tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61681363565985127212024-02-20T08:56:36.691-08:00Not I But ChristI have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galations 2:20Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-87936105323979322552011-02-24T07:35:00.000-08:002011-02-24T07:35:54.216-08:00The Root of WorryAnyone out there struggle with worry? It is one of those ugly sins I have to come face to face with very often in my life. I came across a wonderful article by Paul David Tripp. I pray it will be food for your soul. My favorite quote within the article:<br />
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"Worry and rest always reveal the true treasures of your heart. You will rest the most when what you treasure the most is secure, and you will worry the most when what you treasure the most is at risk. What does your world of worry reveal about the true treasures of your heart?"<br />
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Check out the article at: <a href="http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/thinking-biblically-about-worry/">http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/thinking-biblically-about-worry/</a>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-4074890177607470952010-12-25T21:28:00.000-08:002010-12-25T21:28:31.194-08:00Merry Christmas!Today was a very exciting day. This morning Andrew woke up first and was quickly demanding his chocolate milk. So we were the first ones up. As I carried him into the living room his first word was "presents". I then looked out the window and was shocked to see snow!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_16cKoS0e5jINVNDQjXe7dvax4hvc-prQJYUDAJ7yuEaBdjwftmBhNdE2is7KYA4EgrYOsjOlS0qoJMQ_c9bCPmchUVTu5XnaL-0vHM58byN2inMiQyX_P9u0v27mnwIZCQs__mBt7d02/s1600/Christmas+2010+113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_16cKoS0e5jINVNDQjXe7dvax4hvc-prQJYUDAJ7yuEaBdjwftmBhNdE2is7KYA4EgrYOsjOlS0qoJMQ_c9bCPmchUVTu5XnaL-0vHM58byN2inMiQyX_P9u0v27mnwIZCQs__mBt7d02/s320/Christmas+2010+113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was a wonderful day. The kids had a blast and are worn out. It is hard to believe it has come and that it is almost gone. I was sitting here just thinking about another Christmas night and what that night must have been like. Bethlehem was a small obscure place. Think of all the residents of this small town who were busy doing their normal evening activities. That night, however, was unlike any other night. Grace had come. The baby in the manger would release us from our captivity. I love how Galatians 4 describes this:<br />
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4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,<br />
5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.<br />
(Gal 4:4-5 NAU)<br />
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Merry Christmas!Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-23592637705408017802010-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:002010-10-20T10:36:11.950-07:00Christ Gave Himself Up for Our Sins<div class="MsoNormal">Jumping into the book of Galatians has been really exciting. The more we can reflect on the wonder of the gospel the better off we will be. Galatians is a book of grace. A grace that is truly free. We learn over and over that if we try to mix grace and works we no longer have any grace. We often are good at pointing out works based religious systems, yet at times fail to see how we can fall back into a “works” mentality in our day to day lives in Christ. This is exactly what Paul is dealing with in the churches of Galatia. Those that "preached Christ", yet wanted to add a little more to it. The false teachers would say, “We preach Christ” yet they emphasized circumcision, obedience to the law, and observance of the feasts. The problem was that they didn't preach Christ, but preached works.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">One thing I love about the intro to the letter is how Paul emphasizes the foundation of the grace of God in Jesus alone. In verse 4 he says, “who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.” Did you catch that? Jesus gave Himself up for us! This is the message of the Gospel! It is finished, paid for –done. I need not nor I cannot add to His perfect work on the cross. It is completely by grace through faith. This is where it really hits me. If we can just see how our sin put Christ on the cross we are closer to realizing the futility of adding anything to grace. Isaiah 64:6 tells us all our righteousness deeds are as filthy rags. There is nothing we can bring to somehow complete our justification or somehow aid our sanctification along. It is truly all by grace through faith. By grace alone, let's walk in this freedom. Have a great Wednesday!</div>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-77882901208354165602010-07-08T08:42:00.000-07:002010-07-08T10:29:13.527-07:00Earthen VesselsAlright, I have been horrible at this blogging thing. I am picking myself up and back at it again. It has been a crazy summer. I can't believe it is already July. We had an amazing youth camp where it really seemed God worked in a tremendous way. As a church we continue to study through Judges and I am learning a ton. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the simplest most foundational truths are the ones I have to constantly come back to. In the last two months we have seen God raise up judges like Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, and we are getting ready to jump into Samson. One theme that has constantly been coming up with each of these leaders is the amazing thread of God's grace. God raises up the unlikely, the unworthy, the one who wont compete for His glory. What a great reminder in our day to day lives. It is not about us, but it is about Christ in us. Othniel appears to just be a normal guy only known for who he was related to. Ehud was a left handed apparently insignificant man. Shamgar (I still love this guys name) was an unlikely man with an unlikely weapon. In the story of Deborah we see how God takes a woman and uses her for His glory, and in that day to many men this would have been a shock. Gideon was afraid and hiding in a wine press when he heard God's call. Over and over we see how God loves to take the weak to confound the strong, to take the foolish to confound the wise. When I take time and look over each of these people I am once again reminded of the insufficiency of man, but I am then pointed to the amazing sufficiency of Christ. I think 2 Corinthians sums it all up.<br />
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<em>But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; (2Co 4:7 NAU)</em><br />
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Hope everyone has a great Thursday!Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-91045992018719983822010-05-05T12:07:00.000-07:002010-05-05T14:00:58.353-07:00Conformed or Renewed?Happy Cinco de Mayo! I dont know about you but it blows my mind that it is already May. Time is flying. As time flies by it is imperative to live for what truly matters. Living not just to live but living in light of His grace. Living in light of His grace calls us to daily abide in Him. Daily abiding in Him involves allowing the Word to renew our minds and shape the way we think and operate. The book of Judges is filled with examples of people who drifted away from the authority and truth of the Word. A couple of weeks ago this really hit me when looking in chapter 2.<br />
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<em>Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger. (Jdg 2:11-12 NAU)</em><br />
