Monday, May 12, 2008, Charlotte runway 1:45 pm.

What was I thinking? I can’t believe I’m doing this.

Jay brought me to the airport and we met up with the GWU folks immediately. Once we were checked in, Jay headed back to work (and to two weeks of single-parenting). After passing through security, I found lunch and headed to the gate for lots of waiting. The plane was supposed to board at 12:55. At 1:45 we took our seats.

Now, waiting in line to take off, there is no turning back. 

Tuesday, May 13, 2008, In the air over Cairo  

We are about to land in Cairo. 

In New York, we went through customs and finally boarded our 6:30 flight about 6:00 last night. We weren’t in NY as long as we would have been due to the delay in Charlotte. It felt a bit rushed, but we did make it to our gate with time to spare. 

Once on the plane, we sat on the runway for over an hour. (Didn’t much care for that.) I just kept reminding myself it was a blessing that they didn’t just let us take-off without everything being perfect for flight. I’ll take mindless boredom over tragedy any day. 

Our plane has four seats in the middle with three on either side. I’m in the middle seat in the middle section but it hasn’t been that bad. Two Egyptian Islamic women sit to my left—a mother and her daughter. They seem very dear. To my right is Said Nagy, an Egyptian physician. We’ve enjoyed talking together. He’s such a nice man. I think one usually finds kind people when one looks for them. 

In thirty minutes we will land in Cairo. They show us our progress on a partial world map on the video screens. I can’t believe I’m over the Mediterranean Sea. It won’t be long now.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008, On the tour bus.

The tour bus is so nice, the guide—Karima—just lovely, funny even. She seems to understand Americans and their hang-ups. She is able to make gentle jokes that help us laugh at ourselves.  

When we got to the airport, the tour reps were waiting for us. We went through the passport check then to baggage claim. It took a long time for my bag to come around; it was one of the last. I stood by the luggage carousel, my book, and waited. I figured it would be there and if not I’d wait to worry about it later. When we got on the bus, one of the first things the tour guide spoke about was the laid-back character of the Egyptian people. I think I’m going to like it here.  

The driving is another thing entirely. People drive all over the roads. Doc Cal said, “You need three things to drive here—an arm, a hand, and a middle finger.” 

As we were driving along, Karima pointed out the “City of the Dead.” A misnomer for this thriving make-shift city within a city, the City of the Dead is the name given to the series of cemeteries that have become homes to over five million Egyptians. Due to Cairo’s housing shortage, squatters took up residence here in this seemingly ideal location. After all, many dwellings were already built or at least partially completed. (Ancient Egyptians included living quarters in their tombs so grieving families would have places to live during the mourning period.) 

Power lines are strung across tombs from a nearby mosque to give the illegal residents some sense of normal living. Residents of the City of the Dead have formed a tight community and many plan to remain there permanently. But it’s certainly not a perfect situation. Cockroaches and vermin outnumber human occupants and infrastructure stops at the draping power lines. Sewage sloshes from leaky tanks and garbage towers, forgotten, in passage ways.

“Look at it,” Karima told us, holding the microphone in one hand and gesturing with the other in an encompassing semi-circle. “It just goes on and on and never ends.” She shook her head as she took in this sight that is as common to her as my Blueridge is to me. “But where else would all those people go?” 

The taxis here are black and white cars but Karima also pointed out some little vans that she explained are a cross between a bus and a taxi. “People just jump on and off of them all the time,” she told us, laughing, “It’s crazy. I’d never get in one--some of them are barely working.”  

We arrived at our hotel, Le Meridien, for a night of much needed rest. No vermin. No cockroaches. And a working toilet. After what I’ve seen today, I’ll ask for nothing else.

 Wednesday May 13, 2008, Giza, Ancient Egypt

 Wow. We started our tour today at the Great Pyramid of Cheops. It is as big as I thought it would be. But bigger than I ever dreamed it could be.

 Next we went to the Pyramid of Chephren, the second pyramid on the Giza Pyramid Complex. We could enter this one by paying five dollars. Its narrow low entry slopes down so that guests must fold and stoop to enter. It opens briefly into an area where we could walk upright and then we had to stoop again and walk up an incline to enter the burial chamber. The burial chamber is a large room with a tomb on one end.  

I’m pretty claustrophobic and I thought I’d lose it going into the pyramid. But I wanted to see it so badly that I didn’t mind the closed spaces. More bothersome than the tight squeeze was the heat. Guess the dead didn’t mind if they melted. 

Karima said that the pyramid shape may have been sacred to the Egyptians. Ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun god Ra or Re. When the sun’s rays shined on the earth, often the pyramid shape appeared. 

We saw the third pyramid, built for Mykerinus and the much, much smaller pyramids built nearby for his royal wife. Karima: “Some things never change, eh?” This third pyramid is still partially covered by pink granite. It seems they all were originally covered thusly. 

Next, we rode camels. Karima had told us she would take us to the right place to ride camels.  “Don’t just get on any camel,” she said. “The handler will let you get on for free and give you a nice long ride out into the desert. To get back to your group, you have to give him fifty dollars!” I’ve never been one who needed to be reminded of the rules—especially when they have been delivered so vividly. 

After the camel ride, we went to the sphinx complex where we learned details of the mummification process. Also, Karima explained the Judgment of the Dead ritual. This tradition involved weighing the dead pharaoh’s heart against the weight of a feather. If the feather was heavier, the king was considered, “light of heart.” Great story.

After an (almost) Southern-style lunch of grilled chicken and sides, we went shopping for Egyptian souvenirs before going to the Egyptian Museum.

The Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum holds amazing treasures. I could spend hours and hours following Karima around here soaking up her knowledge. (She has a Master’s in Egyptian Archeology and Egyptian Art.) Some things I learned:

• The sarcophagus is the first line of defense against tomb robbers. The lid itself weighs 1-2 tons.
• Egyptian art is not meant to be beautiful but long-lasting. To prevent erosion, sculptors eliminated spaces in their art. For example, the ceremonial (royal) beard is included on almost all men to support the neck.
• The King is intimate with God and is sometimes pictured larger than God.
• Tools used to carve stone—copper or harder stone.
• The two symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt are always represented together because the Kings never forgot that Egypt was once divided but is now unified. Upper Egypt’s flower was the lotus flower and Lower Egypt’s was the papyrus plant. Upper Egypt’s patron goddess was represented by the vulture while Lower Egypt’s was represented by the cobra. These four symbols were shown together in the art of later Egypt as a reminder of unity.
• Several statues and paintings represented disfigurements such as dwarfs and humpbacks. And, well, general lack of good looks. Interesting.
• Amen-Hotep III Monotheistic King. As a child he believed in one god. Shocking idea. When he became king, he changed his name to Akenaton.
• King Tutankhamen, 1350 BCE. 1917, jars used for mummification process were found with Tut’s cartouche; for five years, nothing else was found. Then by accident, the entrance was found to his tomb. First room, daily life treasures; second room, Burial Chamber—four nesting shrines; third room, treasure room. Amazing thing: Tut was a minor pharaoh and a young one. Had he been older and more influential, the extent of his wealth would have been even greater.
• Most amazing thing in museum to me: as many times as I’ve seen King Tut’s burial mask in pictures, regardless of the quality of the pictures, they still didn’t do it justice. It is truly indescribable. It looks exactly like its pictures; that’s not the thing. To see it—to be so close to the most famous archeological find in history—it defies description. I understand why photographers try. But it can’t be captured. Perhaps their trying has placed it outside their grasp. How does the song go? “I’ve got your picture, hanging on the wall. . . . [but] They ain’t nothing like the real thing baby. . . .”

Thursday May 15, 2008, Sakkara, Egypt

Mastaba--the tomb of a high priest

This one-story building was a precursor to the step-mastaba (called erroneously the step pyramid) and the pyramid. The building is like a small home with many rooms. Underneath this building is an underground shaft that leads to the tomb. The mastaba was used for the family of the dead as a home during the mourning period.

Karima explained to us the five elements of the afterlife.

1. Ba—the Soul. Represented as a Bird with a human head
2. Ka—the Double (aura). Represented by the statue.
3. Khet—the Body. The Mummy.
4. Ren—the Identity or Name. Represented by the cartouche. Wrote the name of the deceased on everything—the mummy shroud, the mummy, the body, everything.
5. Shu—the Shadow—with me all the time.

Imhotep’s Step Mastaba

The limestone “ceiling” mimics wood logs.

We left the mastaba and went over to the funeral tomb complex of the step mastaba: Zoser—king, Imhotep—Architect. (Amazing: I’ve studied this from grade school to grad school. To be standing here looking at it. . .) Here, limestone is used for the first time—2100 BCE. Imhotep built a thirty foot wall to surround the funeral tomb complex. The entry to the complex is through a wall. The limestone “ceiling” mimics wood logs; the limestone “hinges” look like the hinges of wooden doors. This entrance looks exactly like what would have been in homes. Columns formed niches. There were 42 total—the same number as the number of gods of Egypt.

El Sultan Carpet School

Children learn a trade at this school and the carpets are sold upstairs. The children seem happy. They smile easily and their eyes twinkle. There are older students (?) here—adults working the looms—who seem less content. I’m not sure what the story there is. But the children are lovely. Upstairs, the sales pitch is fast and furious and I become overwhelmed before I can purchase. Too bad.

Memphis (So far, no sign of Elvis)

Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom, is on a flood plain. Consequently, many empty sarcophaghi were found.

Here we see the Alabaster Sphinx, also known as the Sphinx of Memphis. A sphinx is a living image—a body of a crouching lion (or other animal) with the head of a human being. It represents the combination of physical and mental power. For this sphinx, no cartouche was found. Because of the type of carving, archeologists and historians believe this king was from the New Kingdom.

Statues almost always presented with the left leg forward. No one knows why. Several ideas:

• Military position
• Natural, better way of standing
• Early artists were right handed and left leg was easier to position forward.

Statue near Alabaster Sphinx—King from the Middle Kingdom. This statue was usurped by Ramses II. Ramses II erased names of other Kings and put his own cartouche on them.

Ramses II is considered the Pharaoh of the Exodus. The gargantuan statue at Memphis has several noteworthy features:

• Double crown—with a cobra to frighten enemies.
• The royal headdress—the pleated cloth.
• False beard (ceremonial beard) with visible strap.
• Dagger in belt.
• Between legs, relief of son who was to ascend to throne after him. Way to introduce the son to the people.
• Cartouche is everywhere on this statue: the shoulder, side of belt, on seal, on bracelet, on the belt buckle. (I can see my daughter, Margaret, putting her name on everything of hers just like Ramses II did.)
• Cartouche is etched very, very deep so this statue cannot be usurped by other kings later.

Next to the Papyrus Institute. This was my favorite shopping experience in Egypt. Nobody pressured me and people were helpful. Lovely. I purchased a papyrus of the Judgment of the Dead. I love it. (Would that I’d purchased only that. . .)

 Alabaster Mosque 

Karima told us that Muslims pray five times a day and they can do this anywhere they choose. But on Fridays at noon they must come to a mosque. Coming to the mosque on Fridays is both a religious and a social event much like Sunday worship is for us, I suppose. Karima also told us the five pillars of Islam:

1. Believe in your heart there is only one God.
1. Mohammad is the messenger of God.
2. Believe in all the prophets.
2. Remember God all the time
1. Pray 5x a day
2. This habit is taught to seven year olds, but by age 10, children are obliged to follow.
3. Be all giving. It is your right to give.
4. Fasting during Ramadan from Dawn until Dusk—feed the poor out of your excess.
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca.

I found all of this so interesting. I think we just don’t know enough about each other. Surely if we understood one another better, we would appreciate each other more.

 Next, to the Market. Anthony said, “Stay in groups of five or more. The rules at home don’t apply here.” Yikes. 

At one point, I was shopping with Dante and Rev. Devoe. We were looking at T shirts that were priced at $5 each. I bargained him down to 6 for $18 or something like that. The vender called me Ali Baba, but said I’d make a great wife. Hmmm. . . 

