Scratching the Surface

The second full day of travel and experiences in Israel were emotional, amazing and stretching. We began the day with a tour through an historical Biblical garden on the grounds of our hotel. The outstanding display of the garden was a scale size replica of the Tabernacle. Once inside the hotel we heard the owner/proprietor share his experiences with terror inside the very hotel we were staying at and down the street from his hotel at the gas station on the corner. It was especially emotional as he showed us the medals he was awarded when he put his life in danger to successfully subdue one of the suicide bombers .

We then proceeded deeper into the West Bank, in a secure bus to Shiloh...a place spoke of in the days of at the Tabernacle. The site we visited is believed to be the place where God dwelt among His people in the holy of holies. It was also there where Samuel heard the voice of God as a young boy. I walked and considered what it must have been like to literally see the hills surrounding this site full of men, women and children who gathered to worship and to hear from God through the ministry of the priests.

One scripture came to mind as I sat and considered all those things yesterday morning:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains-where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forever.

Psalm 121

Later in the afternoon, as a group, we were led in a responsive reading of the above scripture. That moment was very special for me...confirmation that this was one of the messages God had for my heart that day of travel.

The picture above was symbolic of another thing I felt near the end of the day. We were in the midst of traveling to the next site when our guide pointed out this specific scene. He said this is known as "Scraping the Surface"...an archaeological dig in process. I, too, feel like all I have seen and experienced is a mere 'scraping of the surface' of so much more. I am so very thankful to be a part of this trip to indeed dig deeper!

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow...

What an amazing 48 hours it has been. The journey to Israel was perfect in most every way. Monday afternoon a 777 departed Newark NJ with approximately 40 or so Daily Audio Bible listeners, all eagerly anticipating a memorable journey to the Land of the Bible.

 

 

The inflight service and services were legendary. And the exposure to different languages and customs on board the long 10 hour trip added variety to an otherwise very long trip. My only hiccup of the trip thus far was a seat that did not reline. I woke after a fitful night pretty sore, but thankful to be on the trip.

 

 

We hit the ground running, with a tour of Caesarea. Wonderful lunch at Port Cafe' featured freshly prepared food with unique and new tastes. The highlight of our time there was a brief teaching in the Roman theater, built on the shore of the Mediterraneon sea (built by King Herold). Acts 12:20-24 was read and heard by us all with larger perspective and appreciation for the fact that we were, in fact, walking on site of a significant place in the story of the Bible.

 

 

The picture above was the view outside our hotel room this evening before our lavish buffet dinner. I am tired, not really knowing what day it is (or at least my body is confused) and my mind is ready for a rest. The fellowship among the group is rich, and we all look forward with great anticipation to the adventure tomorrow will hold...

It all began with a Bible...

This Bible is very special to me.  It was a gift my big brother, Clay, who brought it to me after his trip home from Congo, Africa, where he had served a two year term with PAX MCC in the late 1960's.  He was able to spend a brief amount of time in Israel, so besides a very 'cool' elephant hair bracelet he brought from Congo, he also purchased this Bible from Bethlehem for his little sister. (I was 8 or 9 years old at that time)

This Bible was truly one of the most beautiful things I owned!  Not only were the mother-of-pearl engravings on the cover exquisite, but the color photographs of the land of Israel and Egypt were windows into the land of the Bible, itself.  My imagination would soar as I carefully turned the pages and gazed at another world that I longed to see some far away day in my future.

The Bible was carefully stored in my 'treasure box'.  Sometimes I would pull it out of my drawer and look at it, open the cover, and look at the photos.  I also loved looking up familiar verses in it, especially the story of the first Christmas.  The King James version it contained was the version I had memorized many verses as a child, so there was the joy of opening familiar words within the beautiful covers of this particular Bible.

Years later, I handed my Bible to a florist to design a bridal bouquet that would be placed upon the special Bible for our wedding day!

In the years since, I have lovingly placed this Bible near our family Advent wreath each Christmas, sometimes even reading the Christmas story from it before our gifts are given to each other. 

Now, this weekend marks my final preparations for the trip my heart has longed to take, a trip to Israel for 10 days.  The beautiful connection that makes this more than a fulfillment of the dreams of an 8 year old is the fact that this trip is all about the Bible.  This Bible will not be on the trip with me.  My Bible will now be carried on a Kindle.  However, this trip will be a pilgrimage with others who have a love for the Bible.  I will be with a group from the Daily Audio Bible ministry.  This group will be made up of others, who like myself, have come to embrace daily interaction with God's Word through the vehicle of a podcast read by Brian Hardin. 

So, the thrill of the trip to Israel begins with the love of His Word, and in my case, a very special Bible from my childhood.  I don't know what to expect specifically, but in whole, I am praying for a time that will provide a richer context of location, terrain, and history for me, in my study of and reading of the  Bible.  I anticipate hearing teaching 'on site', walking the land, and seeing the sights that Jesus may have seen when He walked here among men.  "The Journey is the Destination"!

Breathless Beauty

Blessed be the name of the LORD
   from this time forth and forevermore!

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
   the name of the LORD is to be praised!

 The LORD is high above all nations,
   and his glory above the heavens! 

