasured and needed. Then in the morning I can look for their mark of appreciation that only grows as the day continues…

2006-11-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

Han Solo
I just now realized something. I’m single. Now, I’m not talking marital status single, I’m talking SINGLE. I’m not engaged, I don’t have a girlfriend, I’m not even dating anyone. In fact, I’ve never been so single in my life. Usually, I at least have a girl that I’m flirting with or a crush or at least some sort of prospect, but now I’ve got nothing. All interests have been painted out of the scenery.

My two best friends in the whole entire world are Brad and Justin. Justin got married in May and Brad’s getting married in December. In all honesty I’m completely stoked for them. Other friends of mine? I got this buddy David, he’s got a girlfriend who he’s serious with. I got a buddy Adam, but he’s like America’s #1 Most Eligible Bachelor, so it won’t be long for him. But me? Oh, I’m as single as it gets…

Someone might say, “Well, Chad I’m sure there are plenty of quality ladies at Bethel.” To that I would reply with the following quote that was spoken to me by none other than my friend Jeff. He said, “Chad, Bethel girls are kinda like a parking lot, all the good ones are taken and the rest…well, they’re handicapped.”

I’m not saying I wish I was with anybody, I’m just stating the obvious…

2006-10-30T11:17:00.000-05:00

Say Hello to My Little Friends
Ever since my first night in Jerusalem, insects have found it rather convenient to visit me as if I was Ponderosa. At first, it was just a bite here and there, a couple on the ankle, a couple on the foot, a couple on the arm, no big deal. Well, the rainy season is just around the corner and the early rains have started. Meaning that the temperature has dropped about 20 degrees and cold rains are beginning to come rather frequently. So, it’s cold outside and all of the critters that are usually star gazing are now looking for a nice warm place to set up camp, mainly my bed. I never see them, put they leave their mark nonetheless, which I find every morning somewhere on my body. I think they might be ants. I squished something the other night that felt like an ant.

It has been getting bad enough that the past couple of nights I’ve been sleeping fully clothed. Complete with jeans, sweatshirt, and socks. Last night I even put rubber bands over the ends of my jeans so that bugs couldn’t creep up. I don’t know if my strategy has been working yet because I have so many bug bites on me I can’t tell if there are any new ones. So, I’ll continue this for a couple more nights to see how things pan out. Once again, as I sit back and think about the situation,

I realize it’s just another day in the Middle East…

2006-10-29T09:47:00.000-05:00

When I See It
Mom-
I am the mature and dignified age of 22 (4.5 Leap Year baby). I know the time of infancy, elementary, and high school years simply flew by for you. Can you believe that in just over 6 months I’ll be graduating from college? You have weaned me, toilet trained me, and informed me of the winged animals of the air and their relationship to the insects who make honey. I am sure that it feels as if it was just yesterday that I was learning to ride a bike, figuring out how to tie my shoe, and playing t-ball. During the first 19 years of my life I was for the most part close to home and you would see me all the time. Now, since I’ve been in college, I’m gone more than I am at home, especially now that I am studying in Israel. Over the years, there have been some things that have not changed, such as my never ending energy, my ability to do amazingly stupid things and not get seriously injured, and my love for fried chicken.

But, there are many things that have changed. I began to drive, I grew taller than you, I got a job, I started reading because I wanted to, I started doing my own laundry, and I began to schedule my own haircut appointments just to name a few. Years ago you used to cradle me in your arms and we both know that by no stretch of the imagination would that ever be possible today (regardless of how much rice I eat here).

So, since you have been there for me my whole entire life and have seen so many new changes in my life I wanted you to be aware of the most recent. It took 22 years to get to this point in my life, for me to be able to accomplish what I am about to present. All forms of maturation and growth have finally built up to this, so that I could finally accomplish this magnificent act…

With all of that said, mom I am proud to tell you the following…

I started making my bed…

2006-10-28T14:47:00.000-04:00

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
A few of the many things I adore about Jerusalem
The context that I’m in
Reading a story in the Bible and being in the same valley, hill, mountain, river, city, sea, or plain that the story occurred in.

The mountains
Whenever I go hiking on a mountain here I always feel like I’m in Lord of the Rings. Often there are steep cliffs, deep wadis, and very unique stairs.

The amazing hiking trails
The parks here have trails through springs, waterfalls, mountains that take me through a land that makes me realize that I’m not in Kansas anymore.

Rabbi Moshe
My professor for my Rabbinical Thought and Literature. I have learned so much from this man about Jewish thought, the Torah, Midrash, and about God in and outside of class.

Moshe and Dov
Any question I have about Jewish theology these guys will gladly answer. Plus their passion and love for God challenges and encourages me. Check out there website for any of your Israeli needs www.shorashim.com

The Sea of Galilee
There is such an amazing presence at this place. Some of my favorite Bible stories happened here.

The Hebrew Language
It is so much fun to read, speak, and listen to.

Shabbat Dinners
Every Friday night we all get dressed up and sit down to a wonderful meal together. The ladies light candles, Dr. Wright gives a blessing, we sing Hebrew songs, have amazing bread, and just chat it up.

