Make Aliyah to Israel

            In some religious Jewish communities, there is nothing more spiritually significant for a Jewish person than to Make Aliyah to Israel.  Transliterated aliyah means stepping up, going up, or assent.  It is considered moving up spiritually when you move to Israel from another country.  The only reason you would make such a dramatic move is for your soul.  It is a spiritual change for your soul.

            Lent is a season of soul transformation.  It is an opportunity to move up spiritually.  This season is about perfecting your soul by working on character development.  The church fathers prescribed specific fasts and religious meetings during this season.  When fasts become legalistic, they lose their spiritual power and purpose.  I don’t practice Lent out of cultural conditioning but because the Holy Spirit draws me into this delightful experience.  I have found the season of Lent to be one of the most dramatic spiritual periods of time in my life.  I cannot explain why exactly; all I can report is that I find responding to the Lenten season is like making Aliyah to Heaven for me.

            Each year I sense God leading me to a different experience during Lent that stays with me for the years to come.  Last year, I tried to catch every sunrise and sunset that I was able.  I believe I am more in tune with sunrises and sunsets after that experience.  I see them as a gift from God.  I feel His presence and admire His beauty when I look at any sunrise or sunset since then.  I learned so much about waiting as well as not seeing what I expected from last year’s Lenten journey.  This year my Lenten journey is secret.  I’m so excited to learn the lessons God has for me.  I’m sure I will not be able to keep the lessons secret.

            As Christians we do not make aliyah to a place on earth; rather God has made aliyah to our souls if we invite Him.  John 14:23 says, Jesus replied, Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.  Moving up spiritually begins by loving God and obeying His teaching.  If it is our intention to be with God, we can step up spiritually in the deepest level of our being.

            Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, (born 5 May 1988), is a Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter whose smash hit—Rolling in the Deep—is playing in my head as I think about what God wants to give us spiritually.  Our souls are made to contain the love of God so fully that we sense Him being at home in our souls.  There is nothing bigger than that.  If you don’t know the song, perhaps you should listen.  I hear it from the heart of God to my soul.  He is saying we could have had it all, and He has the scars to prove it.

            I encourage you not to miss the treasure of joining with other Christians all around the world who use the season of Lent (40 days, minus Sundays, before Easter) to open your soul most fully to the love of God.  Make your own aliyah to heaven and welcome God’s aliyah to your soul!

Copyright © 2012.  Deborah R. Newman www.teatimeforyoursoul.com  All Rights Reserved.

Sorry Enough?

            Wednesday, February 22, is Ash Wednesday.  It marks the beginning of the season of Lent, which will climax on Easter Sunday.  Lent is comprised of the forty days (minus Sundays) before Easter. During this time the church fathers suggest believers prepare themselves for Easter in a way similar to Hebrew preparation for Passover.  It is suggested that Christians take on a Lenten fast.  The church colors change to purple which signifies repentance.

            What does it mean to repent?  God blessed me on my recent trip to Israel by seating me beside a religious Jewish woman who taught me a lot about my faith by sharing about hers.  She explained how she had been instructed about repentance.  She said there are three levels of confession before you experience true repentance. 

1.       Confess your sin.  She confesses her sins against God to God and her sins against people to people.  What if after brainstorming a list of your sins, you identify the sins against people and then call these same people to confess how you sinned?  She said that when we sin against another person we are sinning against God because people bear the image of God.

2.       Feel regret for your sin.  I easily do the first two levels of confession—except the confessing of my sins against my brother—I’m weaker on that point in level one of confession.  I do feel bad for the effect of my sin on others.  I don’t like this feeling.  I want to feel God’s forgiveness.  I’m eager for that.  This is often why I miss true repentance.  I don’t go to the third level of confession that leads to true repentance.

3.       Promise not to do it again.  Ok, well, I feel bad about my sin, but not to do it again?  Is that really necessary?  After all, I’ve got my sins narrowed down to the reasonably accepted by most Christians these days list.  And by the way, most of my repeat sins are against my husband, and really, can you expect me not to get mad at him again? 

