During our Samaria field study I think I learned as much about modern day cultural settings as I did about the physical settings of the Bible. Listening to Pinchas talk, watching his interactions with the Arab bus driver, and listening to the modern day Samaritan priest were all fascinating encounters.
Listening to Pinchas speak I had a number of different reactions. At one point he was telling the story when Ephraim and Levi responded to Dinah’s rape and said “they wiped out the town of Shechem just like should be done today.” Did he really say the Arabs of Nabulus should be exterminated? He went on to make comments about the Arabs polluting the springs of Faria, and the Arabs this and the Arabs that. It was striking to me how the Arabs, for him, were not human beings, they were simply, “others,” “enemies,” “them.” How did he come to this place? What hurts are in his past that would lead him to such statements? Or is it simply his theology and ideology? Why does the story of the destruction of Shechem make it into the Holy Scriptures? Is the true meaning of it have anything to do with hoping death upon our enemies?
It's striking to see the contrast between what Pinchas was saying and the teachings of Jesus. It's so striking! I mean think about it, 2000 years ago enemies of the Jews physically occupied the same place Pinchas was looking down on. The Samaritans lived and worshipped right where Nabulus is today. The Jews and Samaritans had no love for one another. Most Jews spent as little time in Samaria as they could. Not so different from the West Bank today. Jesus, did not stand across the way from the Samaritans and wish death on them, he went and spoke with them. In fact, when his disciples wanted to destroy a Samaritan village he stopped them. He sat and spoke with the nameless woman of Sychar and told her of living water that would never leave her thirsty again. He offered her hope, truth, love, and forgiveness. How different from the words of Pinchas. How ironic that he stood overlooking perhaps the very spot where Jesus stopped to offer love and forgiveness to an enemy.
Perhaps I was so struck by this contrast because I have on occasions found myself wondering, “what’s so different between Christianity and these other religions?” Now, I realize that Pinchas is not representative of all religious Jews, I’m just saying that I was struck by how different Pinchas conceived of being faithful to God as opposed to how I understand Jesus conceived of following God. They are two radically different understandings of how one is to follow God in this world, particularly well illustrated by their divergent approaches to enemies.
This then is my challenge. I am awoken to what it means to follow Jesus in this world by the contrast I see between this and other religious expressions. Pray, sure everybody prays. Be nice to your family, great, every religion likes that. Tell the truth, fantastic, we’re all still in agreement. Love your enemies. Whoa. How about destroy my enemies or ignore my enemies? Love your enemies. All of a sudden I am confronted with the radical call of Jesus, I see clearly that my religion is not the same as my neighbor, and that I am called to a very clear and specific way of being in this world, and that it may be very difficult. Perhaps I am only beginning to understand what it means to follow this Jesus.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
keep them coming!!
much thanks to those of you who have given recipe ideas so far. love it!! keep em coming.
and i am trying the whole 'putting a quiz on my blog to see how it goes' thing. know that i also appreciate your feedback as we are trying to decide whether to go to tel aviv this weekend for a day. so far i am the only one who has voted. :) please join me.
also other really exciting new that i just have to share is that our dear dear friends drew and bekah are very near the end of their adoption process. drew (along with his dad and bekah's brother) are going to Guatemala next week to pick up eloisa joy!! (bekah can't because she is too pregnant). please join with tim and i in praying for them - rejoicing for the end of a journey and the beginning of another. pray for isa as she may not understand why life as she knows it will change - pray for peace and miraculous attachment to drew and bekah and ben. and pray as the Lord leads. but my heart is full, as are my eyes with tears, as we joyfully stand with our friends in their steps of faith and obedience. we love you!
and i am trying the whole 'putting a quiz on my blog to see how it goes' thing. know that i also appreciate your feedback as we are trying to decide whether to go to tel aviv this weekend for a day. so far i am the only one who has voted. :) please join me.
also other really exciting new that i just have to share is that our dear dear friends drew and bekah are very near the end of their adoption process. drew (along with his dad and bekah's brother) are going to Guatemala next week to pick up eloisa joy!! (bekah can't because she is too pregnant). please join with tim and i in praying for them - rejoicing for the end of a journey and the beginning of another. pray for isa as she may not understand why life as she knows it will change - pray for peace and miraculous attachment to drew and bekah and ben. and pray as the Lord leads. but my heart is full, as are my eyes with tears, as we joyfully stand with our friends in their steps of faith and obedience. we love you!
recipes
Help me! i feel like i am hitting a wall with my cooking. making everything from scratch is really fun, but i am running out of simple recipe ideas. any ideas you all can offer would be greatly appreciated. things here which are cheap: rice, potatoes, most veggies, noodles, canned items. also i only have a few spices right now but am up for the adventure of buying more if inspired by a recipe. :) i didn't realize how much i used pre-made foods in the store for ideas (and how many quesadillas with chips and salsa i was really eating). also i have two big pots, and a few larger sauce pans - but nothing small. so anything that requires a small pan is more difficult. also i can only have 2 burners going at a time.
thank you so much for your help. tim also sends his thanks.
also i wanted to include a funny story. the other day tim went to our local old city grocer, minnear, to buy some pita. in an effort to avoid several trips to buy pita this week he decided he would get a large amount and put them in the freezer. when tim asked minnear for 20 pita minnear looked at him like he was crazy. he said, "20 pita for you and she, or are you having people camp at your house?" tim explained our mass pita stock idea. still he couldn't believe it. yesterday when we went in for some flour minnear asked us jokingly if we needed more pita. he then in great detail re-told the story of tim's 20 pita buying extravaganza with great excitement. i think he may forevermore think of us at the 20 pita couple and i wonder how many other people in the old city have heard the story of the silly americans who buy 20 pita for 2 people. goodness.
thank you so much for your help. tim also sends his thanks.
also i wanted to include a funny story. the other day tim went to our local old city grocer, minnear, to buy some pita. in an effort to avoid several trips to buy pita this week he decided he would get a large amount and put them in the freezer. when tim asked minnear for 20 pita minnear looked at him like he was crazy. he said, "20 pita for you and she, or are you having people camp at your house?" tim explained our mass pita stock idea. still he couldn't believe it. yesterday when we went in for some flour minnear asked us jokingly if we needed more pita. he then in great detail re-told the story of tim's 20 pita buying extravaganza with great excitement. i think he may forevermore think of us at the 20 pita couple and i wonder how many other people in the old city have heard the story of the silly americans who buy 20 pita for 2 people. goodness.
Monday, February 25, 2008
blessed ones
the characteristic of the blessed ones is that, wherever they go, they always speak words of blessing. it is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to call forth their beauty and truth, when you yourself are in touch with your own blessedness... when we hear within ourselves the Voice calling us by name and blessing us, the darkness no longer distracts us. the Voice that called us the beloved will give us words to bless others and reveal to them they are no less blessed than we. ~ h. nouwen
may you and i be a blessing today. the fragrence of Christ. may we stand in our identity as the beloved of God and speak likewise truth to others. looking people in the eye, stopping to listen, noticing those who serve us, being grateful for those precious ones the Lord has given us.
may you and i be a blessing today. the fragrence of Christ. may we stand in our identity as the beloved of God and speak likewise truth to others. looking people in the eye, stopping to listen, noticing those who serve us, being grateful for those precious ones the Lord has given us.
samaria pics
watch tower - beginning of the day. Psalm 130:6 was then in my mind most of the day.my soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
samaritan sacrificial alter. every passover families bring lambs here to be sacrificed and burned. notice the trough for the blood runoff.
