My friends,
I have just returned home from Europe. The last ten days have been crazy and I was unable to make a single post (you already noticed that). I will not promise to write a final post summarizing my time through Europe, but I will promise to do my best to try. If it doesn't happen, it's your responsibility to hunt me down (see what I did there?). I have lots of pictures. And I'm unemployed so there's no shortage of time either (by the way...has anyone got any suggestions for my future employment? I'm open to anything...almost). So don't stop checking back. I've learned a lot about myself and the world in the last month and a half and have had some grand adventures and have started figuring out how to deal with things that need to be dealt with. I hope I will get back on here and elaborate. If not, coffee is much more personal and delicious. You know how to reach me.
My Sincerest Thanks,
Tim
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Galilee, Golan, Jerusalem...Oh, My?
Well, it's been a few days...where to start...
A BUNCH has happened since last Wednesday so we should probably set aside some time to really go into it. I don't have anything better to do right now and neither do you. Feel free to skim and skip, though. This might get long. So...
We didn't end up going to Tel Arad last Thursday. I should have known that plans would change because they do just about every day. Instead, we got up that morning and went down to see Eldon and he decided that we all would go pick up his computer because he figured out what was wrong with it and didn't want to pay a shop. He also wanted to do an outreach while we were in a Muslim neighborhood up there. So we all piled in the van and once again headed North. Actually, first we stopped by the mall and bought a GRIP (a lot) of candy bars (we'll get there). THEN we headed north.
We managed to get his computer back then we drove to a nearby Muslim neighborhood. First we got falafels at a little, open-air restaurant, then Eldon filled us in on how we would go about things. We ended up going door to door to the businesses and giving the employees candy bars and telling them that we wanted to share God's love in a practical way. It was a really cool experience and the only bummer was that Kyle and I don't understand Arabic so Eldon had to translate for us. Most of the people seemed very appreciative. There was one guy who Eldon talked to for a while because first the guy couldn't figure out why we were doing it. He thought we were trying to convert him (we weren't) and then him and Eldon started discussing how the Quran and the New Testament can be used together. It was cool sitting and watching them talk even though I didn't know what the heck they were saying until Eldon filled us in afterwards. So the whole thing went pretty quickly because we ran out of candy after about 45 minutes but all-in-all, it was a great experience and we didn't even get any rocks thrown at us. :D
After that we came back home and worked out with Eldon for a while. Then we all showered and went out for our "Thanksgiving dinner". My cheeseburger was glorious and I washed it down with a Goldstar, which happens to be my favorite Israeli beer. Eldon and Lydia came with us, too, so we ended up having three Americans and a Ukrainian (or whatever they call people from the Ukraine). Other than my family being 7,000 miles away, it was great!
I didn't get to do the teaching I had prepared on the second chapter of Jonah the next morning because no one showed up for Bible study. Instead Eldon taught us some boxing moves and then sent us off on a road trip. It was decided that since there was still a lot of the country I hadn't seen, we would take the weekend off do some traveling. It was actually my first road trip outside of America. I love road trips.
The goal was to check out some of the specific spots where a lot of the different stories in the Bible actually took place. So, we got some food and some gas and headed North (again) towards the Sea of Galilee. The first day was mostly driving. We went through Nazareth which is now the largest Arab city in Israel and then through Tiberias which is one of the four holy cities in Judaism (I don't know why). When we got to the Galilee it was dark and rainy. Actually, it rained most of the day just about everywhere we went but it was especially rough driving through the middle of those two major cities in the middle of a deluge and trying to figure out which way to go. Once we found the Sea, we just looked for and found a park where we could stop and sleep in the van. It wasn't that late but we tried to sleep so we could get up early the next morning and head out. Where we stayed was right around the area where Jesus calmed the storm.
We got up the next morning and actually got to see the Galilee for the first time. It's a beautiful lake. Something like 25 kilometers long and 50-something kilometers around. Pretty big. We thought we had managed to park and sleep for free (if what we did could be called "sleeping"...it's tough in a van), but some guy came around that morning and made us pay. I don't speak Hebrew.
We went North (we do that a lot) and went through Migdal (where Mary Magdalene was from) then we stopped and saw what has been named "the Jesus Boat". It's a first century fishing boat that was discovered 20 years ago buried in the mud when the Galilee was especially low. Apparently the mud preserved it all from rotting away so it was dug up and is now displayed in a museum on the shore. Very touristy. Lots of Americans.
The people there were friendly and gave us a map with some more popular sights on it and they recommended we head even further North (surprise) to the Golan Heights.
We kept going along the edge of the Sea and stopped at a couple neat churches at which I took about a gajillion pictures each. We also stopped at Capernaum (think Sermon on the Mount) and saw what's left of a synagogue where Jesus taught and Peter's house where Jesus stayed which was later turned into a church, destroyed, excavated, and then another church was built on top of it (lots of pictures).
We then crossed the Jordan River and went North (I know, I know) up into the Golan Heights area. This is where a lot of the fighting took place during the Lebanon war. A lot of the land up there is now unusable because so much of it is minefields. Everywhere we went up there, there were signs on all the fences along the road that said "Caution: Mines". Needless to say, we didn't stray off the road much. Although we did stop and take some pictures of a tank that was just sitting on the side of the road. That was pretty cool.
Finally we found this lookout place called Coffee Anon, or something, which was up on top of a hill and you could see Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon out in the distance. It was amazing. And the coffee and egg sandwiches were good, too. More Americans. More pictures. It's actually built around what was a military base/lookout during one (or all) of the wars and you can go down in the bunker and see all the stuff.
Guess where we went next. Yep. NORTH! I think we spent too long at the coffee place because next we went to Nimrod's Castle but we got there right when it was closing. It would have been cool to get to see the inside but we at least got some pictures of the outside.
Now our only plan for the rest of the day was to make it back to the Galilee and find another place to sleep before it got too dark. We found a public beach this time that we probably wouldn't have to pay for and parked there for a while before realizing that we were hungry and didn't have any food. Or water for that matter. So, we got back out of there and found a gas station and got some food then went back. We started watching a movie on my computer (really roughin' it) and then came back and finished the movie after helping the drunk guy get unstuck from the sand. Kyle has more grace than I because I was all for letting the guy stay stuck and figure it out in the morning when he was sober. Maybe I just don't like enabling drunk guys to drive. Oh, well.
Okay, good job hanging in there so far. We're almost done. Forgive me if I start leaving out details for the sake of getting this thing done.
The next morning we got up and headed for Jerusalem. It's a good place to end a road trip of the country. We got there. We parked. We reserved some beds at the same hostel I stayed at last time I was in Jerusalem.