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<em> </em>As a consequence of turning from the Word that God had called them to hold so diligently, they began to compromise and became conformed to what was around them. What really hit me when looking at this is that simple phrase, "<em>who were around them."</em> Isn't that the way it always works? When we choose to do it our own way it will always result in conformity to the culture around us. I pray by God's grace I will embrace His renewing Word, and live for what truly matters.<br />
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<em>And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2 NAU)</em>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-32061640558684481232010-04-19T06:58:00.000-07:002010-04-19T07:30:14.222-07:00Bochim or Gilgal?Well its Monday morning. I love Monday's cause I stay home and right now Ann is at the gym and the kids are playing. Controlled chaos for the moment. I am even on the computer. Judges 2:1-5 really hit me these last few days. I had never seen this contrast between Gilgal and Bochim. Gilgal was a place of triumph, blessing, memorial, victory, and joy. Bochim on the other hand was indicative of a people doing it their own way in their own strength. It was known for forgetfulness, deception, and sorrow. Sadly, the people of Israel had moved from Gilgal and all it represented to this place called Bochim. So often I find myself in a place in my life much like Bochim. Just like Israel when I choose to do it my own way it will lead to forgetfulness, deception, and sorrow. By God's grace it doesn't have to be this way. All the people of Israel were called to do in this early section of the book was to take God at His Word and possess the land He had given them by faith. While its different for us as New Covenant believers, the principle holds the same. We haven't been given a land, but we have been given a life. Ephesians 1.3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." 2 Peter 1:3 says that we have been given everything we need for life and godliness. The key thing becomes realizing how God calls us to appropriate this life He has given to us. Just like Israel we are called to appropriate it by faith. This type of faith calls for a wholehearted yielded obedience to Christ and His Word. It reminds me of Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 when he prays, "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." This is really what it comes down to, although the comfort is that it is only by God's enabling grace we ever abide in Him. God calls us to simply say yes to Him, a wholehearted response of submission. By God's grace let's walk in Gilgal.Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-56010262243990665962010-04-14T07:55:00.000-07:002010-04-14T08:06:26.786-07:00Daily Looking at the GospelWell it has been about three weeks since getting back from Israel. It was an amazing trip! One of my favorite parts of being in the land of the Bible is to see geographical connections from place to place. It really helps you get familiar with different locations. So it was very exciting to start the book of Judges this last Sunday. So many of the places that are mentioned were places we had a chance to visit or travel through. I have never taught through the book so I am excited to study it more in depth. The one thing you consistently see throughout the book is disobedience. Over and over there is the same cycle. One of sin, slavery, supplication, salvation, and silence. My dad once told me if you want to get a good picture of the flesh just look at the nation of Israel in their disobedience. It is easy to point the finger at Israel, yet we all relate don't we? Every day I am faced with my weakness, my inconsistencies, and my failures. If it turns to nothing more than a selfish introspection it can lead to overwhelming despair. This is where the gospel comes in. Two weeks ago on Easter it was such an encouragement in my own life being reminded of the truths of Romans 6. Daily we need to be reminded of the gospel. In that reminder we see that by the grace of God we are now identified with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We are also enabled to even consider these wonderful truths to be true. These realities become the very foundation of how we are now called to live. The wonder of this new identification is that it is a full identification. I am fully identified with His death and with His life. It not only identifies me with the amazing benefits of His death, but it identifies me with the wonder of His resurrection. I don’t know about you, but I desperately need to be reminded of that daily. So as I relate with the people of the book of Judges in their weakness I pray it will give me even greater appreciation for the marvelous grace that is only found in Christ. At the core of the gospel is the wonderful truth, "Jesus for me". I pray by God's grace I will be reminded of that all through this Wednesday. <br />
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<em> 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. (Rom 6:11-14 NAS)</em>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-64682711259615020232010-03-21T08:41:00.000-07:002010-03-21T08:56:54.447-07:00PetraWell it was quite a day. I am absolutely whooped. We did alot of hiking today all over Petra. Well I didn't find my rock. I looked for a while and finally gave up. Even though I could not find it I am allowing myself to exit Petra. I think it was buried under a bunch of dirt. Who knows. Tonight we eat dinner then go to bed and tomorrow we start our track home. I cannot wait to see Ann and the kids. Two weeks is a long time. I know Scott is ready to get back and see Metta and Arlen, and I think Richard, Cliff, and Charla are ready as well. It has been an amazing trip. Here are some pics from the beautiful city of Petra. Petra was home to so many people over the last three thousand years plus. Many feel it is Petra where the people who received the prophesy of Obadiah lived. Some also believe this could be the place where the Jews flee to during the last 3 and a half years of the Tribulation. Over time it has been home to the Edomites, the Nabateans, the Romans, and the Crusaders to name a few. The pics just cant show how amazing it really is to be there.<br />
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Standing in the Siq</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Richard and Scott in the Siq</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNp9xAOFLfE_lkBHVrJnBxUl_PGfUKq4g8PS27YgCaB2NLEJpbfM5rS_soiNDHdlwGumTOaqSxSr9i0Ir02JdWqpz1EV7iut2CqG6qFfJ1xMZ1nr0LUbVhS11avzO1IFW491XHC21hsro/s1600-h/Petra+Israel+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNp9xAOFLfE_lkBHVrJnBxUl_PGfUKq4g8PS27YgCaB2NLEJpbfM5rS_soiNDHdlwGumTOaqSxSr9i0Ir02JdWqpz1EV7iut2CqG6qFfJ1xMZ1nr0LUbVhS11avzO1IFW491XHC21hsro/s320/Petra+Israel+013.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Treasury Temple (remember Indiana Jones?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">this is the first thing you see as you enter from the Siq</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the Riverside 5 in front of the Treasury</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Roman Theatre at Petra</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beautiful view on walk to Monestary - takes what seems like forever to get there- but it is worth it</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Leaving Petra- One more shot of Treasury Temple</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Leaving the Siq</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lFoxYdr-YYP0GL3Ag-E70oJPesxYi5-P3UoLvBXjHIeeUJblm3W-dprn9PlE1yQrDZmSAQB52WMcfMoUEMplq2_25gg0g72nkghfgku45nbWmmtySwbCSBSEXR-BGLBSEZkOzpD0M42z/s1600-h/Petra+Israel+101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lFoxYdr-YYP0GL3Ag-E70oJPesxYi5-P3UoLvBXjHIeeUJblm3W-dprn9PlE1yQrDZmSAQB52WMcfMoUEMplq2_25gg0g72nkghfgku45nbWmmtySwbCSBSEXR-BGLBSEZkOzpD0M42z/s320/Petra+Israel+101.