Psalm 113:2-4  ESV

There is no way to fully capture the beauty of some of the scenes that flash before our eyes.  Tonight was an example of one such instance.  The skies were a blaze with glorious shades of pink, violet, gold and crimson as the sunset marked the end of a spectacular day of unseasonably mild weather for January.  

Both the mild day and the breathtaking sunset were blessings...gifts direct from the hand of God.  Worship and praise are the natural response of my heart when I truly stop and consider the handiwork of our creator...and His delight in lavishing His artistry for all to see on the vast canvas of the evening skies.

Beauty can take our breath away.  Beauty can bring tears of amazement and joy.  Beauty invites us deeper into the mystery of God - the author of Beauty.

So tonight, I still bask in the afterglow of God's very evident Love and Care to show a glimpse of His greatness to one such as me.

Celebrations

December 29, 2011 marked the 65^th Wedding Anniversary of Mom & Dad, Les and Frances Shetler.  This weekend all of my siblings and most of the spouses and grandchildren gathered to celebrate with them.

While pictures were taken and meals were shared, new memories were made and past ones were recollected.   A program of tributes by children and grandchildren was presented.  A Q & A for Mom & Dad was very special as they answered questions that enabled them to share ‘their story’ of their courtship, engagement, and wedding. 

Themes that emerged from the celebration were the importance of commitment and love lived out in the context of faith, family and community.  Our collective memories circled back again and again to thankfulness for the example our parents provided to us as children.  Hard work, integrity, and steadfast faith have been modeled throughout their 65-year marriage.

We are a blessed family…not because we had perfect parents, but because we have faithful parents.

Sung at Mom & Dad’s wedding 65 years ago…

                     O Perfect Love Hymn

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.

O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance,
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.

Footprints

Our culture, in the past few years, has been introduced to a new term, Carbon Footprint.  By definition, "A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change"  ...meaning, what we do matters.  Randy understands this concept very well, especially in the context of stewardship of the land he has been entrusted to cultivate and produce crops on year after year.  Much of the success of crop production requires careful attention to how we deliberately tend to the great responsibility of environmentally prudent practices that 'pay it forward' to generations to come.

This past week, however, I considered another type of recent phenomenon...a digital footprint.  I would loosely describe this as our impact and presence in the databases worldwide, both virtual and actual.  Late last week two envelopes from our local community college arrived in the mail, addressed to Greg.  One envelope confirmed his enrollment in a workshop...the other contained an invoice for that class.

We have occasionally received mail addressed to Greg these past eight and a half years, however it has been mainly credit card applications or colleges and trade schools...junk mail.  These envelopes were different.  They were expecting a person to show up at class, and also to pay for the class.  It was emotional to receive the mail...wishing for a selfish minute that somehow it could be possible...that Greg were here to take a class once again.  Then my emotions changed to concern that maybe his identity had been stolen; one of the true disadvantages to a digital footprint.  A few phone calls later we were assured that Greg's digital footprint would not reappear in the active files, but would remain frozen in time with an ending date of January 17, 2003.

I remember the first time I actually saw Greg's footprint, the above ink impression on the back of the hospital birth certificate.  It does not seem so long ago that I held him and marveled at how tiny, yet perfect his feet were, and how sweet he smelled as I held him close.  And I remember the scripture that I read from my hospital bed shortly after the birth of Greg and Steve:

For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.             

Psalm 139:13-16

This passage of scripture that caused me to marvel at the beauty of our newborn sons later became scripture that provided comfort in the midst of the mystery of Greg's sudden death and Steve's ongoing journey through traumatic brain injury.  I know that God is ultimately sovereign and present in all the passages of life.  I am so very thankful that Greg's eternal footprint is what matters most.  He is at home with the Lord because of the redemptive plan of God and His great love and grace for His own.

How Can I Keep from Singing?

This was the view from our front porch Tuesday morning.  Ahhh...how can I keep from singing praises to God for the beauty of a sunrise over the ready to harvest corn standing golden brown in the field?  The Bible talks about worship as spontaneous response of our hearts to the Lord.  Even Jesus spoke to the Pharisees about one such spontaneous display of worship...the day He entered Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey:

...the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and  glory in the highest!"  And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."       Luke 19:37-40

When I step unto my front yard and experience a scene like above my heart wells up in spontaneous worship and praise to Jesus.  The beauty gives evidence of His delight in His creation.  It confirms within me His faithfulness and lovingkindness that is new every morning.  

Worship transforms my perspective.  Worship enlarges my grid to process the good and the bad of life.  Trials and pain become worthy experiences of growth because of His promise to sustain in the midst of even the very worst situations.   Because that truth is real to me...how can I keep from singing?

My life flows on in endless song:

Above earth's lamentation,

I hear the sweet, tho' far-off hymn

That hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife

I hear the music ringing;

It finds an echo in my soul--

How can I keep from singing?

What tho' my joys and comfort die?

The Lord my Saviour liveth;

What tho' the darkness gather round?

Songs in the night he giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm,

While to that refuge clinging;

Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,

How can I keep from singing?

I lift my eyes; the cloud grows thin;

I see the blue above it;

And day by day this pathway smooths,

Since first I learned to love it.

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

A fountain ever springing;

All things are mine since I am his--

How can I keep from singing?

How Can I Keep From Singing by Robert Lowry