TRUE REPENTANCE:  When God gives you the same situation or similar situation and you do not do it again—then you have experienced true repentance.

True repentance, that’s the place I rarely get to, but what repentance is actually about.  I do feel sorry for my sins, yet that is not enough.  I can feel as sorry as sorry can be but not really repent. 

As I enter into a new Lenten season, I want to bring my deeper understanding of the three levels of confession with me.  I want to move to that spiritual breakthrough of true repentance.  I want to realize what a spiritual victory it is to actually be empowered by God to not only confess my sin, not only feel sorry for my sin, not only promise not to do it again, but also to actually not do it again and praise and glorify God for that experience!

Copyright © 2012.  Deborah R. Newman www.teatimeforyoursoul.com   All Rights Reserved.   

What do You Groan for?

            I have personally been aware of two genuine yet not famous times of revival.  One was while I was a student at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee.  Evidently some of the upperclassmen were so taken by the word of God that they dared to pray like Habakkuk recorded in 3:2. O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.  (KJV)  I was present the evening that revival broke out on that campus but I wasn’t present to the significance of the spiritual reality.  I felt tired and left in the middle of the revival the Lord brought.  I was glad to hear the reports of the personal meaning the revival had in other’s lives, but I did not feel compelled to be a part of it, either by prayer or through my own confession.  I wish I had been more connected to what was taking place as I now realize that was a rare spiritual happening for the purpose of God’s glory.  In more recent years I was told about a revival that happened among the students of a small Christian School.  In both cases the students were so moved by the presence of the Holy Spirit that they began confessing their sins to one another late into the evening.  In both cases there were believers whose groaning for revival were used to bring about this rare and beautiful experience.

            I remembered these two experiences after I read one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons Spiritual Revival the Want of the Church.    Spurgeon wrote: And what is it that will make the true Christian groan for revival?  When he reflects on what Christ has done for him, he will groan for his own revival.  Groaning for revival, I’m not sure that I have ever personally experienced the kind of groaning to which Spurgeon refers.  It’s not that I don’t groan.  Indeed I groan about many realities.  I groan about the ways I see others fail to be what could or should be for Christ. 

            Spurgeon’s question and answer challenge me to groan in a different way. Rather than focus my groaning on the failures of man, I need to focus my prayers on the failures of Debi.  Habakkuk was so moved by the stories of old that he wanted to see and experience them with his own eyes.  He went beyond wanting to see it for the thrill of being a part of a spiritual reality, rather he groaned for revival so that the name of God would be glorified.  He groaned for the world to behold the glory of God.  He was so moved by the wonder of the God who created Him that he boldly asked for revival.

            As I have just returned from Israel, I have even more reason to groan over my sins.  I have a truer grasp of just what my sin cost Jesus.  I am left with groans about the knowledge that I could never take in the degree that He suffered on my behalf.  I am left to groan.  I want to groan for His hard work of the cross to be revealed in me.  I want to groan that it would have its full effect on my church.

            Groaning for revival begins as I groan for revival in myself, then others.  As I think of all the situations that I have been groaning about most recently, I want to replace that by praying like Habakkuk.  I want to learn to groan for revival of God’s work.  I don’t know if that will enable me to witness and become a participant in yet another revival in my day.  I don’t know who long I would groan for revival before I witness it.  I know that groaning for revival begins with recognizing the glory of God and groaning over my own sin and the sin of my people.  That is the only kind of groaning that has the potential to result in anything worthwhile.

Copyright © 2012.  Deborah R. Newman www.teatimeforyoursoul.com  All Rights Reserved.

NOTE:  If you have been reading my blog from Israel, I have updated the blog with pictures and videos. 