Raed’s cooking
If it wasn’t for this man’s dinners I would be a mental and physical wreck. It's always so nice to know that every evening I'm going to have a nice, hot, delicious meal.

Shekels in my pocket
Whenever I stick my hands in my pocket and feel shekels, I am taken back with the realization of where I’m at.

The variation of the topography
In Indiana we have corn, flat land, and corn. It’s not bad, but it is nice to being able to see hills, valleys, mountains, canyons, wadis, plains, seas, and rivers.

Playing baseball in hell
I lived right beside the Hinnom Valley which is what Jesus is referring to in the New Testament when He speaks of hell. So, whenever I play baseball, frisbee, or just walk by it I stand amazed of the significance of where I’m at.

Being able to let my heart run wild
There are so many fun holes, tombs, and caves to crawl around in here. Often when I am on a Crusader wall I’ll pretend I’m a solider and shoot at the enemy with my imaginary bow and arrow. Also, there are so many trees, columns, and structures to climb here.

2006-10-24T17:15:00.000-04:00

Evolution
So, the other day I was at Caesarea Philippi and was doing a little hiking down this trail with a bunch of other undergrad students. We were just beginning our hike and of course I needed a walking stick, for every good hike begins with a walking stick. At that moment all I could find was a four foot piece of bamboo that was about an inch thick or so. I continued my walk, borrowed my buddy Benaiah’s knife and turned it into a nice little spear. I ended up carrying the spear between by back and my backpack, but it ended up snapping when the top of it got snagged on a tree. Bummed as I was, I kept the pointed part hoping that I would soon find a use. Continuing the journey, I then found a thick patch of bamboo and broke off a seven foot tall two inch thick piece. I of course sharpened the end which then gave me a really nice spear. Then I combined this new spear with the previous broken piece and thus I created a big spear with a removable, yet durable, pointed attachment.
A little while later we arrived at this magnificent waterfall, so I took a couple of pictures and then climbed on the river via some very large and conveniently placed rocks. I tried my luck (poor as it was) at spear fishing. I saw some fish and that was about as close as I got to spearing anything. We left the river and headed to our bus. Right before we got to the bus, I picked up another little piece of bamboo that fit inside of my original little spear which snapped. I hallowed out the larger longer piece and sharpened the end of the smaller. When combined, I had a nice little blowgun. Benaiah gave me some of his frayed jeans which I stuffed into the rear of the dart to create a better seal thus giving the dart greater propulsion when I blew it. I sneaked up on a couple of people and shot at them with it pretending I was some great white hunter. The dart didn’t hurt in the slightest, for the dart was too dull and the dart too light, but it was fun none the less.

Then as the blowgun continued to evolve, I of course then ended up hurting myself…

Benaiah and I put our heads together and we decided that we needed to find a cactus needle or a long thorn to place at the end of the dart. So, as we continue along, we looked and looked and looked. It was at Capernaum that I finally found a nice cactus needle just the right length. I also found some sort of moldable foam weed that I stuffed inside of the dart to give it more weight and then placed the cactus needle at the end. I put this all together on the bus and then we stopped for a bathroom break.

The blowgun and dart were complete. My design, fabrication, and trial and error process all drew to this final moment. Now, all I had to do was test it.

but on what…?

I looked around the bus to see what I could shoot in order to establish how accurate it was, but what I really wanted to know was how much it hurt. So, I stuck out my palm a little under a foot away from the end, and gave it a nice firm blow.

and as one would imagine it hurt…

I was rather proud of myself. I created a nice little weapon out of bamboo, cactus needle, weed, and some jean. I suppose all those lunch hours watching MacGyver really paid off. However, in all of my glory and excitement…

there was a problem…

I had a bamboo dart with a cactus needle stuck in my hand. Originally, I thought that the dart only entered into the callus part of my hand, but soon my thoughts were corrected. I then found Benaiah and showed him our accomplishment…which was a dart dangling from my hand. He expressed his excitement and then I proceeded to remove the dart…but it wasn’t coming out as easily as what I thought it would have. I then looked at Benaiah and said,

“Dude, I think it’s in there kinda deep.”

He replied, “Just give it a big ol tug.”

So, I pulled a little harder, but the skin around the dart pulled up with it and my ring finger moved forward.

I looked at Benaiah and said,

“Bro, it’s in there deep.”

“Just jerk it out” he said.

So, I latched on to the dart and jerked it out with all my might…

And it was a gusher to say the least…

2006-10-19T06:05:00.000-04:00

Love in All the Wrong Places
This past Friday I had the opportunity to visit a synagogue for the first time of my life. It wasn’t as Orthodox as what I might have liked, but it was Jewish through and through. The invitation was given to the college by Rabbi Moshe who teaches my Rabbinical Thought and Literature class. This is his home synagogue along with another professor from JUC. We arrived at the synagogue a little before 5pm and entered into a rectangular room which initially appeared that only ¾ of the room would be used. In the front of the synagogue there was a large and elegant cabinet with a curtain hiding its contents. There were white plastic chairs along the perimeter of the room in three sections. One on each side, then another towards the back that faced the cabinet and seemed to section off the last ¼ of the room which was nothing but open space.