This was all yesterday...Sunday. So last night after getting in and finding some beds, we took a walk along the outside walls of the city (not free) and then went and splashed through Hezekiah's tunnel (even less free). Remind me and I'll show you pictures and tell you every detail of our day in Jerusalem because it's worth hearing about. I'm just getting tired of writing right now. For the sake of length, just know that, other than those couple things, we ate, walked, shopped, haggled, ate more, made new friends at the hostel, drank tea, and went to bed.
This morning we tried to go to the Temple Mount but they wouldn't let me in with my laptop. It could have been a bomb, I guess. Our final sight was the Garden Tomb. One of a couple places where it is believed Jesus may have been buried and rose. It was another beautiful place and very appropriate for our last stop. I'll show you pictures and tell you about it because the beauty is in the details, as with most things. Don't settle for merely a couple sentences summarizing each thing I've seen this month. It would be a shame and I'll have nothing but time when I get back. Just put some coffee or tea in my belly and we can go on for hours.
I'm back in Arad now. I have a couple more plans this week and then I'm leaving Israel. On Thursday I fly to London to meet up with a friend so we can see Europe together for a couple weeks. Then back to Washington. I don't know how much I'll update while I'm in Europe because I won't actually have a home, but we'll see what happens.
I love you all! Thank you so much for all the prayers and financial support. You are truly a blessing. Talk to you soon!
.Timothy
A BUNCH has happened since last Wednesday so we should probably set aside some time to really go into it. I don't have anything better to do right now and neither do you. Feel free to skim and skip, though. This might get long. So...
We didn't end up going to Tel Arad last Thursday. I should have known that plans would change because they do just about every day. Instead, we got up that morning and went down to see Eldon and he decided that we all would go pick up his computer because he figured out what was wrong with it and didn't want to pay a shop. He also wanted to do an outreach while we were in a Muslim neighborhood up there. So we all piled in the van and once again headed North. Actually, first we stopped by the mall and bought a GRIP (a lot) of candy bars (we'll get there). THEN we headed north.
We managed to get his computer back then we drove to a nearby Muslim neighborhood. First we got falafels at a little, open-air restaurant, then Eldon filled us in on how we would go about things. We ended up going door to door to the businesses and giving the employees candy bars and telling them that we wanted to share God's love in a practical way. It was a really cool experience and the only bummer was that Kyle and I don't understand Arabic so Eldon had to translate for us. Most of the people seemed very appreciative. There was one guy who Eldon talked to for a while because first the guy couldn't figure out why we were doing it. He thought we were trying to convert him (we weren't) and then him and Eldon started discussing how the Quran and the New Testament can be used together. It was cool sitting and watching them talk even though I didn't know what the heck they were saying until Eldon filled us in afterwards. So the whole thing went pretty quickly because we ran out of candy after about 45 minutes but all-in-all, it was a great experience and we didn't even get any rocks thrown at us. :D
After that we came back home and worked out with Eldon for a while. Then we all showered and went out for our "Thanksgiving dinner". My cheeseburger was glorious and I washed it down with a Goldstar, which happens to be my favorite Israeli beer. Eldon and Lydia came with us, too, so we ended up having three Americans and a Ukrainian (or whatever they call people from the Ukraine). Other than my family being 7,000 miles away, it was great!
I didn't get to do the teaching I had prepared on the second chapter of Jonah the next morning because no one showed up for Bible study. Instead Eldon taught us some boxing moves and then sent us off on a road trip. It was decided that since there was still a lot of the country I hadn't seen, we would take the weekend off do some traveling. It was actually my first road trip outside of America. I love road trips.
The goal was to check out some of the specific spots where a lot of the different stories in the Bible actually took place. So, we got some food and some gas and headed North (again) towards the Sea of Galilee. The first day was mostly driving. We went through Nazareth which is now the largest Arab city in Israel and then through Tiberias which is one of the four holy cities in Judaism (I don't know why). When we got to the Galilee it was dark and rainy. Actually, it rained most of the day just about everywhere we went but it was especially rough driving through the middle of those two major cities in the middle of a deluge and trying to figure out which way to go. Once we found the Sea, we just looked for and found a park where we could stop and sleep in the van. It wasn't that late but we tried to sleep so we could get up early the next morning and head out. Where we stayed was right around the area where Jesus calmed the storm.
We got up the next morning and actually got to see the Galilee for the first time. It's a beautiful lake. Something like 25 kilometers long and 50-something kilometers around. Pretty big. We thought we had managed to park and sleep for free (if what we did could be called "sleeping"...it's tough in a van), but some guy came around that morning and made us pay. I don't speak Hebrew.
We went North (we do that a lot) and went through Migdal (where Mary Magdalene was from) then we stopped and saw what has been named "the Jesus Boat". It's a first century fishing boat that was discovered 20 years ago buried in the mud when the Galilee was especially low. Apparently the mud preserved it all from rotting away so it was dug up and is now displayed in a museum on the shore. Very touristy. Lots of Americans.
The people there were friendly and gave us a map with some more popular sights on it and they recommended we head even further North (surprise) to the Golan Heights.
We kept going along the edge of the Sea and stopped at a couple neat churches at which I took about a gajillion pictures each. We also stopped at Capernaum (think Sermon on the Mount) and saw what's left of a synagogue where Jesus taught and Peter's house where Jesus stayed which was later turned into a church, destroyed, excavated, and then another church was built on top of it (lots of pictures).
We then crossed the Jordan River and went North (I know, I know) up into the Golan Heights area. This is where a lot of the fighting took place during the Lebanon war. A lot of the land up there is now unusable because so much of it is minefields. Everywhere we went up there, there were signs on all the fences along the road that said "Caution: Mines". Needless to say, we didn't stray off the road much. Although we did stop and take some pictures of a tank that was just sitting on the side of the road. That was pretty cool.
Finally we found this lookout place called Coffee Anon, or something, which was up on top of a hill and you could see Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon out in the distance. It was amazing. And the coffee and egg sandwiches were good, too. More Americans. More pictures. It's actually built around what was a military base/lookout during one (or all) of the wars and you can go down in the bunker and see all the stuff.
Guess where we went next. Yep. NORTH! I think we spent too long at the coffee place because next we went to Nimrod's Castle but we got there right when it was closing. It would have been cool to get to see the inside but we at least got some pictures of the outside.