Some closing thoughts on Egypt:

• The Nile is so polluted it is disturbing. The way the pollution washes up onto the shore and then back into the flow is repulsive. Doesn’t anyone notice?
• I love the people here. For the most part they are warm and inviting.
• I find the Islamic head dress thing odd. Some women wear headdresses so elaborate and festooned that they draw attention to themselves. Some are downright sensual. And the girls and women are so made-up with cosmetics and jewelry—even the headdresses are bedecked with jewelry. It’s weird. What’s the point? 

We leave Egypt tomorrow morning for Israel and have to be on the bus by 5:30 am. Julie and I had better not be up late talking tonight.

 Friday May 16, 2008, A Day of Travel 

“Happy Birthday Sis!” (My sister, Dawn’s 45^th birthday) 

This was a pretty rough day. The drive was full of twists and turns, causing my stomach to twist and turn as well. We drove through desert wilderness to the mountains to the gulf of Aquaba, also known as the Red Sea. The water is turquoise—lovely. 

On our first stop, “Rest Sinai,” I met a sweet clerk named Iman. She told me it is “Amy” in English and that it means hope. She let me take my picture with her.  

Getting through customs was lengthy but not complicated. It was very, very lengthy though. Our new guide is Zach and our driver is Jamel who I guess we are calling Jimmy. Gas here is $6.00 a gallon and the rate of exchange is 3.4 shekels = $1.00.

 Saturday May 17, 2008 Jericho 

Herod the Great had three palaces here—two palaces and an atrium. In Jericho the weather is so pleasant that an outdoor atrium with a sauna and a steam room would be nice for parties. Herod was a pretty crazy guy—he eventually committed suicide. Before he did, he gathered 2000 notables in a stadium and told his sister Salome, “After I kill myself, give the order to kill all those people. That way their murder/death will overshadow mine. People would rejoice in my death and I don’t want that. I want people to be devastated. And they will be devastated by the deaths of these famous people and this will overshadow my death.” After Herod killed himself, Salome went to the stadium and said (before anyone knew that Herod was dead), “The king has ordered that you take your animals and go home.” In this way, the 2000 notables’ lives were saved from the wicked plot of the crazy king.

In Jericho,

• We saw a sycamore tree that was 2000 years old
• Visited El Tell es Sultan Old Jericho—that is biblical Jericho. This is the oldest city in the world, but not a continuous city.
• We saw the Mount of Temptation.

 Some points from Keown’s talk at Jericho:

• The message of Jericho is to accept the challenge of living faithfully.
• “Don’t worry about proving scriptures; scriptures prove us.”
• We, like Joshua, sometimes need a kick in the pants—be strong and courageous.

We visited a store in Jericho and I saw a picture on the wall of my hero, Jimmy Carter.

                “Oh!” I said to the clerk, “Jimmy Carter has been here.”

                The clerk turned and smiled warmly at the photo.

                “Yes,” he replied.

                “Isn’t he wonderful?” I gushed.

                He nodded and said, “He likes every human. He is a friend of every man.” That’s why he’s my hero.

 Zach, our guide, saw a shepherd and said, “Look there are sheep and goats with the shepherd there. We keep them together all day but in the evening we separate them.” 

Les Dyer, one of our group, after Dr. Keown’s devotion: “As beautiful as all these sights are, the words [of scripture] are the most precious thing of the whole experience.” 

Zach, our guide, as we were driving through the desert, spoke of John the Baptist.

                “You know John the Baptist?”

                Students that we are, we all responded like little automatons, nodding our heads, proud of our infinite knowledge.

                “And you know what he ate?”

                We knew this one too.

                “Locusts and wild honey,” we said in unison, our Sunday school teachers clapping somewhere in our emotional backgrounds.               

                “And what is a locust?”

                “A grasshopper.” We were acing this test.

                (Beware of over-confidence)

                “And what would a grasshopper be doing in the desert? A grasshopper destroys crops and there are no crops in the desert.”

                Whoops.

                “There is a tree in this region called the Locust tree. It has a flower that looks like a locust. That is probably what John the Baptist ate. Not a grasshopper.”

                Well yeah. We knew that.

 Megiddo Tel—Layer upon layer of civilization. Death of Josiah occurred here at Megiddo. One interesting thing here and in most other civilizations in Middle East, is the way people obtained water.  

{Here, at Megiddo, Dr. West ran into someone he knew. Just like a Baptist preacher!} 

The Megiddo water access is so interesting. Megiddo was a fortress not unlike Fort Bragg. Because it was such a prime location, many battles were fought there, overlooking the Valley of Armageddon. They needed a water source inside the walls. So, they drilled, starting on the outside from a spring and digging towards the inside of the fort. The tunnel is lower than the water source so that the water rose into the tunnel. We walked through this tunnel. I find the ingenuity of people fascinating. Just fascinating.  

{Ironically, after we got back on the bus something—who knows what—caused Grady to say, “Ya know, you never get too old to get stupid.” Heaven help us.} 

Church of the Annunciation—Site of Mary’s Well. This well has been a continuous water source for the town of Nazareth. Dr. Canoy said, “We know with certainty that Mary would have drawn water here at some point.” The church was ornate, with byzantine style paintings. The church is 300 years old and the oldest in Nazareth. Here we had a devotion before going down to see the well. Dr. Canoy read from Luke 1:26-38. 

Afterwards, I stood in the sluggish line to see this revered well. Jeanne West and I proceeded through the tortoise-paced line, hearing the well water running like one of those relaxation fountains on steroids. A family of tourists ahead of us was snapping a staggering number of pictures. It was like watching a ball and shell magic trick to see the five of them shift into new positions for the next photo/photographer combination. Still, the water flowed on. And on. Jeanne West whispered in my ear as we waited, “It’s a good thing we had a bathroom break before we came in here.” 

Nazareth Baptist Church—This pastor, a graduate of GWU, has been pastor here for decades and has opened a school that serves 1000 students. Astounding considering according to him there are only 115-128 thousand Christians in Israel. That’s a pretty high percentage.

