Journaling Israel

Getting ready to head back to Israel 

and sharing how I journaled the last trip there.

We received this great guide 
from Imagine Tours and Travel.

I was looking for a way to both collect memorabilia 

while there, as well as organize anything 

like notes, postcards, and journaling.

Target has a binder 

that fits the pages of the tour book.

I had purchased mine at Staples--
(last year.)

 Divider pockets are the perfect thing

 for storing memorabilia.

Mini binder index dividers 

work to manage and label the sites to visit.

This is the binder that I found at Staples.

 I carefully cut the binding off the tour book, 

and hole-punched the pages
 to fit the binder rings.

 Once you measure this-

 use one of the pages as your "template."

I repurposed a heavy cardstock 

advertisement that came in the mail.

Took the 4 week reading and prayer plan-

folded it and added it to the insert.

It now fits perfectly 

in one of the divider pockets.

 Divider pages labeled the main areas for travel.

Pocket pages are great 

for inserting things to keep.

I had also found the mini-dividers

 with tabbed tops.
A few pieces of cardstock 
were added and this was perfect
 for attaching post cards with washi tape.

I used a small Moleskin mini-journal 

to take notes during the day. 

In the evening I transferred any 'Keeps"

 and notes to the journal.

The great part was that when I returned home-

my journal was finished!

A great way to learn along the way-

and be ready to review notes

 to share and tell the story.

And THAT is certainly what happens 

when you get back from an 

Israel and Jordan pilgrimage.

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The Road to Emmaus

A Beautiful palm outside of the Abu Ghosh site.

The village of Emmaus was the setting for one of the most touching of Christ’s post-Resurrection appearances.

Unfortunately for pilgrims drawn by the account in Luke’s Gospel, the identity of Emmaus became lost early in the Christian era. Only in the 21st century are scholars reaching a consensus favouring a location near Moza (or Motza), on the western edge of Jerusalem, where there is no commemorative site to visit.

“Supper at Emmaus”, by an anonymous 17th century Italian painter (Wikimedia)

The Emmaus story is well-known: Two disciples downcast by the death of Jesus, and confused by reports that his body is missing, are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They encounter a stranger who listens to their concerns, then gives them a Scripture lesson that makes their “hearts burn within them”.

Finally, as they share the evening meal, he breaks bread and they recognise him. By then the risen Christ has disappeared from their sight, and they immediately hurry back to Jerusalem. (Luke 24:13-35)

Out of several locations for Emmaus proposed over the centuries, expert opinion is focusing on Colonia (or Kulonieh), near the modern Jewish neighbourhood of Moza. Excavations instigated by the New Testament scholar Carsten Peter Thiede at the location from 2001 to 2004 confirmed the existence of an upper-class, 1st-century Jewish village which was called Emmaus. 

www.seetheholyland.net

There are several possible sites for  Emmaus.

 The traditional site held for many years 

was Nicopolis - known as Amwas.

On our trip we visited Abu Ghosh.

• Abu Ghosh, near Kiryat Yearim (or Kiryat el-Enab), just over 60 stadia (11km) west of Jerusalem on the main road to Joppa.

With the Amwas tradition lost, the Crusaders settled on Kiryat el-Enab as Emmaus. They built a churchthere in 1140 and called the place Castellum Emmaus.

After the Crusaders were defeated 47 years later, Muslims used the church as stables.

This town was previously known as the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant for 20 years between being retrieved from the Philistines and being taken to Jerusalem by King David around 1000 BC.

Early in the 19th century it was renamed Abu Ghosh after a family of brigands who controlled it and exacted tribute from travellers.

The Crusader church, now restored, remains one of the finest examples of Crusader architecture. Its tranquil setting adjoins a Benedictine monastery. In the crypt is a spring used by the Roman Tenth Legion when it camped here after capturing Jerusalem in AD 70.

Emmaus/Abu Ghosh: Faded frescoes in Crusader church (© Israel Ministry of Tourism)

Factors against Abu Ghosh: 1) Kiryat Yearim was not called Emmaus in the 1st century. 2) It was not identified with Luke’s Emmaus until the 12th century.

www.seetheholyland.net

SO the exact site may not 

be the part to focus on here.

And so we always go back to HIS WORD 

and read the story.

