A Day of Contrasts

Little did I know that today would be a day of distinction, discovering stark comparisons in many areas during our fourth day here in Israel. These disparities were not all glaring, some were very subtle. Yet all were woven together to form a tapestry of surprise. Just when I thought I saw one thing, my eyes were opened to see the contrast…. On our way from Tiberias through Cana (remember the story of contrast that occurred here—Jesus taking everyday water and changing it into not so everyday wine), we stopped at a real live re-creation of Nazareth. (Check out www.nazarethvillage.comThis plot of land was discovered and Nazareth Village was born. Amidst the bustling city of post-Jesus Nazareth, there was a 1st century farm which was uncovered. It included terraces for farming, stone buildings and even a lookout for a shepherd for his sheep. This was such an amazing experience to see how people actually lived in Jesus’ day. Each character was true to the period; even the children dressed and played from that time (sorry, no ipods or xbox here). As we left the simple lifestyle of that farm, we encountered the vast complex city of modern-day Nazareth. Simple to complex…contrast. The drive through the West Bank was a real eye-opener. The lush green hills gave way to less and less vegetation. The diversity was great. Our tour guide has said it was going to be like this. He was right. Where elevated green hills, trees of many kinds and beautiful flowers bloomed, dry desert tan earth abounded for miles. Some of our group took naps on the bus ride through this area. They were really shocked when they woke up to what looked like Death Valley….contrast. The Word talks about the last battlefield in Revelation. We stood at Megiddo, the valleys of the different “ites’ before us. Amidst the ruins of 26 civilizations, layered upon on another, rock horse troughs, and vast altars for sacrificing children called out to us to remember the vast contrast between the spiritual warfare of the day. Evil is always pitted against good; only in this case however, our good God will be victorious…contrast. Bedouins, the nomadic Palestinian people eeking out an existence in Israel set up primitive shacks on the land. Think homeless people in the US, in shanty towns. The drive between the Dead Sea at 1,500 feet below sea level and the Dome of the Rock at 400 plus feet above sea level gave us a panoramic view of the famous salty lake. The Bedouins homes were overshadowed as we got our first view of the Holy City. Multi-unit housing, high rises, congested neighborhoods, modern transportation instead of camels.…a land of great contrast. We drove and walked in the steps of Jesus today. Most days in the US, we are good to pause to take in the life of Christ written on the pages of the precious Word He so wisely gave to us. We have seen authentic locations where Christ did life everyday, in contrast to letters on pages of our Bibles that only speak of His amazing life and ministry. We are thoroughly taken by the reality of Scripture as we see it come to life here in Israel. It is more than words on a page, history in letters. We are thankful that these facts are written for us to further believe. Seeing, my friends, really is believing. This life-altering experience only highlights what we are now able to see because we have seen with our own eyes this amazing place.…contrast. May you see God with new eyes today. Shalom! Pastor Jim and Andrea

Water from start to finish

Hello everyone! We have had quite a day today! We started out in Tiberias for an incredible breakfast of fresh fruits, salad, bakery, eggs, cheeses I've never heard of, etc. Then we drove to see the 2,000 year old boat at the museum near Capernum. It was totally fascinating. What a gift to the world to have such a treasure. We then sailed on the Sea of Galilee; Jim was in his element!! The sound of our voices singing and sharing rebounded across the still water. It was like sailing on glass. We were treated to the Israeli national anthem, and the US National anthem and flag raising as well. Our Canadian friends were troopers singing with us. The boat captain/crew demonstrated with agility and skill the art of fishing by net, Jesus' era style. No fish for us for lunch, but no worries. It was quite a sight to see Pastor Jim do a Jewish folk dance on the deck with 12 of his new friends. Fast forward toward Capernaum, the "town of Jesus." Remember the passages in the Bible where Jesus spoke to 5,000 or more people? I used to think, how in the world is that possible? Today, at the Mount of Beatitudes Jim and I saw first hand the reality of Jesus' ministry to the multitudes. It was such an eye opener; history, Biblical truth is jumping out at us as we listened to the Word on that hillside. Our faith is being validated and we are being drawn in to a supernatural experience here in the land of our Savior. Jim led an insightful devotion at the place that commemorates Jesus asking Peter if his love was for him. "Follow, no matter what" was the distinct and powerful word. Jesus is able to sustain even Peter's shaky faith and use him as a leader. He has that desire for us as well. As we stood in the grove of ancient trees outside the site of the destroyed synagogue from Jesus' day and heard about how God wants us to receive His spirit as a guide and to live faithful lives as leaders, I could not help but be grateful for this physical town as well as the new community of leaders/pastors which have now become our friends. Many pictures later, we found ourselves laughing, eatin falafel, the Israel national snack. We are so enjoying the new flavors of this country. The personal highlight of the day for us was putting on white robes over our swimsuits and wading into the chilly Jordan River. A community of Asian believers were singing, praising God as their friends were baptized. It was a powerful reminder of the God who loves all nations and people. We have heard less English here than I expected. Pastor Jim was baptized by our tourleader, Mark. He has baptized over a hundred of pastors in the 17 years he has been coming here. Jim then baptized me, which was an amazing experience. When we can, we will post some pics to the blogsite. The day long journey around the Sea of Galilee came to an end as we passed by the electric fence that secures Jordan from Israel. The winding mountain road reminded me of a great Cedar Point ride--windy, narrow and adrenaline inducing. This country is so diverse and beautiful, it is hard to describe. God sure had quite an imagination when he created this landscape. It is not hard to realize the diversity of both population and geography. WIth diversity brings a wealth of learning, and we are learning so much! Thanks for praying for us! We'll catch up with you around the next bend... Love and shalom, Pastor Jim and Andrea

Blessed beyond ourselves.