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-63183765463073363082010-03-20T13:59:00.000-07:002010-03-20T14:03:43.165-07:00Good Evening from Wadi Musa!Good evening from the Hashamite Kingdom of Jordan. Yes, that is what they actually call it. I am writing this from Wadi Musa, known as the Valley of Moses. The archeological part is the amazing city of Petra. Tomorrow we get a chance to explore this incredible place. Today we left the Dead Sea and drove over to Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo is the place where Moses was able to look into the Promised Land. A land that Joshua would lead the children of Israel into. Looking out you can see the Plains of Moab. There are so many biblical stories that take place from this area. As you look into Israel you can see the Dead Sea and the outline of the Jordan River as you look towards the area moving towards the Galilee. Hard to imagine what must have been going through Moses's mind as he looked upon the land he would not be able to enter.<br />
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It is taking forever tonight for pictures to upload so I will try to get more pictures later.<br />
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</div></div>Tomorrow we are going to hike to a place called the High Place and then a few of us are going to try and make it to the Monestary. The Monestary is a monument way back into Petra that is my personal favorite. It is a really long hike and about 12 years ago I hid a rock. Ok, I admit it I am a dork, a big kid at heart, and years ago I hid this rock and put my initials on it way back into Petra. So tomorrow I am going to try and find this dumb rock. If I never make it back to the States you will know I never found it. Well it is getting pretty late and it will be a long day tomorrow. Good night from Wadi Musa!<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Here are a couple of pictures of Petra I found online to give you an idea</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VE3wz_fE-Vj2azjVgUakjcwKjuR9bVcb8Wm6NMr-plsAXPhF5DVgY4r-NN5q9bDXczSzR_Rz4jpD3EetiB4NQRgr9lkSjyESPtmmcFl7YpoIgHXMc0wJCp3-iDXnCnMQ6h-3KhQJLwmk/s1600-h/treasury+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VE3wz_fE-Vj2azjVgUakjcwKjuR9bVcb8Wm6NMr-plsAXPhF5DVgY4r-NN5q9bDXczSzR_Rz4jpD3EetiB4NQRgr9lkSjyESPtmmcFl7YpoIgHXMc0wJCp3-iDXnCnMQ6h-3KhQJLwmk/s320/treasury+1.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5MBFNlbX9dzNeFjrTHjYHKQAt8hF-o5pdK3Gz9_bQWzFMZlz5wSt9owk9anmoq79SXFKJTI7U8aLX12KPGbK7O7anHigOKNtfUjuX9e9lnbe9ud1KYtGaxaC8Cmfbz0tXnGBLBy75YVl/s1600-h/treasury+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5MBFNlbX9dzNeFjrTHjYHKQAt8hF-o5pdK3Gz9_bQWzFMZlz5wSt9owk9anmoq79SXFKJTI7U8aLX12KPGbK7O7anHigOKNtfUjuX9e9lnbe9ud1KYtGaxaC8Cmfbz0tXnGBLBy75YVl/s320/treasury+2.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-47644137855770616212010-03-20T01:35:00.000-07:002010-03-20T01:50:53.508-07:00Hello from Jordan!Well I was too tired the last two nights to type anything but we have had a great last 48 hours. First off Scott is recovering well and is back in action. He stayed at the hotel two days ago to get his arm rested up and is still sore but seems good to go. Thursday morning we listened to Dr. Deyoung talk about the crucifixion and resurrrection. It was very interesting hearing his thoughts on Jesus being crucified on the Mount of Olives. Most people believe He was crucified at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or the Garden Tomb, but the reasons he presented for the Mount of Olives spot are very compelling. He has some very interesting biblical arguments and historical data to back up his position. After listening to him teach we headed out to a few sites. We started at the Church of the Pater Noster. This church is interesting, it has the Lord's prayer on the outside courtyard in over 100 diffferent languages. This is the location where many scholars believe the first church in Jerusalem met the first two hundred years it was in existence. We then headed over to the area on the Mount of Olives where Dr. Deyoung thinks the crucifixion took place. It was an area where Josephus (the famous historian) writes that over 500 people a day where being crucified. It is also the location of the altar of the red heifer. The significance of everything that took place on the Mount of Olives is truly amazing. From here we headed over to the Garden of Gethsemane. This is such a touching place. There is at least one tree that many believe would have been alive at the time of Jesus. <br />
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We then headed back to the hotel to regroup. The afternoon was free. Once we were dropped off I decided to explore a little by myself in the Old City. Jerusalem is such an amazing city. The old city is divided up into 4 quarters- The Armenian, the Jewish, the Muslim, and the Christian quarter. It is difficult to figure out where you are as you walk around, because it feels like you are in a large maze. I finally figured how to get out of the Damascus Gate so I could go over to Rockefeller Museum. This is Israel's largest museum of antiquity. You could spend an entire day here but I got a chance to spend a little time there. I then headed over to the Lions Gate. From the Lions gate you are very close to St. Anne's church. This place is really neat due to the acoustics in the church. Most groups that come through the church take time and sing to hear the amazing sounds within the building. It was exciting sitting there for a few minutes to listen to some of the groups sing. Outside of the church is the Pool of Bethesda. It was here that Jesus healed the lame man. This is one of my favorite spots. As I was standing there looking at the pool it reminded me that I am no different than the lame man. I am unable. I need Jesus to do what only He can do in my weak and desperate situation. This is what salvation and the Chrisitan life is all about, our inability and His sufficient strength.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Church of Pater Noster- site of early church in Jerusalem for first two hundred years</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Met this guy at a place called Jacob's Pizza- He was a professing believer in Jesus</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the Damascus Gate- it took me forever to find it</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is Rockefeller Museum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the Lions Gate- close to the Pool of Bethesda and Antonio's Fortress</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pool of Bethesda</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Friday we got up and headed towards Jordan. We crossed over the Allenby Bridge near Jericho and began our way towards the Dead Sea. On the way we stopped off at what many feel is the area where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. There have been many churches in this area dating way back. John's gospel says that it took place in an area known as Bethany Beyond the Jordan. This very area is known as Bethany Beyond the Jordan. In fact there were churches built on the area right over the water. During flooding season the church would be destroyed and then they would build it back only to have it destroyed again. It really appears this may be the area. We then went through Amman, Jordan. While there we went to this Jordanian lunch place. It was really unique and the food was really good. We then drove to the Dead Sea where our hotel is. This place is beautiful. I wish Ann was here to experience it with me. It is a spectacular hotel with beautiful views. This morning as I type we are getting ready to head towards Petra. I had a chance to backpack a little through Jordan years ago with my friend Josh and this was by far our favorite place in Jordan. I am really excited to go back and explore some more. <br />