Now our only plan for the rest of the day was to make it back to the Galilee and find another place to sleep before it got too dark. We found a public beach this time that we probably wouldn't have to pay for and parked there for a while before realizing that we were hungry and didn't have any food. Or water for that matter. So, we got back out of there and found a gas station and got some food then went back. We started watching a movie on my computer (really roughin' it) and then came back and finished the movie after helping the drunk guy get unstuck from the sand. Kyle has more grace than I because I was all for letting the guy stay stuck and figure it out in the morning when he was sober. Maybe I just don't like enabling drunk guys to drive. Oh, well.
Okay, good job hanging in there so far. We're almost done. Forgive me if I start leaving out details for the sake of getting this thing done.
The next morning we got up and headed for Jerusalem. It's a good place to end a road trip of the country. We got there. We parked. We reserved some beds at the same hostel I stayed at last time I was in Jerusalem.
This was all yesterday...Sunday. So last night after getting in and finding some beds, we took a walk along the outside walls of the city (not free) and then went and splashed through Hezekiah's tunnel (even less free). Remind me and I'll show you pictures and tell you every detail of our day in Jerusalem because it's worth hearing about. I'm just getting tired of writing right now. For the sake of length, just know that, other than those couple things, we ate, walked, shopped, haggled, ate more, made new friends at the hostel, drank tea, and went to bed.
This morning we tried to go to the Temple Mount but they wouldn't let me in with my laptop. It could have been a bomb, I guess. Our final sight was the Garden Tomb. One of a couple places where it is believed Jesus may have been buried and rose. It was another beautiful place and very appropriate for our last stop. I'll show you pictures and tell you about it because the beauty is in the details, as with most things. Don't settle for merely a couple sentences summarizing each thing I've seen this month. It would be a shame and I'll have nothing but time when I get back. Just put some coffee or tea in my belly and we can go on for hours.
I'm back in Arad now. I have a couple more plans this week and then I'm leaving Israel. On Thursday I fly to London to meet up with a friend so we can see Europe together for a couple weeks. Then back to Washington. I don't know how much I'll update while I'm in Europe because I won't actually have a home, but we'll see what happens.
I love you all! Thank you so much for all the prayers and financial support. You are truly a blessing. Talk to you soon!
.Timothy
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Mazel Tov!
Man...I don't know what I ate, but...never mind.
Anyways, today is Wednesday. Happy Wednesday. How is everyone? Doing well, I assume, since I haven't heard otherwise, but, of course, I would like to know how you are even if there's nothing exciting to report. In the meantime, I'll report on all the exciting new developments on my side of the world. At least in regards to what I've been doing.
On Monday I ran some errands with Eldon and then ended up going to Tel Aviv that night with Kyle. Kyle usually stays in Tel Aviv until Tuesday but Eldon wanted us to take a computer up to a shop near there so Kyle came back so we could do that and then we just stayed that night at the center there. We never did find the computer shop that night. We drove around and got lost and then some stuff happened and we eventually decided that it was going to be closed by the time we found it so we headed back to the center.
It was great to finally see the center there and meet some of the Sudanese in Tel Aviv. Apparently they're all super into American professional wrestling. Like...the really cheesy, dramatic kind. So we watched old men pretend to beat each other up for a couple hours on TV (at least I could understand what they were saying) and then Kyle and I went for a bike ride. He took me to a Sudanese restaurant and we had some great food. I don't really know what it was but I think there was some meat and noodles involved. Since we were already out and about, I wanted to go see the beach and put my feet in the Mediterranean so that's where we headed next.
Bombing through downtown Tel Aviv over busy sidewalks and through Israeli traffic takes the title for my favorite tour so far. Not that I got to know the city really at all, but I definitely got to see it in a fun way (try not to think about it Grandma and Mom...I survived). Tel Aviv is an amazing city. It looks just like I would imagine New York City looks. Although maybe a little smaller. But apparently it never slows down. There were people everywhere and the bars and nightclubs didn't seem to be hurting for business even on a Monday night.
The beach was beautiful. I mean...as far as I could tell in the dark. The water was pretty warm and the sand was white and clean. It would be an awesome place to surf or just laze around on a sunny afternoon. Someday, I'm sure.
From there we got back on the bikes and headed back to the center. We spent the rest of the night eating spaghetti and drinking tea and talking to the Sudanese. The guy who runs the center there is a man named Simon. I like Simon. He really wants to go to America. We decided that it would probably be difficult to get him AND his wife and two kids into my luggage. We didn't get to bed until around 2:00 AM and had to be up by 7:30. It was loud all night and I didn't sleep well but in the morning we had to go back and find that computer shop. We found it this time and did what we had to do there and finally headed back for Arad.
I forgot to mention that on the way to Tel Aviv, we stopped at McDonald's and had some proper American food. I decided not to get a burger because I didn't know how to ask for it without pickles or condiments so instead I got some chicken strips and fries and a shake. The whole thing came to 60 shekels. Fifteen US dollars. Yeah. Really. But it was good. I never thought I would appreciate McDonald's so much. My dad would be proud, I'm sure.
We got back yesterday morning and got some food at the grocery store and then went home and slept for a while. After napping for four hours, we finally had to drag ourselves out of bed at 6:45 to come teach English and then we went right back home and slept some more.
This morning we got up and came here to the center and one of the Sudanese guys wanted us to come with him for...something. Something about garden kids. We couldn't figure out what the heck he was saying but we went along and it turns out he wanted us to go to his son's birthday party at the KINDERGARTEN. Garden kids. Same thing. It was a lot like I'd imagine a Bar Mitzvah would be like except with a bunch of kindergartners. There was lots of singing and eating and lifting up the birthday boy in his chair. Everyone seemed to be having fun except Yosef (the man of honor). You know how three year olds are.
So after the party we all ended up back here at the center and that's that. It's been a fun couple of days. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving and I think a group of us are going to go check out the ruins of Tel Arad. Some old-school place that I guess the town of Arad is named after. And then tomorrow night Kyle and I are going to go have us a proper Thanksgiving dinner at a place here in town (although not at all a proper Thanksgiving dinner because we're just gonna have burgers and a beer...but at least it's American food).
Any questions? Comments? You know what to do. I love you all. Thanks!
.Tim
Anyways, today is Wednesday. Happy Wednesday. How is everyone? Doing well, I assume, since I haven't heard otherwise, but, of course, I would like to know how you are even if there's nothing exciting to report. In the meantime, I'll report on all the exciting new developments on my side of the world. At least in regards to what I've been doing.
On Monday I ran some errands with Eldon and then ended up going to Tel Aviv that night with Kyle. Kyle usually stays in Tel Aviv until Tuesday but Eldon wanted us to take a computer up to a shop near there so Kyle came back so we could do that and then we just stayed that night at the center there. We never did find the computer shop that night. We drove around and got lost and then some stuff happened and we eventually decided that it was going to be closed by the time we found it so we headed back to the center.