The service began with a welcoming to all of the JUC students and was followed by singing Psalms and Jewish prayers in Hebrew for the next half hour or so. I adore listening to songs in Hebrew. Whenever I pray at the Western Wall I always end up flocking towards the Rabbi singing the Hebrew Scrolls. The beauty of it is moving and refreshing to me. After the singing was over everyone in the room started stacking all of the chairs and I raised an eyebrow in wonder of what was going to happen next.

It just so happened that this particular Shabbat was the Celebration of the Scrolls, which consisted of praising and singing to GOD for His giving of the Hebrew Bible. Synagogues all over the world are on the same basic calendar. The Torah readings for the week and the holidays are all practiced at the same time in every synagogue. After the chairs were moved we all stood and faced the cabinet in the front of the room. Then some men from the congregation opened the curtain and pulled out the scrolls.

That is when things really started hopping…

For the next two and a half hours the congregation danced in the unused ¼ of the room singing and praising GOD. They danced around in a circle, often having a circle inside of another rotating in separate directions with the scrolls in the center. There were seven “rounds” of dancing with the last round taking place outside. In between each round, was a little breathing break which consisted of a member of the synagogue praying underneath a prayer shawl.

Well, as it appeared the planets must have aligned and there must have been just enough Jewishness in the air, for my Caucasian Gentile self busted out a couple of Jewish jigs. It was during the second round that Rabbi Moshe grabbed and pulled me into the rotating dancing circle. Generally I do everything within my being to get out of having to dance. I can’t stand it. I only dance in front of the bathroom mirror with the door shut and locked. Even then I feel embarrassed and look around to see if someone is watching. However, who can resist Rabbi Moshe who is a direct descendant of Aaron?

The happiness and joy of the people filled the room and when I joined in I couldn’t get the smile off of my face. By the end of the service my face was sore from smiling so much. I joined in on my own free will during the seventh round. After the dancing was complete we entered the synagogue and the Rabbi read a section of the scriptures from the scrolls.

It was an experience that was completely new to me…

Which is sad when you think about it…

Why don’t we do this at my church at home? The general consensus of the "christian church", from my understanding, is this: our beliefs are right and is what is true; if you believe anything different than what we do then you are wrong and believe in lies. I find it remarkable that a church that is “right” and “true” often appears to be dull and complacent. And that a religious group that is often labeled “religious” and “legalistic” has more passion and love for GOD than what I have ever seen in the members of a “right” church.

Interesting isn’t it…?

2006-10-12T14:21:00.000-04:00

Israel and so much more vol.2 (egypt edition)

Get Your Own! View Slideshow

2006-10-11T16:19:00.000-04:00

Sukkot
This week is the holiday of Sukkot (Leviticus 23:34) The Feast of Tabernacles. During this time, the Jews are living in temporary shelters just outside of their homes or apartments called Sukkahs (Leviticus 23:42-43). These shelters remind me of when I was a child. I used to make a “tent” inside of my bedroom using blankets. The tabernacles that they build consist of connected fabric in the shape of a square and all have some sort of a see thru roof. Mainly the roofs consist of branches or something along those lines that have cracks in them so you can see the stars. Israel has two seasons: rain and no rain. Right now there is no rain, so the Sukkahs do not need to be weather proof. In the New City there are Sukkahs all over the place. Just about every apartment and restaurant have these shelters just outside there doors. Also, this time of the year is when Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike flock to Jerusalem.

The purpose of Sukkot is to be an annual reminder of God’s provision during the 40 year wilderness wondering when the Hebrews lived in similar structures. The holiday is filled with large meals and crazy Jewish shindigs. The other night I went to the “World’s Largest Sukkah” which is right here in Jerusalem. This Sukkah is in the center of a park which has a lot of palm trees at the entrance. All of the palm trees have various colored lights that project from the base and land in its leaves. Throughout the entire park there is a beautiful array of lights that greeted me as I headed inside. On the inside they had a live band playing, some art exhibits, and a lot of Orthodox Jews. I went rather early in the evening, so I hope to return sometime later this week to see everything in full swing.

For who knows…

If the planets align and if there is enough Jewishness in the air…

…then maybe my Caucasian Gentile self might be able to pull off a little Jewish jig…

2006-10-02T13:39:00.002-04:00

Would You Like Some Manna With That?
Many of the significant events that took place in the Gospels are commemorated here in Israel, specifically Jerusalem. The standard way to commemorate a site where these events have taken place is to build a church on top of it. For example…

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built over the believed area where Jesus was crucified and buried

The Church of Nativity is build over the believed area where Jesus was born

The Church of all Nations is built over the Garden of Gethsemane

After awhile it begins to get rather hilarious…

There is…

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu was built to commemorate Peter’s denial of Jesus

The Chapel of Flagellation was built to commemorate the flogging of Jesus

The Chapel of Condemnation was built to commemorate the laying on of the cross

The Basilica of the Annunciation is built over the believed area where Gabriel talked to Mary

The Church of St. Joseph was built to commemorate the humble family of Jesus

The Basilica of the Transfiguration was built over the believed area where Jesus was transfigured

The Church of St. Anne was built to commemorate the grandmother of Jesus

The Church of the Hospice was built over the believed area where Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes

and by far my personal favorite…

The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (self explanatory)

Am I the only person who thinks this is absolutely hilarious, but more so ridiculous? All these places are just tourist attractions, like The World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas. I thought we stopped selling Christianity by the end of the Reformation?

