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It’s been said that the number 8 in scripture represents new beginnings. That’s exactly how I would describe today (the 8th day of our trip) in my spiritual journey. Everything was so inspiring I don’t even know where to begin this blog tonight. For those of you just tuning in, I’m in Jerusalem – the city of our Great King. It’s everything I ever dreamed it would be and then some.

Our plans for the day took a sovereign detour almost immediately. Bob (my traveling companion) and I had planned to take a bus tour of the city since we only have 2 days here. We thought that would be our best option to get a panoramic view of Jerusalem and get a feel for the culture here. To get to the bus we had to walk about a mile from our hotel and as soon as we got near the place where we were to board the bus, the detour happened.

An Armenian taxi driver pulled up to the curb, which is common in this city, and asked us what our plans were. We told him and he offered to take us to various places that we could not get on the bus tour. After brief price negotiations, we agreed that it was indeed a better option, so instead of starting the tour at a hotel, we started on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem from them east. So many scriptures flooded my mind which I will not even attempt to catalog in this blog all at once but all of a sudden the Bible went from a Sunday School storybook to a living history with a secure future.

Just a few were the Olivet discourse (Matt 24), The ascension, and the poignant prophecy of Zechariah 14 where Christ is to return to that same mountain a second time without sin unto salvation. Like a lightening bolt from heaven, it all came flooding into my spirit. From there we could see the walls of the old city, the sprawl of the newer city, the famous temple mount, the Dome of the Rock which many believe houses the place where Abraham offered up Isaac; the city of David; Mount Zion; The Bethlehem hills and on and on and on….. I drank it in and craved for more.

From there we proceeded down the steep slope of the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ prayed the night before His crucifixion and was subsequently arrested. Then we drove briefly through the old city before going to the back side of the Mount of Olives to Bethany to see the tomb of Lazarus, and across the Judean desert to the city of Jericho on the edge of the lush Jordan valley. From Jericho we could see the Jordan river and beginning of the Dead Sea with Mt. Nebo (where Moses was permitted to view the promised land) staring at us in the background.

The sovereign detour grew more clear when we discovered that our cab driver is a believer who happened to be acquainted with a true Messianic Jewish Pastor living in Jerusalem. One phone call later and we were sitting down having tea with a Jerusalem born Israelite who had discovered the truth that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Folks, nothing happens by accident when you follow Jesus. Your steps are ordered by God and we realized the fullness of that truth today.

I leave you tonight with something profound that hit me at the tomb of Lazarus. It comes in the form of 3 short video clips which will take you about 2 minutes to watch all of them. As you watch them, keep this thought in mind. When you respond to the call of Christ to be free from things in your life, you may have to respond first, and wait for the fullness of your miracle afterward. Obedience may be the key to positioning yourself for God’s miracle in your life.

Tomb of Lazarus 1

Tomb of Lazarus 2

Tomb of Lazarus 3

Another day dominated by travel ended with our arrival in Jerusalem. I cried as soon as our plane touched the ground – guess it was the awe of the moment. Even though this will be a short stay in the Holy City, I hope to get a feel for the land and make preparations for a full trip in February, 2013.

The ride from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem was about 35-45 minutes in a small shuttle bus and it was drizzling rain, so visibility was somewhat limited but I was awed by the lush green farmlands and the number of trees that decorated the landscaping. What’s fascinating is that in 1948 when Israel became a nation again, the area surrounding Tel-Aviv was desolate. Reminds me of the closing words of Amos’ prophecy:

I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (Amos 9:14, 15 ESV)

Granted there is always tension here with the Arab/Palestinian world, but if Amos is correct (and I believe he is) Israel is here to stay and regardless of what other governments, including our own, may try to do, this land is protected by a contract God made with Abraham over 3000 years ago.

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, (Genesis 15:18 ESV)

If you break down that chapter, you understand that by the nature of the covenant, God bound Himself to keep this agreement with the descendants of Abraham, and there is no government or national coalitions that can override the Sovereign Lord. The earth is His and the fullness thereof. The fact that He owns it all gives Him full rights to distribute and deed land to whomever He pleases. The fact is, this land was given by God to a man and His descendants. Case closed.

Enough preaching for now.

We linked up in the evening with one of our congregants, Patricia Hudgins, who is studying at the Hebrew University here in Jerusalem. She is doing well and sends her love to all at The Fountain. Tomorrow (today for me), we plan to catch a panoramic tour of the city before meeting up with our other friends here later this afternoon.

I hope these blogs are making you all feel a part of what we are experiencing on this trip. Heard Gary Webb did a great job preaching this morning. We miss you all but not as much as we miss our kids. My love goes out to my Fab Five. They are truly the delight of my heart.

Anyone remember the old Steve Martin/John Candy movie “Planes, Trains And Automobiles?” we did all 3 in Morocco and experienced none of the circumstances that took place in that movie. That said, no one should ever complain about the way Phoenix drivers navigate the roadways. Morrocan taxi drivers will make Phoenix drivers look mild. Living dangerously behind the wheel would be an understatement.

Thankfully we made it back to Paris even though our flight out of Rabat SW delayed nearly an hour. It was a relatively short flight, and we were able to grab a light snack before turning in for the evening. So overall it was a pretty mellow travel day. I did, however, get to make brunch quesadillas for our hosts before we left for the airport. 5 days without any kind of Mexican food is not normal for me, so I was able to bless a host and satisfy a craving at the same time.

Tomorrow we have an early flight to Tel Aviv and then a 45 minute taxi ride to Jerusalem. Just the thought of being in Jerusalem puts a lump in my throat. To walk where Jesus walked will truly be an amazing adventure. This isn’t a full tour of the country, but at least I will get a taste.

Be blessed everyone

We’ve almost reached the half way point on this excursion and what an honor it has been to see this country first hand. Our hosts have been spectacular and we have been able to forge a much deeper relationship with them, which I believe will serve us well going forward. As a church, we will have a better understanding of how to pray for this nation and the endeavors going on here.

As I stated yesterday, the light needs to shine into darkness and we need to pray that God will continue to raise up believers who will be that beacon of light and leverage their circle of influence for God’s Kingdom work in this nation.

We started the morning with a season of prayer before heading back into the heart of Marrakech. We had some great times taking in part of the old city (which is still behind the original city walls) via horse and carriage.

MOC Carriage Ride

It gave us an opportunity to witness the variety of life and culture that exists here. After that we had an opportunity to take a camel ride. THAT was awesome and no, it didn’t spit on me. My camel’s name was Fatima and she was 15 years old, the most experienced of the bunch, however, I was worried that her back would get crushed from the excess weight of this American. Here’s a link to a very short video of this experience.

Camel Ride

We finished our time in Marrakech prayer walking at a large Mosque. Friday is the holy day of the week for Muslims and as they were filing in to pray during the noon hour, we silently walked the perimeter, praying in the Spirit that God and believing God for breakthrough in this nation. We then boarded the Marrakech Express (someone tweeted to me that this was a song) and made the 4 1/2 hour trek back to Rabat. Tomorrow we transit back to Paris and Sunday morning we will fly on to Israel. Thanks to all of you for keeping up with me. We are having a blessed time.