It was great to finally see the center there and meet some of the Sudanese in Tel Aviv. Apparently they're all super into American professional wrestling. Like...the really cheesy, dramatic kind. So we watched old men pretend to beat each other up for a couple hours on TV (at least I could understand what they were saying) and then Kyle and I went for a bike ride. He took me to a Sudanese restaurant and we had some great food. I don't really know what it was but I think there was some meat and noodles involved. Since we were already out and about, I wanted to go see the beach and put my feet in the Mediterranean so that's where we headed next.
Bombing through downtown Tel Aviv over busy sidewalks and through Israeli traffic takes the title for my favorite tour so far. Not that I got to know the city really at all, but I definitely got to see it in a fun way (try not to think about it Grandma and Mom...I survived). Tel Aviv is an amazing city. It looks just like I would imagine New York City looks. Although maybe a little smaller. But apparently it never slows down. There were people everywhere and the bars and nightclubs didn't seem to be hurting for business even on a Monday night.
The beach was beautiful. I mean...as far as I could tell in the dark. The water was pretty warm and the sand was white and clean. It would be an awesome place to surf or just laze around on a sunny afternoon. Someday, I'm sure.
From there we got back on the bikes and headed back to the center. We spent the rest of the night eating spaghetti and drinking tea and talking to the Sudanese. The guy who runs the center there is a man named Simon. I like Simon. He really wants to go to America. We decided that it would probably be difficult to get him AND his wife and two kids into my luggage. We didn't get to bed until around 2:00 AM and had to be up by 7:30. It was loud all night and I didn't sleep well but in the morning we had to go back and find that computer shop. We found it this time and did what we had to do there and finally headed back for Arad.
I forgot to mention that on the way to Tel Aviv, we stopped at McDonald's and had some proper American food. I decided not to get a burger because I didn't know how to ask for it without pickles or condiments so instead I got some chicken strips and fries and a shake. The whole thing came to 60 shekels. Fifteen US dollars. Yeah. Really. But it was good. I never thought I would appreciate McDonald's so much. My dad would be proud, I'm sure.
We got back yesterday morning and got some food at the grocery store and then went home and slept for a while. After napping for four hours, we finally had to drag ourselves out of bed at 6:45 to come teach English and then we went right back home and slept some more.
This morning we got up and came here to the center and one of the Sudanese guys wanted us to come with him for...something. Something about garden kids. We couldn't figure out what the heck he was saying but we went along and it turns out he wanted us to go to his son's birthday party at the KINDERGARTEN. Garden kids. Same thing. It was a lot like I'd imagine a Bar Mitzvah would be like except with a bunch of kindergartners. There was lots of singing and eating and lifting up the birthday boy in his chair. Everyone seemed to be having fun except Yosef (the man of honor). You know how three year olds are.
So after the party we all ended up back here at the center and that's that. It's been a fun couple of days. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving and I think a group of us are going to go check out the ruins of Tel Arad. Some old-school place that I guess the town of Arad is named after. And then tomorrow night Kyle and I are going to go have us a proper Thanksgiving dinner at a place here in town (although not at all a proper Thanksgiving dinner because we're just gonna have burgers and a beer...but at least it's American food).
Any questions? Comments? You know what to do. I love you all. Thanks!
.Tim
Saturday, November 22, 2008
I just noticed...
My floor is crawling with ants. It's one of those situations where you look at one spot and it looks like the floor is moving. I wonder if I should do something about that...
You don't know what you're about to get yourself into...
Hello, my friends. Did you miss me? It's been almost a week.
So...let's see...
Taught English on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thursday morning instead of Bible study Kyle and I took Eldon's car to the shop and spent five hours waiting around the dealership. That was exciting. Then that night we went over to Ruth's house and had pizza and played some guitar. I'm going through withdrawals not having a guitar with me. It's pretty rough. All my callouses are peeling off. Yesterday we had our Friday Bible study from 8:00 to 1:00 and then Kyle took the bus to Tel Aviv. I ate Shabbat dinner with Eldon and Lydia last night and then answered a couple emails (still have a few to get to) and went to bed. This morning I got up late and went to the center for the Sudanese church service for which no one showed up, so instead Joseph and I loaded up the van with Angelina's stuff and brought it to the apartment she's moving into.
And here I am.
It was a pretty laid back week, really. Which is probably why I never felt the need to update. On the other hand, nothing bad happened. And that's always good news.
Now...lets talk about tongues. A few of you will be shocked by what I'm about to say, but I will fully explain my stance and why I have chosen it and you'll understand just why I have never disagreed with you to your face (remember, I'm an American and, by nature, non confrontational). I've always thought the modern manifestation of the gift of tongues was...weird. Maybe a bit mystical or just plain odd. Either way, uncomfortable. Most likely because my understanding of what the Bible itself says is in direct contradiction to how charismatic, evangelical churches go about the whole thing today. And these contradictions have never been been adequately dispelled by anyone who I HAVE opened up to about my confusion. At best, the defenses I've heard have required a bit more reading between the lines than I'm willing to allow. At the same time, while I, myself, won't go there, I will also not try to convince you that your beliefs are wrong because 1. it's not a deal breaker, and 2. when people are convinced of something, they tend not to be willing to accept that they might be wrong/look at the evidence against them/stop and listen for a second. I'm the same way. And, may I just say, I could be wrong about the whole thing. Maybe there's some solid evidence for a modern view of tongues that I have yet to be shown. But knowing what I know and being unwilling to interpret the Bible in a certain way only to support my side, here is the side of the fence I've chosen. I believe that the gift of tongues is real, relevant, and still available today. Not what you thought I was about to say, but also not all I'm going to say. Now comes the part that will fill up my email inbox. I do NOT believe that tongues is babbling. Yeah. There's the meat. Now please let me elaborate before you get offended. In every instance in the Bible where tongues are used or talked about, we're talking about an ACTUAL LANGUAGE. Okay? Hang on, now. The whole REASON that the gift of tongues ever needed to be given was to preach the Gospel to someone with whom you don't share a common language. In EVERY SITUATION the speaker was speaking in the language of SOMEONE PRESENT who would have been unable otherwise to understand the important message that was being shared. Right? Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to preach to "all nations". Hmmm...it would be really convenient if they could actually speak to other nations in a language they would understand. Okay, so, one of the gifts of the spirit is tongues. I've heard stories of this happening today. People sharing the Word with people who don't speak their same language. It's still relevant. I'm not trying to dismiss the idea of tongues but rather to understand what it really means when we don't coat it with so much emotionalism and our own convenient definitions that it becomes worthless. A second point I'd like to make is that in every Biblical instance, tongues is used to COMMUNICATE a message to other people. The ONLY three times the gift of tongues is used in the New Testament are times when people of different nationalities are gathered together. You see? It would be silly to for the Lord to bestow such a gift when everyone already speaks the same language. We humans are pretty good at ruining a good thing and it wasn't long at all before Paul had to reel the whole thing back in. For some reason (pride? emotions?) people started using the gift when it wasn't conducive to preaching or teaching. How can people say "amen" (meaning: "I agree", or "let it be so") when they don't understand the language the prayer was made in? For all they knew, the speaker could have been praying to other gods or to the devil himself. Therefore, it was time for Paul to say "if there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God" (1 Corinthians 14:28). That's a hard one to explain away. I'm sure people have justified ignoring such a direct order but I've yet to be convinced that Paul is just plain wrong. I've always been taught that the Bible is true in the parts that we like AND in the parts that we don't like. Has it been dismissed as a translation error? It must have been SOMETHING because there's an entire school of thought in todays church that if you don't speak in tongues, you don't have the Holy Spirt. That, my friends, is a very destructive misunderstanding. And kind of funny, really. It's funny that we pretend Paul didn't say that not all will have the gift of tongues (he did, in fact, say that in 1 Corinthians 12) just like not all will have prophecy. Why don't we arbritarily require someone to have the gift of prophecy before we acknowledge the Holy Spirit being in them. Jesus said that he'll just give us the Holy Spirit. Just ask. No cost. It's a gift, like salvation. But the church decides to withhold any recognition of that gift until we're willing to babble. In fact, the babbling that tongues has been reduced to is strictly forbidden in 1 Timothy 6:20.
