The golden calf at Tel Dan...

*Taken from my journal on 01/22/09 when we visited Tel Dan. Following the split of the kingdom of Israel into the northern and southern kingdoms, Jeroboam placed a golden calf here for the people to worship. He did this to keep them from going to Jerusalem to worship God because he feared losing them to Rehoboam.*

Today we went to Tel Dan and saw the very place where Jeroboam placed the golden calf. For a people marked by the distinction of being God’s own, a people brought together by Him alone, how could idolatry ever become an issue? It’s shocking that a leader would allow it, much less encourage it. So how did it come to be? How did they fall so low?

I think we are just now beginning to understand the danger of competing for God’s people. A generation of famous and fallen pastors has shown us the destruction that comes when we seek to glorify our own names. It seems that the trouble starts when we seek to be “better than”. Whether we wish to solve the problems of the previous generation or avoid the flaws of leaders and companions who’ve disappointed us, we find ourselves in a mess when we hold ourselves up to any standard but God’s approval alone.

We are often blind to our own flaws and full of our own virtues. Because we are doing better than so-and-so in such-and-such way, we imagine that we are doing well. I think that’s how Israel falls to idolatry, how pastors become thieves and adulterers. We were so busy trying to beat Rehoboam and so excited to be winning in that way, we forgot to please the Lord and didn’t realize how far we’d fallen.

The golden calf of Tel Dan… quite a warning against building our own kingdoms.

The Church of the Lord's Tears...

*Taken from my journal on 01/21/09 when we walked the road Jesus walked on Palm Sunday with the crowds crying ‘Hosanna!’. This church is built at the spot where He suddenly stopped and wept over Jerusalem.*

Hearing of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem with the city in sight is an entirely new experience.

We read that He wept for love of Jerusalem and for sadness over the coming destruction. I have always thought of the people when reading that. To be sure, He had the people in mind.

But I think He also loved the city: the walls, the roofs, the hills and the streets.

He certainly appreciates beauty. He’s the Maker of it…

In the garden, we saw the thorn tree that they made the crown of thorns out of. Looking at those cruel spikes, I had trouble reconciling them with their Creator.

When He was fashioning them, did He know what they would do to Him? He must have...

Why didn’t He blunt their ends? Why leave the world with any thorns?

Why would you create something that would hurt you?

But that begs the question, why did He make us?

Surely we hurt Him more than the thorns…

The upper room...

*Taken from my journal on 01/20/09 when we visited the upper room. This is believed to be the site of the last supper and the disciples' prayer on the day of Pentecost.*

Walking through the upper room today was incredible.

I was so struck by the reality of Christ’s humanity.

This was the room where He wrapped the towel around His waist, filled a basin with water and washed the disciples’ filthy feet.

This was the room where He broke the bread and left a remembrance for us.

But more than anything I was impressed by the stone floors and the thought of the feet of Jesus upon them.

I wonder what He walked like… if His feet were tired that day. I wonder if He enjoyed being barefoot or it He preferred wearing sandals…

He knew what it was to step into fresh cool water on a hot and dusty day.

Real feet.

That stood here.

I wonder how tall He was...

I wonder how He must have felt that night.

The adventure begins...

It is 4am in Israel and I am beginning to understand why we were warned against sleeping on the plane. However, this restless night provides a good opportunity for reflection and there is much to reflect on.

The last few months have been filled with small adventures, all leading up to this one. Making financial arrangements, reading and writing book critiques, packing (50lbs for five weeks of unpredictable weather is no small feat!), a road trip to Atlanta (where I saw snow for the first time!) and a very long flight across the Atlantic have all brought us here.

To our first glimpse of Israel.

So far we've met Kenny, our tour guide. A Hebrew originally from Louisiana, he greeted us with his signature "shalom, ya'll". We've also met Reuben, Southeastern's property manager who has been a tremendous help in getting us settled. Then there's Louis, who runs the facility we're staying at and has already taught us much about the true meaning of servanthood and hospitality. That's not to mention a group of thirty students from every corner of SEU life.

We landed in the airport near Tel Aviv, loaded into our bus and headed for Jerusalem. As we drove through the hills that build up to the old city, Kenny read us a Psalm in which David prays for the protection of Jerusalem and the hills that surround her. We were in what he prayed for.

This great intersection with the historical foundations of our faith is not an experience that I'm guessing will be far from us while we're here. But there are other experiences already worth noting.

After settling in and a wonderful dinner, a group of us ventured out in search of coffee and a feel for the city. We certainly weren't disappointed.

Walking by Hasidic Jews and other American students, hearing Hebrew at one turn and English at the next, signs in symbols we couldn't read but successful coffee-ordering nonetheless. Here you'll see young adults, dressed in stylish modern attire, all topped off with a yamaka. The buildings all seem ancient and the architecture is breathtaking, but the city feels so fresh and alive.

The culture, which we have just barely touched, is beautiful. So far, our group has discovered delicious apple danish, the perfect caramel latte and gelato that one of our ladies swears makes you feel warmer. Maybe our excursion tomorrow night will bring us to the falafel stand that we passed by tonight or the intriguing bookstore with all of the books printed backwards. There is so much to see. The adventure has truly just begun.

All in all, this experience has already been incredible and I cannot wait for tomorrow. Or, more accurately, later today.