Galilee

Thursday evening...Today we visited Caesarea, Meggido, Mt. Carmel and Nazareth. It surprised me how much ground could be covered in a day. We have an excellent tour guide and the weather has been decent -- a little hot but really not bad. I am gaining a whole new perspective on the Bible and this land. Today really brought the geography into perspective. I especially enjoyed Caesarea. I also shared a devotional at Meggido. It is sobering to consider the conflicts of the past and the future which will surely take place again in this land. We must all keep a perspective that includes eternity.

It has been great spending time with other pastors and missionaries. There are many people here that we know, although some we have not seen for a long time. There are 12 buses that are part of this tour. Each bus has its own tour guide and they are spread out along the route. Tomorrow we begin the day with a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. Our room has a view of the Sea (it really is a large lake). There is something really inspiring about seeing the places where the events of the Bible took place. You step back in time and can visualize the people and the events that took place. It suddenly doesn't seem to be that long ago.

Friday evening -- Today's journey began with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. From there we toured around the lake, including stop to the Golan Heights, the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, and a baptism in the Jordan River. It was truly hot today, but still enjoyable and very informative. We were with the Olympia Foursquare group for part of the day, but are mostly with a group from all different places.

Tomorrow we will end up in Jerusalem where we will remain for the rest of our trip.

I am struck by the popularity that Jesus had and the amazing impact that He made coming from this seemingly remote part of the world. Without the help of technology His influence spread throughout this region and around the world. It was great seeing where it all began -- particularly while visiting the synagogue in Capernaum and travelling on the Sea of Galilee. So often we rely on our methods, technologies and strategies in our efforts to formulate effective ways of reaching our world. They sometimes grow so complex and difficult that we wear ourselves out in the process. There is something refreshing about considering a group of young fishermen, men and women -- emerging from this place with a world changing message (and methods) that didn't come from a textbook or management strategy.