Oh wait…

I forgot about Family Christian Bookstore...

2006-09-30T14:26:00.000-04:00

Grain
Last weekend we had some time off, so me and three other students decided to swing over to Cairo, Egypt for the weekend. It consisted of some amazing sites, lots of over dramatic bartering, and plenty of stories…

Legos
The second day in Cairo I went and saw some of the pyramids and the sphinx. At the time it was hard to wrap my mind around where I was at and even at the moment it still is. One of the first things I did was to go inside the Great Pyramid. The shaft that leads down is about 4ft high, so it was a scrunched squeeze, but it was definitely worth it. There were no hieroglyphics along the walls. However, there was an empty tomb in the room that the tunnel emptied out into. Certain parts of the pyramid were blocked off. I wasn’t with the Canadians so I decided to limit my exploration.

Super Furry Animals
When I got outside the pyramid I went with the group on a little camel ride. I thought my camel was rather adorable until he started gnarling at me like I insulted his mother. He had these long yellow teeth, which rather resembled those of the guy who was leading my camel. We went out into the desert on top of a giant sand dune and looked out over the pyramids. MJ, a student here at JUC, was with me and at one point I got offered 100 thousand camels for her. I told the guy if he threw in 100 kilos of bananas it was a deal.

Antiques
On my last day in Cairo I took the time to visit the Egyptian Museum. I got to see some of the Amarna Letters, lots of Egyptian ossuaries, and a really amazing king Tut exhibit. The museum had so many amazing pieces in it, however only about 1/5 of them were labeled. The ones that were labeled looked like they had been typed out in the 50’s complete with yellow aged paper. I only spent about 3 hours there, but to really appreciate each exhibit it would take a couple of days. There were thousands of people inside enjoying the artifacts. The king Tut exhibit was packed to the max. I just walked into the area and flowed around the room in a current of people. The headdress of king Tut is absolutely breathtaking.

Eroded Boulders
So one evening I’m ambling down the side walk minding my own sweet business when I feel this golf ball sized rock hit my leg. I turn around and see this group of kids looking at me about 20 yards back and one of them says “sorry” in English. So I’m like whatever I’m sure it was an accident. I keep on walking a little ways and then another rock goes bouncing by me. So, was the kid sorry because he got caught or because he missed my head?

White Lie
One of my previous posts was all about the noise level of Israel. Well, I have a confession to make. When I wrote that I had yet to experience the sound waves of Cairo. Let me put it this way. Jerusalem is a small church mouse playing a little harp in a giant cathedral compared to Cairo. On a couple of occasions I expressed my displeasure in a manner that added to the decibels, but it was all in vain for I only added to the noise.

A Three Hour Tour
The group’s last adventure before leaving the country was to rent a boat and sail the Nile. It was early evening and the boat restaurants illuminated the shores of the river and when combined with the moonlight gave us just enough light to enjoy the venture. As I skimmed my fingers across the water I sat in awe of the moment that was being given to me. Honestly, how many people do I know that have sailed the Nile?

Finale
The trip was good. I saw the pyramids, went to a museum, sailed the Nile, and got some rocks thrown at me. So, when I sit back and contemplate it, I realize that it was just another day in the Middle East…

2006-09-21T14:52:00.000-04:00

Israel and so much more vol.1

2006-09-19T14:51:00.000-04:00

Rope
Well, the Canadians bought some rope. I believe they got 40ft of ½ inch climbing rope at a camping store in the New City. So, on the eve of Shabbat when all good Jews are coming back from the Synagogue and spending time with their families, the Canadians (Jeremy and Chad), Matthew, and I went and had a little fun.

We left campus around 9:30pm which meant it had been dark for about 2hrs. Our first destination was the 15ft deep hole I had written about earlier. The inside of the hole was large and we were hoping that there would be a tunnel or something else of interest inside. We tied the rope to a metal pole and Chad climbed on down after tying knots every 4ft in the rope. As he was going down he missed a knot and slid down the rope about 5ft which gave him a nice little rope burn on one hand.

I was the next to go.

I leaned my back up against the side of the hole and pushed with my legs on the other side while I held the rope. While in this position I continued to say, “I don’t know about this guys.” When I finally mustered up the courage, I then let my feet drop and I slowly lowered myself down. While dangling in the air, I swung my right leg around the rope to take some pressure off of my arms and to slow down my descent. I reached bottom in one piece and my hands where throbbing. It turned out that there indeed was a doorway, but it had been completely filled in. The hole itself just had a lot of trash in it. We were somewhat disappointed, but the climbing part made it all worth while.

