Israel Diaries # 5: Rooftop Conversations, Mineral Mud and Galilee

Thanks for all that are following along with Janny and I on facebook and here on my blog. It has been great sharing the memories and experiences.

This has arguably been one of the most intense classes I have ever taken in any context. I just finished my second exam (only one more to go!) this afternoon after putting in around 50 hours of lecture/study/field study in the past 6 days. Janny (and the baby!) and I were able to rest yesterday back at our hotel in Jerusalem and tomorrow we shove off for a 4 day trip to Galilee. We are REALLY looking forward to this leg of the trip. We will visit 17 different significant locations, which are highlighted by Caesarea, Nazareth, Bethsaida, Sea of Galilee (apparently we will be staying right on the water) Capernaum and Sepphoris. Will be taking plenty of notes/pics to share.

Our time in the Negev was amazing. We stayed in youth hostel in Arad, about 20 minutes from the Dead Sea. Walking up the Roman Ramp to Masada was a stunning scene. Jewish Zealots held Masada until 73AD (3 years after Jerusalem had fallen) and the Romans built the ramp for 3 years in an effort to take the city.


Floating and "exfoliating" in the Dead Sea was Janny's highlight of the whole trip to date. All the girls in the group followed her around like a mother hen as she covered herself (and yes, I might have followed suite:)) in the mineral rich Dead Sea mud and floated at the lowest place on earth.


Walking through the community and caves of Qumran could have been my highlight of the trip so far. Having studied the Dead Sea Scrolls and their significance, it was surreal to be sifting through the same caves that held these scrolls for almost 2000 years. Gosh, I could talk/share about these for hours, but I'll stop there...


As I have mentioned a couple times, we are doing our best to develop our understanding of the tension that exists between Palestine and Israel. Standing on the roof of our hotel around 11pm, I had one of the most insightful and painful conversations of my life. One of our Palestinian friends who works at our hotel, also has a child on the way and lives with his wife on the other side of the Mt. of Olives in the West Bank. Not long ago it would only take him 10 minutes to get to work in Jerusalem, now (after multiple security check points) it takes him 45. His wife is only allowed outside of "the walls" twice a year for Christmas and Easter. In the afternoons, he works with local teenagers promoting reconciliation and peacemaking. Often speaking with tears streaming down his cheeks as we looked over Jerusalem, he shared his story(some are paraphrased):
"I don't want to change your mind, I am only one man. I just want you to hear our story."
"I am a Christian, I love Jesus, but I am treated like a terrorist."
"I try not to be angry when I see Americans praying for their meal, while you forget the oppression of those of us right here. Thankfully I have the love of Jesus in my heart."
"You can't oppress a whole nation over the terrorist acts of a few."
"The Berlin Wall was 3 meters high, this wall is 8 meters. Our oppression only builds hatred and terror."
"I will never leave, but I don't see how there will ever be peace."
"Don't feel sorry for me. With my wife and child, I am very happy."

Israel Diaries # 4: Southern Israel Near Beersheba

We are on a 3 day field trip to Southern Israel where we are going to a bunch of biblical sites that include the Elah Valley(where David and Goliath met), Beersheba, the Dead Sea, the Zin Winderness (where YHWH provided manna and quail to the Israelites) and much more...it is supper hot, but amazing. Only have a few minutes of internet, so here are a couple pics:



Janny wandering the Philistine hill/city of Azekah that overlooks the Elah Valley



Jon inside the caves at Maresha. Members of the early church would get thrown to the lions and get put in these caves to live for the rest of their days.

Israel Diaries # 3: Few Pics and Off to the Dead Sea

Well, we have finally cracked the code to our camera and have downloaded our pics from our recent adventures. We had the last day and a half off of school, which gave us much needed time to rest and catch up on other responsibilities (for some reason the responsibilities of home didn't leave us when we flew away!). Class continues to be very intense as we are studying everything from soil types, to topography to architecture to dates/locations of events. With all that said, it is fascinating and we feel as though we are getting a comprehensive understanding. The experience is already creating so much fresh insight into the Story of Scripture that we have study for so long.