Day Nine - Journey's End

    I didn't think I could write today, but do to bad weather we now have extra time at the airport. Today we looked over the model city and I can't believe all I have learned. Some of the excavations since the model was completed reveal differences in what they built in the model. What amazed me was that I could see what wasn't where I expected based on what I experienced. Here is a wide view of the Model City which is 1:5 scale.  It was created by a Jewish man who wanted his son to understand what Jerusalem was once like.  Someone said that if you didn't see Jerusalem during the time of Herod the Great, you have never seen a beautiful city.  Do you understand what I mean about how grand this Temple was? 

          Next we saw the Dead Sea Scrolls.  I learned a lot about the Essenes.  They lived like monks today.  Like Jesus, they were not happy with the way the Temple was being run and they came to the desert to offer truly holy sacrifices, untainted by the mismanagement of man.  They saw their prayers and dedication to the Word of God as their sacrifice.  We are so blessed with their work and the Dead Sea Scrolls are among the most amazing original works we have.  Some of the pages look as if they could have been written yesterday.  They are truly a miracle.  Jewish practices include ritual washings before approaching the Holy Scriptures.  Allowing Gentiles to visit would bring great problems as we would be unlikely to wash appropriately.  The designer of the museum fixed this by creating a dry bath that all visitors walk through before approaching the sacred writings.  Here we stand getting our bath.

  

We went to Hassada Hospital and saw the Chagall Windows--beautiful!  I loved the one from the Tribe of Benjamin the most--in honor of my son Ben.

Our last place was the Hills of Rachel where Benjamin was born and Rachel's tomb is a holy place.  Only Hebrews are permitted to go to the tomb of Rachel, but I took a picture of this statue to remember my children Rachel and Ben.

  If I had to say two experiences that touched me most they are standing in a cistern turned prison that tradition tells us Jesus was held in before being sent to Pilate, and reading Psalm 88. It was stunning for my soul! The second place was being in the desert at sunset. I always imagined the wilderness as a horrific experience. Now I see that the desert holds treasures. The deer were dancing in the distance.  In the vast emptiness the beauty of God is highlighted.

"Every time there is significant growth in our spiritual development all our relationships change-to God, to ourselves, to other people, and to all creation." Thomas Keating.

Everything has changed for me.

I arrived in Tel Aviv with a Sunset and have come home to America blessed by a beautiful sunrise.

Day Eight - The Temple Mount and The Cross

Temple Wall

Golden Gate

Temple Mount



    Today was too much to take in. We started at the Eastern Wall of the Temple and saw that what Jesus told the disciples in Mark 13:2 that every stone if the temple would be thrown down was more than true. We stood beside the pinnacle of the Temple that once was so high. I was so thankful that I had memorized Psalm 121.  I quietly repeated this Psalm as I stood on each step.  It literally came to life.  If you look to the hills, you have your back to the where the Temple stood.  I had not realized what a grand Temple this was.  Jerusalem was not a city with a Temple, like all the other Roman towns, it was a Temple with a city.  God allowed a Gentile King to build a magnificent building that would be still standing today if it was His will.  The rubble of the Temple points to the foundation of Jesus.  He is the cornerstone. 

   Then we walked the Via Dolorosa. I could not take in Jesus' suffering. I could only be grateful. Each place we stopped made His utter love for me more apparent. We didn't stop at each of the 14 stations, but covered half of them.  I felt I got a realistic experience of His true Via Dolorosa as we turned down one of the main market streets.  I took in the smells and sounds of busy city life--that was what the street was like when Jesus walked through carrying His cross.  The world was going on all around Him, not stopping to note that the world would be turned right side up that very afternoon.  I stood near the place of crucifixion and by the place tradition says beams from His cross were found in a rock quarry. What can you say, think or feel in places like these?  On the way out, I had no words as I walked up the stairs. Each step I took I could only say "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you."

I'm standing right by Calvary--you can see the side of the rock to my right.

   We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Notre Dame and even were blessed by the Bishop as he walked through the dinning room.  On the roof we looked around Jerusalem and could take a closer look at the Via Dolrosa.