Listen for the heart connections.

Think about ourselves on the road to Emmaus.

We pray Lord, that our eyes may be opened

 and that we may RECOGNIZE you.
Give us wisdom to not be foolish people,
who seek to do this journey by ourselves.
 We must SEE our need for you daily. Amen

Journaling in the New Testament
Noteworthy Bible by Zondervan
Colored pencil and fine-point Sharpie

Holy Saturday- The Lamb Triumphant

The Lamb Triumphant

The Good Shepherd 

giveth  His life for 

the Sheep. 

John 10:11

And the sheep listen to His voice.

And no one can snatch 

them out of His hand.

Worthy is the Lamb

Good Friday

Crucifix from the Cave of St. Jerome- 

The Translator of the Vulgate Bible.

 This is from the cave
 where he lived under the 

Church of the Nativity- Bethlehem.
 Jerome lived a life of translating 
the Bible from Hebrew to Latin.
He certainly contemplated 
the Good Friday story
in His life work.  

From the Shroud Exhibit- 
Notre Dame Jerusalem Center

A Good Friday image
that stirs my heart 
in His deep love for me.

An example of what a Roman "Crown of Thorns" 

actually looked like--

More Hat-like or Crown 

than a Ring of Thorns as often Depicted.

O sacred Head, now wounded, 
with grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, 
Thine only crown;

O sacred head, what glory, 
what bliss till now was thine! 

Yet, though despised and gory, 
I joy to call thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, 
was all for sinners' gain;

Mine, mine was the transgression,
 but Thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Savior! 
'Tis I deserve Thy place;

Look on me with Thy favor, 
vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
 to thank Thee,
 dearest friend,

For this Thy dying sorrow,
 Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever, 
and should I fainting be,

Lord, let me never, 
never outlive my love to Thee.

Text by Bernard of Clairvaux  1153.

Whatever the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin-
 there are some helpful things to think 
about in the Good Friday story -
for all Christians.
shroud of turin exhibition

Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu--Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday

Oh! Peter!

and the cock crows.

And the denial.

It pierces my heart.

For all the times I denied him.

And will deny.

Jesus telling Peter 
that he will deny him three times.

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu
perhaps on the site of the house of Caiaphas
where they brought Jesus.

gallicantu, meaning "at cock's-crow- Latin

The steps lead from Mount Zion 
back down to the Kidron Valley.
Believed to be steps from the time of Jesus 
and ones he may have walked on that Thursday.

Steps that Jesus trod

Steps leading to the House of Caiphas (Seetheholyland.net)

Beside the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu, excavations have brought to light a stepped street which in ancient times would have descended from Mount Zion to the Kidron Valley.

These stone steps were certainly in use at the time of Christ. On the evening of his arrest, he probably descended them with his disciples on their way from the Last Supper to Gethsemane.

And, even if the House of Caiphas was situated further up Mount Zion than the present church, it would have been by this route that Jesus was brought under guard to the high priest’s house.

The Church of St Peter in Gallicantu illustrates the tumultuous history of religious sites in the Holy Land: A major church built here in 457 was damaged in 529 during the Samaritan Revolt and destroyed in 614 by the Persians. It was rebuilt around 628 and destroyed in 1009 by the mad Caliph Hakim. Rebuilt around 1100 by the Crusaders, it was destroyed in 1219 by the Turks. Then a chapel was built, but it was destroyed around 1300. 

The present church was completed in 1932.

And in HIS steps 

we still struggle to walk today.

Migdal- Where His Followers Gathered

The worship center here opened
 in 2014 in Magdala-
(Migdal in Hebrew.)
The altar is shaped like a first-century boat. 
From the pews it looks like it is floating
 on the Sea of Galilee-right out the window.
The church is simple in design,
  but also rich in mosaics and murals,
 focusing especially on women in the Bible.
 It is named Duc in Altum 
(Latin for "Put out into the deep," 
from Christ's words in Luke 5:4)

 Beautfiul mosaic in the Migdal Church
Midgal was the home of Mary Magdalene.

 And the power - even in His garments

Jesus hung out here 

with His followers in Migdal.

 Perhaps He met Mary here. 

 She followed Jesus after meeting

 Him in the Galilee. 