Jeremy came down next (the guy climbs like an ape) and took some pictures. The Canadians came up with the very intelligent idea of tying loops in the rope about every three feet. This was very helpful when it came to climbing back up. We decided to always leave one person above the hole, so Matthew hadn’t been down yet. Chad was the first to go back up and I followed. It was pretty intense climbing back up. It is at times like these, that I wish I never would have stopped exercising. I reached the top and Matthew went down. Jeremy came back up which left Matthew at the bottom by himself. Matthew had some trouble getting back up, so the three of just pulled him up.

Our next destination was far more mentally challenging than the first…

What we did next was probably not the most intelligent thing I’ve ever done, but hey I’m alive and it’s a good story.

We climbed up the Kidron, tied the rope down, and then threw the end over the edge of a 50-60ft cliff. About 15ft down the side of this cliff was an entrance that we wanted to investigate. Chad went down first, Matthew second, and then I was up. Once again, I am laying on my stomach with my legs hanging off the cliff, hands on the rope saying over and over, “I don’t know about this” followed by, “this is really stupid”. I begin to go down with one hand thru a loop, hanging onto the rope, while the next hand reaches down and searches for the next. So, I’m hanging off this 50ft cliff holding on to this rope with one arm and I’m dangling like Sylvester Stallone on Cliffhanger. Ok, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but still it was rather intense.

I reached the ledge of the hole and Jeremy came down. Then when we all peered into the hole we all realized that what we were looking at was well worth the climb.

No, we didn’t find the Ark of the Covenant…yet. But, we were in an ancient burial room. There were two large rooms with smaller rooms attached to each that had burial slots. There were about 10 of these slots altogether. There were stone columns at the entrance to this site, so it was rather obvious that these tombs were for the upper class.

Our exit was a gap above an iron gate down some stone steps. I was the first to squeeze through followed by the others.

We made it home in one piece and made some memories. It was a great time filled with an exertion of testosterone, adrenaline, and stupidity.

“The only thing that ever consoles man for the stupid things he does is the praise he always gives himself for doing them.”-Oscar Wilde

2006-09-17T14:03:00.000-04:00

Bumper Sticker
Have you ever heard the phrase, “everything’s bigger in Texas”? Well, I’d like to make the claim that “everything is louder in Israel”.

Let me give you a couple of examples of why I believe this to be true…

The hallway right outside my bedroom is carved out of bedrock. Most of the people here wear sandals. So, when an individual travels down this route which leads to the bathroom, a sound of sliding and clopping of flesh, stone, and rubber echo throughout the entire dorm.

Like I’ve stated in earlier posts, I live right beside hell. Well, it seems as if the area is a hot spot for residential. For the last three weeks, we’ve all awoken to the sound of giant jackhammers attached to tractors splitting stone. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun echoing throughout the Hinnom in the wee hours of the morn.

One must remember that the terrain of Jerusalem contains hills and valleys which echo sound rather well. As I am writing this, a concert is going on in the amphitheater which is on the north side of the Hinnom. They are straight up blaring the music and it is resounding throughout all of Jerusalem, but the show is conveniently right beside the university. In the middle of class, they decided to begin their sound check. Loud drums, electric guitars, and Hebrew, compiled into sound so thick you could wear it as a winter coat.

From my observations, it seems as if these rather reserved Israelis have taken all of their anger, annoyance, and stress that has been stored up throughout the day and have found a way to vent it. It appears that this outlet is nothing other than their car horns. Now, in the States when you are at a stoplight that has just turned green and the person in front of you is not going, what do you do? Generally, you give them just a little tap of the horn, “honk.” Then if they still don’t go, you then give them a little more of the horn, “hhoooonnk”. However, in Israel, an individual takes any opportunity to honk the car horn whether it is justified or not. I’ve walked by intersections where the light is red and someone in that same lane is letting loose on their horn. For what reason? Only God knows why. It’s not just a tap on the horn either. It is as if the person behind the wheel has passed out with their head resting on the horn.

For some odd reason, the hardware in the door in my room is rather finicky. The only way one can successfully close a door is to slam it, hard. This sound then echoes throughout the stone walls of the building for all to hear. So, if I want to come into my room at night while my roommate is sleeping and I desire to shut the door, I’m going to wake him up. It’s not a gentle arousing, I might add. It is as if a gun has been fired in the room and the one sleeping jerks to awareness thinking that Jerusalem is being invaded.

And that is why I believe that “everything is louder in Israel”. I just might make a bumper sticker out of it…

2006-09-11T09:31:00.000-04:00

The Church of 110A
I have grown up in the church my entire life. Three times a week, if not more, I was at church. Even in my high school days I was always going to church. The same basic format was expected: sing, listen, sleep, go home. I began to always associate the word "worship" with singing. The individual leading the songs would say, “Let’s stand and worship the Lord” and then we would all start singing. So, does that mean I’m not worshiping God unless I’m singing? I’ve heard people in church say that worship is more than that, but that’s all we ever do. We sing the same old songs the same old way every same old Sunday.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying that I regret going to church so often, but since I have for so much of my life, I have become very familiar with it. So, if it is true that familiarity brings about complacency, then spiritually I am about as complacent as one can be. Why should anyone be surprised that I’m not ecstatic when I’m told that “Jesus died for my sins” when I have heard it about a billion times?