Hope everyone has a great day!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Scott holding an Arabic Diet Coke</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Where we are at the Dead Sea </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMSdUDh9dIFRxFAC3Na_wKDK-c7SyIGwMA9Fq10meIObUBHn4wEr9y2_IxE9lki2Ze5ncFXbQR3AYUV7esae_5H5L8-V8mt_YEH-JJnURz4otOosXsAXqqXlD3EDacX-51uDfA7BPKw0i/s1600-h/Friday,+March+19+101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMSdUDh9dIFRxFAC3Na_wKDK-c7SyIGwMA9Fq10meIObUBHn4wEr9y2_IxE9lki2Ze5ncFXbQR3AYUV7esae_5H5L8-V8mt_YEH-JJnURz4otOosXsAXqqXlD3EDacX-51uDfA7BPKw0i/s320/Friday,+March+19+101.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-27917015053208331842010-03-17T13:49:00.000-07:002010-03-17T13:49:42.984-07:00Change of PlansWell this morning Jerusalem was cooler. We have been having some pretty hot days but today we were in the upper 50's. It actually felt pretty good. There has been some conflict in the area near the Old City in response to the recent political situations taking place. Due to the conflict we were unsure as we went to bed last night if we would be able to get to the Temple Mount area. Everything worked out and we were able to go up on the temple mount. Everything in Israel if filled with so much history, but this place is truly unbelievable. It was here that the temple stood. In the time of Jesus the temple would have stood 21 stories high. Being there is amazing, not only reflecting back to the temple in the Old and New Testament times but also looking to the day when Christ sets up His temple to rule and reign. The Dome of the Rock is the gold top building you always see when they show Jerusalem on the news. Most scholars believe it is here under the Dome of the Rock that the holy of holies was located. It is amazing to think of being that close to the original holy of holies. If you are not careful you forget how Christ fulfilled the Old Testament. You see when God became man, John says that, "The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us". What a beautiful statement. The literal idea here is that the Word became flesh and "tabernacled amongst us". As Christ walked this earth the Shakinah glory of God tabernacled amongst men. Isn't that amazing? It gets better. As believers changed by His grace, Christ now lives in us. Paul even says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. <br />
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Here are some pictures from the temple mount area:<br />
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</div>We then walked down towards the Jewish quarter. If you heard something in Israel in the last 12 hours it was the jubilation of our group finding a burger place. It wasnt the best burger I have ever eaten, but it was pretty stinkin good. This is where our day changed. As we were leaving the burger place meeting up with our guide Amnon, Scott caught his foot on something and took a really hard fall. It was pretty scary. He looked really hurt. The good news is he is going to be ok. Right after the fall, as soon as he was able to stand up he began to feel sick on his stomach. I thought he was going to hurl. The thought of him hurling at this point was pretty terrifying because we had probably just eaten one of the largerst hamburgers available in Jerusalem. We were joking later that if he would have thrown up they would have had to clear the Jewish quarter. He was in pain so the two of us jumped into a taxi and went to some type of emergency center. He was able to get his forearm-elbow xrayed and looked at by one of the doctor's and they feel he sprained it really bad. He might have had a small fracture but they were not comepletely sure. So be praying for Scott when you read this, he is not feeling that good tonight. We are so thankful it was not worse. Lord willing he will be feeling better tomorrow. We were talking when we got back to the hotel this afternoon how quickly things can change. I can't tell you how much I appreciate Scott. He is one of the biggest encouragers I have ever met, so hopefully we can encourage him along the rest of the trip.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The Jewish Quarter</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We were emotinal for the Burger. There is even a picture of the menu</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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So due to Scott's accident we came back to the hotel. Cliff, Charla, Richard, and the rest of the group got to go to some amazing places the rest of the afternoon. I am so excited they got to see them. They went to a place where the religious Jews are working on items anticipating the next temple, they also went to Antonio's Fortress (the place where Christ would have stood before Pontus Pilate), the Garden Tomb ( probably not the place of the crucifixion and resurrection due to the dating of the tomb there, but a beautiful place), and the Western Wall tunnels. <br />
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For me and Scott it was good to rest a little bit and get ready for tomorrow. Good night from Jerusalem!Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-65848308704261874222010-03-16T13:56:00.000-07:002010-03-16T13:56:15.835-07:00South to the Dead SeaToday we made our track to Masada. While not a biblical site, it represents so much in biblical times. The people of Masada were the last stand against the Romans. Herod the Great built Masada and with his influence Masada had much of a Roman flavor. The people of Masada at the time of the Roman siege were after the time of Herod. As the Romans came to conquer the great mountain city they encamped around it in eight different places. Ultimately they used Jewish slaves to begin to build a ramp to conquer. Josephus records the final words of one of the chief leaders. One of the men made a compelling speech inspiring the Jews to take their own lives rather than be tortured and killed by the Romans. Our guide shared an amazing thing that took place in the synagogue. As they were doing the dig in the area they had realized was the synagogue, they found a scroll that was open to Ezekiel 37. It was open to the place that speaks of the dead bones coming back to life. It was as if the individual who left the scroll wanted the Romans to know that one day they would thrive again. Almost 2000 years later the nation of Israel is thriving again. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">On our way to Dead Sea</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1 of 8 Roman Encampments around Masada</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On Top of Masada</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my buddy Maxine. We are standing in the synagogue at Masada</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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En Gedi was the place that David hid from Saul. You wouldn’t think this place would be out in the wilderness. There are trails you can take all throughout the preserve. As you go up near the top waterfall you get a great view of the Dead Sea.<br />