"An expression that appears many times

 in several places of the Gospel,

"Jesus went around Galilee 

preaching in their synagogues,"

Father Solana, general director

 at the Magdal Center, explained.

 "So this is the closest synagogue 

to Capernaum where He lived. 

So it was likely He was here many times." 

The Jewish historian Josephus

 says Magdala had a population

 of 40,000 people

 and a fleet of 230 boats

 about 30 years after Jesus died.

This synagogue is dated to the first century AD, 

before the destruction of the second Temple. 
It is the first synagogue discovered in Galilee
 and one of seven known from this period
 in the land of Israel. 
The impressive structure was established
 by a community of Jewish farmers and fisherman.

A seven branch Menorah relief.
This is the earliest example - so far- 
of  a Menorah discovered 
in a Jewish building in Galilee.

The modern day town of Migdal 
was founded in 1910. 
In 2009 it had a population of 1, 627.
It is located near Ginosaur 
with a shoreline on the Sea of Galilee.
The town is named after the old city of Migdala- 
which was the home town of Mary (called Magdalene)
Luke 8:2
In 1908 a small group of German Catholics 
identified the site as the birthplace 
of Mary Magdalene settled there. 
They left after a year and the land 
was bought by Russian Zionists to farm.
A few years later it was sold to private investors.
Port and city uncovered

Beginning in the 1960s, Franciscan archaeologists discovered Magdala’s ancient port and a city grid, with paved streets, water canals, a marketplace, villas and mosaics — one depicting a sailing boat.

Buried in the mud covering a thermal bath complex were ceramic crockery, perfume jars, jewellery, hairbrushes and combs, and bronze applicators for make-up.

The discovery of the massive foundations of a tower may account for the city’s name. Both Magdala in Aramaic and Migdal in Hebrew mean “tower”.

First-century synagogue identified

More archaeological remains were uncovered in 2009 

on an adjacent property newly acquired 

by the Legion of Christ to establish a hotel,

institute for women and retreat centre. The Legion,

a Catholic congregation, manages the Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem.

seetheholyland.net

Our guide Yossi--
explaining the significance 
of this relief discovery.
Father Kelly introduces 
a bit of the Migdal site-
Migdal Site

 In this Holy Week-
 thinking about where His followers 
hung out with Jesus.
 Where they listened.
Where they asked questions.
Where we can still be close to HIM-
 in His Word.

A very helpful site for Holy Land info-
see the holy land

Temple Mount- Jerusalem

Temple Mount- Jerusalem

On our third trip to Israel 

we finally got permission to visit this site.

The Temple Mount is built on Mount Moriah, 

the famous mountain where Abraham 

offered his son, Isaac, 

as a sacrifice to God. 

Isaac was spared when God provided the sacrifice.

This famous mountain lends its name 

to the entire mountain range running north 

to south between the Kidron Valley 

and Mount of Olives (to the East).

This was once the Tyropean Valley 

and Mount Zion (to the West).

Layers of rubble from Jerusalem's 

many destructions have completely

 filled in the Tyropean Valley.

Originally, The Jebusites took up residence 

on the southern slope of Mount Moriah 

above the Gihon Spring. 

When David became king, 

he fought for and took the site 

and renamed it the "City of David" 

and made it the capital city of his monarchy.

The Northern area of the mountain's summit 

remained the private threshing floor of Araunah, 

the city's former Jebusite king. 

Late in his reign as King of Israel,

 David erred grievously in the sight

 of the Lord by ordering a census to be taken.

2 Samuel 24:10- 1 Chronicles 21:1-8

As part of his repentance, David purchased the property,

 as well as several oxen, 

from Araunah for 600 shekels of gold. 

David then erected an altar

 and offered sacrifices there.

It was David's intent to someday build a temple 

to the Lord on this property. 

However God chose Solomon for this task instead. 

The last days of David's reign 
were spent gathering resources 

for his son Solomon to build a magnificent building 

to house God's glory. 

In 1015 BC the Temple of Solomon was built on the site.

It incorporated the spectacular rock

 at the top of Mount Moriah.

Solomon used dirt from the temple construction

 to fill in this east-west lateral rift on Mount Moriah

 so that he could build his own palace 

on an area that separate the summit of the mountain

 and the Temple from the city below. 