tim and i at shiloh in front of an almond tree at the end of the day. the only pic of the day we are actually in. :)Sunday, February 24, 2008
weekend
thoughts from the weekend (in chronological order - of course):
friday evening: shabbat dinner. there was an hour service prior to the meal. all in hebrew. what was most amazing to me was every friday night the service is exactly the same. same scripture reading, same prayers, same liturgy. the only aspect that changes is the 10-15 minute devotional like reading in the middle of the service. i imagine with this great familiarity comes a sense of security, stability, consistency, etc. talk about having scripture imprinted on your heart, for in going to this service one's whole life it would be next to impossible not to memorize the lines weekly recited. there is a negative side too, however, as was illustrated by what tim and i called the "misfit family." sitting directly across from us (the room is situated where every section faces the middle - so you end up literally facing those in the section across from you) were 3 sons (ages approx 15,18,24), 1 daughter (4), dad (60), mom (45). the oldest son had a beard that looked like it had never been trimmed, groomed, cut, nothing. just growing every which way. his hair wasn't much better - curly and big - pulled back haphazardly in a pony tail. glasses, slightly crooked, and substantial gut. he, along with his 18 year old brother and mother, dozed off throughout the service. the father at one point feel asleep too, but not for very long. the 4 year old was asleep before the service started. i think the 15 year old was the only member to make it the whole time. the look of the older brother pretty much translated in different forms for the whole family. and because i am slightly tired from the field study today i will let your imaginations paint creative pictures for the rest. for me and my love for people watching it was difficult to not be totally captivated by the scene.
after the service we had a nice dinner in a meeting room at the synagogue. we were familiar with the liturgy of the shabbat meal having been a part of one at school that Dr. Wright led, as well as going through the liturgy weekly at our off campus group meals. the only thing that was new was the hand washing/no speaking part. the only awkward moment with that was when we sat down and the sweet south korean man in our class loudly offered us sparkling water and we had to ask him to be quiet. either he forgot the instructions or something was lost in translation. after we were allowed to talk we apologized for asking him to be quiet. rabbi moshe, tim's teacher, also taught us a few family oriented tradional shabbat meal songs. all-in-all it was a good night.
saturday: day of rest (and cleaning). we enjoyed a walk around the old city, as well as tim played soccer with some teenagers that asked him to come back next week to play and teach them some english. the man finds soccer wherever he goes. :)
sunday - today: trip to samaria. again, not able to go in 2001. not exactly the safest place to go today, but we stayed out of the dangerous parts. one of the most interesting aspects of today was meeting a samaritan priest. there are only 600 samaritans today. and they are pretty much living in the same location they lived in during the days of the bible. still doing live animal sacrifice on passover, still professing Mt. Gerizim as the most blessed of any place on earth. the priest was extremely kind. and i greatly enjoyed learning more about the samaritan culture and people.
pictures to come. may just be a few. we just made 3 stops today and did a lot of looking at the land, which doesn't make for super interesting blog picture posts. but so it goes.
until tomorrow. good night, kristi
one more thing. thinking of the oscars tonight. my mom's favorite night of the year (as far as entertainment goes). they are actually having people over for the big show, which is somewhat surprising. i hope the guests know the rules, the greatest of which is you must be completely quiet while the show is on. i remember as a little girl concentrating extremely hard on this rule. so mom in your (and keri's) honor i wanted to let you know i am wearing my gold chiffon dress with the pearls. have the limo pick me up around 3. wouldn't want to be late. if i am just tell jack, will, tom, kate, nicole and denzel i will be there soon and to save a seat. love you. :)
friday evening: shabbat dinner. there was an hour service prior to the meal. all in hebrew. what was most amazing to me was every friday night the service is exactly the same. same scripture reading, same prayers, same liturgy. the only aspect that changes is the 10-15 minute devotional like reading in the middle of the service. i imagine with this great familiarity comes a sense of security, stability, consistency, etc. talk about having scripture imprinted on your heart, for in going to this service one's whole life it would be next to impossible not to memorize the lines weekly recited. there is a negative side too, however, as was illustrated by what tim and i called the "misfit family." sitting directly across from us (the room is situated where every section faces the middle - so you end up literally facing those in the section across from you) were 3 sons (ages approx 15,18,24), 1 daughter (4), dad (60), mom (45). the oldest son had a beard that looked like it had never been trimmed, groomed, cut, nothing. just growing every which way. his hair wasn't much better - curly and big - pulled back haphazardly in a pony tail. glasses, slightly crooked, and substantial gut. he, along with his 18 year old brother and mother, dozed off throughout the service. the father at one point feel asleep too, but not for very long. the 4 year old was asleep before the service started. i think the 15 year old was the only member to make it the whole time. the look of the older brother pretty much translated in different forms for the whole family. and because i am slightly tired from the field study today i will let your imaginations paint creative pictures for the rest. for me and my love for people watching it was difficult to not be totally captivated by the scene.
after the service we had a nice dinner in a meeting room at the synagogue. we were familiar with the liturgy of the shabbat meal having been a part of one at school that Dr. Wright led, as well as going through the liturgy weekly at our off campus group meals. the only thing that was new was the hand washing/no speaking part. the only awkward moment with that was when we sat down and the sweet south korean man in our class loudly offered us sparkling water and we had to ask him to be quiet. either he forgot the instructions or something was lost in translation. after we were allowed to talk we apologized for asking him to be quiet. rabbi moshe, tim's teacher, also taught us a few family oriented tradional shabbat meal songs. all-in-all it was a good night.
saturday: day of rest (and cleaning). we enjoyed a walk around the old city, as well as tim played soccer with some teenagers that asked him to come back next week to play and teach them some english. the man finds soccer wherever he goes. :)
sunday - today: trip to samaria. again, not able to go in 2001. not exactly the safest place to go today, but we stayed out of the dangerous parts. one of the most interesting aspects of today was meeting a samaritan priest. there are only 600 samaritans today. and they are pretty much living in the same location they lived in during the days of the bible. still doing live animal sacrifice on passover, still professing Mt. Gerizim as the most blessed of any place on earth. the priest was extremely kind. and i greatly enjoyed learning more about the samaritan culture and people.
pictures to come. may just be a few. we just made 3 stops today and did a lot of looking at the land, which doesn't make for super interesting blog picture posts. but so it goes.
until tomorrow. good night, kristi
one more thing. thinking of the oscars tonight. my mom's favorite night of the year (as far as entertainment goes). they are actually having people over for the big show, which is somewhat surprising. i hope the guests know the rules, the greatest of which is you must be completely quiet while the show is on. i remember as a little girl concentrating extremely hard on this rule. so mom in your (and keri's) honor i wanted to let you know i am wearing my gold chiffon dress with the pearls. have the limo pick me up around 3. wouldn't want to be late. if i am just tell jack, will, tom, kate, nicole and denzel i will be there soon and to save a seat. love you. :)
Thursday, February 21, 2008
sunshine
today i am thankful for the sunshine. it has been rainy/cold/windy/wet-snowy for the past few days. unfortunately rain outside means small puddles inside for us - i guess that is what happens when your kitchen roof is made of squares of glass. thankful for the light. learning to live with the drips.
for some reason i am super excited about american idol this season. probably because i was home when it began and so enjoyed watching some of the auditions. tonight we are going over to erin and kurtis' house to watch american idol. well... at least erin and i will watch it.
tomorrow tim's jewish thought and practice class is going to a synagogue and then having shabbat dinner together. when tim asked his teacher if it would be a good idea for me to come (his teacher, a jewish rabbi) - immediately he said, with great emotion, "Yes! she must come! it is shabbat, a husband and wife must be together for shabbat!" so we paid the $38 for me to come. hoping for a good meal :) i imagine it will be an interesting and fun evening. tim has already made mention of a ritual hand-washing we will do, after which we aren't allowed to talk (only hum a wordless melody) until a certain prayer is prayed. already i am excited.
for some reason i am super excited about american idol this season. probably because i was home when it began and so enjoyed watching some of the auditions. tonight we are going over to erin and kurtis' house to watch american idol. well... at least erin and i will watch it.
tomorrow tim's jewish thought and practice class is going to a synagogue and then having shabbat dinner together. when tim asked his teacher if it would be a good idea for me to come (his teacher, a jewish rabbi) - immediately he said, with great emotion, "Yes! she must come! it is shabbat, a husband and wife must be together for shabbat!" so we paid the $38 for me to come. hoping for a good meal :) i imagine it will be an interesting and fun evening. tim has already made mention of a ritual hand-washing we will do, after which we aren't allowed to talk (only hum a wordless melody) until a certain prayer is prayed. already i am excited.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
benji pics
k on the road to jericho from jerusalem- jesus certainly was here
the wilderness
in the wilderness - transjordan in the distant haze
herod's winter palace in jericho
wow! the benji field trip can be good.
the rounded stone structure (with the grass on top) is the oldest structure ever found - dates back to 8,000 BC - crazy?!
class listening to dr. wright at Gezer - sitting on and around Solomon's gate
tim paying good attention :)
what a great day (k at Gezer).thoughts on benji
here our bits of our thoughts from our field study to benjamin or benji as i have come to call it. mine (kristi's) thoughts are first, tim's a bit down the page...