   What a wonder to go in the tunnels and walk below the western wall to the closest place to where the Holy of Holies once stood in the temple. Women are permitted to pray down in this tunnel at this holy place.  The prayers of women are strong in this city.  The women's side of the Western Wall was far more crowded than the men's side. We came out of the tunnel just at dusk and were permitted to go to the Western Wall to pray.  I didn't know what I would feel, but I was given the privilege to pray for many friends and actually stand right by the wall as I prayed.  I felt God's delight in the prayers that are offered here.  A future bride came to pray in her wedding gown, and two doves found their haven in the wall. 

     What was even more amazing was when our guide told us the Holy of Holies lined up with the Golden Gate where Jesus came and went from the city the night of His trials. 
    We have one more day that will be full if adventures so I'll add that when I get home. Thanks for following and praying about our adventure. It has been the most amazing pilgrimage. I will truly never be the same.

Next year in Jerusalem

Next year in Jerusalem

It's Tea Time for Your Soul from Jerusalem. I am literally writing to you from Zion. I'm fighting internet connections and the clock to fulfill my weekly commitment to share a spiritual thought God has given me that week.
Spending one week in Israel has given me more spiritual lessons than I could ever write. I tried to blog each day (http://www.soulsistertime.blogspot.com/),  but it is so difficult to put into words what I am learning about God's love by coming here.
I've thought about Moses quite a bit, especially yesterday when we were recommitting our baptism vows at the Jordan River. Moses never came here while he was alive, but he spent his whole life leading people here. That is not a bad life!
We stood at the place that Joshua led the Israelites out of slavery and into this land of milk and honey. It is the same place that Jesus began His ministry by being baptized by John. Through Jesus' life, death and resurrection, those who believe in Him are led into the promises of God and eternal life.
This is the best way to come to Israel. Beginning in the desert strengthens you and gives you what you need to fully enter the land of promise. You've got to know that the Israelites had finally put their trust in God's promises as they passed through the Jordan and conquered Jericho. Though the land just over the ridge is lush and beautiful, when you first come through it is arid and dry.
Immediately after his baptism, the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert. Making my decision to come to Jerusalem at this time was a desert experience for me. What I have discovered is that the desert is a rich and beautiful place. The vast, barren wasteland is all you see at first. If the Holy Spirit leads you here, it means that He will show you the rich beauty and strength that a desert experience will grant to a soul.
If the Holy Spirit ever leads you here, be prepared to realize His glory manifesting in you in a richer and fuller way.

At the end of Passover everyone raises a glass and states "Next year in Jerusalem."  Whether you ever go there physcialy, you will go there one day if you put your faith in Jesus and receive His gift of salvation.  The new Jerusalem will be everything God has planned.  You can read about it in Revelation 21.

Day Seven - The Lord's Day in Jerusalem!

The Lord's Day in Jerusalem!

   On our way to the Jordan River to celebrate and renew our baptismal vows we stopped at St Gerassimos Monastery. There are seven Greek Orthodox monasteries in Israel. What a beautiful church served in by loving, welcoming believers. We saw a ossuary with bones from monks who have lived and died here by the Jordan River.

The Jordan river is unlike any river I have ever been. It is a place of crossing first by Joshua and the Israelites then years later by Jesus when He began His ministry in the same place by being baptized by John.  Both crossings brought us out of slavery and into the promises of God.

   We began the day by renewing our baptism in the Jordan and ended the day celebrating Holy Communion in the Judean wilderness. There is no church more beautiful than a desert at sunset with a full moon for light.
     My lesson from the wilderness--my second favorite place...is that the wilderness holds treasures that you can only find by entering into it fully.  I believe that the first few days in the Wilderness were pure delight for Jesus.  Here He was alone in the vast quietness, His soul blessed by the beautiful blue the dessert brings out in the sky.  I saw deer herds running with joy, heard monks chanting from St. George Monastery and realized that the Wilderness is beautiful.