Of course, some people have offered a two-type solution. "Sure there's a tongue language that is used to communicate with people, but there's also a heavenly tongue language." Show me. "Well, what about when Paul says 'though I speak with the tongues of men and angels...'" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Read it in context. The word that was turned into "though" here would be better translated "even if". Try this one for yourself. Open to that chapter and read a few verses. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels...though I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge..." CAN he fathom all mysteries and all knowledge? No. He can't. The idea here is "even if I...can fathom all mysteries..." Context is important.
We're left with every instance referring to communication between humans. It's an amazing gift. By understanding it the way it was meant to be understood, it doesn't lose any power. It's still supernatural and really a fantastic tool for sharing the gospel.
The issue is emotionalism. I don't know why we always turn to emotions to fulfill our church services. Well, I mean, besides the fact that church is so often completely boring and devoid of love and creativity and relationship and purpose. Do we REALLY wonder why it's so hard to get youth involved? But back to emotionalism...I don't know where that idea came from. It's funny to me that we do things the opposite of how Jesus did things. When Jesus healed a demon-possesed man, the man went from running around, being crazy, yelling to completely calm and reasonable. Sit back and observe a church service one of these days and then come tell me that it's not completely fueled by emotions. When Jesus touched people they were at peace. When we let our emotions touch us as a stand in for Jesus, we get all riled up. Seems a bit off to me. (Another issue is when there IS a translator but the translation is obviously as emotionally driven as the babbling itself. I've heard people spout off the same string of syllables over and over again while the translator is going off in all kinds of directions. How can the speaker be saying the same thing over and over while the translator never repeats a single idea? And then, that still isn't taking into account the fact that the tongue was completely unneccesary in the first place because...everyone in the congregation already spoke English...)
Okay, all that aside, now. If I don't make any other point and if you take nothing else from this blog...please, please, please, please, PLEASE understand and be willing to accept that tongues is not for everyone. You may interpret however you choose what exactly the gift of tongues will look like but I WILL step out and say that you're JUST PLAIN WRONG if you are of the belief that someone who doesn't speak in tongues does not have the Holy Spirit. Nowhere in the New Testament is that a requirement. I don't know why we decided to tack that law to the doors of our churches and youth groups but it's doing infinitely more harm than good. "God must not need me because he doesn't want to give me His Spirit." "I have to sit around and wait until I feel some kind of magical change in me before I can step out into my ministry." I mean, what exactly is it we're telling people? What are they led to believe about themselves because we started putting our own laws above God's laws?
And lastly, I'm not judging anyone. I'm just offering what I believe is a more relevant alternative. If you have reason to believe differently than I, that's great. I would rather everyone not agree with me anyways. It's what makes the world go 'round. Figure out what you believe - what you're passionate about - and believe it. Don't be wishy-washy. Do what you do with everything you've got.
And that sums up my week. I miss you all. Thanks for the prayers and support. Love ya!
.Tim
So...let's see...
Taught English on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thursday morning instead of Bible study Kyle and I took Eldon's car to the shop and spent five hours waiting around the dealership. That was exciting. Then that night we went over to Ruth's house and had pizza and played some guitar. I'm going through withdrawals not having a guitar with me. It's pretty rough. All my callouses are peeling off. Yesterday we had our Friday Bible study from 8:00 to 1:00 and then Kyle took the bus to Tel Aviv. I ate Shabbat dinner with Eldon and Lydia last night and then answered a couple emails (still have a few to get to) and went to bed. This morning I got up late and went to the center for the Sudanese church service for which no one showed up, so instead Joseph and I loaded up the van with Angelina's stuff and brought it to the apartment she's moving into.
And here I am.
It was a pretty laid back week, really. Which is probably why I never felt the need to update. On the other hand, nothing bad happened. And that's always good news.