Today I am thankful for the radical truth that God cares for me. He cares for each one of us, and today I felt Him smile as Tim and I headed back to the bus at the end of the day. Prior to the field study I had checked the weather report often in hopes for a sunny prediction. Unfortunately days before weather.com was still predicating rain. And second to my fervency for a sunny day for our wedding, I prayed for good weather for our trip. On the surface it may seem strange for me to be so preoccupied with hopes for good weather, but with the backdrop of my more negative experience 7 years ago, my hopes make greater sense.
Redemption of Benjamin was how I categorized my prayers. For 7 years ago our Benjamin field study was marked with rain, wind, sickness and cold. In 2001 we were unable to visit Jericho because of safety concerns, as well as the Wadi Qilt. I walked away from my Benjamin field study experience in 2001 wondering if every field study would bring such misfortune. Thankfully as I documented in my journal regularly every field trip following was leaps and bounds better, but still Benjamin in many ways was marred in my mind. And so I prayed for the redemption of Benjamin.
I am pleased to report Benjamin has been redeemed. The entire day was sunny. We could not travel down the curvy road (for part of it collapsed in December), hence lack of bus-sickness. We were also able to travel to Jericho with no concern. Ultimately these pleasant conditions led to an absolute lack of distraction and I was able to fully concentrate on the information given. And with the background of previous knowledge, I had a context to fit everything Dr. Wright taught. All-in-all a great day!
I greatly appreciated Dr. Wright’s analogy of the game of Risk. For the first time in my life (as embarrassing as this confession is) I saw Joshua and the kings of the Old Testament as war/politically strategic men. In seminary I was thoroughly taught about the spiritual ramifications of the ancient kings and how their decisions led to God’s judgment or blessing. But in my Old Testament courses I was never introduced to the idea that their battles and conquests were so intimately related to the land – to routes – to geographic realities. And even the first time around at JUC I was so overwhelmed with the mass of geographic information I didn’t put it all together than either. The profound reality that the geographic landscape affected most everything in the Bible came alive in a more powerful way today than I have ever experienced. So I suppose the Lord not only redeemed my impression of Benjamin today, but profoundly shaped my view of kings and strategy of the Old Testament.
Tim's thoughts:
Today we had another great day in the field. We began by stopping at an overlook above the Wadi Qilt in the Judean wilderness. It was beautiful. Stark rolling hills. Deep ravines. If lush and green they would have been breathtaking. As they were, dry and desolate, they were impressive and foreboding. One wonders how anyone would survive there more than a few days, let alone 40 days, or years on end.
At this stop I was reminded of one of the problems with our field study trips. We go so fast, often I have little time for deep reflection. I think its unfair to say it’s a problem with the trip; they are designed to learn, not as some sort of spiritual getaway. I guess I have a desire to return to some of the places we have been and spend some time reflecting on the events that took place there. Whether it was the exact location or not, it was the type of area that Jesus spent his 40 days in. That’s amazing. I want to sit there and rest with that reality. I want to sit and wrestle through the lives of the desert Fathers- their decisions to leave civilization behind and what that means for me today. Perhaps it was as Dr. Wright said commenting on the commonality of three great monotheistic religions beginning in the desert; the wilderness reminds us of our dependence on God and drives us to Him.
I was also struck by the reality of Jesus using that very road, from Jericho to Jerusalem, in the days leading up to His death. He began down in Jericho, healing and eating with the same beggars and tax collectors he had spent time with already, the same down and outers that He would be dying for in the near future. At the same time, He began his journey in the midst of the political and economic power structures of the day. Pontius Pilate was happily using Herod’s old palace. There were also most likely summer home’s of the other elite and powerful from Jerusalem in Jericho. These were the type of people who had a vested interest in there not being a new king of the Jews, with the consequential overturning of current social order.
From Jericho Jesus headed up the steep ascent into the wilderness, not alone like in His temptation, but surrounded by throngs of people believing He was going to bring about some sort of new Kingdom. They were right of course, its just they each had a image of what that Kingdom would be like in their own minds and none of them were right. Perhaps only Mary, reflecting back on how it was foretold that a sword would pierce her soul, had an inkling of what was to come.
Were blind Bartimaeus and Zachaeus among the throngs? Would they go on to see Jesus executed? Were any of the disciples beginning to put it together that this was not a victory march? What would Jesus Himself thinking and feeling? These and questions like these are what I desire to sit and reflect on.
Throughout the remainder of the day, I would say an interesting dichotomy was brought up. It was the question of Scripture, Truth, and archaeology. At Jericho we were faced with the fact that there has been no evidence found of a Late Bronze Age wall that fell down along with a destruction layer. This is what we would expect to find to correspond to the story of the Israelites conquering Jericho. On the other hand, we also read in 1 Kings where the Pharaoh of Egypt gave Solomon the cities of Hazor, Meggido, and Gezer. It just so happens that Solomonic gates have been found at all three of these sites. Archaeology and Scripture, sometimes in close agreement, sometimes leaving us difficult questions to wrestle with. I suppose at the end of the day, the deeper question is what does my faith rests on? If it rests on carefully constructed archaeological arguments, then it may be an uncomfortable place to be in. On the other hand, if there is a deeper something that my faith is built on, I may find myself okay with the uncertainty that a site like Jericho leaves.
Today I am thankful for the radical truth that God cares for me. He cares for each one of us, and today I felt Him smile as Tim and I headed back to the bus at the end of the day. Prior to the field study I had checked the weather report often in hopes for a sunny prediction. Unfortunately days before weather.com was still predicating rain. And second to my fervency for a sunny day for our wedding, I prayed for good weather for our trip. On the surface it may seem strange for me to be so preoccupied with hopes for good weather, but with the backdrop of my more negative experience 7 years ago, my hopes make greater sense.
Redemption of Benjamin was how I categorized my prayers. For 7 years ago our Benjamin field study was marked with rain, wind, sickness and cold. In 2001 we were unable to visit Jericho because of safety concerns, as well as the Wadi Qilt. I walked away from my Benjamin field study experience in 2001 wondering if every field study would bring such misfortune. Thankfully as I documented in my journal regularly every field trip following was leaps and bounds better, but still Benjamin in many ways was marred in my mind. And so I prayed for the redemption of Benjamin.
I am pleased to report Benjamin has been redeemed. The entire day was sunny. We could not travel down the curvy road (for part of it collapsed in December), hence lack of bus-sickness. We were also able to travel to Jericho with no concern. Ultimately these pleasant conditions led to an absolute lack of distraction and I was able to fully concentrate on the information given. And with the background of previous knowledge, I had a context to fit everything Dr. Wright taught. All-in-all a great day!