     Father David had brought wine for communion from the Sea of Galilee shop, but had not brought bread.  Sam, our guide, asked a  Bedouin boy who was selling goods at St. George if he had any bread.  The boy gave us the one piece of pita bread left over from his lunch.  What a holy communion in the desert.     Our Sabbath rest could not be called restful, as we filled the day with lots of fun and fascinating places including the Dead Sea and Massada. If you go to Israel--don't miss the a dip in the Dead Sea and mud bath!  My skin has never been so soft. 
      Being here on the Lord's day has had a profound effect, etching deeper in my soul the reality that I can rest from my sin because of what Jesus did for me. Maybe that's why humans float in the Dead Sea--our salvation has brought us true rest!

Day Six - Mount of Olives, February 4, 2012

   The day started with looking out over Jerusalem and talking about all the places we would meet for the day. I sang and danced with my girlfriends because of the joy I feel about being in Jerusalem.

     As we stand here overlooking the city and discussing the places we will visit, the first spiritual reality I noticed is that though three major religions have holy places that are almost in a straight line, the highest is the holiest place is our Christian Church where we celebrate Christ's crucifixion--Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The other reality I noticed was how far and high it was from the Upper Room to the Mount of Olives. What great shape our Savior was in by all His walking that He could live through that night of suffering.
     We were real pilgrims today as we walked from the Church that marks the journey Jesus took on Palm Sunday down into Jerusalem. Here in Bethphage we see the stone that is said to have held the donkey Jesus rode that day.  Our next church was the sweet Church marking when Jesus taught the Disciples to pray (Pater Noster Church).  A wonderful story about the life and heart of a French Princess was very special. The Lord's prayer in 125 languages decorates the gardens.  Our guide Sam sings the prayer for us in Aramaic.  I want to use this pattern of prayer more in my own prayer life.

   My understanding of the Bible has grown so much. We stopped at the church where Peter denied Christ, as we walked the very steps Jesus walked to the High Priest's house.  I read the Psalms of Ascent thinking about those other Pilgrims and how they may have prepared themselves to enter the city by these beautiful thoughts.
    Most moving of all was standing in the old cistern that was used as a prison where Jesus
may have been held that night. We know this, not from Scripture, but from the marks in the wall made by Christians. Fr. David read Psalm 88 as we thought about the loneliness our Savior felt there! I can't
really explain it now. This was one of my most meaningful places I came on my journey.  Here I realized even deeper that I can never conceive what my Lord suffered for me.

Imagine this place in total darkness.  We were standing below this hole--we walked down steps, but Jesus would have been let down with a rope--no light--alone in the pit.  Read Psalm 88 and think about this.

¹ LORD, you are the God who saves me;

day and night I cry out to you.
² May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
³ I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
⁴ I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one without strength.
⁵ I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.
⁶ You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
⁷ Your wrath lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
⁸ You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
⁹ my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
¹⁰ Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
¹¹ Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?
¹² Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
¹³ But I cry to you for help, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
¹⁴ Why, LORD, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
¹⁵ From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
¹⁷ All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
¹⁸ You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.

    Crosses etched by 1st century Christians brought clues that this was a holy place.  The old cistern/dungeon is near Caiaphas' house.  The gospels only tell us that he was held until morning when they brought Him before Pilate.  The crosses indicate He may have been held here.
     We were gifted with quiet time in the Garden on the Mount of Olives near the Church of all Nations. I read about Jesus' words to Judas there "Why have you come?" Jesus knows the answer, He asks us so I can know.

We saw the olive tree that is 2000 years old.  It was in the garden when Jesus prayed here.  In the rock that marks His place of prayer that sealed our hope of salvation I saw a cross formation in it--made by nature.

This tree is over 2000 years old and was in the garden when Jesus prayed here.

     We saw Roman steps that Jesus took from the garden to the city.

