Highlights of the Last Several Busy Days

Ok! Ok! Ok! I get it. :-) Sorry for the slacking of the posts! We have been very busy, running from morning to evening, as well as trying to keep up with the other things we need to do as far as communication goes! So, I shall attempt to give you a brief run down of the highlights of some of our stops. I will then give you a full blown post of the stellar stops! Does that sound fair? I'm doing this at midnight - You know, just because I care! :-)

First of all, hello from Cheryl and I! We are doing so very well, besides missing our church family and loved ones!

One of the highlights was the stop at Mt. Carmel, the place where the beloved prophet minstered before the Lord and slew the prophets of Baal. It is believed that this was likely the very place where

he had the contest, and then down below, the green strip winding through the field, was the brook where he slew them!

On Sunday, we went to the Jordan River on the north end where some, particularly the Catholics contend that John the Baptist was baptizing. I vociferously defend that it was the South end where it was. Nevertheless, it was awesome to go into the Jordan River for the first time! Sorry for the high hike of the shorts - I really wasn't in the mood to get wet because it was to be a relaxing day! 

Perhaps the best or second best day so far has been the trip to Qumran, the place where the Essenes transcribed and hid the scrolls. What a bunch of zealous people
 they were for the Lord! I shall dedicate a whole blog page to this. However, Cheryl accompanied Wayne and I through a treacherous hike up to the top of the mountain and into one of the caves where the scrolls were hidden and even higher. The first photo is where the scrolls were found, and to be very honest, our hearts were deeply strirred to be there at the very spot. The second pisture is the view from up high, back down through the valley, and then you can see the large welcome center and office on the left. WOW! 

We went to En-gedi, the place where David fled to and hid from Saul! David, what a man after God's own heart! I have so grown to appreciate him so deeply! The photo you see, if you look at the stream coming from the left side, just above it is the cave where he supposedly cut the bottom of his skirt off of Saul's garment. It was
too late in the day and they wouldn't let us hike up to it anymore that afternoon. The wild goats, spoken of in this very account of the Word of God, are still there today!

The Dead Sea experience was very thrilling for all of us! I'll try to be very modest here, along with a chuckler for all of us! I think you can interpret! ;-)

Caesarea was an amazing city and entertainment center built by Herod to impress his fellow ruler, Caesar! It is an absolute wonder, how he built it in the most amzing place, on the Mediteranean Sea, and with such majesty. Many tremendous things happened here, that I shall blog of later on its own, but see the arena where races, gladiator fights, hunting games, and other myriads of entertainment forms happened! 

And then to stand on the mountain where Goliath stood and shouted out across the vally to defy the armies of the God of Israel, to be in the brook where David chose his five smooth stones, see the mountain where Israel had gathered, and the valley where the Spirit of God empowered David to utterly destroy the giant! Very emotional movings in the heart! 

And then today was a rough day, but to be at the place where Jacob laid and then saw the vision of the ladder to heaven, wrestle with the angel, and the receive the touch of heaven; the baptism of the Holy Ghost to empower him for the rest of his life ! Oh Jesus! You know, we still need it so much today!



My dear friends, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends! We serve such a living God! It is so worth serving him. Why should I live for anything of my own, when he is SOOOOOO everything! Let's do it together! In Him and for the Kingdom and love to all - in Him, Lael

Friday, June 10, 2011 Post

My dearest friends,

Greetings to you; grace and peace be multiplied from God our Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.!

I am so falling more in love with him these days of touring through the very land that Jesus walked through and did many, many mighty deeds and miracles! Oh what a heart of compassion and love he had! Oh what care he bestowed on all who would hear and follow him! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! What a Name! What a Savior! Oh, I love him! 

I apologize for being a while in posting! We have been running very hard, fast, and furious; basically Jehu! But oh the sights we have seen. 

Yesterday

I believe yesterday was our best day yet, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Each city that we toured deserves its own post page.

I should begin by posting about the glorious favor from the Father again! We went to Chorazin again, and basically spent a half hour to an hour weeping over it. I plan to devote a full post to it, be sure to check it out when I do. It is definately the most moving city and site that I have been to yet.

From there we went to Tel Dan (Wayne said to tell Dan 'Tsukaw' that he should be there). Oh what a city! It is the place on the North end of the kingdom wher Jereboam set up the idol to keep Israel from going to Jerusalem to worship as God had commanded them to. It was a stronghold that had millions of Israelites destroyed for many years!



 
The Altar (above) The High Place (below)
The altar and the high place are still there! Yes! Still there, though without the idol on it!

Then we went to see the oldest gate known by archeologists. Yes, we saw it.
And it is virtually sure that the Father of our faith walked through it - Abraham! My Lord! How moving it is to walk to it on the very ground he walked on!

Then we went to Ceasarea Philipi! What a city, though very pagan and wicked, built by Herod the Tetrarch who aquitted the Apostle Paul! Amazing handiwork. Again I say; "and we think we have technology!" Nah! More photos later! Try to notice the mitre cuts and bevels on the stone work! Oiyyyy!