I greatly appreciated Dr. Wright’s analogy of the game of Risk. For the first time in my life (as embarrassing as this confession is) I saw Joshua and the kings of the Old Testament as war/politically strategic men. In seminary I was thoroughly taught about the spiritual ramifications of the ancient kings and how their decisions led to God’s judgment or blessing. But in my Old Testament courses I was never introduced to the idea that their battles and conquests were so intimately related to the land – to routes – to geographic realities. And even the first time around at JUC I was so overwhelmed with the mass of geographic information I didn’t put it all together than either. The profound reality that the geographic landscape affected most everything in the Bible came alive in a more powerful way today than I have ever experienced. So I suppose the Lord not only redeemed my impression of Benjamin today, but profoundly shaped my view of kings and strategy of the Old Testament.
Tim's thoughts:
Today we had another great day in the field. We began by stopping at an overlook above the Wadi Qilt in the Judean wilderness. It was beautiful. Stark rolling hills. Deep ravines. If lush and green they would have been breathtaking. As they were, dry and desolate, they were impressive and foreboding. One wonders how anyone would survive there more than a few days, let alone 40 days, or years on end.
At this stop I was reminded of one of the problems with our field study trips. We go so fast, often I have little time for deep reflection. I think its unfair to say it’s a problem with the trip; they are designed to learn, not as some sort of spiritual getaway. I guess I have a desire to return to some of the places we have been and spend some time reflecting on the events that took place there. Whether it was the exact location or not, it was the type of area that Jesus spent his 40 days in. That’s amazing. I want to sit there and rest with that reality. I want to sit and wrestle through the lives of the desert Fathers- their decisions to leave civilization behind and what that means for me today. Perhaps it was as Dr. Wright said commenting on the commonality of three great monotheistic religions beginning in the desert; the wilderness reminds us of our dependence on God and drives us to Him.
I was also struck by the reality of Jesus using that very road, from Jericho to Jerusalem, in the days leading up to His death. He began down in Jericho, healing and eating with the same beggars and tax collectors he had spent time with already, the same down and outers that He would be dying for in the near future. At the same time, He began his journey in the midst of the political and economic power structures of the day. Pontius Pilate was happily using Herod’s old palace. There were also most likely summer home’s of the other elite and powerful from Jerusalem in Jericho. These were the type of people who had a vested interest in there not being a new king of the Jews, with the consequential overturning of current social order.
From Jericho Jesus headed up the steep ascent into the wilderness, not alone like in His temptation, but surrounded by throngs of people believing He was going to bring about some sort of new Kingdom. They were right of course, its just they each had a image of what that Kingdom would be like in their own minds and none of them were right. Perhaps only Mary, reflecting back on how it was foretold that a sword would pierce her soul, had an inkling of what was to come.
Were blind Bartimaeus and Zachaeus among the throngs? Would they go on to see Jesus executed? Were any of the disciples beginning to put it together that this was not a victory march? What would Jesus Himself thinking and feeling? These and questions like these are what I desire to sit and reflect on.
Throughout the remainder of the day, I would say an interesting dichotomy was brought up. It was the question of Scripture, Truth, and archaeology. At Jericho we were faced with the fact that there has been no evidence found of a Late Bronze Age wall that fell down along with a destruction layer. This is what we would expect to find to correspond to the story of the Israelites conquering Jericho. On the other hand, we also read in 1 Kings where the Pharaoh of Egypt gave Solomon the cities of Hazor, Meggido, and Gezer. It just so happens that Solomonic gates have been found at all three of these sites. Archaeology and Scripture, sometimes in close agreement, sometimes leaving us difficult questions to wrestle with. I suppose at the end of the day, the deeper question is what does my faith rests on? If it rests on carefully constructed archaeological arguments, then it may be an uncomfortable place to be in. On the other hand, if there is a deeper something that my faith is built on, I may find myself okay with the uncertainty that a site like Jericho leaves.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentines Day
it is a stormy day in jerusalem. we started the day with a great cup of coffee. third day in a row we have had coffee. we held off for 3 weeks - drinking only tea. it is amazing how good coffee tastes after not having it regularly (thanks mom for the press and coffee).
thank you for your prayers. the bible study went well last night. a handful of girls came and i think it will be a great group. i mentioned the idea of making dinner together before hand and they were all over it. i haven't seen a group that excited about making food in a long time. so each week one will be in charge of planning the meal, but i imagine they will all come over to help cook.
tonight we are having erin and curtis over for dinner. they will be at regent in the fall too, as they are both from vancouver and curtis is in regent's masters program. small world. they brought settlers of catan with them, so we will enjoy a good game tonight. last week we went over to their house and played -tim won - of course :). they also want to teach us a new game. very fun. tomorrow night we are hosting shabbat dinner for the off-campus students. busy few days having people over, but i am enjoying it.
finally in other life news - i am continuing to learn arabic. with francswa's grandchildren as my latest tutors. three small children yelling english and arabic words at me for a couple of hours made for great laughs yesterday afternoon.
as i reflect over the way we feel surrounded by love i am unexplainably grateful. the Lord has been so good to us. i am thankful for each one of you. love to you all. kristi
thank you for your prayers. the bible study went well last night. a handful of girls came and i think it will be a great group. i mentioned the idea of making dinner together before hand and they were all over it. i haven't seen a group that excited about making food in a long time. so each week one will be in charge of planning the meal, but i imagine they will all come over to help cook.
tonight we are having erin and curtis over for dinner. they will be at regent in the fall too, as they are both from vancouver and curtis is in regent's masters program. small world. they brought settlers of catan with them, so we will enjoy a good game tonight. last week we went over to their house and played -tim won - of course :). they also want to teach us a new game. very fun. tomorrow night we are hosting shabbat dinner for the off-campus students. busy few days having people over, but i am enjoying it.
finally in other life news - i am continuing to learn arabic. with francswa's grandchildren as my latest tutors. three small children yelling english and arabic words at me for a couple of hours made for great laughs yesterday afternoon.
as i reflect over the way we feel surrounded by love i am unexplainably grateful. the Lord has been so good to us. i am thankful for each one of you. love to you all. kristi
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
bible study
tonight begins the bible study i am leading for undergrad girls. coming here i wanted to get connected in a tangible way to love a group of people. as i have thought and prayed about it i felt more and more led/excited to love on the undergrad ladies. and talking with diane (dr. wright's wife who organizes most student activity) she thought they would greatly enjoy getting off campus and connecting in a small group setting. so there you go. tonight it begins and they are coming to our house this evening.
i would covet your prayers. please pray for... well whatever the Spirit leads. i am praying for many different things - for the girls who come, for a deep connectedness for the group, for people to feel safe, for laughter, for the cookies i make to turn out ok, for this to add to the greater witness we have to francswa and elena, for the Lord to reveal Himself in mighty ways - and most of all that we would know Him -love Him - know each other and love each other - in greater ways than before.
i am feeling drawn to the idea of story - the Matthew account of Christ and the sharing of stories we all have. stories are so powerful and good stories are extremely attractive in ways i can't put into words.
speaking of stories. tim and i had the great privilege of listening to a part of jamil's story yesterday morning. incredible. the Lord has redeemed him from a great pit (relatively recently - talk about the Lord's timing) and now he wrestles with what that means for many aspects of his life. please pray for him too and he seeks to work out in faith what the Lord is redeeming in him.
i would covet your prayers. please pray for... well whatever the Spirit leads. i am praying for many different things - for the girls who come, for a deep connectedness for the group, for people to feel safe, for laughter, for the cookies i make to turn out ok, for this to add to the greater witness we have to francswa and elena, for the Lord to reveal Himself in mighty ways - and most of all that we would know Him -love Him - know each other and love each other - in greater ways than before.
i am feeling drawn to the idea of story - the Matthew account of Christ and the sharing of stories we all have. stories are so powerful and good stories are extremely attractive in ways i can't put into words.