      We went to Bethlehem for lunch--my favorite meal--pumpkin soup was the best I've ever had.  After being in the dungeon today and connecting with a deeper experience of Jesus' suffering, I had the opposite experience in the Church of the Holy Nativity.  This church still stands from the Byzantine times because the door had the wise men from the East.  The Muslims saw themselves in this door and preserved it.  I am touched by the humility of bending over to enter the manger.  I have a new sense of this place.  It is humble but very comfortable.  This cave where Jesus was born was a quiet oasis in the midst of the crowded town full of visitors.  Though I could not see the cave (it is covered with cloths) on the other side, in the cave of St. Jerome, I found the experience of cave dwelling to be surprisingly comfortable--a good place to find rest and quiet.

You enter the Church of the Nativity humbly as you bow to enter.

Day Five—Crossing the Jordan to Possess, February 3, 2012

Day Five—Crossing the Jordan to Possess, February 3, 2012

    This is a day of spiritual blessings for sure. Resonating in my mind
is the verse God gave me while I was tearfully considering my
pilgrimage from Deuteronomy 11:8 “Debi, observe therefore all the
commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go
in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to
possess.” My heart is open to take home with me the spiritual
possessions that can never be taken away. Today I officially crossed the
Jordan at 2 pm. Israel time.

The day centered on taking in all the wonders of Galilee and this amazing lake with so many names and descriptions.
  Our boat Captian welcomed up with a special Texas Greeting.

He was very talented, not only could he sail a ship, he sang to us in English and Hebrew!

 Josephus (3rd Century Jewish Historian)
described the Sea of Galilee this way: “Its nature is wonderful as well as its beauty;
its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it, and
the inhabitants accordingly plant all sorts of trees there. One may
call this place the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants
that are naturally enemies to one another to agree together. It not
only nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruit beyond people’s
expectation, but preserves them a great while; it supplies people with
the principal fruits, with grapes and figs continually during ten
months of the year, and the rest of the fruits as they become ripe
together through the whole year; for besides the good temperature of
the air, it is also watered from a most fertile
fountain.”
No one would disagree that Israel is the land of Milk and Honey as they travel around the Sea of Galilee.
   It is not only fruitful physically, it is fruitful spiritually.  Jesus performed most of His miracles and
teaching here in the villages around the great lake. Once of little spiritual significance to the Hebrews after Assyria invaded and most Jews intermarried with Gentiles, in Jesus’ time there were many devout Jews who came back after the exile, and they stood out from the many Greeks living here by their pilgrimages to
Jerusalem, their Sabbath and Dietary practices. They chose Nazareth because it was the place they determined to be where Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah's light would shine (Isaiah 9:1-2).
We took a boat ride through the Sea of Galilee (also called Lake Tiberias, Lake Genneset).  Here I am ready to fish.

     We drove our bus all the way around it, starting at Kibbutz Ginnosar (where we slept the two nights here)  to see St. Peter's boat--recently discovered and over 2,000 years old.

   We stopped to visit to the Church of the Multiplication--Tabgha where we celebrated Holy Communion joined by some of God's creatures.

  We visited the Church of the Beatitudes where Fr. Jason read the famous sermon.  The Mount of Beatitudes are realistically hills but spiritually they could be Mount Everest!
    At the Primacy of Peter Church built around the stone that Jesus fed the disciples breakfast after His resurrection and reinstated Peter, our fellow pilgrim Evan was baptized.  In Capernaum where we saw St. Peter's house and the Synagog. We read Mark 1, as we followed in Jesus' footsteps as walked from the synagog to Peter's house.  We were literally living out the steps described in the Bible!
  We arrived in Jerusalem at Sunset.  Psalm 48 rings out from my soul as we leave the beauty of Galilee to enter the city of Jerusalem for dinner and overnight!
1 Great is the LORD and
greatly to be praised
in the city of our God!
His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God
has made himself known as a fortress.4 For behold, the kings assembled;
they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic; they took to flight.
6 Trembling took hold of them there,
anguish as of a woman in labor.
7 By the east wind you shattered
the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the LORD of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God will establish forever.
Selah9 We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10 As your name, O God,
so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad!
Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments!12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
number her towers,
13 consider well her ramparts,
go through her citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God,
our God forever and ever.
He will guide us forever
 
     I wonder if Edward Hayes Plumptre ever pilgrimaged to Jerusalem physically, or just in his soul.
Either way the words of his hymn say it all…rejoice, give thanks and sing!

Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart

At last the march shall end;

the wearied ones shall rest;

The pilgrims find their Father’s house,

Jerusalem the blest.

Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks and sing!

Edward Hayes Plumptre (1821-1891)

  Here is my first view of Jerusalem at sunset!

   Jerusalem has been continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years. The Bible tells us that Joshua defeated
the Canaanite King of Jerusalem in Joshua 10. It was apparently recaptured by the Jebusites until King David miraculously captured the city and made it the royal capital. Judah’s kings ruled from Jerusalem where the Tabernacle was built until the Babylonian captivity. The Jews were returned to Jerusalem by the Persian kings, and they rebuilt the Temple. There have been over 30 conquests of the city since that time. Judas Maccabeus led a Jewish revolt in 166 B.C., and we know that by 63 B.C. it was once again ruled by another—the Roman Empire.

Day Four: From Nazareth to Mount Tabor (February 2, 2012)

Behind me is a first century home in Nazareth. Jesus lived here or walked here.  What an honor to stand right here.

I was amazed to notice the shape of the cross in the rock formation of the wall that stands near Jesus' home! It wasn't put there on purpose by the builder, did Jesus ever notice it?

Jesus' favorite time to pray is while it is still dark!

Sunrise on Lake Galilee is a moving experience.  The light is purer here.

     Nazareth stands out among the places of Galilee that one would look for Jesus. In fact, Isaiah 9:1-2 prophesies that the light will come to Galilee. ”But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” Nazareth and Capernaum are the same geographical places for the cities to which Isaiah refers. Why was a devout Jew like Joseph living in Nazareth? It was because of this scripture in Isaiah. Sadly, the people of Nazareth who worshiped in the Synagogue to whom Jesus revealed His true identity (through Isaiah’s prophesy no less—Isaiah 61) did not believe Him and tried to throw Him off the cliff here. Jesus explained that a prophet is never accepted in His hometown (Luke 4:14-30).

     The spiritual journey always makes great strides through humility. Nazareth of Jesus’ day was known as a humble place. Mary said it (Luke 1:48, 51-52); Nathaniel said it (John 1:46). It is also a place of surrender to God’s will. Mary made her monumental statement agreeing to her part in God’s plan to turn the world right-side up! (And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke1:38). It is such a humble town and so small that I imagine, since Jesus lived here for 30 years of His life, at least one of the steps I took today was in the exact footsteps of Jesus. The spiritual journey is undertaken from the starting point of humility. This truth was reinforced in every experience I had in Nazareth.

     Waking up near the shore of Galilee is a blessing. I can't explain the wonder of going out on my balcony at Jesus favorite time to pray, just before dark then watching the world transform as the sun peaks through the clouds.  The fish jump, the birds sing.  The world stops to praise God. My Sea of Galilee experince was so full of joy.  You won't believe what happened when I walked down to the beach! I ran into a Tea Time reader who saw my name tag. What a small world and another confirmation of God's goodness to me.

     The Nazareth Village tour is so informational I got writers cramp taking notes. What moved my soul was looking at a historically accurate cross. The small size is humbling and it helped me realize the intimacy of the cross. I will never imagine the cross the same.

The Mount of Transfigeration was an amazing experience. May I be transformed to live like Him!

Dr. Deborah Newman

http://www.teatimeforyoursoul.com/

Day Three: Galilee—The Perfect Place to Begin the Spiritual Journey (February 1, 2012)

Ruins of church built on place where Jesus performed His first miracle.  My
Savior was physically present here at one time.

