Day 10: Halfway. The Samarian city of Shomrom-Sebaste, ancient walled capital of Israel, yet to Joseph a desecrated city, its buildings more Greek than Jewish, and filled with foreigners who do not believe in God. Three days here outside the walls. Joseph is anxious to push on but this is a trading center and the caravan merchants are too busy to leave.
Ten miles southwest is Shechem, noted for the wealth and arrogance of its citizens who are not Jews, but Samaritans. Mary yearns, as do all Jews for a cup of curative water from Jacob's Well, but it is forbidden territory and leaving the caravan might mean being killed by the Samaritans. At Jacob's Well Jesus will meet a Samaritan woman and promise her eternal life.
Day 14: The Sabbath observed. No traveling. Mary needs the rest. Joseph is worried for her.
Day 15: Joseph and Mary travel around the new city of Shiloh, and mourn for the old Shiloh, a sad and lonely vista of broken-down buildings and shattered alters. Once it possessed the now-lost Ark of the Covenant, the revered sign of God's presence.
Day 16: Bethel. As devout Jews, Joseph and Mary pause for special prayers where Abraham offered his sacrifices to God, and Jacob dreamed of angels climbing up and down a ladder to heaven.
Day 17: The small wayside station of Ramallah. Here, at last, the first glimpse of the holy city of Jerusalem, its golden pinnacles glittering in the sun, 10 miles distant.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
New Perspective for the Season
The Way to the First Christmas
by: Malachi Martin
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Casear Augustus that all the world should be taxed..."
It is a matter of great urgency. As members of the tribe of Judah, Joseph and his wife Mary must register for the census in Bethlehem, their own ancestral city of David. The Romans, who occupy Palestine, are strict. Anyone not appearing at the appointed time will risk being branded an outlaw, fined, executed.
And there is the other reason. Mary is heavy with Child. The quickest way south must be chosen, not the easier plains of the Mediterranean or the more leisurely Jordan Valley, but the 3000-year-old trading route that winds for 70 miles through the rocky highlands.
Joseph purchases a place in a caravan passing through from Mesopotamia. It will provide protection from bandits, bears, mountain lions...
Day 1: The long, cumbersome caravan leaves Nazareth in a welter of dust and yapping dogs, the rich in their chariots and wagons, the poor on donkeys and foot. As they descend from the high Galilean hills, Mary observes Mount Tabor in the east. She cannot know it now, but one day it will be the site of the Transfiguration of the Child she carries.
Day 2: The lovely plain of Jezreel, Palestine's granary. Green forests, fresh water, carpets of wildflowers. Mary misses home. And sleeping on the ground beside the trail is not easy for her.
Day 5: Mile after plodding mile, the days go by. In the caravan they talk about Megiddo, 10 miles west, where Solomon kept his stables for 900 chariots and horses.
Day 6: The caravan clmbs into the mountains. In the village of Nain, famed for its flowers and clmate, Jesus will restore a widow's son to life.
Day 7: The Sabbath observed. No traveling this day.
Day 8: Climbing still. Slow going, yet Joseph and Mary are excited by being for the first time in the places they've learned about in the synagogue. There's Mount Gilboa! Where Saul and Jonathan were slain by the Philistines and David lamented the loss of his beloved friend.
by: Malachi Martin
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Casear Augustus that all the world should be taxed..."
It is a matter of great urgency. As members of the tribe of Judah, Joseph and his wife Mary must register for the census in Bethlehem, their own ancestral city of David. The Romans, who occupy Palestine, are strict. Anyone not appearing at the appointed time will risk being branded an outlaw, fined, executed.
And there is the other reason. Mary is heavy with Child. The quickest way south must be chosen, not the easier plains of the Mediterranean or the more leisurely Jordan Valley, but the 3000-year-old trading route that winds for 70 miles through the rocky highlands.
Joseph purchases a place in a caravan passing through from Mesopotamia. It will provide protection from bandits, bears, mountain lions...
Day 1: The long, cumbersome caravan leaves Nazareth in a welter of dust and yapping dogs, the rich in their chariots and wagons, the poor on donkeys and foot. As they descend from the high Galilean hills, Mary observes Mount Tabor in the east. She cannot know it now, but one day it will be the site of the Transfiguration of the Child she carries.
Day 2: The lovely plain of Jezreel, Palestine's granary. Green forests, fresh water, carpets of wildflowers. Mary misses home. And sleeping on the ground beside the trail is not easy for her.
Day 5: Mile after plodding mile, the days go by. In the caravan they talk about Megiddo, 10 miles west, where Solomon kept his stables for 900 chariots and horses.
Day 6: The caravan clmbs into the mountains. In the village of Nain, famed for its flowers and clmate, Jesus will restore a widow's son to life.
Day 7: The Sabbath observed. No traveling this day.
Day 8: Climbing still. Slow going, yet Joseph and Mary are excited by being for the first time in the places they've learned about in the synagogue. There's Mount Gilboa! Where Saul and Jonathan were slain by the Philistines and David lamented the loss of his beloved friend.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Mind Games
This morning as I sat in my favorite chair, gazing at the shimmering Christmas lights on our tree, and sipping my quickly-cooling-to-lukewarm coffee...I realized how much negativity I allow inside my head.
I assume the worst about situations, people and myself. I don't anticipate I will have good day...it's "enduring" through life. Sometimes I even feel guilty for enjoying life or having a happy day. How ridiculous! Why live under such a burden?
"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and he delights in His way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."
"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."
"Finally brethern, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy or praise, dwell on these things."
With these truths in mind... I decided it was time for a change. Holding His hand, I will...
-choose to think the best of people.
-choose to only allow pleasing, honoring thoughts to enter my mind and heart.
-have a good day today!