We continue to approach our time in a spirit of sensitivity towards towards the Israel/Palenstine tension. Primarily, we are seeking to hear the stories of the individuals behind what we hear in our fear driven media of the West. We are gaining lots of great insight and are looking forward to sharing a meal with a Christian couple from Palestine this coming weekend.

Tomorrow morning we head out for a 3 day field study to the Dead Sea region where we will staying in a nearby town and visiting a half of a dozen other significant sites.

Let's see if I can add a few pics:



Coming out of a 30 minute underground journey through Hezekiah's Tunnel that was built 2700 years ago.



Our professor Dr. Mullins at the Pool Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man with mud. Dr. Mullins got his PHD from Hebrew University and lived in Jerusalem for 20 years. He's brilliant.



Western Wailing Wall



Janny riding like Mary on the route that Jesus road into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday



Jon with Ahmed and Esau who own a shoe store in the West Bank. They were some of the nicest fellas we have met on this trip as they shared their personal orange juice with Janny and I as we tried on shoes. Their story was incredible.

I would post more from the Temple Mount, Bethlehem, etc...but this internet connection is way to slow. Shalom from Jerusalem!

Israel Diaries # 2: Busted Cameras and Holy Pilgrimmage

Our folks hooked us up with a sweet camera as a combined bday present for Janny and I this year. With our travels and the baby on the way, we figured it was time to replace the duck tape ridden version we have been using. Unfortunately, we have either not figured out how to properly use the new one OR there is something wrong with it. We have a ton of sweet pics, but are unable to get them onto our computer. I was hoping to mainly post pics and only say a few words...not happening. Hopefully we can find a "techy" in our class tomorrow.

As I last mentioned, the class is really involved, but it is allowing us to explore the country academically and physically. Our professor has his PHD from the local Hebrew University and is an American citizen who lived her for 20 years. He is brilliant and has some great perspective. Is also quite devotional at times. We have really connected with our classmates (who range from 19 to 60 years old) as we go out to local restaurants and cafe's most every night to watch the World Cup. It is HUGE over here.

Today we visited Bethlehem, Herodian, Garden(Orchard) of Gethsemane and the Mt. of Olives. Over the past few days we have stayed in Jerusalem and done extensive study and exploration of the Old City of Jerusalem (Hezekiah's Tunnel, Temple Mount, the Upper Room, Calvary, Jesus' Tomb, David's Palace, etc...) Stunning stuff.

Our professor said something profound that struck both of us in a similar way. He spoke of the Western minds' desire for accuracy, data and information in visiting these sites (questions like: how sure can we be that this is REALLY the place that...happened?) He went on to say that the religious of the Middle East (specifically Israel) don't seek data, but instead they worship and remember. As we travel these grounds and ask the hard questions based on thorough scholarship, it is shocking how many places can't be confirmed as 100% accurate locations of the original event/structure. The point isn't accuracy, the point is worship. Such is the posture we hope to adopt moving forward.

Hopefully we get the camera fixed!

10 Books in 10 Weeks

Our Israel class is in full swing and I have quickly been made aware why I am getting 6 units of grad credit for this 3 week class! 10 hour days with about 4 hours of lecture and 5+ hours of field study. Super tuckered out, but super fun experience. It has been so fun to share with Janny as well. For some reason, we are having issues with our camera, so I am taking a pause in our Israel Diaries and giving a top 10 list that is really only a top 3 list. This last quarter, I read the following books for my seminary classes. Some were great, some were OK. After the top 3, they are in no particular order:

1. Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat
Offers some of the best commentary on the idols of rationality and pluralism within Modernity and Postmodernity. Also, their words on Christians embodying a social alternative to Empire through succession, community, liberation and suffering brought me to tears.
2. The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder
Yoder offers a careful exegesis of the teachings of Jesus and argues (although in an extremely humble posture) that Jesus offers a relevant ethic that is to be embodied today. As a pacifist who wrote this in the early 70's, his words are all the more powerful and challenging.
3. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
What's for dinner? That question is constantly asked before sitting at the dinner table. What's in dinner and where did it come from? Those are questions that rarely get asked, but whose answers must be examined. I read this for a paper I wrote on Food Justice and it called into questions the justice that is/isn't found in our industrial food complex.