Now...lets talk about tongues. A few of you will be shocked by what I'm about to say, but I will fully explain my stance and why I have chosen it and you'll understand just why I have never disagreed with you to your face (remember, I'm an American and, by nature, non confrontational). I've always thought the modern manifestation of the gift of tongues was...weird. Maybe a bit mystical or just plain odd. Either way, uncomfortable. Most likely because my understanding of what the Bible itself says is in direct contradiction to how charismatic, evangelical churches go about the whole thing today. And these contradictions have never been been adequately dispelled by anyone who I HAVE opened up to about my confusion. At best, the defenses I've heard have required a bit more reading between the lines than I'm willing to allow. At the same time, while I, myself, won't go there, I will also not try to convince you that your beliefs are wrong because 1. it's not a deal breaker, and 2. when people are convinced of something, they tend not to be willing to accept that they might be wrong/look at the evidence against them/stop and listen for a second. I'm the same way. And, may I just say, I could be wrong about the whole thing. Maybe there's some solid evidence for a modern view of tongues that I have yet to be shown. But knowing what I know and being unwilling to interpret the Bible in a certain way only to support my side, here is the side of the fence I've chosen. I believe that the gift of tongues is real, relevant, and still available today. Not what you thought I was about to say, but also not all I'm going to say. Now comes the part that will fill up my email inbox. I do NOT believe that tongues is babbling. Yeah. There's the meat. Now please let me elaborate before you get offended. In every instance in the Bible where tongues are used or talked about, we're talking about an ACTUAL LANGUAGE. Okay? Hang on, now. The whole REASON that the gift of tongues ever needed to be given was to preach the Gospel to someone with whom you don't share a common language. In EVERY SITUATION the speaker was speaking in the language of SOMEONE PRESENT who would have been unable otherwise to understand the important message that was being shared. Right? Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to preach to "all nations". Hmmm...it would be really convenient if they could actually speak to other nations in a language they would understand. Okay, so, one of the gifts of the spirit is tongues. I've heard stories of this happening today. People sharing the Word with people who don't speak their same language. It's still relevant. I'm not trying to dismiss the idea of tongues but rather to understand what it really means when we don't coat it with so much emotionalism and our own convenient definitions that it becomes worthless. A second point I'd like to make is that in every Biblical instance, tongues is used to COMMUNICATE a message to other people. The ONLY three times the gift of tongues is used in the New Testament are times when people of different nationalities are gathered together. You see? It would be silly to for the Lord to bestow such a gift when everyone already speaks the same language. We humans are pretty good at ruining a good thing and it wasn't long at all before Paul had to reel the whole thing back in. For some reason (pride? emotions?) people started using the gift when it wasn't conducive to preaching or teaching. How can people say "amen" (meaning: "I agree", or "let it be so") when they don't understand the language the prayer was made in? For all they knew, the speaker could have been praying to other gods or to the devil himself. Therefore, it was time for Paul to say "if there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God" (1 Corinthians 14:28). That's a hard one to explain away. I'm sure people have justified ignoring such a direct order but I've yet to be convinced that Paul is just plain wrong. I've always been taught that the Bible is true in the parts that we like AND in the parts that we don't like. Has it been dismissed as a translation error? It must have been SOMETHING because there's an entire school of thought in todays church that if you don't speak in tongues, you don't have the Holy Spirt. That, my friends, is a very destructive misunderstanding. And kind of funny, really. It's funny that we pretend Paul didn't say that not all will have the gift of tongues (he did, in fact, say that in 1 Corinthians 12) just like not all will have prophecy. Why don't we arbritarily require someone to have the gift of prophecy before we acknowledge the Holy Spirit being in them. Jesus said that he'll just give us the Holy Spirit. Just ask. No cost. It's a gift, like salvation. But the church decides to withhold any recognition of that gift until we're willing to babble. In fact, the babbling that tongues has been reduced to is strictly forbidden in 1 Timothy 6:20.
Of course, some people have offered a two-type solution. "Sure there's a tongue language that is used to communicate with people, but there's also a heavenly tongue language." Show me. "Well, what about when Paul says 'though I speak with the tongues of men and angels...'" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Read it in context. The word that was turned into "though" here would be better translated "even if". Try this one for yourself. Open to that chapter and read a few verses. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels...though I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge..." CAN he fathom all mysteries and all knowledge? No. He can't. The idea here is "even if I...can fathom all mysteries..." Context is important.
We're left with every instance referring to communication between humans. It's an amazing gift. By understanding it the way it was meant to be understood, it doesn't lose any power. It's still supernatural and really a fantastic tool for sharing the gospel.
The issue is emotionalism. I don't know why we always turn to emotions to fulfill our church services. Well, I mean, besides the fact that church is so often completely boring and devoid of love and creativity and relationship and purpose. Do we REALLY wonder why it's so hard to get youth involved? But back to emotionalism...I don't know where that idea came from. It's funny to me that we do things the opposite of how Jesus did things. When Jesus healed a demon-possesed man, the man went from running around, being crazy, yelling to completely calm and reasonable. Sit back and observe a church service one of these days and then come tell me that it's not completely fueled by emotions. When Jesus touched people they were at peace. When we let our emotions touch us as a stand in for Jesus, we get all riled up. Seems a bit off to me. (Another issue is when there IS a translator but the translation is obviously as emotionally driven as the babbling itself. I've heard people spout off the same string of syllables over and over again while the translator is going off in all kinds of directions. How can the speaker be saying the same thing over and over while the translator never repeats a single idea? And then, that still isn't taking into account the fact that the tongue was completely unneccesary in the first place because...everyone in the congregation already spoke English...)
Okay, all that aside, now. If I don't make any other point and if you take nothing else from this blog...please, please, please, please, PLEASE understand and be willing to accept that tongues is not for everyone. You may interpret however you choose what exactly the gift of tongues will look like but I WILL step out and say that you're JUST PLAIN WRONG if you are of the belief that someone who doesn't speak in tongues does not have the Holy Spirit. Nowhere in the New Testament is that a requirement. I don't know why we decided to tack that law to the doors of our churches and youth groups but it's doing infinitely more harm than good. "God must not need me because he doesn't want to give me His Spirit." "I have to sit around and wait until I feel some kind of magical change in me before I can step out into my ministry." I mean, what exactly is it we're telling people? What are they led to believe about themselves because we started putting our own laws above God's laws?
And lastly, I'm not judging anyone. I'm just offering what I believe is a more relevant alternative. If you have reason to believe differently than I, that's great. I would rather everyone not agree with me anyways. It's what makes the world go 'round. Figure out what you believe - what you're passionate about - and believe it. Don't be wishy-washy. Do what you do with everything you've got.
And that sums up my week. I miss you all. Thanks for the prayers and support. Love ya!
.Tim
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Old City.
I did it! I managed to have all day off today so was able to go to Jerusalem for the day. I was up at 6:00 this morning, as usual, and managed to catch the 8:15 bus from Arad (which is a good thing because it's the only one that runs directly from Arad to J'lem).
So I got here at around 10:30, I think, and have just spent the day wandering around. It took me a good hour to get from the bus station to the Old City as I had no idea where I was or how to get anywhere. So I wandered around, lost, in blissful ignorance until I found Jaffa St. From there I knew how to get where I was going. And where was I going, you ask? Jaffa Gate, of course. One of...8 (?) gates into the Old City.
Within the first two minutes of entering through Jaffa Gate, four different old men had already offered to be my tour guide (not free) and/or attempted to coax me into spending money at their "family's shop". "No, thanks."