speaking of stories. tim and i had the great privilege of listening to a part of jamil's story yesterday morning. incredible. the Lord has redeemed him from a great pit (relatively recently - talk about the Lord's timing) and now he wrestles with what that means for many aspects of his life. please pray for him too and he seeks to work out in faith what the Lord is redeeming in him.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
missing the gathering
i just finished spending time on the gathering's blog and watching the videos gabe made - leaves me feeling sad and thankful (if you haven't visited the blog, you must - link on the right). every time i watch the videos i am filled with pride for gabe and overwhelmed with the gift the Lord has given him (gabe let me know if you make more videos). sad in that i miss our dear community. you all mean so much to us and living life with you was one of the greatest joys. know that we think of you. we pray for you. and we are looking forward to reconnecting with you over the summer (when we are in denver/colorado springs for 2 weeks).
the Lord is clearly at work in your midst. May you continue to press into Him - loving Him and each other well.
ps - shout out to nikki - forgot to mention that we finished Lost and 24 while at my parent's house. halah.
the Lord is clearly at work in your midst. May you continue to press into Him - loving Him and each other well.
ps - shout out to nikki - forgot to mention that we finished Lost and 24 while at my parent's house. halah.
thoughts
here are my (kristi) thoughts from our last field study, enjoy if you are up for a longer read.
Today completes our Jerusalem focused field study trips. Circling the city by bus we stopped a number of times to look at Jerusalem from different directions, with the intention to solidify our understanding of its geography. Three moments stand out as I reflect on the full day.
The first moment, well series of moments, occurred on the Mount of Olives looking down on Jerusalem from the east as Dr. Wright reviewed the days prior and following Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Thoughtfully and with focus on geography he painted a picture of the route of Christ. Remembering the story in the general location, with the backdrop of David and Absolom, my imagination was able to envision those days with new found clarity; an unforgettable experience. Some stories never get old, this being one of them, and yet some stories in new perspective hold even deeper and more powerful meaning.
Visiting the Herodian, experiencing the magnificence and ingenuity, was another memorable part of the day. In 2001 we were unable to visit the site because of safety concerns. (Mark down another reason for return visits to Israel). Driving up to the manmade mountain I wondered what the neighbors must have thought 2000 years ago, as they witnessed hundreds of workers moving dirt from one hill to the next. Hundreds of thousands of buckets later the hill stands out among its surroundings. Even more impressive, however, was the palace itself and the huge pool snug to the hill on the northwest side. Sitting in the dining area of the palace, looking left to the garden/courtyard I could almost hear the laughter and boisterous conversation of Herod and his guests. Listening to the horrific stories surrounding Herod reminded me of the description of a person with narcissistic and histrionic personality disorder (with an anger management problem and severe paranoia), a toxic mix– deprived humanity to the fullest extent. And yet the grace of God extends even to him, as he too was a brilliant man – providing jobs and creating some of the greatest structures of all time, and his name will forever be linked to the birth of Christ.
Traveling to Bethlehem, the birth place of Christ, marked the third memorable moment of the day. Well, not so much the trip in, nor the visit to the Church of the Nativity (which was a first for me and something to remember), but leaving the city. As the bus weaved its way through the streets we passed, often at close proximity, the wall which separates Bethlehem (and soon the entire West Bank) from Israel. Graffiti, artistic and political, covers much of the concrete wall. The consequences of the wall on a political level I do not understand. On a personal level, however my heart ached as I wondered about the sense of oppression, separation, and discrimination individuals inside of the wall may feel. I also continue to wonder about the high potential for poverty, and the extent to which it will affect identity – both personal identities of individuals and the identity of the community. Do they feel unwanted? Do they feel mistrusted? Do they feel protected? My cultural background is of no help at this point, as white privilege marks my experience. And yet having worked with economically poor individuals and abused women prior to coming here, I can imagine the pain, hurt and anger residents may feel. May the Lord who came to redeem the whole earth pour redemption on the community of His birth.
Today completes our Jerusalem focused field study trips. Circling the city by bus we stopped a number of times to look at Jerusalem from different directions, with the intention to solidify our understanding of its geography. Three moments stand out as I reflect on the full day.
The first moment, well series of moments, occurred on the Mount of Olives looking down on Jerusalem from the east as Dr. Wright reviewed the days prior and following Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Thoughtfully and with focus on geography he painted a picture of the route of Christ. Remembering the story in the general location, with the backdrop of David and Absolom, my imagination was able to envision those days with new found clarity; an unforgettable experience. Some stories never get old, this being one of them, and yet some stories in new perspective hold even deeper and more powerful meaning.
Visiting the Herodian, experiencing the magnificence and ingenuity, was another memorable part of the day. In 2001 we were unable to visit the site because of safety concerns. (Mark down another reason for return visits to Israel). Driving up to the manmade mountain I wondered what the neighbors must have thought 2000 years ago, as they witnessed hundreds of workers moving dirt from one hill to the next. Hundreds of thousands of buckets later the hill stands out among its surroundings. Even more impressive, however, was the palace itself and the huge pool snug to the hill on the northwest side. Sitting in the dining area of the palace, looking left to the garden/courtyard I could almost hear the laughter and boisterous conversation of Herod and his guests. Listening to the horrific stories surrounding Herod reminded me of the description of a person with narcissistic and histrionic personality disorder (with an anger management problem and severe paranoia), a toxic mix– deprived humanity to the fullest extent. And yet the grace of God extends even to him, as he too was a brilliant man – providing jobs and creating some of the greatest structures of all time, and his name will forever be linked to the birth of Christ.
Traveling to Bethlehem, the birth place of Christ, marked the third memorable moment of the day. Well, not so much the trip in, nor the visit to the Church of the Nativity (which was a first for me and something to remember), but leaving the city. As the bus weaved its way through the streets we passed, often at close proximity, the wall which separates Bethlehem (and soon the entire West Bank) from Israel. Graffiti, artistic and political, covers much of the concrete wall. The consequences of the wall on a political level I do not understand. On a personal level, however my heart ached as I wondered about the sense of oppression, separation, and discrimination individuals inside of the wall may feel. I also continue to wonder about the high potential for poverty, and the extent to which it will affect identity – both personal identities of individuals and the identity of the community. Do they feel unwanted? Do they feel mistrusted? Do they feel protected? My cultural background is of no help at this point, as white privilege marks my experience. And yet having worked with economically poor individuals and abused women prior to coming here, I can imagine the pain, hurt and anger residents may feel. May the Lord who came to redeem the whole earth pour redemption on the community of His birth.
abba
Calling God "Abba, Father" (see Romans 8:15 and Gal 4:6) is a cry of the heart, a prayer welling up from our innermost beings. It has nothing to do with naming God but everything to do with claiming God as the source of who we are. This claim does not come from any sudden insight or acquired conviction; it is the claim that the Spirit of Jesus makes in communion with our spirits. It is the claim of love. ~Henri Nouwen
Lately i have been thinking much about the role of the Holy Spirit in my life, particularly in the power of transformation, prayer and connection to others. I have been surprised by the ease of this transition, especially as it compares to moving to denver (i guess much can be said to doing the hard work prior). Through the work and mysterious power of the Holy Spirit I can feel (and be in some unexplainable way) connected to those I love who are far away. I am reminded of this as i reflect on being away from Ken, Vickie, Janae, Gabe and Brooke as Ken goes through chemo, not being present to welcome the coming of Kinley Guikema (as she was born a few days ago to dear friends Brooke and Mark), and wanting to give hugs to so many (my sister -as she desires to finish well during her last semester of her nursing program, and Bekah - as she waits for the coming of two children - just to name a couple). I am thankful for the connectedness the Holy Spirit brings, as well as thankful for things like email, blogs, and skype. Ultimately, however, this quote reminds me of the life & love-giving source through Christ to our Abba that the Holy Spirit makes possible. So as I often quoted in 2001 - Praise the Lord! :)
May today we remain in His love through the power of the Holy Spirit, as Christ desires to give us life to the full.