Some quotes from his testimony: 

• “I tell you it is not easy to live in Israel as a Christian.”
• [Before accepting Christ] “I was not fit to die therefore I was not fit to live.”
• [After accepting Christ, he prayed] “Please God, no more peace and joy, I cannot take it.”
• [After conversion] “I came home and my mother said, ‘ What has happened to you’ and since my father had died and left us with a lot of debt, she thought I had found a lot of money. I told her, ‘No, I have found Jesus Christ who is better than silver and gold.’”
• “Sometimes I look at my congregation and see six-o’clock Christians,” he gestured, drawing the side of his hand vertically from his forward to his chin and back again. “No emotion.”

 Sunday May 18, 2008, Galilee

 Julie and I started the morning by photographing the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee. Beautiful. To think: Jesus watched the same sun rise over the same sea. We started by boarding the boat at the hotel to go to Magdala. Dr. Canoy read from Mark 4:35ff and spoke about the two sides of the river: the Jewish side and the other side. Jesus preached on the Jewish side, the busy side, but would often go across to the other side where it was peaceful. In the middle was the abyss. 

And then Cal sang a song—It is Well With My Soul—that under the best of circumstances causes me to come unglued. (I do not like to come unglued.) The history of this song brings my soul to its knees. Horatio Spafford and his family needed a vacation in 1873. They’d had faced so many tragedies—from loss of property due to the Chicago Fire of 1871 to the death of a child. So, even thought Spafford’s business obligations delayed him, he sent his wife and four daughters on to Europe by ship as planned; he’d be joining them in a few days. But things didn’t work out that way. The ship collided with another and sunk; there were few survivors. Spafford’s wife sent a telegram back to her husband that said, “Saved alone.”

When Spafford went to join his wife, he cruised near the spot where his daughters died. Here, heavy-hearted, Horatio Spafford grabbed a pen (that I understand) and wrote the words I’ve heard so many times in so many places:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

So on a good day when I’m not grieving the recent death of a three and a half year old boy who I loved, this song grips my heart. When it’s sung by a volunteer who hits almost all the notes, I find it melodic. Even if I were in a high school gymnasium, I’d find the setting sacred because this song just transports me.

But Paxten just died (wasn’t it yesterday that I held him in my arms?); Cal sings like an angel, and we are, of all places, in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. I’m totally unprepared for the weight of the emotion, the place, the voice, the moment. . .it’s just too much.

Prayer I wrote while cruising on the Sea of Galilee 

Dear God,

                I don’t understand why Paxten had to die. I don’t understand. Of all the things that are hard to understand, this is just so hard. I just don’t understand. And as we cruise over this sea and think about peace, I think so much about the turmoil I feel, the abyss of confusion caused by losing Paxten. We sing, “It is Well With My Soul;” the song written when a man lost his whole family. I can’t imagine. My grief over losing this one child is so intense.

                And yet, amazingly, you are still God. You still offer peace. And peace, like a river can attend my soul. Am I resistant to it? I don’t want to be. I think I’m just sad. I think I just miss him God. I miss him so much. And still I’m so thankful I got to love him; so thankful I got to know him. Thank you, thank you.

 Valley of the Wind/Valley of the Doves

Jimmy parked the bus along the side of the road. As most of us stood to exit the bus, Dr. Canoy, making his own fun, called, grinning, to a reluctant passenger, “Grady, if you want to walk where Jesus walked, this is the place.” Grumbling, Grady rose. After all, WWJD?

I walked along this path, one Jesus would have walked between Nazareth and Capernaum, wondering what Jesus would have thought as he walked. Rev. Devoe walked nearby. “So, Reverend, what do you think Jesus thought about when he walked this path?”

The Reverend kept his eyes on the path, his hands folded behind him as he answered me in his raspy voice, “I think he thought, ‘who will follow? Who will refuse? Who will hear me?’”

I wore my brand new New Balance® walking shoes on the path and it was a good thing—the path was covered in stones. I thought about the thin sandals covering Jesus’ feet. How his feet must have ached from the stones cutting through to his flesh.

Dr. Canoy offered a devotion here from John 7:53-8:11. He spoke about how important it must have been to walk during the day time. With the prevalence of stones, light would have been key to safety. In the dark, people would stumble—literally.

Chapel of the Beatitudes

From here we went to the location (according to Dr. Canoy and Zach) of the Sermon on the Mount.  This place is a natural amphitheater. Jesus would have spoken from the low point to the people seated here, on the mountain.

A small chapel of the beatitudes sits on the mountain. It is a lovely chapel. I can’t imagine how many people have worshipped in this same spot. People from every walk of life, every nation, every race, all worshipping Jesus in this place. And now my prayers have joined the prayers of so many. The pyramids were huge. They have been dwarfed today.

Chapel of the Primacy 

This Chapel was built in the 1930’s here in commemoration of the Primacy of Peter. (It was here that I put my toes in the Galilee.) Near here is the site of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. We weren’t able to go there because it was closed for some reason. Zach said he’d never known it to be closed. 

Dr. Canoy recalled the story of the resurrected Christ forgiving Peter here near this very spot. He spoke of the charcoal fire, the prepared meal. “Jesus gave Peter three times to proclaim his love for him.” It’s as if Jesus couldn’t wait to forgive Peter and for him to accept that forgiveness. Beautiful. 

My prayer in the Chapel at Peter’s Primacy

 Dear Lord,

                Your capacity for forgiveness astounds me. You forgive so completely and with such utter joy. Yet I forgive with such hesitancy and such obligation. I have so little to forgive, you have so much. Open my heart to you, oh Lord. Give me your forgiving spirit. My indebtedness to you is so great. Help me to recall that great debt as I face the opportunity to forgive others. Amen.

 To Capernaum

 Dr. Canoy read to us from Mark 1:19ff, focusing on verses 29-31: 

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James & John to the home of Simon & Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, & they told Jesus about her. So [Jesus] went to her, took her hand & helped her up. The fever left her & she began to wait on them.