We were very tired and hungry then, so we went and had some grilled chicken that was very good.

 But then we closed out the day; we went and climbed the very dear and sacred mountain that we know Jesus climbed many times; Mt. Arbel! I took frame by frame photos that I shall show the home church sometime. But oh it is euphoric! This is Wayne, Rosetta, and Matt making one of the last summits, and then the iron hand rails to navigate across an amazing, heartwrenching cliff that goes straight down for hundreds of feet. (No, it is not photo shopped at all) Oh, what a rush!








Today

Today then we went on another tough and hot day.

First we went to Gamla, the city that James and John, the sons of thunder, came from (it is believed). It is also believed that the Apostle Paul was highly influenced by them. Josephus, the historian was a governor there at one time before he was captured by the Romans. They were a group of Zealots, 9,00 strong, in a city on a high mountain peak that is very difficult to access, even to this day!

Rome tried several times to take it several times, and finally succeeded on the third try by stealthily descending upon it at night while the guards in the tower slept, felled the tower and went in a began to slay the men. Many threw themselves over the cliffs rather than to be captured by Rome. But when the Romans captured those that remained, they threw women, babies, one and all over the cliffs in glee. it is said that blood ran down the cliffs into the water strem enmasse!


We descended down to its level, while passing a group from Indiana and Michigan coming up. When we arrived down, we found a camera left there by that group, so I ran it up to them, reaching them no more than two minutes before their bus left. I was exausted after going back down, touring the city, then climbing it the second time! OK, SO I THINK I DID MY GOOD DEED FOR THE YEAR! Lol!




Listen to this! From there we went to Tel Hazor! Read about Hazor in the Word of God - Joshua 11! Oh, Hallelujah!


Folks, yes, we saw the very place where Joshua walked and burned the Canaanite, Hazorian temple to the ground!!!!! Yes, those rocks are Basalt rocks from Chorazin that take 1300-1400 degrees Celsius to break! The mighty man of God, Joshua, destroyed the city after killing Jabin and the inhabitants, then burned it to the ground! We walked the very ground.Be sure to note the original, 'shattered by the violent heat' Basalt rocks and the still black bricks (tho' it's hard to tell they are bricks because of their age!)





We were very weary again from the intense heat, so we headed back to our motel early today around 4:00 PM.


Cheryl and I had a wonderful time, reading again after missing a few days, in our journey through the bible in 3 months! After that we went and excercised for a few minutes.


It is now 12:06 AM our time. So, Shalom, and God be with you and strengthen your steps for the Kingdom! In Him, Lael


P.S. I don't know why, when I preview the post before I actually post it, I see that it is not how I created it. It must weary from my lengthy post! Sorry!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011 The Day of Pentecost! Halelujah!

God bless all you saints of God. And a special greeting to those of you who have received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and those of you who do not reject its truth! Today is a Jewish holiday when they celebrate the day that God gave the law to Moses, inscribed on tables of stone!

Well now, guess what day the Father sent the Holy Spirit! On the same day! Only now he write the Law on our hearts by the precious Holy Spirit! Oh my precious Jesus!

Wow! Another highly successful, yet somewhat sickening day, touring the ruins of Masada! It is another of Herod's cities; one that he built as a city of refuge in case he ever got under attack from his enemies! It is built in the absolute height of a high, sharp pointed mountain. And again, it was built with the highest of technology. Cheryl and I had our first ride on a Cable Car!




I shall not go into great detail today, because much of it is the same as the city of Bet She'an, with the exeption that it was almost invissible from the valley, because of its height and camoflaging with the mountain.

It was built just next to the ruins of Sodom and Gommohra (sp), ruins which are very visible throughout! (Yes this is an actual photo of the remains) This valley is the valley that Lot chose, if you remember, because of its lush, rich plains. Since the curse and destruction of these cities, it is nothing but barren desert. We had much discussion today, whether or not this had something to do with the Dead Sea being dead! Any thoughts!?!?!? 

First of all, to start the day, we met Todd and Josiah Horton  and had them to join us for the day. I am sure they will go with us some more. We had a tremendous time with them. It was so good to connect with them again after several years.



Then we went past Jericho, the 1st city that Israel conquered in the promised land. Folks we travelled though all the land that is written of in the OT, from the land where Abraham and Lot separated, to Sodom and Gommorha, to Masada (where they believe John the Baptist lost his head).

That was a tremendously full day and finds us very weary and ready to go to bed. Pray for us. I find the tours of Herod's escapades and ventures very vexing in my spirit, but also very valuable to see and learn from. Cheryl is better after being sick yesterday.

Love to all, in Him, Lael

Monday, June 6,2011 Devotional and Post

Friends, one and all,

In the Name of Jesus, I send you greeting and blessings from the throne room of heaven! Oh, our God is so good, full of mercy and compassion, and I have discovered he loves to give of his abundant grace to us if we will humble ourselves before him.

I was reading and meditating all day in the Word of God, 1 John - listen;
1Jn 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 1Jn 5:4
1Jn 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Today, I discovered what the real truth is regarding Hellenism! Oh my! Today we made the trip to Bet She'an and Susita!