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Richard continues to call our group the Riverside 5. Today as we asked someone to take our picture, there was what seemed like cameras everywhere taking a picture of our group. We were laughing thinking that they probably thought they needed to take a picture to explain to others about the crazy redneck group from Alabama.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Riverside 5</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Qumran is where the dead sea scrolls were discovered. This is where the Essene community lived that I mentioned earlier when we went to the Shrine of the Book. Here we got a chance to see the actual cave and also the actual room where they copied the scrolls. When doing the dig they found the actual ink jars and the ink in them matched up perfectly with the ink on the scrolls. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Scroll Room</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cave #4- Main cave were scrolls were found by Bedouin boy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">High Quality Latrine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFguBYnO6GgSlrRiG3LxNtNnnwJvqDwXr1_U9zjmYzcWDr8koBS1_D1waGkQ8rMX94PxQwfWA7_WGFLHgEFWbZYUSZjW8aH32XrclrB6kGh0bHzyR92FIbsS_3kwyZQ2EQDBZKuPnhAWxl/s1600-h/Tuesday,+March+16+093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFguBYnO6GgSlrRiG3LxNtNnnwJvqDwXr1_U9zjmYzcWDr8koBS1_D1waGkQ8rMX94PxQwfWA7_WGFLHgEFWbZYUSZjW8aH32XrclrB6kGh0bHzyR92FIbsS_3kwyZQ2EQDBZKuPnhAWxl/s320/Tuesday,+March+16+093.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I got to meet one of my favorite preachers tonight. Chuck Swindoll has a large group here from Texas. It was very exciting to get a chance to meet someone that God has used in my life. Tomorrow we may not get to go where we were planning. There is some turmoil that has been taking place in the Old City the last couple of days and today the temple mount area was closed. We shall see. Hope everyone has a great night!Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-46032082163125656102010-03-15T14:07:00.000-07:002010-03-15T14:23:51.300-07:00Back to JerusalemToday we headed back to Jerusalem. We have covered lots of miles today. We started out at Megiddo. Tel Megiddo is an amazing place. A tel is a man made mound that is added layer upon layer. A city would be destroyed and another city would be built upon it, over and over and over until you literally see this large hill of civilization upon civilization. At Megiddo there is a visitor center that has an amazing map of the ancient borders of Israel. It is very insightful to see how far the ancient border that God promised Israel extended. Tel Megiddo is one of the oldest digs in the world. At one point our guide showed us a Canaanite temple that seemed to pre-date Israel in the land. It is unreal how many civilizations are represented at the tel. Here you also see things from Solomon's time period. The gate of the city was so important to a city's defense system. You get a chance to see an ancient gate here and it is fascinating to know it came from the time period of King Solomon. Another interesting thing at Megiddo was a tunnel that led to the spring for the water supply. It dates all the way back to the time of King Ahab. Looking out from Megiddo you see an incredibly large valley. This is known as the Jezreel Valley. This is where we see biblical Armageddon. This valley is 70 miles long and 14 miles wide making up over 1,000 square miles. Napolean called this the greatest battleground in the world. This is the same battlefield that General Allenby of Britain turned back the Turks in 1917. This will be the staging ground of the greatest battle that will ever take place in human history. We learn from the Revelation 14:17-20 that the blood from this battle will flow as high as the horses bridle. What a reminder. Standing there reflecting on Christ returning with His church to the scene of this great battle is sobering. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the ancient map of the Holy Land</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbznr1hhpvyChMINjR7DlnSVMmiAZWhpXSUJkQ39VlxjXp0WnAexUOslWC_FWiFqg7lnniVeJSHTNTIFyX8zB271yCd92jGClASzuN_ozk8LxgyPRy-DhWRVgVk3Bk9xw_3W-mwALzRr1c/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbznr1hhpvyChMINjR7DlnSVMmiAZWhpXSUJkQ39VlxjXp0WnAexUOslWC_FWiFqg7lnniVeJSHTNTIFyX8zB271yCd92jGClASzuN_ozk8LxgyPRy-DhWRVgVk3Bk9xw_3W-mwALzRr1c/s320/Monday,+March+15+044.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is a description of the city gate</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfj7wOSW7Ye5jVyZqt1ZTu6qlDaxO6jadVkcCQsGvLtHtTJDIvCL7x9o3fszQw4iO7NAhR6KT0kyfJAYXzin_q3Am9uvZfAlNVorba4d-n9ML7hpgHp2SxeQVzLmfE6jrNmH0-zJoXd9p/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfj7wOSW7Ye5jVyZqt1ZTu6qlDaxO6jadVkcCQsGvLtHtTJDIvCL7x9o3fszQw4iO7NAhR6KT0kyfJAYXzin_q3Am9uvZfAlNVorba4d-n9ML7hpgHp2SxeQVzLmfE6jrNmH0-zJoXd9p/s320/Monday,+March+15+015.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scott didn't get much sleep. He had a hard time paying attention as the day got going.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2B9NxsM7-S9NrtYzsE4-mEwsyghTaJrq1N669FooweGmzir8eAY7x74YJFybFVu2ofgDMAI91jeYyV6-blLKvnNPyH8z7H-hutXRr3rX6QNLuL3K0vcfka619g_avis_hpaHU0HlrGfT/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio2B9NxsM7-S9NrtYzsE4-mEwsyghTaJrq1N669FooweGmzir8eAY7x74YJFybFVu2ofgDMAI91jeYyV6-blLKvnNPyH8z7H-hutXRr3rX6QNLuL3K0vcfka619g_avis_hpaHU0HlrGfT/s320/Monday,+March+15+005.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Here is the outer gate </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUl3g7oHArI92lEtmuQyNo18y09Z2ONWtjbTlSbbtTuOhZBbEyX-uUxMcSg4TqLcm_gU9TAECip-7nJnwRzZL1HY649jA0hKn4T6LZii0OR9MZuXgslOjTusfIi1UZTsEWqwDFkUa7oJMI/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJh4lAJhzEORvO0KUF8bJAgKQlA9mMcKD_qKvC8gvIkCjdliR8tYn1FM4jwC71YBEpO3taDynRwl9O4kPJlMHhBjnkk0I7wJlupolehQUfxFXYwO9g4lnciHGz1pLrQMEKGJhYyjGQ5DLN/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJh4lAJhzEORvO0KUF8bJAgKQlA9mMcKD_qKvC8gvIkCjdliR8tYn1FM4jwC71YBEpO3taDynRwl9O4kPJlMHhBjnkk0I7wJlupolehQUfxFXYwO9g4lnciHGz1pLrQMEKGJhYyjGQ5DLN/s320/Monday,+March+15+009.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jezreel Valley- Where the staging campaign for Armageddon starts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmCHv7ycizkGh1O71-qAr_SGuTfapQ7jRbAofr6Y-Fkg_-UCdolXPhJbll1QrEtezNKZiNELYe1K0zlTDz1DBWINENKOPS0A20mB8awFFhFuhK-TAC8vkL2QAzMICKG4kD8wA2tmz1Ni1/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmCHv7ycizkGh1O71-qAr_SGuTfapQ7jRbAofr6Y-Fkg_-UCdolXPhJbll1QrEtezNKZiNELYe1K0zlTDz1DBWINENKOPS0A20mB8awFFhFuhK-TAC8vkL2QAzMICKG4kD8wA2tmz1Ni1/s320/Monday,+March+15+021.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Underground Water supply</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeLdxpA4mBR8eUHqQkrKtj8RrHuZF2TwNlcYMOwUvpMAH4P3alktnVhwD815ZvSBnWTxvmHzZEoWsSWiPe-3htc1KeZbaoy7t8MjOMf8-bvOjzqbDQRDSGympYgOCRTIxuB4hT2MqOXhC/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeLdxpA4mBR8eUHqQkrKtj8RrHuZF2TwNlcYMOwUvpMAH4P3alktnVhwD815ZvSBnWTxvmHzZEoWsSWiPe-3htc1KeZbaoy7t8MjOMf8-bvOjzqbDQRDSGympYgOCRTIxuB4hT2MqOXhC/s320/Monday,+March+15+031.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwSYq90GN38jC22Tqov2zaUGBYLHJh8zdbpVLtx5ssSgm7C1HEhT9owflj2mKlOsfrxb1VRZEpQbzVNUa_ScNR09v7xKrY9ZTWMy9BkdB0x2l8k-ExaPm1asbDNbH5A9Z_3sP_XV1WYik/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwSYq90GN38jC22Tqov2zaUGBYLHJh8zdbpVLtx5ssSgm7C1HEhT9owflj2mKlOsfrxb1VRZEpQbzVNUa_ScNR09v7xKrY9ZTWMy9BkdB0x2l8k-ExaPm1asbDNbH5A9Z_3sP_XV1WYik/s320/Monday,+March+15+038.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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From Megiddo we headed over to BethShean. This is the greatest dig in all of Israel and is one of the most impressive in the world. Here you are literally walking around 21 different civilizations. We had about 40 minutes to explore here and me and Scott went to the top of the Tel. We were close to needing emergency aid. At the top of the Tel you look over all of the Roman period that has been excavated and way in the background there was a modern day Mcdonalds. It was pretty funny. I would have paid lots of sheckles for a big mac and a diet coke. I think Scott would have taken money from his 401k for a supersize diet coke at that point. <br />