The synagogue spoken of in these verses is the synagogue here in Capernaum. The original, built of black basalt, was destroyed by an earthquake but the remains of the restored “white (limestone) synagogue” rest on what was left of the original building. Jesus would have been here on this site. He would have been here every day.

And one day, after he left the synagogue, he walked just across the street to Peter’s house. Jesus brought healing to Peter’s mother-in-law and in response she began to serve Jesus. Canoy: “The first woman deacon—serving Jesus.”

 Loved this site. I wish I could get in closer to the ruins but of course understand why I can’t. I would love to walk among these dwellings—become a part of this little fishing village. Wonderful.

 {There’s no accounting for why Grady says things when he does: “My teeth are like the stars—they come out at night.}

 Jordan River Baptism 

Many from our group were baptized here today. Planning to return here in 2010 with my family, I will wait on this tradition. Of all those baptized, the most moving was Dr. Canoy baptizing Rev. Devoe: 

Dr. Canoy: “You are my senior brother in the faith. I’d feel much better having you baptize me. But it is by faith that I baptize you my brother, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” 

Reflections From the Day 

Thank you God for Paxten. Thank you for creating him perfectly and in your image. He is your child, Jesus. I praise you for him. Sweet Jesus, for every moment I held him, for every laugh we shared, for every cuddle we called wrestling, I praise you. But I miss him Jesus. My heart hurts at the loss of him. But you, I praise, because you created him. And in the moment he was here. I got to love him. Thank you. 

Today when we were in Capernaum, we saw Jesus’ home and hometown. We saw where he lived with Peter and where he taught in the synagogue. We saw remains of the village he would have walked through. It strikes me that he too was here only for a moment. Those who got to love him in the flesh must have been overcome by grief at his passing away. And yet they managed to face the next day. Along the way, three days later, they found out that God was still God. And peace, like a river, surely attended their souls. 

Before we went to Capernaum, we were in the Valley of the Winds. Here, we walked along a path where Jesus would have walked between Nazareth and Capernaum. He would have walked, in sandaled feet, on hard earth riddled with rocks, thorny bushes, brush and more. Did he look up at the hills and see the caves, wondering who might be hiding there? Did he pick flowers for Mary Magdalene or kick a particular stone as he walked along? Did he think ordinary thoughts like how bad his feet hurt and how he didn’t see many sheep out today? Or was he distracted by other-worldly things like, “How will I end this world and start the next?” 

We can’t know anymore than we can know the thoughts of any given man on any particular day at any particular moment. Because Christ, at that moment was fully human: fully foot-hurting, tummy-growling, eschatology-struggling human. And he was fully divine. Amazing.

 Monday, May 19, 2008, From Mount Carmel to The Church of the Nativity

 Jesus’ ministry occurred during the reign of Caesar Tiberius. City of Tiberius gets its name from this Tiberius. 

Olive trees—takes 8-10 years to start bearing fruit then it bears fruit forever. Zach: “The Olive tree is a sacred tree.”

 Mt. Carmel

 Mt Carmel is really a chain of hills 30 miles long that overlooks the Mediterranean.

Karm—grove or vine

El—God

Karmel—God’s Grove or Vine 

Researchers have found evidence of many gods (totem) here. Karmel is rich in nature, lush, green forests.

 Cal read the Elijah story here. I have always loved this story. And of course, it’s fresh on my mind because I just took an exam on it. J Main point of the story—God provides, not Baal or anyone like Baal.

 Caesarea by the Sea 

Wow this is a beautiful place. Interesting tidbit—all the statues are headless. This is because of the commandment to have “no graven images.” First statue I saw, though, was of a huge foot. I think my son must have been the model. 

In the theater the architecture is amazing. It is positioned for optimum breeze off the Mediterranean and for optimum sound. It seats 6000 people. Dr. Canoy spoke about the story of Cornelius found in Acts 10. “The Gospel makes its first appearance among gentiles here in Caesarea.” Next he recalled the story of Paul defending his faith in Caesarea found in Acts 25:23-Acts 26:32. Festus would have been seated in the one box seat in the theater while Paul defended his faith from the stage. This stage. The one right here. Crazy. 

The Hippodrome is a horse and chariot race track. It can seat 11,000 people. I tried to talk Trevor and Rob into going down and running it to simulate the real thing but no go. 

A Crusader Citadel sits out in the surf. Caesarea was the main port; from here it was ten days’ sail to Italy.

 As a researcher or archeologist trying to authenticate remains, first priority is inscriptions, second is coins, third is pottery, glass, etc. Here at Caesarea is a stone with the inscription with the name of Pontius Pilate.

 The aqueduct at Caesarea was built by the Romans 2,000 years ago for the distribution of water. Aqueducts enabled the Romans to build cities in remote places. This aqueduct was covered by sand and has been partially excavated. It is about seven miles long. It probably had a dome over it originally and was high enough for a man to walk through. This would have enabled a worker to repair clogs, leaks or other problems. Further, the dome would protect the water from contamination.

The aqueduct is beautifully constructed. I climbed atop it and walked in the old water trough, looking out over the Mediterranean. Wow.

Also here I waded in the Mediterranean Sea. Relaxing and lovely.

Shepherd’s Fields

Dr. West read the story of the shepherds here. (Luke 2:8ff) We looked out over typical shepherd’s fields of Bethlehem. Next we went into a cave that was typical of where Jesus was born and sang Christmas carols. Nice.

We left there and stopped by the chapel where Cal sang for us again—Oh Holy Night. (Another of my absolute favorites.)

Latin around the chapel dome:

Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae volun tatis. Luke II:XIV

Beautiful.

The Church of the Nativity

The oldest standing church in continuous use, it was built under the instruction of Constantine’s mother Helena in 332 AD—the first church built in the Holy Land. Before this church was here, there was a pagan shrine here. Helena became convinced that this was the place of the birth of Christ and had her son build this church.

I love the door to this church. You have to stoop to enter. Many stories circulate for the reason for the little door. I like the one that holds that you should humble yourself to enter this sacred place.