I hate the fact that I’m complacent. I hate to say it, but I’m sick of "church", recycled Christian clichés, and a lack of authenticity. I’m about as spiritually bored as a person can get.

So, I decided to do something about it…

The idea came into my head to not go to “church” while I’m here. Instead, I’m going to explore ways to worship and experience God that are new and creative to me. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and the soul acts. So, if my heart is bored and tired what good am I...

to myself...

to my world...

to my God...

2006-09-06T07:21:00.000-04:00

Unique New York, Unique New York
I’m taking this class here called “Physical Settings of the Bible”. In this class, we do a lot of studying on the geography of the land and also we do a lot of field studies. During these field studies we actually go to the places where significant events took place in the Bible. For example, on Sunday we went to the Pool of Bethsaida (John 5:1-15), which was pretty amazing. I wish we could have spent more time there. It’s close to where I live so I’ll be able to go there again.

Also, on the same day, we went down to the City of David which is just south of the Old City. We saw some of the original city walls, watched this 3-D flick, walked through a cave, etc.

Then we did something really fun…

“Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, and how he made the pool and the tunnel and brought water into the city, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the King of Judah” (2 Kings 20:20).

What we did that was so fun is that we actually got to go through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. It was awesome. The purpose of the tunnel was to bring water from the Gihon Spring into the Pool of Siloam (John 9:7), which is inside the city walls. The reason for doing this was that when the city was under attack the people could still have water. Brilliant. The tunnel is about ¼ of a mile and is about as wide as I am broad. The height of the tunnel varies. At the highest point the tunnel is about 15ft high and at its lowest point it is about 5ft high. Water still runs through it which is fresh and cool. The dept of the water varies as well. When we first entered into the tunnel it was about waist high, but for the most part it was up to my calves.

Since the tunnel is so narrow, we could only go through in single file and I opted to be the last person in line. About half of the people had flashlights (me not being one of them) and at one point the group decided to turn them all off. When they did it there was utter darkness.

Now, I’ve ran around outside when it was dark out, but the stars and moon still gave me some light. I’ve hidden in closets and covered up my face, but light always seems to creep in somehow. At least enough so that I can make out what is in front of me. However, at that moment in that tunnel, light was absent. I’ve never been in a place where there was absolutely no light. I mean no light what so ever. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could see nothing.

Not my hand in front of my face…

Not the person in front of me…

Not the rock wall beside me…

Not the water below me…

Just utter darkness. It was a unique experience…

2006-09-02T05:34:00.000-04:00

Holes
Having grown up watching the Indiana Jones trilogy with my pops, one can imagine that being in this area sparks my sense of adventure. Well, one afternoon after frying my brain with studying I decided I wanted to go out and do something. So, I asked around and found out that two of the guys here have a "to do" and "to see" list while they are in Israel. I asked them if they minded me tagging along and they were up for it. Chad and Jeremy are from Canada and they are rather proud of it. Lots of "eh"'s and unique ways of pronouncing "out" and "about".

These two Canadians showed me a whole new side of Jerusalem...

I put on my hiking shoes and grabbed my camera and we began to walk east off the main path and right up against the wall. We're talking and whatnot and as I observe these Canadians, they begin to act as if they are looking for something. We're climbing over rocks jumping over deeps gaps and they are looking all over the ground. What are they looking for I keep asking myself. Then they stopped and I saw what they were looking for...

Holes.

Deep holes...

They found a hole that was about 15ft deep and shined their flashlights inside only to find out that the hole lead to a tunnel. All we had where two belts to tie together, so we decided to hold off on the entering of this hole until we could purchase some rope. So, we continued walking east until we came upon some ancient building. Now, keep in mind that the Canadians had already been to this area, but I had not. While I was studying rabbinic thought and literature they were out looking for the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant.

Fun guys.

As we get closer to the building and I notice a hole about 15ft from the ground. Up until this point it had only been the two of them, but since I came we were able to accomplish a task that they had been dreaming of. Jeremy rock climbed up part of the building and we lifted his feet as much as possible until he got to the hole and then he pulled himself in. There was no door to the building, just some holes.

Then it was my turn.

I did the same until I could reach Jeremy's hand and then he pulled me in and then I pulled Chad in (Brad, Splintercell truly is beneficial). We get into this hole and the building is filled in with gravel, but the Canadians are looking around and to their pleasure they find something...

another hole.

This hole goes up into the top of the building. In order to get up there you have to climb up these big stones and squeeze thru these tight gaps. This took us up about another 15ft until we were at the top of the roof. In the word of David Lunsford, the entire experience was "rad".

When we got back to JUC the Canadians told this guy at school named Matthew and he failed to believe them. He said he'd buy us pizza if it was true. Sucka. These pictures are from the second time we went up into the building and we took some more guys with us this time. Matthew accidentally left his hat in the building so, I guess we'll just have to climb up in there again sometime.