After a little more wandering around, taking in the wonderful, bustling city, I found the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (I was kind of looking...but not really). It was unbelievable. And, worth noting, the first time I've actually felt "overwhelmed" during my trip. There were something like a gajillion people in there/trying to get in/trying to get out and I can totally see why. The place was huge and I took somewhere around seven million pictures (I'll show you each and every one when I get home). Some of the more interesting artifacts were giant mosaics depicting the last hours of Christ's life and, of course, the stone on which it is believed Jesus was laid to rest after the crucifixion. There was also some kind of well or pot or something that a people were lined up to get their picture taken touching. I don't know what the significance of that was.
From there I headed EAST! I went and prayed at the Western Wall again and was trying to figure out how to get into the Temple Mount. I guess it was closed because there was this big sign that said it was closed. Yeah. I figured that out. It's interesting that there's a separate section for men and for women to pray at the wall. This morning the women's side was packed and there weren't very many dudes. Which is funny because the women's side is way smaller than the guys' side.
Then I wandered around a little more, saw some more stuff, and stopped for a falafel (I'm hooked).
I figured out yesterday that there isn't any line or combination of lines that will get me from Jerusalem back to Arad tonight. So the next thing was to do some more wandering...and look for a hostel. The first place I stopped at was very fancy and, understandably, all booked out. Fortunately, the place two doors back had dorm beds available and I payed the man. It's actually a really cool place, if you like caves. And I do. The low ceilings and uncut stone walls lend to the caviness as well as the low lighting and tight quarters. But it's cheap! I think there's about five or six floors because the stairs just kept going. Until I got to the roof, which was also awesome. It's a great view from up there and I would still be up there now if it hadn't gotten cold. Everything above the ground floor is private rooms and at the very top just before you get to the roof is a kitchen. But anyways, 55 shekels for a bed...I'm not complaining. And free internet. Did I mention the free internet?
After checking in I went back out to wander some more (this time without my heavy bag) and managed to find myself at one of the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount. Thinking about it, that's really gotta be one of the safest places to be...the Muslim Quarter. I mean, really. Right? Like...who's gonna set off a bomb in the Muslim Quarter? Anywho, by the time I realized I wasn't supposed to be at that entrance, the cop was already hassling me. For some reason, his only interest seemed to be whether I had any hashish on me. And he had a big gun so I wasn't TOO sarcastic. He told me the Temple Mount was closed but not before systematically asking me what was in each of my pockets. Hashish? Nope. None in that pocket. What about this? What's this? That's my camera. Ipod. Wallet. Book. Hashish? Still none. Can't help you, buddy. By the time he got to the third pocket, I was walking away.
And that mostly covers my day. With a few minor details left out. Now I'm sitting on my bed at the Citadel Youth Hostel in the Old City in Jerusalem, Israel. It's only 6:40 but it's been a long day and I'm tired. I'll probably crash soon so I can get up early tomorrow and see a couple more things before heading back to Arad.
I have lots of new pictures but can't do anything with them until I get back home (Arad). So, you'll just have to be patient. I miss you all and I love you (especially you) and I can't wait to see you again soon. Thanks for tuning in! Goodnight.
.Timothy Ryan
So I got here at around 10:30, I think, and have just spent the day wandering around. It took me a good hour to get from the bus station to the Old City as I had no idea where I was or how to get anywhere. So I wandered around, lost, in blissful ignorance until I found Jaffa St. From there I knew how to get where I was going. And where was I going, you ask? Jaffa Gate, of course. One of...8 (?) gates into the Old City.
Within the first two minutes of entering through Jaffa Gate, four different old men had already offered to be my tour guide (not free) and/or attempted to coax me into spending money at their "family's shop". "No, thanks."
After a little more wandering around, taking in the wonderful, bustling city, I found the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (I was kind of looking...but not really). It was unbelievable. And, worth noting, the first time I've actually felt "overwhelmed" during my trip. There were something like a gajillion people in there/trying to get in/trying to get out and I can totally see why. The place was huge and I took somewhere around seven million pictures (I'll show you each and every one when I get home). Some of the more interesting artifacts were giant mosaics depicting the last hours of Christ's life and, of course, the stone on which it is believed Jesus was laid to rest after the crucifixion. There was also some kind of well or pot or something that a people were lined up to get their picture taken touching. I don't know what the significance of that was.
From there I headed EAST! I went and prayed at the Western Wall again and was trying to figure out how to get into the Temple Mount. I guess it was closed because there was this big sign that said it was closed. Yeah. I figured that out. It's interesting that there's a separate section for men and for women to pray at the wall. This morning the women's side was packed and there weren't very many dudes. Which is funny because the women's side is way smaller than the guys' side.
Then I wandered around a little more, saw some more stuff, and stopped for a falafel (I'm hooked).
I figured out yesterday that there isn't any line or combination of lines that will get me from Jerusalem back to Arad tonight. So the next thing was to do some more wandering...and look for a hostel. The first place I stopped at was very fancy and, understandably, all booked out. Fortunately, the place two doors back had dorm beds available and I payed the man. It's actually a really cool place, if you like caves. And I do. The low ceilings and uncut stone walls lend to the caviness as well as the low lighting and tight quarters. But it's cheap! I think there's about five or six floors because the stairs just kept going. Until I got to the roof, which was also awesome. It's a great view from up there and I would still be up there now if it hadn't gotten cold. Everything above the ground floor is private rooms and at the very top just before you get to the roof is a kitchen. But anyways, 55 shekels for a bed...I'm not complaining. And free internet. Did I mention the free internet?
After checking in I went back out to wander some more (this time without my heavy bag) and managed to find myself at one of the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount. Thinking about it, that's really gotta be one of the safest places to be...the Muslim Quarter. I mean, really. Right? Like...who's gonna set off a bomb in the Muslim Quarter? Anywho, by the time I realized I wasn't supposed to be at that entrance, the cop was already hassling me. For some reason, his only interest seemed to be whether I had any hashish on me. And he had a big gun so I wasn't TOO sarcastic. He told me the Temple Mount was closed but not before systematically asking me what was in each of my pockets. Hashish? Nope. None in that pocket. What about this? What's this? That's my camera. Ipod. Wallet. Book. Hashish? Still none. Can't help you, buddy. By the time he got to the third pocket, I was walking away.
And that mostly covers my day. With a few minor details left out. Now I'm sitting on my bed at the Citadel Youth Hostel in the Old City in Jerusalem, Israel. It's only 6:40 but it's been a long day and I'm tired. I'll probably crash soon so I can get up early tomorrow and see a couple more things before heading back to Arad.