We went down under the church to the Grotto of the Nativity or the cave where it is thought that Jesus was born. Here, Dr. Canoy told us that he believes the innkeeper has been wrongly accused of being the bad guy all these years. First century inns were dirty, crazy, busy places. So the innkeeper, showing mercy to Joseph and Mary, said, “This is no place for the birth of a baby.” And he showed them to a cleaner, more private place.

A silver star “marks the spot” where Mary gave birth and another niche is considered the place where Mary laid Jesus. I don’t really care so much about such particulars. What I do care about is worshipping in a place where others have worshipped for nearly 2000 years. Regardless of how it started, it has become sacred. I’ve always cared so much about community. I love the idea of my prayers being lifted up in the same place where ancient voices cried out their own pleas and praises to God. I feel at one with the community of Christ. Wherever Christ was born in the flesh, I know that many have felt his presence in this place. And I’m humbled to be a part of that tradition.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008, Old Jerusalem

Temple Mount

During the time of the Crusaders, from 1099 through 1187, Christians ruled the area. Since 1187, Muslims have been in control. Mount Moriah (“mirror”)—the place where God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac. I learned that Muslims believed Abraham placed Ishmael on the rock, not Isaac. Regardless, Abraham (by offering the ram in the bush rather than his son) changed the custom from human to animal sacrifice. Muslims believe that Mohammad ascended from this same spot in 621 AD.

Dome of the Rock

Built in 691 by Ommayyad Dynasty, the Dome of the Rock sports a 24k gold dome. The startlingly beautiful tiles come from Kashan. Arches face the Dome on eight sides so that every approach seems like the front of the mosque. On site is the architect’s archetype or model of the Dome.

East Gate

Sealed since 1542. Also called the Golden Gate or the Double Gate.

St. Anne’s Church

St. Anne, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, is honored with a chapel over the site of her birthplace. This chapel is the best preserved Crusader’s church in the entire country. The walls are so thick, it’s like a fortress. For 500 years, it served as a school. In 1883, it became a church again. Light colored stone building, elegantly simple. Acoustics here are legendary. Once again, we were blessed by Cal’s singing. He sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Jerusalem, Jerusalem!” When he came to the end, silence (by grace no one applauded of all things). So worshipful, so holy. In the silence, Cal turned, and bowed to the cross.

Pools of Bethesda

Remains of the Pools of Bethesda are adjacent to St. Anne’s Church. Here, Dr. Canoy told the story from John’s gospel about the paralytic man by the pools who could never quite make it into the waters in time for healing. Canoy reminded us that sometime during Jesus’ lifetime, Jesus probably saw this man waiting by the pool. Jesus’ grandmother lived in the vicinity so Jesus, playing nearby, was probably familiar with this man’s situation. Now all these years later, he is given the opportunity to heal the man. Unfortunately, the man was only healed physically, not spiritually. 

Ecce Homo Convent

Ecce Homo--“This is the Man”

In the chapel in the convent, two of Hadrian’s arches are visible. In the dome, Latin:

“Benedictus ovi venit in nomine domini hosanna in excelsis.” 

According to Canoy: “Somewhere in this vicinity, Pilate said, ‘Ecce Homo.’”

Under Ecce Homo is the Praetorium or the Ancient City of Jerusalem. Here is the actual pavement where Jesus walked on his way to the cross. A huge Roman cistern is here; also games engraved in the stones.

Via Dolorosa—Way of the Cross

Today, the Via Dolorosa is actually 12-14 feet above where Jesus walked. It was invented about 200-250 years ago and has fourteen stations that go through the market. (Somewhat suspect in its authenticity, other than the stations in Ecce Homo.)  

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Queen Helena found a Pagan temple here on this spot but built a church here called the Church of the Resurrection (also called the Church of the Holy Sepulcher). It was destroyed but later rebuilt. Today the church belongs to five denominations:

1. Eastern Orthodox
2. Armenian Apostolic
3. Roman Catholic
4. Coptic  Orthodox
5. Assyrian Orthodox

The key to the church is held by a Muslim family so as to keep the peace among the Christians. J Love this.

The Armenian Apostolics trace their heritage to the landing of Noah’s Ark at Mount Ararat. Therefore, they take great pride in Noah’s Ark. Beautiful mosaic floor on this theme.

 My favorite--by far aspect--of the Holy Sepulcher: meeting the Ethiopian community who lives in part of the roof of the church. They trace their roots to 1 Kings 10:1 (Queen Sheba) and Acts 8 (Phillip and the Ethiopian). Loved this unique community with their cross shaped scripture and their sweet spirits.

 Western Wall

The only remaining wall of the Solomonic temple. When we arrived, soldiers dressed in khaki were lined up facing the Wall. I later learned they were cadets being sworn into Israeli service. Part of their swearing in service is that they swear to protect the Western Wall.

 I had brought a picture of Paxten with me. On the back of the picture, Rob and Amy, Paxten’s parents, had both written prayers. So, while I was at the Wailing Wall, I read Amy’s prayer and then Rob’s. Next I prayed my own prayer about Paxten and about God’s goodness and his provision. Finally I knelt before the wall, once again awed, as I have been throughout this Holy Land journey, by the number of those who have prayed in this very same spot before me. To think of the prayers that have gone up here: prayers of hope, prayers of despair; prayers of longing, prayers of thanksgiving; prayers of praise, prayers of anquish. And now my voice has joined with all those other voices. I find the weight of the knowledge overwhelming. I feel so humbled at the magnitude of the faith of God’s people.

 Wednesday May 21, 2008 Jerusalem 

{Grady was sick yesterday and told me pointedly,  “Let – me – tell - you. I’da hadta die. . .ta feel better.”}

Mount of Olives

Mount of Olives—called this because the entire hill, from Bethany to Gethsemene was at one time covered with olive groves. The main part of the economy is olive produce. Gethsemene means “Oil Press.”

From my blog: 

Today the Mount of Olives includes (at least) Hebrew University, a convent, Augusta Victoria Hospital (started, Trellace, by the UN Relief Organization in 1949), a Crippled Children’s Hospital, a Nurses School and a girl’s school. When we passed the girls’ school, we saw some girls about 13-15 years old dancing in the school yard. Their dance looked a lot like an Irish step dance but I’m quite sure it was anything but.