Oh Jesus! How your heart must have been grieved!

Bet She'an is a city that was one of many that Herod built before/close to the time that Jesus walked the earth. We have reference that Jesus actually walked these cities.

They were built in a very hi-tech fashion. When I say hi-tech, I'm saying more so than I have ever seen anything today of it's kind. i can't go into detail here, lest I bore you profusely. However, the purpose of these cities was to try to 'cool off' the religious and pious followers of God, and try to tell them not to be so serious about their faith!

So he built literal malls, theme parks, and bathing parks that were lined with landscaping and waterfalls for to bring all the people together and relax them, lowering their inhibitions and biblical/moral standards! It worked!

All these cities were tied together with over 20,000 miles of cobblestone roads that brought all of the people to these places with great ease.

He had a ginormous theatre that held 7,000 people where there were all kinds of shows! This theatre of over 2,000 years old is still in good enough shape, without any repairs, that you can still hold show in it today! Did I mention technology!






It had the finest of toilets, with running water, where men and women would attend to at the same time and place, while a violinist accompanied their business! Did I say anything about technology, or lowering of inhibition!




These cities had large, public bathing tubs including, saunas, hot tubs, regular pools, cold tubs, and any kind of bathing facility you could imagine!

And then he had a hospital built for the finest of all the health provision in all the world!

So then he told all the people in his jurisdiction, "I have everything at your fingertips that God can offer you, you don't need God anymore. I am your God!"

And so God's people turned away from him. They incorporated religion with self seeking pleasure. They mixed alittle of this with a little of that. The city was filled with everything from synagogues to prostitution houses, theatre to bars, massage to hospital, fitness centers to college, fine dining to early days of viagra, on and on, etc!

And then I was bathing in the thought all day; how do we live today on the church world. How much do I deny the flesh? Have I bought into the lie of modern day Hellenism? What is different in my life from what Herod tried to do to God's people?

His whole thought was to do away with people feeling out of place in where/what they stood for regarding the God of Israel! The thought scheme was, "Quit making people feel bad for not believing and behaving like you. Nothing is absolute! Do whatever pleases you and makes you feel good!"

Oh my friends, let us never give into the lies of Hellenism. And if you have already sold out to it, turn around quickly!

I share this because I am deeply moved and I care for the direction of God's people! Why should we sell out to this when there is latter rain awaiting! 

Glory to God and Blessed be His Wonderful Name!

In Him, Lael and Cheryl 

Sunday, June 5, 2011 Post

Oh dear friends,

I pray the God of Israel is your fortress and absolute sustenance today! Oh what a Jesus he is! Cheryl and I are absolutely amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene! We have been moved to tears repeatedly in our short time here in the place where Jesus walked, talked, ministered, and performed his miracles! 

eu·pho·ri·a

  /yuˈfɔriə, -ˈfoʊr-/ [yoo-fawr-ee-uh, -fohr-]

–noun

a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania.

Today was an absolutely euphoric day for us!

We began the day by meeting for breakfast at the breakfast buffet that they hold here in the motel. (You can google it if you care to, to see where we are staying. It is Golan Motel in Tiberias, Israel!) They have a very nice Mediteranean style breakfast; a lot of different types of bread and cheese! Well, enough of that!

Then we moved to the outdoor veranda and had a wonderful worship service (Matt and Rosetta Weaver have joined us as of last evening) singing some songs, reading scripture, sharing, and then having Derrick Prince preach to us regarding that it is harvest time! It gripped our hearts so greatly! What a word from heaven!

Then we went and got bottled water that we were lacking so long because of the Shabbat (Sabbath) and nothing, absolutely nothing was open from Friday evening to Saturday.

From there we went to the Jesus boat to take rides! (They call it the ancient boat) Folks, what a time! We get aboard the boat and there were only a few other people on board the boat that holds 55.

One of the other four on the boat besides us was the very man that had discovered the sunken boat of two thousand years ago. No, No! Did you hear that? The man that is an under-water archaeologist, searching for historical archives under water; he was on the boat with us. He is seldom in this area as he is currently diving down south a long way from here. But because his friends were here from London, he had come to take them on the  cruise of the place he found the boat! He took a tremendous amount of time to talk to us about the experience as well as a lot of other information. Oh PTL! What a blessing that was dumped into our lap from the Father!

After we got back to the shop, he took time to autograph his book for us about the whole episode of finding the boat!


From there we went to the Mountain Arbel that I had posted of before and will again many time! We climbed it from the bottom and made it to the top amid very euphoric moments! Wow! How I wish I had taken my camera along and taken pictures of our first time, but I had beeen under the impression that it was going to be too difficult! 

Oh it was difficult, but we made it in flying colors! I will have pictures later of that great time! 


So, until later, be very blessed and walk with him. Remember! The same Jesus that walked here 2,000 years ago in the very paths that we are walking in daily, is still walking here. But not only is he walking here, he is walking right where you are, if you will walk with him!

Shalom, Lael and Cheryl