As we were meandering our way back we started walking thru some tombs beside the Mount of Olives. Now, keep in mind that the landscape here is very rocking and these tombs are built on the side on the Kedron Valley which connects to the Hinnom Valley. So, we are walking in the valley and one of the Canadians looks up on the rocky cliff side and sees what he craves for...

another hole.

This hole is only accessible from the top of the cliff by being lowered down 15ft and stopping on the two foot landing at the base of the whole. Now, keep in mind that this hole is on the side of a small cliff. So, we looked at each other and official decided that when Shabbat is over with...

...we're going to buy some rope.

2006-08-30T14:26:00.000-04:00

The Broadening of Horizons
I was talking to this Jewish man just the other day in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. I entered into a discussion with him because I wanted to obtain a better understanding of Orthodox Jewish theology. I have become very interested in knowing what Jewish thoughts are, especially on particular subjects. Now, one might ask “why would you care what the Jews think” or “why are you interested in Jewish theology”. Well, God’s chosen people are the Jews, Jesus is Jewish, and 2/3’s of the Bible is the Tenakh (Old Testament). If one wants to know where they are going they first must look to where they’ve been. These are a couple of reasons why I want to know about the roots of the Bible and the roots of the Christian faith.

So, anyway, back to the discussion…

We where talking about prayer shawls (Numbers 15:37-41) for awhile and in the midst of this conversation I turned it toward another subject. I asked this man what the Jewish mindset was on the afterlife and I heard some very interesting things…

…But before I go any further I’d to share what started me on this whole journey in the first place. The following is the "claim" that had such an impact on my own thoughts and continues to do so...

It’s rather simple, actually, when you boil it all down, but it leads to so many other questions and thoughts. All it is, is a little Koine Greek word…geenna.

Chipped Teeth
In the entire Bible there are fourteen occurrences of the English translation of this Greek word. Twelve of the uses of this word appear in the Gospels. The Greek word geenna has been translated into the English word “hell”…

The Greek word geenna comes from the Hebrew word hinnōm.

And this is where things begin to get very interesting…

This word refers to a literal place called the Valley of Hinnom (Josh 15:8; 18:16) or the Gehenna Valley. The valley is located west and south of Jerusalem, which I currently live right next to. Actually, just the other day I played baseball down there. The origin of the name is unknown but is believed to almost certainly be the name of a person.[1]

In the Old Testament, it was often the site where people of Judah sacrificed their children to the pagan god Baal (2 Kgs 23:20; 2 Chr 28:3,4; Jer 7:31; 19:5, 6; 32:35). It also was the place where children were sacrificed during the time of King Ahab and Manasseh, where children were sacrificed to Molech.[2]

In ancient cities, usually a sewer canal ran under the streets. The designed purpose for these canals was probably to drain rain water from the town. However, people also used them as a means of disposing of any unwanted waste. In Jerusalem, these canals emptied into the Hinnom Valley, so the use of the valley was similar to that of a garbage dump. Trash and carcasses of unclean animals were constantly burning in this valley.[3] Jesus quotes Isaiah 66:24 in Mark 9:48 in reference to the Hinnom Valley when He said “their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

When I first studied this it blew my mind. All sorts of questions began to surface in my thoughts…

The number one question I’ve been asking myself is, “how does this affect my theology?” Whether it means that hell is exactly what I was taught as a child or is something completely different, I’d like to know.

So, back to the conversation with the Jewish man. He stated that the Jewish mindset on hell is not eternal separation from God. For if an individual were to be completely separated from God then they would cease to exist. Hell and Heaven, in some ways, are the same place. The thing that makes something heaven or something hell is what ones life has been like. An individuals awareness before God is what will make his conscious difficult, painful…or blissful.

hell
"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

heaven
But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall (Malachi 4:1-2).

Same sun…to some it burns and to others it heals.

Very interesting…

So, that’s a little insight into what I’ve been thinking and trying to figure out. Why did Jesus refer to the Hinnom Valley in this way? How do I apply this? How does this compliment or supplement my theology? How should this affect my everyday life? So, many questions and such an interesting subject…

[1] D. R. W. Wood. New Bible Dictionary 3rd edition. Inter-varsity press, Leicester, England. 1996.
[2] W. Harris. The Complete Biblical Library Alpha-Gamma. Springfield, Missouri, U.S.A. 1990.
[3] Gehenna—A Picture of Hell. 1995-2005. That The World May Know Ministries. 12-4-05. <http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=1629>.

2006-08-29T14:06:00.000-04:00

Plato Republic
Book VII
The Allegory of the Cave
[Socrates is speaking with Glaucon]
[Socrates:] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.

[Glaucon:] I see.

And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.

You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.

Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?

True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?

And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?

Yes, he said.

And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?

Very true.

And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?

No question, he replied.

To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.

That is certain.

And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -- will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?

Far truer.

And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?

True, he said.

And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.

Not all in a moment, he said.

He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?

Certainly.

Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.

Certainly.

He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?

Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him.

And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?

Certainly, he would.

And if they were in the habit of conferring honours among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honours and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer,

Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?

Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.

Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?

To be sure, he said.

And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the den, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.

No question, he said.