 At the crest of the Mount, we visited Dominus Flavis, the Chapel of Tears. Tradition reports that it was from this site that Jesus looked down on Jerusalem and, thinking on the sin in the city and the pain he had experienced there, Jesus wept. The small chapel is shaped like a tear drop with small vase-shaped forms at each corner where the roof meets the outer walls. These vases symbolize vases that were used to catch the tears of mourners. The altar in the chapel overlooks Jerusalem; a glass window looks out on the city. From the pews in the chapel, you can see Jerusalem. Beautiful

Prayer I wrote at Dominus Flavis Chapel:

 For all the times I’ve made you weep Lord, forgive me. For all the times I’ve brought tears to your eyes, forgive me.

 Garden of Gethsemane

Ancient olive trees are still bearing fruit here. One is supposedly 3000 years old. But let’s just say they missed the age by 1000 years. That’s still one old fruit tree.

Zach: “The olive tree never dies.”

 Church of All Nations

Includes rock where early Christians believed Jesus prayed his last prayer.

 Prayer I wrote at Church of All Nations:

 Father, forgive me for I know not what I do. I know not when I deny you. I know not when I crucify you. Yet my ignorance is no excuse. It is but a flimsy veil. Help me to lift the veil of my ignorance. Make me aware. Help me to know when I deny you, when I reject you. Cause me pain—pain that reminds me of Gethsemane.

 Points from Dr. Canoy’s recap outside the Church of All Nations—taken from the book of Mark, the story of Gethsemane.

• Peter, James and John have seen the most and believe the least.
• Most everything Jesus talks about has to do with the coming fall of Jerusalem.
• When Jesus says “those” days, he refers to the future.
• Jesus models discipleship. Turning to John’s gospel, “When he had finished this he left there and crossed the Kidron Valley. . .”
• Judas comes in to the Garden = Serpent came into Garden of Eden.

Jesus was arrested at Gethsemane, taken to Caiaphas.

 {Walking from the bus to Saint Peter Gallicantu’s Church, Grady said, “These hills are kindly hard on a fat man.”}

 Saint Peter Gallicantu Church

French Catholic church built on the site of Caiaphas’ house. 

Loved, loved this church. With St. Anne’s Chapel, it is my favorite. The paintings and mosaics are bright and colorful while captivating and a bit haunting. Love it. Here’s what I wrote on my blog:

Later in the day, we visited the site of Caiphas’ house. We went below it to where Jesus would have been lowered to the dungeon. Striking -- his cell was the lowest cell. There were cells above it. His was the lowest.

I was walking at this point with Dr. Anthony Negbenebor, the dean of GWU’s Business school who has visited Jerusalem many times. He narrated for me. He said as we exited the dungeon area, “There would have been lots of people out here. They would have been making a lot of noise. And somewhere here, Peter would have been hiding. Until someone said to him, ‘Hey, you were with him weren’t you?’ And then Peter said, ‘No I do not know him.”

Then Anthony and I turned and walked up the sacred stairway.

These stairs, discovered several decades ago, would have been here 100 years before Christ. Scholars believe Christ would have walked on these steps at least five times. The walk is amazingly difficult; the steps uneven, rugged, and very steep. So Anthony and I walked them, slow and carefully, huffing and puffing, grateful to be following the footsteps of Christ–if only literally.

You see, as I walk these sacred pathways, I’m reminded that it is not walking where Jesus walked but living as Jesus lived that is the real challenge, the real blessing.

Scale Model of Jerusalem

Oh my heavens. This is an architectural wonder and an academic masterpiece. Wow. I wish my boy could see this. This is definitely a place that we will have to bring the kids when we come in 2010. Wow.

Shrine of the Book

Going into the Shrine of the Book to see artifacts from Qumran and actual Dead Sea Scroll fragments, I felt like I was going down into a cave. This museum/shrine has been designed to give you the sense that you are entering the world of the Essenes. I could have stayed for hours and hours in this one location. The artifacts from Qumran are amazingly well preserved. I also saw the Aleppo Codex and a reproduction of the full Isaiah scroll. This just brings me to my knees. And to think I’m going to Qumran too. I’m going to have to pinch myself.

 This so-called shrine is also a sort of safety zone for the scrolls. In the event of an earthquake, the building, shaped somewhat like a clay jar, would crash down over the cases of scrolls and protect them. Fascinating.

 Upper Room and David’s Tomb

David’s Tomb has been called this per tradition since 1200.

 {Zach said, “De question is did David have anything to do wit dis place. De answer is absolutely not. Absolutely. Not.”}

 Thursday, May 22, 2008, The Final Day in Israel 

Zach Tidbits on the way to Masada:

                 We travelled on the Jericho Road. This mountainous, rocky road is an obvious haven for thieves and thugs. No wonder the thugs of the Good Samaritan story were hiding out here, waiting for someone to ambush. (Luke 10:25-37)

                 Today there are 470 total Samaritans: 300 live in the area of Biblical Shechem, 170 live in Joppa. They built their own temple in Shechem after the rejection by Nehemiah.

                 The Essenes settled in three places: Mt. Zion, Hills of Gilboa, and Qumran.

                 Wadi -- water or Village

                Ein -- flow of water or spring

                Gedi -- little goat

                Beth, bet -- House

                 Ein Gedi—Palm trees, waterfalls, plush green in the middle of the desert

 Masada 

Built by King Herod, this fortress was the last stronghold in 66 AD when Jerusalem fell. I thoroughly enjoyed being at Masada and was so glad we didn’t miss it. The ruins there are amazing. The water system is so intricate, another testimony to ingenuity. This is another place that the kids will want to visit. They’ll love the cable car ride up and will all want to walk down. 

Qumran

 Can we really be here? I feel as if I’m walking on holy ground.

 The Essenes lived here, having pulled away from Jerusalem to pursue a more holy and pure life. Believed in a ritual of cleansing accompanied with prayers.