Lately i have been thinking much about the role of the Holy Spirit in my life, particularly in the power of transformation, prayer and connection to others. I have been surprised by the ease of this transition, especially as it compares to moving to denver (i guess much can be said to doing the hard work prior). Through the work and mysterious power of the Holy Spirit I can feel (and be in some unexplainable way) connected to those I love who are far away. I am reminded of this as i reflect on being away from Ken, Vickie, Janae, Gabe and Brooke as Ken goes through chemo, not being present to welcome the coming of Kinley Guikema (as she was born a few days ago to dear friends Brooke and Mark), and wanting to give hugs to so many (my sister -as she desires to finish well during her last semester of her nursing program, and Bekah - as she waits for the coming of two children - just to name a couple). I am thankful for the connectedness the Holy Spirit brings, as well as thankful for things like email, blogs, and skype. Ultimately, however, this quote reminds me of the life & love-giving source through Christ to our Abba that the Holy Spirit makes possible. So as I often quoted in 2001 - Praise the Lord! :)
May today we remain in His love through the power of the Holy Spirit, as Christ desires to give us life to the full.
juc website
tim and i are mentioned on the juc website in Dr. Wright's update. i thought you might enjoy checking it out (the last two paragraphs are bits from my first impression report, even though the first paragraph was only indented this morning), as well as the recent pictures - we are in a few of the pictures. here is the link:
http://www.juc.edu/news/currentnews.asp.
snow/rain mix in jerusalem today. crazy how quickly the weather changes in february... a pleasant reminder of denver.
http://www.juc.edu/news/currentnews.asp.
snow/rain mix in jerusalem today. crazy how quickly the weather changes in february... a pleasant reminder of denver.
Monday, February 11, 2008
field study numero 3
in front of the church remembering when Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem
here is some of the view from the church above - looking down on jerusalem from the mount of olives
garden of gethsemane - the church of all nations
inside the church of all nations, meant to look like the night
russian church of mary magdalen - also remembering the garden of gethsemane
herodian - the big man made mountain in the distance. herod took 2 hills and made one great hill, then built a palace inside. 
herodian - herod's palace built into a hill
huge pool (left) for the herodian (looking down from the palace). it was so great being able to go to the herodian, we couldn't go here in 2001. 
threshing floor, where up to 50 years ago was used to separate grain. remember the threshing floor mentioned in ruth...
on the inside of the security wall surrounding bethlehem
more of the security wall surrounding bethlehem. crazy. what a great and full day :) tim took about 200 pics, here are the highlights. i included 2 of the 3 pictures that we were actually in.
hiking pictures
we went to the negev, which is not far from the dead sea. we were thankful to be warm all day and even get some sun.
here we go. kind of feel like the israelites walking in the wilderness :)
a little break - check out the cool wadi behind us.
another break. there was is a waterfall here... sometimes. not today, however. 
looking down into the maktesh (another word for a big canyon).
evidence that water is here sometimes. sand. puts new perspective on the idea of building your house on the sand... where the waters come (and fast) or building your house on a rock. in israel the only sand is in the bottom of wadis, where flash floods are common. and the rock here is strong, thousands of years old. Jesus knew what He was talking about. build your house on the rock.
here we go. kind of feel like the israelites walking in the wilderness :)
a little break - check out the cool wadi behind us. 
another break. there was is a waterfall here... sometimes. not today, however. water is good on such a hot day.
looking down into the maktesh (another word for a big canyon).evidence that water is here sometimes. sand. puts new perspective on the idea of building your house on the sand... where the waters come (and fast) or building your house on a rock. in israel the only sand is in the bottom of wadis, where flash floods are common. and the rock here is strong, thousands of years old. Jesus knew what He was talking about. build your house on the rock.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
busy weekend
for those of you faithful readers and those of you just stopping by - i wanted to give a quick update on our weekend, with pictures to follow.
yesterday we went around the perimeter of jerusalem, studying the approaches to jerusalem. we visited mount of olives, bethlehem, the herodian, etc... it was a full day with much to see. tim continues to take lots of pictures, so i will do my best trying to remember everything as i am writing descriptions for the pictures tomorrow. it was so fun to visit places we were unable to see the last time we were here (because it wasn't safe). thankfully things are much more peaceful now and going into bethlehem and parts of the west bank are safe.
today we spent hiking around the negev, which is near the dead sea. i think it is safe to say we both got some sun and enjoyed a day of being warm. many good conversations on the trail with people and a good distance covered. needless to say we are tired and thankful for a morning to sleep in a little tomorrow.
tomorrow tim has his first test :) i am staying home in the morning and will go shopping with francswa in the afternoon. i have been wanting something to cover my head, to try to blend a little bit more in the old city. so she and i will go searching tomorrow. i asked her to go with me to spend time with her and knowing she would take me to good shops. in the midst of asking her and elena to go shopping with me elena figured out what i was wanting to shop for. she immediately ran out of the room and came back with a huge bag full of scarves. she proceeded to go through them and picked out one for me. she showed me how to wear it and was delighted with how it looked. another thoughtful gift from a generous woman.
yesterday we went around the perimeter of jerusalem, studying the approaches to jerusalem. we visited mount of olives, bethlehem, the herodian, etc... it was a full day with much to see. tim continues to take lots of pictures, so i will do my best trying to remember everything as i am writing descriptions for the pictures tomorrow. it was so fun to visit places we were unable to see the last time we were here (because it wasn't safe). thankfully things are much more peaceful now and going into bethlehem and parts of the west bank are safe.
today we spent hiking around the negev, which is near the dead sea. i think it is safe to say we both got some sun and enjoyed a day of being warm. many good conversations on the trail with people and a good distance covered. needless to say we are tired and thankful for a morning to sleep in a little tomorrow.
tomorrow tim has his first test :) i am staying home in the morning and will go shopping with francswa in the afternoon. i have been wanting something to cover my head, to try to blend a little bit more in the old city. so she and i will go searching tomorrow. i asked her to go with me to spend time with her and knowing she would take me to good shops. in the midst of asking her and elena to go shopping with me elena figured out what i was wanting to shop for. she immediately ran out of the room and came back with a huge bag full of scarves. she proceeded to go through them and picked out one for me. she showed me how to wear it and was delighted with how it looked. another thoughtful gift from a generous woman.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
questions
in response to a couple a questions my dad asked, i thought i'd put the answers up here on the blog in case other people were wondering about the same things.
huldah gates
these are entry ways onto the temple mount during the time of jesus. they would have been facing south and had major stairways beneath them. you would have entered the gates and gone through a tunnel/staircase and popped up right onto the temple platform. there were two sets of huldah gates on the south side, a double gate and a triple gate. here is a artists rendition that was at the site.
notice the double gate on the left and the triple gate on the right. these are the huldah gates.
here is a picture of the left gate today.
the wall on the left is a wall built later, intersecting with the temple mt. right where the left huldah gate was. you can still see the top of the original archway in this picture above the little iron-barred window.
here is a close up of where the triple gates stood. the gates that are blocked shut are later than jesus time, but the location is the same.
the image below is of standing right in front of the left gate looking down the southern temple mt. wall past the right gate onto the mt. of olives.
these gates were major entry ways onto the temple platform. when large groups came to jerusalem, think passover, pentecost and sukkot (the three festivals when every jew was supposed to come to jerusalem, it didn't happen much in OT times, more in NT times), pilgrims would be streaming in through these gates. sometimes the sanhedrin may have met outside these gates. teachers would teach on the steps below these gates or people would make pronouncements here. perhaps jesus did just that at this location.