This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.

Grey Matter
Please keep this allegory in mind when you read about what I am learning, hearing, and thinking about here in Israel. Some things I talk about or present could be a little different than what you have been taught growing up or might slightly differ from some of your own beleifs. Keep in mind though that our God is a mystery and when we think we have Him or His Word all figured out then we've turned Him into something smaller than ourselves. I have been asking a lot of questions about my faith, life, and myself. I encourage you too to ask questions, for I truly beleive that the unexamined beleif is not worth beleiving.

"And this is why questions are so central to faith. A question by its very nature acknowledges that the person asking the question does not have all the answers. And because the person does not have all of the answers, they are looking outside of themselves for guidance. Questions, no matter how shocking or blasphemous or arrogant or ignorant or raw, are rooted in humility. A humility that understands that I am not God. And there is more to know." -Rob Bell Velvet Elvis

2006-08-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

Old News
Over the past couple of days we have been having tours of the New City and the Old City. Both the Old and the New are considered Jerusalem, just different parts of the city. Obviously, the Old City is more of the original and the New City is modern. The Old City is surrounded by a stone wall that was rebuilt in the 1500's and is also divided up into quarters (the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, and the Christian Quarter). The wall is approximately 2.5 miles in total length. The is a lot of tourist type shops in there, but a lot of other amazing historical sights (such as the Western Wall, Dome of the Rock, Holy Sepulchre, and much, much, more). The New City is very modern. There is a fantastic pedestrian only square filled with all sorts of quality eats and shops called the Ben Yehuda Square. There are street performers, beautiful lighting, and lots of people. On Sunday we got a tour of the Old City (which I am in love with), walked part of the city wall, saw all of the historical sights I listed above. Too many amazing thoughts and feelings to pen out...

...but I'd like to share one with you...

Such Great Heights
A little less than a year ago I was reading a book that made a profound claim that to this day continues to blow my mind. I researched this claim and discovered that it was 100% valid. In fact, I wrote a final paper with a piece of the research I did and included it in the paper..."so what is this claim" you might be saying aloud. In all honesty, this claim has come to mean so very much to me. In fact, it is so special that I want to keep it all to myself. I don't want to share it (like a toddler and his G.I. JOE's). Sometimes I even wish that no one in the world knew this information but me so I could have it ALL to myself. Yet, there is a peice of me that wants to share this new found insight. The only reason I do want to share this claim with you is because I have a dream that gives me hope. My dream is that the Bride of Christ (the living breathing one which includes you and me, not the building) would become what it was meant to be...what it was designed/intended to be...

First, I want to address a future potential issue. After reading about the information I intend to present, I can imagine ones mind doing one of two things...opening or closing. I can see one individual read this and have the same reaction I did. My reaction initially contained a little bit or fear (and it still does) but it opened my eyes to so many new ideas, thoughts, and questions.

I can see another person on the opposite side of spectrum read this information and maybe even research it, and discover how true it actually is...but will never except it as truth. With that in mind, I ask you to read an excerpt from the book Plato Rebublic (which was written in approximitly 390 B.C.) in my next post. Following that post, I plan to present the "claim" that had such an impact on my own thoughts and continues to do so...

2006-08-26T03:01:00.000-04:00

Shalom To My Home
I began my journey on August 23rd at South Bend airport where I met Joel (the other Bethel student with me) and we took a bus (United Limo) to O’Hare. We were approximately an hour away from the airport when the bus driver pulled over and informed us that the brakes were over heating (deja vu of junior high summer camp 2003). So, we waited an hour or so for another bus to arrive (déjà vu Togo 2004), but we still had plenty of time to make our flight. The flight from Chicago to Istanbul, Turkey was long and boring. I think they purposely make it physically impossible to sleep on airplanes. Some sort of conspiracy I’m sure. I tried every position imaginable and had no luck. Our layover at Istanbul was minimal and the 1.5 hour flight flew by.

I arrived here in Jerusalem on the 24th. The Tel Aviv airport in Israel was the nicest I’ve been to. They had a waterfall in the middle of the airport. It was a beautiful way to enter into Israel. Joel and I took a sherute (taxi) to the Old City and then another one to the JUC campus. We got to campus and unpacked our stuff (which took a whopping 15min) and then we roamed the streets with a grad student here named Russ. He’s been here since June doing an archeological dig, so he knows the area a little bit. My first dinning experience in Jerusalem, Israel was at Burger King believe it or not (dad I know you’re proud…sis I know you’re disappointed). I got some shekels from the ATM on the way back and when we got back to JUC Joel and I crashed.

Starting yesterday at sunset was the beginning of my first Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath) here in Israel and will end at sunset this evening. Yesterday evening I was out roaming the streets and enjoyed watching all the Jews walking towards their synagogues in their respectful Shabbat garb (I fail to know all of the technical names for all that they were wearing…lots of black).
Today began orientation. We met with our advisors and since I was the first student to meet with my advisor, I have a little break. Later today we are going to have a tour of the campus (this place is a maze!) and then have a walk through the Old City so we know where our local conveniences are. Until then…peace in the Middle East…