 The first scroll was found here in 1947 by a Bedouin boy named Muhammad. Researchers worked eight years. Went through 51 caves and found scrolls in 11 caves. In the other 40 caves, researchers found artifacts. In the 11 caves, 84 jars were found containing 620 scrolls, 300 were biblical texts and 320 were daily life texts.

 Today at Qumran it is 100°. Let’s go for a swim. . .

 Swimming in the Dead Sea  

We all loved this—Grady too. If you go out too deep, you still float; you can’t get your feet down. Crazy. The kids are going to love this—as long as they don’t get the water in their eyes. I had to laugh thinking about the fit Margaret would throw if she got this water in her eyes. The Dead Sea would never be the same after she got through with it. . .

 The Garden Tomb 

After a week with Zach, God love him, our guide at the Garden Tomb was a welcome delight. He gave us lots of info about how this place could have been the tomb of Jesus. Then he said something like,

“But you can believe this is the place or not. We don’t worship a god in a tomb, we worship the living savior Jesus Christ.”

 Next we had communion and Doc West did his usual great Baptist preacherly job with it. He is such a minister. Joan Howard and Rev. Devoe assisted with communion. A beautiful choice. Cal finished it off with another song. I haven’t the slightest idea what he sang. The whole experience was so worshipful that every word spoken or sung sounded like the Word of God.

We finished the day with a group meeting in which the students gave the Canoys a gift and the profs gave all the students awards. Very fun.

 When Anthony introduced the gift for the Canoys, he said,

 “We are giving you just a token of appreciation for planning this trip for us. The gift we get from coming here is an eternal gift.”

Amen.

 Friday, May 23, 2008, Jordan

 

Refugee Camp in Jordan

This day we were so tired and so hot and so done that we looked like 34 rocks rolling along behind 34 bottles of water. Our interest level was about equal to the personality quotient of said rocks. I regret this because I really would have enjoyed Jordan. But I was just too tired. This is what I did get out of the day.

 Easy going through the border—at least compared to the Egypt/Israel border. As soon as we went over the border I saw green palms and lush plants.

 Jordan is the home of many refugees from Afghanistan. Jabbok River is in Jordan and is mention in Genesis 32. The Muslim population as a whole includes feuding groups Suni and Shiite. Jordan is a stable nation because all of Jordan is Suni Muslims. Jordan is very hilly and much greener than Israel. There were many goats and shepherds everywhere.

 Our guide spoke of the pomegranate fruit. He says it represents life and death because it looks dead on the outside but when you open it, you find seeds and new life.

 Jordan includes the Plains of Moab, the homeland of Lot and of Ruth.

 Jerash: Cardo Maximus—Colonnaded street, heart of the city. This is absolutely fabulous. The best Roman ruins anywhere. Theater, fountain, oh my goodness.

 Amman is a big city—all the buildings are made of limestone or of marble. Very clean looking. Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and oh heart, Starbucks.

 Mount Nebo/Mount Pisgah--Place from where Moses viewed the Promised Land. Amazing view.

 Mosaic School--Handicapped students trained as artisans. Beautiful work.

 {Grady, telling a story about his sister: “I told her, I said, ‘I draw a check to prove I’m crazy; what’s your excuse?’”}

 Review of the day,

• Left for hotel for Jordan 7:30
• Couple of exchanges, met tour guide.
• Had Lunch
• Visited Jerash
• Went to Mt. Nebo
• Shopped in Madaba
• Visited Mosaic Factory
• Cal got sick
• Went back to the airport
• Ate at Pizza Hut
• Went through security. Frisked. That was fun.
• Left Amman for Cairo.
• Plane packed with people
• Landed and met by Consolidated Tours representatives
• Stopped by grocery store in Somewhere, Cairo to get food for tomorrow.
• Finally. Finally. Finally got to the hotel.
• There’s a wedding going on and it is insanely, unbelievably LOUD. Here we are, weeping, weary, watered-down rocks who passed tired sometime around 8:15 am. All we want is to go dang to bed. And the loudest wedding of the century is happening right here, right now.
• And that’s just about the funniest thing I’ve ever heard of in my whole life. I look around and there’s Cal, green Cal, looking at, well through, the banging, clanging musicians. There’s Grady, mouth hung open, panting. There’s sweet Rev. Devoe with this serene smile on his face. And dang if Gary isn’t filming the whole thing dancing to the music. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so funny in my life. Ever.

 {Trevar: “Julie, I think Aileen has lost it.”}

 Saturday May 24, 2008, Heading to the REAL Mount Pisgah

 On the plane I sat between a non-English speaking Egyptian woman and a UNC medical student, George. George was born in the USA, NJ, but his ethnicity is Egyptian. It was before take-off and we had been seated awhile when there was some excitement at the door of the plane. George and the Egyptian woman were both looking excitedly at the doorway.

 “That’s our pope! I think that’s our pope! That’s our pope!” George exclaimed. George and other Coptic Christians had been in Egypt for a trip to the Egyptian churches. Here, by chance, they ended their trip with their pope on board. They were able to get their picture taken with him, but when George went to meet him an interesting thing happened. The stewardess stood there with George’s camera ready to take the picture but George couldn’t take his eyes off the pope. The pope looks at him, his eyes twinkling and says, “Look at the camera.” So George laughed, turned to the camera, smiled, and got his picture taken with his pope. 

Odds and Ends

 On May 22^nd, I dreamed I was at the NC Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell, my very special place from childhood. A lighthouse marks the entrance to the island. In my dream I looked up and saw the lighthouse. I said, “Oh look! I had, no idea I was so close to the lighthouse. I can’t wait to get to the lighthouse. Come on. Let’s go to the lighthouse!”

That’s what the trip felt like—a trip to the lighthouse. It illuminated so many things for me in scripture. I’ll never read the Bible the same way again. The only thing that would have improved the trip for me would have been having my family with me. I’ll be making that trip in 2010, Lord willing. I can hardly wait.

At some point, Jonathan asked me, “How many pages have you got in your journal now?” I responded, “I don’t have any idea.” He said, “What? You haven’t counted?!” Now I know: 26 Pages and 9,899 Words.