I have lots of new pictures but can't do anything with them until I get back home (Arad). So, you'll just have to be patient. I miss you all and I love you (especially you) and I can't wait to see you again soon. Thanks for tuning in! Goodnight.
.Timothy Ryan
Friday, November 14, 2008
Alright...here we go...
I had a dream about you last night. Yeah, you! You didn't even think I missed you, did you? HA! How could I ever forget you?
I went to Jerusalem yesterday to check out this school for Arabs and Jews. Yeah. For reals! Arabs and Jews learning together at the same school and becoming friends and learning about each others' culture (beyond the extreme stereotypes that they're normally taught about each other). It's really cool to see it work in a practical way and the school was even a pretty neat place. So far they go up to the 11th grade because it's only been open for 11 years. So each year they add a grade because each year the first class that started there 11 years ago moves up a grade. Make sense? It's kind of interesting how they come up with the curriculum to teach as accurately and unbiased as possible the history of each culture. Because, of course, the Arabs and the Jews tend to have completely opposing stories on what has happened in Israel's history. So they have had to figure out a way to give both sides of the story using only the facts and letting the students form their own opinions. I won't bore you too much longer but I'll say that it was cool to get to sit in on a 6th grade political science class and see how informed and involved in the discussion the students were. Hopefully more schools like this will spring up and start to rebuild some of the mentalities long-held throughout Israel.
Actually, I'm getting a little ahead of myself...yesterday morning at 8:00 we met with Eldon for a few more hours in Jonah. THEN we packed up and headed to J'lem.
We got back into Arad just in time to go have dinner with Ruth (another one of the volunteers). She has actually lived in Israel for 9 years, or something like that, and she helps out with the kids at the center. She invited us over and cooked up a chicken and vegetables and rice and some homemade bread. Nummerz! Then after dinner we sat around and played some guitar and I gave her a lesson in music theory. I knew that stuff would come in handy someday.
"I'm Still Here"...I'm listening to it right now. It's one of my favorite songs and I believe it has been dubbed mine and Shannon's "song". Our song. It's our song. You know. Maybe it's a sibling thing. Nevermind. I love you, Shannon!
This morning I was up at 6:00 to catch that sunrise and start in to the book of Matthew. I finished the last couple minor prophets last night which means I've finally read the whole thing. Woo hoo! I think it's funny that most Christians haven't even read the book that we base our entire lives on. Bizarre. I was in that category yesterday morning. And, of course, I haven't suddenly learned it all because I don't remember or didn't understand probably a good majority of the Bible. But that's why I'm still reading it. It's a lifelong thing. Ideally, you'll understand and remember more each time you read it. Right? I'm hoping, because I was totally lost through the last few books. The Sermon on the Mount this morning. It's a good one. Check it out. If you already have...reading it again couldn't hurt.
But I digress.
Five hours of Bible study this morning. Then off to the center where we didn't actually do anything...There aren't any classes on Friday so I just hung out for a while and Kyle headed to the bus station to go to Tel Aviv for the weekend. I'm staying here again. I'll go to the Sudanese church service tomorrow morning and then I'll probably just relax because it's Shabbat and nothing will be open. On Sunday morning I think I'll take the bus up to Jerusalem and spend a day there. I wanna get one good solid day to really check out all that the Old City has to offer. So that's my plan tentatively. It looks good for now but we'll see what springs up.
I've been paying close attention to the news while I've been here. Interesting.
Well, thank you all so much for following the blog and for your lovely emails and, of course, your continued prayers and support. You are all such a blessing. See ya!
.Tim
I went to Jerusalem yesterday to check out this school for Arabs and Jews. Yeah. For reals! Arabs and Jews learning together at the same school and becoming friends and learning about each others' culture (beyond the extreme stereotypes that they're normally taught about each other). It's really cool to see it work in a practical way and the school was even a pretty neat place. So far they go up to the 11th grade because it's only been open for 11 years. So each year they add a grade because each year the first class that started there 11 years ago moves up a grade. Make sense? It's kind of interesting how they come up with the curriculum to teach as accurately and unbiased as possible the history of each culture. Because, of course, the Arabs and the Jews tend to have completely opposing stories on what has happened in Israel's history. So they have had to figure out a way to give both sides of the story using only the facts and letting the students form their own opinions. I won't bore you too much longer but I'll say that it was cool to get to sit in on a 6th grade political science class and see how informed and involved in the discussion the students were. Hopefully more schools like this will spring up and start to rebuild some of the mentalities long-held throughout Israel.
Actually, I'm getting a little ahead of myself...yesterday morning at 8:00 we met with Eldon for a few more hours in Jonah. THEN we packed up and headed to J'lem.
We got back into Arad just in time to go have dinner with Ruth (another one of the volunteers). She has actually lived in Israel for 9 years, or something like that, and she helps out with the kids at the center. She invited us over and cooked up a chicken and vegetables and rice and some homemade bread. Nummerz! Then after dinner we sat around and played some guitar and I gave her a lesson in music theory. I knew that stuff would come in handy someday.
"I'm Still Here"...I'm listening to it right now. It's one of my favorite songs and I believe it has been dubbed mine and Shannon's "song". Our song. It's our song. You know. Maybe it's a sibling thing. Nevermind. I love you, Shannon!
This morning I was up at 6:00 to catch that sunrise and start in to the book of Matthew. I finished the last couple minor prophets last night which means I've finally read the whole thing. Woo hoo! I think it's funny that most Christians haven't even read the book that we base our entire lives on. Bizarre. I was in that category yesterday morning. And, of course, I haven't suddenly learned it all because I don't remember or didn't understand probably a good majority of the Bible. But that's why I'm still reading it. It's a lifelong thing. Ideally, you'll understand and remember more each time you read it. Right? I'm hoping, because I was totally lost through the last few books. The Sermon on the Mount this morning. It's a good one. Check it out. If you already have...reading it again couldn't hurt.
But I digress.
Five hours of Bible study this morning. Then off to the center where we didn't actually do anything...There aren't any classes on Friday so I just hung out for a while and Kyle headed to the bus station to go to Tel Aviv for the weekend. I'm staying here again. I'll go to the Sudanese church service tomorrow morning and then I'll probably just relax because it's Shabbat and nothing will be open. On Sunday morning I think I'll take the bus up to Jerusalem and spend a day there. I wanna get one good solid day to really check out all that the Old City has to offer. So that's my plan tentatively. It looks good for now but we'll see what springs up.
I've been paying close attention to the news while I've been here. Interesting.
Well, thank you all so much for following the blog and for your lovely emails and, of course, your continued prayers and support. You are all such a blessing. See ya!
.Tim
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)