Adventurous Life

This entry is dated 15 May after touring the Central Benjamin Plateau. I think today was my favorite day so far. I was actually able to see and experience how geography has influenced history. The land determines where you live, how you live, and how life unfolds. Because of how wadis have cut and shaped the wilderness and because of the climate and lack of vegetation, the Judean Wilderness is not prime real estate. The placement of the wadis also determine travel. In Israel, because of the deep valleys and and ridges, sometimes the shortest distance between two points is not a straight line. Today I started falling in love with the land. I enjoyed standing on top of Nebi Samwell and seeing Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock, the Mount of Olives, the Transjordan Plateau, and Tel Aviv in the distance. I enjoyed the drops and climbs in elevation, the green of the plants and trees and the brown of the rocks, the rocky terrain, and the broad, flat land. So much variation! Maybe this speaks mo...

This entry is dated 15 May. What a trip! So much has been seen and experienced. If I had to sum up Jerusalem, and even Israel for that matter, in one word it would be BARRIERS. There are so many barriers here. Walls between old city and new, between ethnic groups and language, men and women, clean and unclean. There are certain places for you to live depending upon your ethnicity or religion. Where you can pray at the Western Wall depends upon your gender. One group controls the Temple Mount, while another controls the land around it. Even at the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulcher there are barriers between the different Christian groups. Barriers over doctrine, practices, and territory--but no love or unity. All of these barriers has made my heart ache. It hurts when I hear group members denigrate Arabs or other Christian sects. There is so much pride, and I know I am guilty too. If we don't have love or unity for our own brothers and sisters, then what good is our faith? The ...

One of our assignments on the trip was to reflect upon what we were seeing. I do not particularly like journaling (although I see its benefits), and I do not like being told to journal. Since it was an assignment, I did it, and I can humbly say that I am grateful for this assignment. How else could I have recorded or responded to a trip that probably has changed my life? Below is my first journal entry followed by reflections I had today. I am almost done putting together my photos so those will be coming soon. Yesterday (11 May) Kevin and I went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Christ was crucified and buried. Briefly = 10 minutes max, and I had my sunnis on. I say this because I didn't feel anything special about the place. Was it because I couldn't really see? Because we didn't have ea lot of time to explore and feel? Kevin says it was tiredness from jetlag. Probably it's a combination. It worries me a little. What if this trip doesn't change me? What if...

I have decided to revert back to my original title and description for this blog. It's not that I have overcome perfectionism but that this theme applies better to my whole life and I can write about anything under the heading of adventure. Struggling with perfectionism is an adventure. Growing in grace is an adventure. Relating my recent trip to Israel is an adventure. Being authentic and transparent is an adventure. So despite the name changes, the content of this blog has and will remain the same. Hopefully, I will not. It's time for change.