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Ancient Theater</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_tl8IHH01b_W1Gx6Z0Ydr1UDMf2fz9ed1AHMDp-DhxNjgDGSmFPjhYSErSc7HLlZdMl1yQKKISkUxZ7nsCHTxpQnnZ-239zfvwVadetzB54m6TFJ60YNowr9-7nyMz7C-2FOF1VBVCCH/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_tl8IHH01b_W1Gx6Z0Ydr1UDMf2fz9ed1AHMDp-DhxNjgDGSmFPjhYSErSc7HLlZdMl1yQKKISkUxZ7nsCHTxpQnnZ-239zfvwVadetzB54m6TFJ60YNowr9-7nyMz7C-2FOF1VBVCCH/s320/Monday,+March+15+051.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of our guides- Amnon </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlu-IaoC_xWTjU8A1m7CFFnA2yIYwywmqu5ne5Y9YYx8-497XDCSzoLCsYvyvI4sFrzzVRsBkSf9Y97mo5nBHYavNYCUsTGwIJgiUBtMmSQrs-xqtMvg7usuQ3X4RzxCfFGVdiFWCB_TFl/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlu-IaoC_xWTjU8A1m7CFFnA2yIYwywmqu5ne5Y9YYx8-497XDCSzoLCsYvyvI4sFrzzVRsBkSf9Y97mo5nBHYavNYCUsTGwIJgiUBtMmSQrs-xqtMvg7usuQ3X4RzxCfFGVdiFWCB_TFl/s320/Monday,+March+15+057.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ancient Roman Road</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicySjkH8x9oxecdzP99DUyjWID5rneuaXxtXy-cXqItcy9gyhjcKtlb2EwoadkAKpDgo0yHOWPtn94KM-QgEXhSHGPIltUKXvUvmt1RXfKAHi5eVYfnRcLdkZIr36qT8aU-8PetTOwAPUW/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicySjkH8x9oxecdzP99DUyjWID5rneuaXxtXy-cXqItcy9gyhjcKtlb2EwoadkAKpDgo0yHOWPtn94KM-QgEXhSHGPIltUKXvUvmt1RXfKAHi5eVYfnRcLdkZIr36qT8aU-8PetTOwAPUW/s320/Monday,+March+15+059.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We are so tired we can't think</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3qGFq2z6TUHeEtJJDvTKbG1K3Jo2c3viO_NIEs8fGXOIn5CoxkhU0oaWSuFL7jd9U4T3auWzYX-LJJaZzkegCLaWs_hyiCVA289_O-lkvWQiHmf8CNKXq7w63EHPZiS3MIdhDGuxvmCA/s1600-h/Monday,+March+15+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN3qGFq2z6TUHeEtJJDvTKbG1K3Jo2c3viO_NIEs8fGXOIn5CoxkhU0oaWSuFL7jd9U4T3auWzYX-LJJaZzkegCLaWs_hyiCVA289_O-lkvWQiHmf8CNKXq7w63EHPZiS3MIdhDGuxvmCA/s320/Monday,+March+15+062.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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We then began heading for Jerusalem. We stopped off near Jericho at a lookout point over the Judean Wilderness. This is one of my favorite places in Israel. As you look out at this point you see a wadi down in the bottom of the desert. This was the route that people would have taken from Jericho into Jerusalem. Luke's gospel records that on His way to the week of the passion Christ went to Jericho and healed blind Bartimaeus, and then called down Zaccheus from a tree and visited his home. He would have then most likely taken this route on His way towards Jerusalem. On a clear day you can see three towers from this lookout point. The towers are located on the Mount of Olives. Going through the wadi would lead you up to Bethany and then over the hill you would arrive at the Mount of Olives. Christ was heading from this point to the cross. He was going to fulfill what He came to do, to die for you and me. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Behind us is the Wadi Kelt- which was road to Jerusalem</div><br />
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</div>We then finished up our drive to the hotel for a quick stop and then got back on the buses to go to a Seder meal recapturing what the Passover meal with Jesus and His disciples would have looked like. <br />
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What a day. Some amazing archaeological sites today. You know, James says that life is a vapor. I am the worlds worst at getting caught up into meaningless, temporal things. As we were making our way back to the entrance of Beth Shean today we were getting ready to exit near the old Roman theater. An older gentleman in our group reminded me of something very simple yet very profound. He pointed out that in spite of the power and authority of all these previous civilizations it was now just a bunch of ruins. His statement hit me pretty hard. What are we really living for? Every one of those previous 21 civilizations at Beth Shean contained individuals that focused more on the temporal than the eternal. Many probably saw themselves as pretty much invincible, yet now they are just one of many civilizations that lays in the rubble. The only thing that will remain are those things that are truly eternal. Everything else will just fall away and be forgotten. As I sit here tonight ready to go to bed I pray by God's grace I will live the rest of the time that God gives me on this earth for His glory and not my own. Good night from Jerusalem!Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-85166398447543307352010-03-14T14:36:00.000-07:002010-03-14T23:03:38.971-07:00Exploring The GalileeToday we went all around the Galilee. We started by going south and came up around the eastern side of the lake. We went towards the Golan Heights. If there is one thing that shocks you typically when you first come to Israel is how mountainous and lush the Galilee really is. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">In this picture you can see into Jordan. If you look close you can see the fence border.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzJ4ZevtTdMTJB6ppyApbE8Ag-EkouvkAq9Q8RfsWdWO6mCKLcc0oZcE2OJZHDWlINXXX93PWGETRlt0PTKIUu6ntUMy9eFJYnGarqFEDaGtlj8NqETu62d6rp_ctO9dSZbIolc2EIlPn/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzJ4ZevtTdMTJB6ppyApbE8Ag-EkouvkAq9Q8RfsWdWO6mCKLcc0oZcE2OJZHDWlINXXX93PWGETRlt0PTKIUu6ntUMy9eFJYnGarqFEDaGtlj8NqETu62d6rp_ctO9dSZbIolc2EIlPn/s320/Sunday,+March+14+110.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here you see a bunker that Israel once used for protection against Jordan</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here you are looking at the United Nations post on the Syrian border of Israel (I thought it was funny that the guide called it the United Nothing :) )</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURQkDzr4zH5YuiENPVIPyuPbasU2X5KUp9cRkZcQ2U5WXGfShDsUaSicHcMwLHOg-c-AwvE-Oz-j_1NG2pCEyeM2bvYtnjcZQ29WrubNbiP-yfYJkTBQkyvKD6EPAi4UZ-ZMid1Ht1PuC/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURQkDzr4zH5YuiENPVIPyuPbasU2X5KUp9cRkZcQ2U5WXGfShDsUaSicHcMwLHOg-c-AwvE-Oz-j_1NG2pCEyeM2bvYtnjcZQ29WrubNbiP-yfYJkTBQkyvKD6EPAi4UZ-ZMid1Ht1PuC/s320/Sunday,+March+14+122.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><br />
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</div>As you go up into this area you gain a perspective of how Israel truly is surrounded by its Arab neighbors. To the east you have Jordan, to the northeast you have Syria and to the north west Lebannon. It allows you to understand why Israel is never interested in negotiating the Golan Heights. If they were to give it away they would definitely be putting their own security at risk. We went to one high point in the Golan where we could see the mountians of Gilead, Moab, and see the general direction of where they eventually run into Edom. It really brings the Old Testament to life in such a neat way. It brought back memories of studying through Amos and reading about the judgement that Amos pronounced on the north western neighbors of Israel. We were looking right in that direction. <br />
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We received a great lesson on some of the recent wars that Israel has taken part in. Our bus guide Amnon went through the amazing story of the Yom Kippur war of 1973 when Israel was attacked on the Day of Atonement. Driving by the very places this took place, hearing someone who actually fought in the war was incredibly interesting.<br />