Rounding out the final 7 I have (in no particular order):

4. Kingdom Ethics by Glen Stassen and David Gushee
5. God's Politics by Jim Wallis
6. Missional Renaissance by Reggie Mcneal
7. Personal Faith, Public Policy by Harry Jackson and Tony Perkins
8. The Future of Faith in American Politics by David Gushee
9. The Culturally Savvy Christian by Dick Staub
10. The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch

Bonus Read
Artist, Citizens, Philosophers: Seeking the Peace of the City (still in progress)

Israel Diaries # 1: World Cup and Maccabee Lager

Picture of Old City Jerusalem from the window of our hotel



Well, this is the stuff that makes Janny and I come to life. This is our 3rd day in Jerusalem after about 24 hours of travel and a 10 hour time change. Our favorite part of traveling is learning and embracing new culture(at least new to us!). Travel forces us into a posture of humility and intrigue as we have to feel our way through the new setting by trail and error. This has definitely been true of our first few days in Israel.

The main reason we are here is to study at Jerusalem University College for a 3.5 week graduate course. I have FINALLY finished about 30 hours of pre-work and so we were able to rest and get a taste of the city for these first few days. We check into the school today.

The hotel we have been staying in (we are now moving to campus housing) is a 0 star and is packed with other low budget travelers from across the globe. We have already traveled with, exchanged email addresses and watched the World Cup with people from England, Holland, Costa Rica, Switzerland and a bunch of locals. Although the facilities are modest (to say the least!), we have an incredible view of the Old City and the Mt. of Olives...and it came with free breakfast! Nothing like hummus and tomatoes @ 7am. It is located in the Arabic part of town and the guys that run the place are super friendly and accommodating. We were told not to stay in this part of town, but we have really enjoyed getting into the rhythms of this culture. Most are Muslim and we can hear the prayers 3 or 4 times a day that are amplified through the streets. They exhibit so much devotion, it is quite admirable.

There is an upper lounge at the top of our hotel where we can watch the World Cup games. Super fun. I offered to get some Hebrew Lager for myself and our English friend David and quickly realized that Muslim's don't drink alcohol, so we had to leave the area. We ended up finding some Hebrew beer call Maccabee Lager(LOVE the history! If you're not familiar with the Maccabee's influence in the Jewish story, click here) and enjoyed the USA vs England match. Janny had this guy on his heals with her strategic smack talk. We just liked to hear him fire back comments in his English accent.

We have been able to walk the Old City streets and are excited to be moving to our new hotel which is actually inside the city walls. Our favorite meal has quickly become falafel and Turkish(or Arabic) coffee. We will share more about the city and some of the sites next time.

Any tips or insight, please feel free to throw it in the comments. We should have internet pretty consistently.

Cheers and Shalom from Israel!

Off To The Homeland

So these past few weeks have been absolutely nutso in the world of Jon, Jan and Harry. Well, not so much for Harry.

Janny has been busting her tail to finish up her school year with the 4th graders she has been teaching, moving us out of our little house up in Mt. Hermon and working some weekends as an esthetician. She had her last day with the 4th graders yesterday and she was honored in front of the whole school for her work and influence she has had on the kids. I am SUPER proud of her and that school really lucked out on a quality teacher!

I have been in a mad scramble to finish finals, fill up and empty out UHAUL trucks, writing for YS(lastest article was published yesterday:)and completed my time teaching adult education. Been crazy, but we can both see the end in site and it has been great stuff.

Now we are turning our sites towards Israel! We leave Wednesday morning and will be studying at Jerusalem University College. It is a 6 credit graduate course that focuses on Geographical Settings of the Bible. Honestly, with the chaos of life we have barely been able to get excited, but now it is sinking in...and it is awesome! We will be living 1 block from the Wailing Wall and will have a day of lectures followed by 1-3 day field trips through the actual locations that were discussed in the lecture. There will be LOTS of pictures and new insights. I will be blogging and posting pictures of our experiences often.

We are not overly concerned, but unless you live in a cave, you have heard of the "flotilla incident" this past week. It has stimulated some unrest and it will be interesting to see how it plays out in our time over there. Please pray that we can model peace and hope as we wander through a region that has been plagued with anything but.