here is an image of the steps leading up to the gates.
ritual cleanliness was important to the jewish people of jesus' day. many things could make a person unclean, touching a dead body for example. being unclean was not a sin, not doing anything about it was. to be ritual clean these jews would immerse themselves completely in living water. living water is rain or spring water as opposed to cistern water or well water.
one needed to be ritually clean to go onto the temple mount and offer sacrifices. so outside these huldah gates archaeologists have found numerous miqveh dating to the second temple period. a miqveh is a little pool that fill with living water. the jew would strip down, immerse fully in the living water, and come up ritually cleansed. they would then do straight to the temple to offer sacrifices being careful not to do anything that would render them ritually unclean on their way there. even the miqveh itself had a divided entry and exit way so the unclean and clean people wouldn't touch. (notice the diving line down the middle of the miqveh steps below.) below is a miqveh just outside the huldah gates.
they had to have a lot of miqveh baths outside these gates especially for these festivals when numerous people would flock to the temple and all needed to be ritually cleansed in order to offer their sacrifices.
anyways, that answers some questions for now. if anyone else has any questions, please shoot them over. :)
anyways, that answers some questions for now. if anyone else has any questions, please shoot them over. :)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
oregon trail
those of you who know me well know that often in life i get stuck. by stuck i mean fixed on particular things... in kindergarten it was egg-salad sandwiches. everyday for months. ask my mom, she can probably tell you better and in more colorful detail. i had egg-salad so many days in a row my teacher and friends made unprompted comments.
other fixations in my childhood included: the movie sound of music, annie (the movie and the special annie dress my grandma peg made for me), organizing books (Bernstein bears, boxcar children, babysitters club), building & decorating homes for my barbies, any disney movie, sucking my thumb (took a barbie doll in elementary school to motivate me to finally kick the habit) etc...
in high school i remember periods of time where i would eat a pickle everyday after school... not sure why, just tasted good. also in high school i had bagels and cream cheese and chocolate chip cookies for lunch for months at a time. maybe my passion for the same thing many times in a row encouraged my passion for swimming, because really in swimming all you are doing is the same thing over and over again - back and forth down the length of the pool. in my adult life tim could probably make a more thorough list but off the top of my head: chai from starbucks (when i worked at starbucks this addiction was only fueled), diet coke, chipotle (the exact same burrito everytime), watching friends (thank you bill and jo jo), chips and salsa, white wine, pepermint patties, pecans (almost got in a fight over that one - nico and allison may remember), bagels with salami/cheeder cheese/mustard... well you get the point.
currently, well you may have already guessed, i am slightly (to be kind to myself) obsessed with playing oregon trail on facebook. i love it. i can't help it. i have begun to memorize tips which help in my game playing - like certain sickness can be healed by simply resting for a day, and buffalo are still the best bang for the buck in the hunting portion. i think my obsession with oregon trail is fueled from a number of sources - the primary one being the nostalgic value, as i remember danielle and i playing on our computer in the days of MS-DOS, where we had to remember the correct code for the program to appear. other sources which fuel my playing time include: more free time i have had in a while, drive to get better at things, and the simple joy of the game :)
so here's a question (my first question posed to you all) - anyone out there like me? what obsessions have captured your attention, even for relatively short periods of time? funny stories much appreciated. and any of you who know me well enough are also welcome to chime in to the list i began. :)
ps. lists about tim also appreciated. it seems we are extremely alike in our tendency towards addiction/obsession/commitment (you chose the adjective). for now i will just call it stuck.
other fixations in my childhood included: the movie sound of music, annie (the movie and the special annie dress my grandma peg made for me), organizing books (Bernstein bears, boxcar children, babysitters club), building & decorating homes for my barbies, any disney movie, sucking my thumb (took a barbie doll in elementary school to motivate me to finally kick the habit) etc...
in high school i remember periods of time where i would eat a pickle everyday after school... not sure why, just tasted good. also in high school i had bagels and cream cheese and chocolate chip cookies for lunch for months at a time. maybe my passion for the same thing many times in a row encouraged my passion for swimming, because really in swimming all you are doing is the same thing over and over again - back and forth down the length of the pool. in my adult life tim could probably make a more thorough list but off the top of my head: chai from starbucks (when i worked at starbucks this addiction was only fueled), diet coke, chipotle (the exact same burrito everytime), watching friends (thank you bill and jo jo), chips and salsa, white wine, pepermint patties, pecans (almost got in a fight over that one - nico and allison may remember), bagels with salami/cheeder cheese/mustard... well you get the point.
currently, well you may have already guessed, i am slightly (to be kind to myself) obsessed with playing oregon trail on facebook. i love it. i can't help it. i have begun to memorize tips which help in my game playing - like certain sickness can be healed by simply resting for a day, and buffalo are still the best bang for the buck in the hunting portion. i think my obsession with oregon trail is fueled from a number of sources - the primary one being the nostalgic value, as i remember danielle and i playing on our computer in the days of MS-DOS, where we had to remember the correct code for the program to appear. other sources which fuel my playing time include: more free time i have had in a while, drive to get better at things, and the simple joy of the game :)
so here's a question (my first question posed to you all) - anyone out there like me? what obsessions have captured your attention, even for relatively short periods of time? funny stories much appreciated. and any of you who know me well enough are also welcome to chime in to the list i began. :)
ps. lists about tim also appreciated. it seems we are extremely alike in our tendency towards addiction/obsession/commitment (you chose the adjective). for now i will just call it stuck.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
forgiveness and transformation
Good but hard words read this morning by Henri Nouwen, as the Lord uses them to transform my heart.
in solitude our heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh, a rebellious heart into a contrite heart, and a closed heart into a heart that can open itself to all suffering people in a gesture of solidarity.
(here it got very personal)... in order to be of service to others we have to die to them... to die to our neighbors means to stop judging them, to stop evaluating them, and thus to become free to be compassionate. compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with the other.
Lord forgive me for my quick tendency to judge. may i see others with your eyes, in freedom and in love.
May the Lord continue to transform all of us more and more each day into the likeness of Christ.
in solitude our heart of stone can be turned into a heart of flesh, a rebellious heart into a contrite heart, and a closed heart into a heart that can open itself to all suffering people in a gesture of solidarity.
(here it got very personal)... in order to be of service to others we have to die to them... to die to our neighbors means to stop judging them, to stop evaluating them, and thus to become free to be compassionate. compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with the other.
Lord forgive me for my quick tendency to judge. may i see others with your eyes, in freedom and in love.
May the Lord continue to transform all of us more and more each day into the likeness of Christ.
Monday, February 4, 2008
thoughts from tk
here is a bit from tim's impression report on our field study yesterday:
...I also had a moment of profound sadness today. In the visitors center outside the Temple Mount we read about what Jerusalem was like in the Byzantine Period, when Christians ran the city. It said that the Church of the Holy Seplechure became the religious center of the city and that the Temple Mount became a garbage dump for the city. It also said that the Jews were only allowed to visit the Temple Mount on one day out of the year! What a complete abandonment of the teachings of Jesus! I felt embarrassed, ashamed, and wondered how people committed to Jesus could do such things. Why did we choose to humiliate and punish those who we disagree with? I am sad to see the name of Jesus degraded by being attached to actions such as these.
Finally, the highlight of my day was sitting on the original steps leading up the Huldah Gates and seeing the miqveh there that would have been used in the first century. I guess its most exciting for me simply because its so likely that Jesus, the disciples, and Paul would all at one time or another been there or very near there, walking, teaching, learning, and worshipping. It connects my faith to hear and now. These people from the Scriptures cease to be figments of my imagination and become real men and women who walked, talked, listened and learned just like me. It was good for me to be there today.
(anything that is unclear or you have questions about please don't hesitate to ask - tim especially is excellent as explaining things).