When Solomon's Temple 

was destroyed by the Babylonians, 

Zerubbabel; 
rebuilt the Second Temple on this same site. 

Later, it was enlarge by Herod in 19 BC 

and renamed Herod's Temple. 

This was where Jesus often taught 

during his ministry in Jerusalem. 

Herod's Temple was demolished in 70 AD 

by the Romans as a result of the Jewish rebellion.

At Temple Mount-Daughter Jessica 

and son-in-law Daniel on our tour.

Connie and daughter Jessica

Connie and husband John---

standing the appropriate distance apart 

so that the guards don't come and make you separate.

No Touching! 

can certainly be heard on Temple Mount. 

To respect the site it is important 

that men and women do not touch-

 an influence of the Muslim culture that manages this site.

The Heinitz- Murphy family 

that joined our Israel trip- Dec- 2016.

The young folks that joined our tour Dec 2016.

In 1315 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian 

began construction of a new city, Aelia Capitolina, 

upon the ruins of old Jerusalem. 

Hadrian built a temple to Jove, the Greek god Jupiter, 

on the site of the destroyed Jewish temple. 

But this temple was demolished by the Byzantines 

after the empire became Christian

 under Emperor Constantine (306-337 AD).

In 638 AD, six years after the death of Muhammad, 

Jerusalem ws captured by the Muslims. 

Soon after occupying the city, Caliph Umar 

cleanses the Temple Mount and built a small mosque

 dedicated to Muslim worship. 

Later, in an effort to create a worship center 

that rivaled the architecture of the nearby

 Christian Church of the Sepulchre, 

the Muslims decided to build 

a more impressive building. 

The site chosen was the same sacred rock

 where the Jewish temples had stood. 

This was based on a story in the Koran 

linking the Prophet Muhammed 

with Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

This story is called "The Night Journey" 

and is found in the seventh Sura of the Koran.

 It tells of a mystic journey where Muhammed 

was taken by the Archangel Gabriel on a winged horse 

to Mt. Sinai, Bethlehem,

 to finally land on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. 

There they encountered Abraham, Moses, 

Jesus and other prophets 

whom Muhammad led in prayers.

According to the account, 

Gabriel then escorted Muhammad 

to the pinnacle of the rock on the Temple Mount 

where Muhammad ascended through the 

seven heavens into the presence of Allah. 

Following this divine meeting, 

Muhammad flew back to Mecca with Gabriel.

From Temple Mount you can see 

the cross of Redeemer Lutheran Church.

 This highlights the story of the juxtaposition 
of the cultures 

and religions that mark Jerusalem.

The spectacular gold-topped mosque commemorating

 this dream was called the dome of the rock

 and was completed in 691 AD. 

It covers the huge rock where the altar 

of burnt offering stood. 

In fact, several channels are etched 

into the rock and a large room 

has been cut out beneath it.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism,

 which regards it as the place 

where God's divine presence

 is manifested 

more than in any other place. 

According to the rabbinic sages whose debates 

produced the Talmud, 

it was from here the world expanded

 into its present form and where God

 gathered the dust used to create 

the first human, Adam.
Temple Mount is known to Muslims 
as the Haram esh-Sharif.
In light of the dual claims 
of both Judaism and Islam, 
it is one of the most contested 
religious sites in the world. 
Since the Crusades, the Muslim community 
of Jerusalem has managed the site as a Waqf,
 without interruption. 
As the site is part of the Old City, 
controlled by Israel since 1967, 
both Israel and the Palestinian authority
 claim sovereignty over it,
 and it remains a major focal point 
of the Arab-Israeli conflict. 
In an attempt to keep the status quo, 
the Israeli government enforces 
a controversial ban on prayer by non-Muslims.

The controversy and tension 
that surround Temple Mount 
leads to strong feelings of who 
"owns or controls" the site. 
Permission to visit for Christian tourists
 is often on the whim of the Muslim officials. 
Our guide told us to not expect to ever get access 
and then if it happened it would be a great surprise. 
Good advice when visiting Jerusalem.
This Holy Week reflection time 
helps us to understand a bit of the political 
struggle in the works in the time of Jesus.
and also afirms that all the strife 
and tension in leadership
 church and in state is "nothing new under the sun."

Information - 
Temple Mount Wikipedia 
and the Imagine Tours Travel Guide.