Along the same lines, I recently read an article concerning the power of words. Here are some excerpts (Click on the title to be directed to the full article online) :
Vocabulary of Grace
by Rachel Starr Thomson
“As a writer, I deal with the power of words every day. Words damage or heal; impart grace or condemn. On a deep level, they alter the way we see life and respond to challenges. They create safe places or dangerous ones…. Of everything in life we tend to be most careless with our words, yet they are powerful and worthy of care.
Language of Faith
"When I was 13 or so, my dad put the kibosh on a word we'd been using for years: "lucky." Why remove something so common from our language? "Because," he said, "we don't believe in luck." Awkward though it sounded to us at the time, we were instructed to use the word "blessed" instead. … This simple switch in vocabulary triggered a profound difference in attitude. … Luck, after all, is arbitrary. Blessing comes from the deliberate hand of a good God.
" … So often though, our speech ignores reality and refuses to give God His due. When our speech reflects truth, truth will sink deeper into our hearts — and perhaps give others something to think about as well.
Speaking Honor
"We live in a culture of irreverence. In the name of making people laugh, we make a mockery of everything. … Few things are dishonored more in our culture than marriage and family. This is true among Christians as much as anywhere else. Engagement is met with crude jokes and comments about life being over. ... We claim to believe what God says about marriage and family, yet our speech patterns are just as likely to reflect feminism, humanism, and hedonistic values.
"… We have the opportunity to use words that reflect what we really believe, that strengthen our highest ideals and give glory to God. Why not take it? … We can probably all think of a time when someone's unexpected words lifted us up and gave us the strength to keep going. Ultimately, the words we speak are gifts — to those around us and to God, who always hears."
I assume the worst about situations, people and myself. I don't anticipate I will have good day...it's "enduring" through life. Sometimes I even feel guilty for enjoying life or having a happy day. How ridiculous! Why live under such a burden?
"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and he delights in His way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."
"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."
"Finally brethern, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy or praise, dwell on these things."
With these truths in mind... I decided it was time for a change. Holding His hand, I will...
-choose to think the best of people.
-choose to only allow pleasing, honoring thoughts to enter my mind and heart.
-have a good day today!
Along the same lines, I recently read an article concerning the power of words. Here are some excerpts (Click on the title to be directed to the full article online) :
Vocabulary of Grace
by Rachel Starr Thomson
“As a writer, I deal with the power of words every day. Words damage or heal; impart grace or condemn. On a deep level, they alter the way we see life and respond to challenges. They create safe places or dangerous ones…. Of everything in life we tend to be most careless with our words, yet they are powerful and worthy of care.
Language of Faith
"When I was 13 or so, my dad put the kibosh on a word we'd been using for years: "lucky." Why remove something so common from our language? "Because," he said, "we don't believe in luck." Awkward though it sounded to us at the time, we were instructed to use the word "blessed" instead. … This simple switch in vocabulary triggered a profound difference in attitude. … Luck, after all, is arbitrary. Blessing comes from the deliberate hand of a good God.
" … So often though, our speech ignores reality and refuses to give God His due. When our speech reflects truth, truth will sink deeper into our hearts — and perhaps give others something to think about as well.
Speaking Honor
"We live in a culture of irreverence. In the name of making people laugh, we make a mockery of everything. … Few things are dishonored more in our culture than marriage and family. This is true among Christians as much as anywhere else. Engagement is met with crude jokes and comments about life being over. ... We claim to believe what God says about marriage and family, yet our speech patterns are just as likely to reflect feminism, humanism, and hedonistic values.
"… We have the opportunity to use words that reflect what we really believe, that strengthen our highest ideals and give glory to God. Why not take it? … We can probably all think of a time when someone's unexpected words lifted us up and gave us the strength to keep going. Ultimately, the words we speak are gifts — to those around us and to God, who always hears."
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Turkey Bowling
Last night I went to my first "turkey bowl" and actually did pretty well for myself. I made it a goal to break a hundred every game we bowled and I succeeded!
Faith, a woman with bowling in her blood (her relatives are very good!), won both games we played, but I was a close second. She was the one who really kept me competitive and made the game more interesting. The other women in my group wanted to chat and bond. Seriously...so overrated! ;) Faith and I kept poking and prodding them whenever it was their turn...
People in a bowling alley seem to come up with the most interesting ways to knock down those pins. Here are a few I observed:
- Sometimes the bowler will fling their arm straight back before swinging it forward again releasing the ball. Let's just say whenever they bowl, be sure and stand off to the side, just in case the ball happened to slip!
- Other times the bowler will lightly throw the ball down and stand there watching it with their arms down at their sides and hands pointing outwards, bent at the wrist, almost as though anticipating the moment when they can spring outward and celebrate a strike!
- In the lane next to us was a family who decided to use every technique known to man to get that ball down the lane. The little girl would sit on the floor with her lavender-colored dress and push the ball down. She would watch it from this position until it struck the pins. SO ADORABLE!
- On the otherhand, her brother would throw the ball and then spin around and kick his legs in excitement! But he wouldn't throw it down a lane, but down the middle of two lanes where the workers normally walk to retreve stray balls or fix pins. Needless to say, his technique left his ball stuck a few times!
- Their older sister wound up and tossed the ball to where it would make a resounding crack as it hit the wooden floor quickly rolling either into the gutter or into one corner pin. She would toss her head and shug, not really minding the low score.
-Paying by the hour is crap...it's so much better to pay by the game. You can't anticipate how long a game will last!
-Getting a strike after you've gotten a gutter ball sucks cause it only counts as a spare...sadly this happened to me twice. :(
-Playing with your small group is amazing!
-Be sure and choose your ball first! It's hard to find those ten pounders once the families have settled in!