...I also had a moment of profound sadness today. In the visitors center outside the Temple Mount we read about what Jerusalem was like in the Byzantine Period, when Christians ran the city. It said that the Church of the Holy Seplechure became the religious center of the city and that the Temple Mount became a garbage dump for the city. It also said that the Jews were only allowed to visit the Temple Mount on one day out of the year! What a complete abandonment of the teachings of Jesus! I felt embarrassed, ashamed, and wondered how people committed to Jesus could do such things. Why did we choose to humiliate and punish those who we disagree with? I am sad to see the name of Jesus degraded by being attached to actions such as these.
Finally, the highlight of my day was sitting on the original steps leading up the Huldah Gates and seeing the miqveh there that would have been used in the first century. I guess its most exciting for me simply because its so likely that Jesus, the disciples, and Paul would all at one time or another been there or very near there, walking, teaching, learning, and worshipping. It connects my faith to hear and now. These people from the Scriptures cease to be figments of my imagination and become real men and women who walked, talked, listened and learned just like me. It was good for me to be there today.
(anything that is unclear or you have questions about please don't hesitate to ask - tim especially is excellent as explaining things).
update on health
thank you all so much for your concern regarding my cold. the past two days have been sunny!! yeah. and today i think i have been comfortable/warm more often than cold, which is a first since we have been here. all and all i am feeling very much back to full health.
please be praying for ken on friday. he has his second round of chemo. his first round went well, in that there were no major side effects. but, as to be expected, he felt tired, nauseous, without an appetite for a few days following. the great news is he had a doctor's appointment this last week and the doctor said the chemo is working like "gang-busters" (whatever that means - thankfully i know at least it is very good). the pain medication he is taking has been lowered significantly, to the point that sometime very soon he will only be on Tylenol. amazing! no hair loss yet, but the doctor says that will happen after a few more rounds. when we talked to him the other day he was going to go for a jog after we talked. the man is incredible. and the Lord's healing power and faithfulness continues to be overwhelming. we are thankful gabe and brooke are going to the springs to be with ken, vickie and janae this weekend. wish we could be there too. thank you all so much for your prayers. our family feels very much taken care of and surrounded.
please be praying for ken on friday. he has his second round of chemo. his first round went well, in that there were no major side effects. but, as to be expected, he felt tired, nauseous, without an appetite for a few days following. the great news is he had a doctor's appointment this last week and the doctor said the chemo is working like "gang-busters" (whatever that means - thankfully i know at least it is very good). the pain medication he is taking has been lowered significantly, to the point that sometime very soon he will only be on Tylenol. amazing! no hair loss yet, but the doctor says that will happen after a few more rounds. when we talked to him the other day he was going to go for a jog after we talked. the man is incredible. and the Lord's healing power and faithfulness continues to be overwhelming. we are thankful gabe and brooke are going to the springs to be with ken, vickie and janae this weekend. wish we could be there too. thank you all so much for your prayers. our family feels very much taken care of and surrounded.
Field Study numero 2
Sunday we saw, walked, experienced Old and New Testament Jerusalem... Pictures below, thoughts to come.
Early morning to JUC
Tim wide awake and wondering why I am taking pictures - this one is for you danielle - a nice face shot :)
Entering a Canaanite tunnel - too cold to go through Hezekiah's tunnel (where we would be walking through deep water- good 2001 memories) ...
Pool of Siloam - a good guess for what it looked like. This spot was SO COOL - mainly because it was found by accident in 2004 - this was just a street/fig orchard when we were last here. Crazy!!
Here it is above - or at least part - the rest is still under the fig orchard. The pool would be to the left - this picture is mainly of the steps leading into the pool. Permission has yet to be granted to excavate the rest.
Early morning to JUC
South wall of the Old City, headed to the City of David, with the Mt. of Olives in the distance
City of David - palace of David... maybe... they are currently excavating this site.
Entering a Canaanite tunnel - too cold to go through Hezekiah's tunnel (where we would be walking through deep water- good 2001 memories) ...
Pool of Siloam - a good guess for what it looked like. This spot was SO COOL - mainly because it was found by accident in 2004 - this was just a street/fig orchard when we were last here. Crazy!!
Here it is above - or at least part - the rest is still under the fig orchard. The pool would be to the left - this picture is mainly of the steps leading into the pool. Permission has yet to be granted to excavate the rest.
Outside the temple - big rocks from a huge arch which used to be above (when the Romans burned the city the temple too was destroyed).
Tim next to a Herodian stone from the temple walls.
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St. Anne's Church. We came here at the end of the semester in 2001 and sang - beautiful sounds (just a few days before we started dating - cheesy inclusion for nicole, kristin and hillary who heard so much about our relationship/friendship that semester - re-reading my journal I am reminded of what great listeners they were during the semester).
end of the day - on top of Austrian hospice. great day. hope you enjoyed coming along.
(i tried to include more pictures of us and less academic pics...)
Martha and on the way to church...
Its been a few days, so there is much to give an update on. My mind thinks in chronological order so here we go...
Friday - I went to a community bible study with Diane (Dr. Wright - director of JUC and professor's wife) and Sara (wife of grad student), which I plan to continue to go to when I can. Really this trip was motivated by many different things - the primary reason was to see Martha (who encouraged me to come as one of the group leaders). Martha and her husband, Philip, were the campus managers when we were here in 2001. We all would look forward to Monday nights at their house - chocolate chip cookies and hang out time. Love Martha!! Phil went to be with the Lord relatively recently. They have 5 (yes 5) BEAUTIFUL children, ranging in age from 9-1.5. Asher (9), Adam (7) were at JUC in 2001. Toddlers then (and Martha was pregnant with Nate - now 6). It was so fun to see them all grown up. It was wonderful, so wonderful, to see Martha. She was excited to hear updates on everyone (Drew and Bekah, Nico, Kristin, Hillary, Mike, Bryan, Dan, Andy, Rico, etc...). After bible study we walked to get Adam from school and then on to her home. I look forward to much more good time with her!!! (I will take pictures the next time we are together).
Friday was also filled with returning to the crazy outdoor market with Tim and Abby, Shabbat dinner at school (with most of the students - grad and undergrad) and vespers service.
Saturday morning we went to church with Tim and Abby. Come to find out the church meets in the same building as the bible study i went to on friday. So I was able to say hi to some of the ladies, and we were able to see Martha again. Pictures below were taken on the way...
Friday - I went to a community bible study with Diane (Dr. Wright - director of JUC and professor's wife) and Sara (wife of grad student), which I plan to continue to go to when I can. Really this trip was motivated by many different things - the primary reason was to see Martha (who encouraged me to come as one of the group leaders). Martha and her husband, Philip, were the campus managers when we were here in 2001. We all would look forward to Monday nights at their house - chocolate chip cookies and hang out time. Love Martha!! Phil went to be with the Lord relatively recently. They have 5 (yes 5) BEAUTIFUL children, ranging in age from 9-1.5. Asher (9), Adam (7) were at JUC in 2001. Toddlers then (and Martha was pregnant with Nate - now 6). It was so fun to see them all grown up. It was wonderful, so wonderful, to see Martha. She was excited to hear updates on everyone (Drew and Bekah, Nico, Kristin, Hillary, Mike, Bryan, Dan, Andy, Rico, etc...). After bible study we walked to get Adam from school and then on to her home. I look forward to much more good time with her!!! (I will take pictures the next time we are together).
Friday was also filled with returning to the crazy outdoor market with Tim and Abby, Shabbat dinner at school (with most of the students - grad and undergrad) and vespers service.
Saturday morning we went to church with Tim and Abby. Come to find out the church meets in the same building as the bible study i went to on friday. So I was able to say hi to some of the ladies, and we were able to see Martha again. Pictures below were taken on the way...
JUC campus (above), with me and the school (below). :)
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