Jar found near church from Jesus time, used in ceremonial washing.

Day Three: Galilee—The Perfect Place to Begin the Spiritual Journey (February 1, 2012)

Our first stop is Caesarea. If Jerusalem is my destination, Caesarea is a perfect place to get to Jerusalem. It was the major port for Israel built by Herod the Great. I was impressed to see the condition of the theater that seated about 3,500.  It could have been built yesterday, it's construction has stood the test of time.  Herod the Great was an amazing builder.  The underwater piers he built here are still standing beneath the sea.
     Megiddo is the place with which I am least familiar. It means Armageddon—a gathering place of troops. It was one of the three major cities of King Solomon where he kept his chariots. I was amazed to see ruins from the day of King Solomon. This staircase was recently excavated and was the main path up to the gates of Solomon which we walked through in order to reach the tunnel that led to the spring that brought water to the city.

 stairs from ancient ruins

Gates of Solomon

    Next stop Mount Carmel. Now this is a place that I know well from the readings about Isaiah and my love of the Carmelites like Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and Thérèse of Lisieux. Carmelites are the prayer warriors of the church as they follow the example of Isaiah and listen for God in the whisper, keeping certain hours of the day in silence and prayer for the world. The shores of the Mediterranean near the plains of Zebulon are known for the indigo/blue/purple dyes that are important to the Hebrew’s priestly robes. Currently the thread of blue prescribed by the Torah is not used (often remains white) because the color cannot come from counterfeit sources. It makes me wonder if the prayerful steadfastness is part of the reason the once extinct snail that produces the dye has only in recent years been reappearing.
     We looked on the Jezreel Valley which among many other biblical references includes where Deborah fought foreign kings. I felt like Deborah fighting the cold biting winds we experienced today.
     A visit to the Druze Village is paramount to understanding the complexities of modern Israel. It is no longer solely Hebrew state. Israel is full of passionate people intent on following their love for the God learned from Holy Books. Druze is a secret religion. People of many religious views must learn to respect their differences by recognizing that they share the common ground of hearts devoted to understand God’s desires for them as people to honor Him. We must build on what we have in common--a desire to live lives that please our God.
       Cana is three miles northeast of Nazareth, the place of Jesus’ first miracle at the Wedding Feast. Our guide assured us that this is the place where the wedding took place. I was in the place were my Savior once stood. I can't tell you the impact of this reality on my soul. What a thought to consider that I first stood where Jesus did at the place where He first did His first miracle. I can't tell you the joy I felt as I renewed my vows to God as my husband (Is:54:5) and to my husband Brian. Earlier that day God confirmed His call for me to come on this Pilgrimage alone by my daily reading.  The reading was from Margery Kempe.  She wrote: "The Lord reminded me one day. 'You're My own true wife.  Remember that I loved you so much that I died for you?  Don't forget that.  Remember, too, that a wife takes pleasure in being at her husband's side. A wife loves her husband and enjoys his company immensely--above all others' because that's where she finds true acceptance, her greatest joy, and also her greatest peace.'"
As I shared this quote and affirmation with Brian, he said "You are there with your perfect husband and left your imperfect one behind". It's funny and true.
     Tiberia is where we sleep tonight near the shore of Galilee. This may be near the place where Peter was reinstated after his denial of Christ, and around here somewhere is the place that Jesus fed the 5,000. The Sea of Galilee is a freshwater lake that is 13 miles long, 8 ½ miles wide and red from the River Jordan and underwater springs. It was near this place that Jesus called his first disciples, Peter and Andrew. He fed the 4,000 around the lake and also sent the disciples to Capernaum and walked on water, then healed that man from a legion of demons. And no one can forget the Sermon on the Mount and its significance to the world of literature and spiritual life.
     Israel is being blessed with much needed rain. It has been a challenge to battle cold and rain but it cannot dampen the beauty of this land or the spiritual realities that I am receiving.


Dr. Deborah Newman
http://www.teatimeforyoursoul.com/