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From there we headed to Caesarea Philippi. This place is located up almost at the Syrian border.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This place is also known as Banias. It is incredibly lush. If you go on some trails you really get a sense of how beautiful this place really is. This is the place where Jesus asked Peter the famous question, "Who do men say that I am?" </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi he was asking his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell will not overpower it." (Matthew 16.13-18)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In an area where there was pagan idolotry Jesus chooses to ask this question. In the midst of all these pagan temples, Jesus wants His disciples to know that the gates of Hell will not overpower it. In many ways the gates of Hell were represented all around Him, yet He wanted them to know the power of His Kingdom over darkness. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some pictures of the pagan temples:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Zi5ptwAdPiQMT72E9FaG_opZu32q0iWZXo8hfeGCLvXrvoteyq68qdF34BhvUqd0ZIyGeTgfcctJ2HF4Zjdx36vW7ChjtWMzR-9APX_S5cgFefFRQam_qGePE7sIEufhnIRx07joYQ0x/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Zi5ptwAdPiQMT72E9FaG_opZu32q0iWZXo8hfeGCLvXrvoteyq68qdF34BhvUqd0ZIyGeTgfcctJ2HF4Zjdx36vW7ChjtWMzR-9APX_S5cgFefFRQam_qGePE7sIEufhnIRx07joYQ0x/s320/Sunday,+March+14+147.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzOycu6osYW7h_uYA2albkEi8Maf0PqmW5l9BaxUhuLWFjGjfVkgDjABSqKFKNYgTUVazIrBIXQkHQL3ad16CDag1ehtXNIr3tHUySWNe0bv6V3Dzr7fw5W1hRRrDDPaDD7V4lIR-ZI8Z/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzOycu6osYW7h_uYA2albkEi8Maf0PqmW5l9BaxUhuLWFjGjfVkgDjABSqKFKNYgTUVazIrBIXQkHQL3ad16CDag1ehtXNIr3tHUySWNe0bv6V3Dzr7fw5W1hRRrDDPaDD7V4lIR-ZI8Z/s320/Sunday,+March+14+149.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you keep reading from Matthew 16 you don't see Jesus leaving for another place until it states that He went back to Capernaum. What is very interesting is that one of the events that takes place in between this stop and His departure for Capernaum is the Transfiguration. Tradition places the Transiguration on Mount Tabor which is a good ways off. If you just focus on the text it would appear that Jesus was near Caesarea Philippi when He transfigured. If that is the case it might have very well been somewhere in the area of Caesarea Phillipi or somewhere on the Mount Hermon range. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUz9DQ7o66BklRkXpHhilqu-pto3DhjBdZCvmIboxy1K5nIXE31YdQt-vZ8OV9zasbneV96pJe4TNsFYEEuuKHfOda42MbdSiK-BGxZ255nQN_i3xibFHlEGcZG89xbhvDyTDZDjZcL6Nz/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUz9DQ7o66BklRkXpHhilqu-pto3DhjBdZCvmIboxy1K5nIXE31YdQt-vZ8OV9zasbneV96pJe4TNsFYEEuuKHfOda42MbdSiK-BGxZ255nQN_i3xibFHlEGcZG89xbhvDyTDZDjZcL6Nz/s320/Sunday,+March+14+152.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><br />
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We then headed to Capernaum. There were more miracles done here than any other place. Yet we see in Matthew 11.23-24 that Jesus condemned Capernaum due to her unbelief. We went into the synagogue. While it is a 3rd or 4th century synagogue, it is built on the foundation of the synagogue of Jesus. Amazing to be standing in the same area Jesus healed and taught. Here are some pictures of Capernaum:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-HZXjFOkvvteBfLzyP1Bo8PxtiDO3U6JgHgXbHkmy1cQOVz7b395fJw3pHmUaP_QWgIB50msKBoPNMcyxA-csPMRtOFyWPXPvUkSmdS1bJBZyxPi0r_XpqGpEBsV0FtrdZ8gsUsPIEmO/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-HZXjFOkvvteBfLzyP1Bo8PxtiDO3U6JgHgXbHkmy1cQOVz7b395fJw3pHmUaP_QWgIB50msKBoPNMcyxA-csPMRtOFyWPXPvUkSmdS1bJBZyxPi0r_XpqGpEBsV0FtrdZ8gsUsPIEmO/s320/Sunday,+March+14+160.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the synagogue. Jesus cast out a demon here in Mark 1:21-26</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here is the one and only Scott Parr standing in the synagogue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDvOBkSffVKIN4sK0qZhNA354Dawv-0-r7dlJpV7DvYAmEqLxaWZyAxkWbatBDcyNVV03dyDC804H_mMP2x2Hwpc0xF-G6i-nL-AwHTcjoX8O9NnF_MrpAXQm61eI6Bn2_OOj_u5hJVxJ/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDvOBkSffVKIN4sK0qZhNA354Dawv-0-r7dlJpV7DvYAmEqLxaWZyAxkWbatBDcyNVV03dyDC804H_mMP2x2Hwpc0xF-G6i-nL-AwHTcjoX8O9NnF_MrpAXQm61eI6Bn2_OOj_u5hJVxJ/s320/Sunday,+March+14+174.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here are some archaeological finds of homes in Capernaum</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKPX90j4RCUBPMGjCqfDtDWzL1k6ON5vUh3UsH1wPSsR_zQrrZ_J2dXyzIPckhtpeJ9YZItYKbyCiJua0Nmqt3twx9z8ZFU1B_yvkdr02Mq_sU4VN4D8ZINL0h-RkMt_3wWJOZQvB4Urb/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUKPX90j4RCUBPMGjCqfDtDWzL1k6ON5vUh3UsH1wPSsR_zQrrZ_J2dXyzIPckhtpeJ9YZItYKbyCiJua0Nmqt3twx9z8ZFU1B_yvkdr02Mq_sU4VN4D8ZINL0h-RkMt_3wWJOZQvB4Urb/s320/Sunday,+March+14+168.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Many archaeologist believe this is the house of Peter's mother in law. We read in Mark 1 that Jesus healed her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcn58Pq_TsZnvH5Nki3pXIDAaiOKY1VamibGuHNX8tp1UWe-NuMjSBZsBmV3yKh32wR7z56VBLHfbRZYnR1wBqac1_nCYeL6jgUJN-Ia4fRVZuUQA4k_NkCQWB33187eZN0aPAu4Qv7J9/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcn58Pq_TsZnvH5Nki3pXIDAaiOKY1VamibGuHNX8tp1UWe-NuMjSBZsBmV3yKh32wR7z56VBLHfbRZYnR1wBqac1_nCYeL6jgUJN-Ia4fRVZuUQA4k_NkCQWB33187eZN0aPAu4Qv7J9/s320/Sunday,+March+14+167.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMpVL4tH3IbjquSgHub0oVy3B09G4B8KXzhYJVoiEzgg-d2wZH8Z_aayeS2dtSSjCKdsGQ-jePHuCBv16r9SynjUAGBPUkxRaW8OsJyRvlXzM9AhzeJkziOG2xpJKKy6tW-NgLi19QeOW/s1600-h/Sunday,+March+14+175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMpVL4tH3IbjquSgHub0oVy3B09G4B8KXzhYJVoiEzgg-d2wZH8Z_aayeS2dtSSjCKdsGQ-jePHuCBv16r9SynjUAGBPUkxRaW8OsJyRvlXzM9AhzeJkziOG2xpJKKy6tW-NgLi19QeOW/s320/Sunday,+March+14+175.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">To finish the day we took a ride on the Sea of Galilee. It is such a neat experience just to be on the lake. Today it was very calm and peaceful. We went over and looked at the general direction of what many feel is the Mount of Beatitudes and also at the area that could possibly be Bethsaida. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scott is extremely proud of this next picture. He keeps talking about it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">It was a great day. I am exhausted. Good night from the Sea of Galilee!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-83487443948778548072010-03-12T12:45:00.000-08:002010-03-13T12:39:29.542-08:00Shabbat Shalom!Alright, we made it through day 2. Today was another great day. The food here is suprisingly good. Dessert was pretty awesome- they have these things that look like brownies that taste like dark chocolate. I know you are thinking why are you writing about brownies, but if you had experienced them you would understand.<br />
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Today we started out at the Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem. This is a really emotional place to visit. If you ever questioned the depravity of man this would be a horrific reminder. We started out in the Childrens' Memorial. You walk into this dark area with names of children continuously called out. The guide said that it takes 3 years for every child that is documented to be read aloud. Seeing the kids faces on the wall as the names are read gives you an incredible sense of grief. The main part of the museum is designed in a unique way to demonstrate the immense trial and difficulty the Jews endured. Even the floors are not straight making it difficult to walk correctly. Throughout the museum there is video testimonials of individuals who went through the agonizing suffering. As you wind through making it to the end you look out and see how modern day Israel is thriving today. It is an amazing testimony to the faithfulness of God.<br />
