The Galilee & The Desert

The Galilee
I’ll always remember the beauty of the lake that we usually refer to as the Sea of Galilee. With the mountain ranges rising up on both sides, it is truly a scenic place. I was also struck by the volcanic rock that was very abundant in the region. There were a lot of pilgrims in many of the traditional places that we visited, yet one of the memories that I will cherish is our encounter with the living stone of our guide, Ghada Boulos, a Melchite Christian from Haifa.
The Desert
Tomorrow our Tantur community will spend the day in the desert. Biblically, the desert teaches God’s people to trust. This trust can be born out of the experience of exile. Here we can hear God’s call to live more fully in the Promised Land. “Then the LORD your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the peoples, where the LORD your God has scattered you. If any of your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of the heavens, from there will the LORD your God gather you, and from there he will bring you back.” (Deuteronomy 30:3-4) Where are your desert places? How have your or are you experiencing exile? I invite you to enter your desert and listen for God’s call.

See more pictures at: Ben's Flickr site and Tantur group site

Halfway and Heading North

These first two weeks Ben and I have been learning about this Holy Land through firsthand exploration and experience, as well as through a variety of teachers in the classroom. The tensions are readily apparent, and the layers and complexities of the current situation are not easily unraveled. Religion, ethnicity, and history are all contributing factors to the current problems that lead to symptoms like checkpoints and walls. The underlying question that has arisen to guide me for the moment is this: How might justice prevail for all of God’s people in this land? June 16 thru June 20 we will be making a pilgrimage to the Galilee region. The photo is from our stop at Caesarea Maritima on the way. Keep checking Ben's Flickr site for pictorial updates.

The Old City

A few scenes from the Old City. See more at Ben's Flickr site

Holy Land Day One

Ben and I arrived Sunday, June 1, in the evening here, and the Tantur hospitality was quickly apparent to us as we were welcomed in and fed a generous meal, even though we had arrived past meal time. Today, we had an orientation to the institute in the morning, and a general bus tour in the afternoon. Here is a link to some pictures on Ben's Flickr page.