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From there we went over to the Shrine of the Book.<br />
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This place is unreal. This place houses one of the greatest archaelogical finds of all time. This is where you have many of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls were found in an area down by the Dead Sea known as Qumran. In Qumran there was an eccentric group of people that lived there known as the Essenes. The Essenes desired a higher spiritual life and a removal from the secular and worldly. They developed this community and focused on a life of seperation and purity. Many of their writings are found here along with the copies found at Qumran of almost every Old Testament book. One of the really cool things to look at is a copy of the entire book of Isaiah. This absolutely verifies the authenticity of the book. Scott and I were talking how amazing it is that the book that was found it its entirety is one of the clearest of all prophetic books pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. In fact in some of these very books that were found contain the prophetic writings that prophesy of the Jews one day returning to the land. Although in many ways this is yet to be completely fulfilled, you can't but help see that the very reason we are visiting this land is due to the faithfulness of God keeping His promise.<br />
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From the Shrine of the Book we went over to the Knesset. This is Israel's parliment building. <br />
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Across from this is a giant Menorah. This was given to Israel by the Britains' in welcoming them to the League of Nations.<br />
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We then went over to this giant replica of Jerusalem from the second temple era (the time of Jesus). This place gives you a great perspective of where things happened in biblical times. It was a great overview of where things are located before we begin to visit many of these sites.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_4wyjzDT6T16svJnX7moPTFrIRB598ei5oAYM4Qyk4NpyJghJ-yJLk69aHGzVpSiVtn2_mEdY76ZfpCnY1lowkfGzBFMkVKFCHpgBjLfitlhNH4Hhyv14BQfHGeS1prg3eJLe_wRYrso/s1600-h/Israel+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_4wyjzDT6T16svJnX7moPTFrIRB598ei5oAYM4Qyk4NpyJghJ-yJLk69aHGzVpSiVtn2_mEdY76ZfpCnY1lowkfGzBFMkVKFCHpgBjLfitlhNH4Hhyv14BQfHGeS1prg3eJLe_wRYrso/s320/Israel+015.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We then went over to an overlook of Jerusalem. What is really amazing is that the golden top building known as the Dome of the Rock is where the temple stood. It gives you chills thinking of the amazing history of what you are looking at. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Then as we closed out the day we headed over to the wailing wall. I had totally forgotten what time of the day it was. It was Friday and getting close to sundown. What this meant is that Shabbat or Sabbath was quickly approaching. The wailing wall is of such great importance to all religious jews. It is the closest place that they can get to the original Holy of Holies. The excitement and anticipation in the air was breathtaking. People began to rush to the wailing wall in excitement of Shabbat. <br />
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We couldn't get any pictures by the wall due to it being Shabbat. There seemed like thousands of people there. The guys in our group went down to the wall. I wish you could have seen us with our head coverings. Scott's was unbelievable. As you entered into this area there were orthodox jews everywhere. We went down into the synagogue where they were praying. Then as we came out and stood there watching people give their prayers and reading the Torah we began to hear a loud commotion. Looking back there was what seemed like 100 Yeshiva students arm in arm singing and dancing coming into the area. It was a really amazing scene. <br />
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Well, that is about it. Tomorrow we head to the Galilee. Here it is now officially Shabbat. In Israel approaching and during Sabbath you are supposed to say, "Shabbat Shalom". So "Shabbat Shalom yall". Have a great night!Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-82279401760036101002010-03-11T13:57:00.000-08:002010-03-11T14:05:40.249-08:00Spiritual DeadnessAlright, believe it or not we are in Jerusalem. <br />
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It was a grueling trip. I had a picture of Scott sleeping on the plane, but I know to everyones dissapointment he deleted it. <br />
I am so tired it is ridiculous. It is about 11:15 p.m. in Jerusalem and I am about to go to bed but tomorrow night I hope to have some pictures ready to rock and roll. Today was an interesting day. I was able to get a exit row, which may not mean much to some but if you are taller than 6 foot 3 you understand the joy in knowing that. As I sat down overjoyed at my leg room I realized my two travel companions were going to be orthodox jews. The orthodox jew. I have always been fascinated with the religious jew and how they thought and how they lived. Immediately they began their readings from the Torah. One of the mans names was Abraham. I could never understand the other guys name. Abraham seemed irritated talking to me right away. He asked me why I even wanted to go to Israel. Once I told him I was a follower of Jesus he told me that I should have travelled to the Vatican in Rome. This was about as far as our discussion ever went on spiritual matters, but what I observed over the next 9 hours or so was heartbreaking. I witnessed the prayers, the discussion, the Torah, the prayer shawl, the tefillin, and alot of religious deadness. It broke my heart. At one point I managed to fall asleep just to wake at one of their prayer times. I was on the front row of my section and I looked up and around 6 or 7 orthodox jews had gathered around me doing what they would define as worship. I sat there quietly amidst the prayers and the commotion, privately thanking God that by His grace I am His child. In reflecting on what Christ has accomplished on the cross and on what He has done in my life it made the scene in front of me even more tragic. Men who were steeped in their religious activity but spiritually dead. As I sat there and prayed, it reminded me of why God accepts my worship. It has nothing to do with Steve, but is rooted in what Christ has accomplished for me at the cross by grace through faith.Steven Barberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04027578985381019991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6168136356598512721.post-71879012208905541662010-03-09T08:38:00.000-08:002010-03-09T19:39:17.828-08:00Trip to Israel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybpT1AmGzLOMaB75WRT4hrc6PcY2IaZFM5fMwJ4ZmsZ0YkANvCfWNnGjh3AnHJVE1RvEZ31acm7cZLtz6jiBh21LEUfft2xNiNDhBYb1gQL2240ZFwEhZnpdwYZ9PKviy8C0YxVMID-5N/s1600-h/dome_of_the_rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybpT1AmGzLOMaB75WRT4hrc6PcY2IaZFM5fMwJ4ZmsZ0YkANvCfWNnGjh3AnHJVE1RvEZ31acm7cZLtz6jiBh21LEUfft2xNiNDhBYb1gQL2240ZFwEhZnpdwYZ9PKviy8C0YxVMID-5N/s400/dome_of_the_rock.jpg" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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