Hello friends,

We are certainly on the adventure of a lifetime, doing things we have never done and seeing a land we only dreamed that someday we would be able to see. Our flight was delayed going out of JFK--we left at 4:00 am on Wed. We have been all through Tel Aviv, experienced Joppa, picked up a rock from Mt. Carmel (remember the big BBQ contest held there?) We have been inspired as we walked through Caeserea in Peter's footsteps and stood where Paul once stepped into the awaiting ship to sail past Herrod's great temple at the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Today as we ate dinner (the food is beyond amazing) over the Sea of Galilee, we felt blessed beyond ourselves. Tomorrow we will see Galilee from a whole new perspective as we walk the shore, visit famous places in the Bible and later are baptized in the Jordan River. The only thing that could be better than this is if you were here in person to experience this with us.

Thank you for your prayers. Jim shares his first devotional at the place where Jesus told Peter to "feed my lambs" tomorrow morning at 10. (It will be 3 am your time.)

We are safe, well-fed, and have a wonderful and knowledgable tour guide. We look forward to sharing a ton of pictures and our hearts with you in the next several days.

Love,
Jim and Andrea

The adventure of a lifetime!

Hello friends,

We are certainly on the adventure of a lifetime, doing things we have never done and seeing a land we only dreamed that someday we would be able to see. Our flight was delayed going out of JFK--we left at 4:00 am on Wed. We have been all through Tel Aviv, experienced Joppa, picked up a rock from Mt. Carmel (remember the big BBQ contest held there?) We have been inspired as we walked through Caeserea in Peter's footsteps and stood where Paul once stepped into the awaiting ship to sail past Herrod's great temple at the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Today as we ate dinner (the food is beyond amazing) over the Sea of Galilee, we felt blessed beyond ourselves. Tomorrow we will see Galilee from a whole new perspective as we walk the shore, visit famous places in the Bible and later are baptized in the Jordan River. The only thing that could be better than this is if you were here in person to experience this with us.

Thank you for your prayers. Jim shares his first devotional at the place where Jesus told Peter to "feed my lambs" tomorrow morning at 10. (It will be 3 am your time.)

We are safe, well-fed, and have a wonderful and knowledgable tour guide. We look forward to sharing a ton of pictures and our hearts with you in the next several days.
Love,

Jim and Andrea

What Happens After We Die?

I’ve received quite a few emails about last week’s sermon. Seems the sermon sparked some questions and raised a few issues. I thought this might be a good excuse to jump back into my blog. So, I will use this blog to answer some of the most common questions I have received.

One of the more frequent questions is represented by this email:

Pastor Jim, during your sermon on Sunday, you made mention of the mortality of the soul, you stated that there was no mortality of the soul. I thought maybe I misheard or you misspoke, so I listened to the message again. At the 11:42 mark in your sermon, that was what you said, so now it raises the question as what Paul meant by "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." 2 Cor 5:8. Please explain.

Yes, Paul is stating his belief in the resurrection just like he does in Acts 24:15, Rom. 6:5, 1 Cor. 15, et al. Whether he is killed by his enemies or executed by the Romans, Paul says that is not the end. When I die, and my body is limp and absent of life, I will be raised from the dead to be present with the Lord. Verse 8 (and vv. 6&7 before it) recap the theme first introduced in 4:16-18. “At home in the body” means to dwell in “the earthly tent” (5:1), to be outwardly “wasting away” (4:16), to be away from the immediate presence of the Lord.

When we die, we don't stay dead, merely rotting away into all eternity. When this body dies, we will be resurrected into a new body where (as Christians) we will be present with the Lord. God will raise each of us from the dead. As you can see from the context in 2 Cor. 5:1-10, Paul is not contrasting the difference between body and soul, he is contrasting the difference between our earthly bodies and our heavenly bodies. When we die and this earthly body is destroyed, God will raise us up from the dead and give us new bodies.

The belief in the immortality of the soul, (that the soul doesn't die) is a very popular belief but is a dangerous lie first introduced by Satan in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:4). It was made popular by secular Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates and has infiltrated first the Catholic church and then the Protestant church both to a deep degree. The Hebrew word for soul is ‘nephesh’ ("soul, breathing one, a person's lifesource" used of God giving life to Adam in Gen. 2:7). Using that word ‘nephesh,’ the Bible plainly states in Ezekiel 18:4 "The soul who sins will die." Our soul, that is, our life, has a lifespan, that is, we die, our soul dies. Our soul is mortal, not immortal.

When we die, all of us dies: body, soul, mind, heart, all of it. Again, it was the Greeks who introduced this idea that you can separate us into compartments: body, soul, spirit, mind, etc. The Bible sees each of us as a unity of personhood, not some tripartite or dualistic entity. It’s important that we recognize the Bible as our authority and not Greek philosophy.

It’s also essential that we maintain the centrality of the resurrection. It is the core doctrine of the Christian faith. If the soul does not die, there is no need for a resurrection. By definition, resurrection can only happen after a death. If you teach the immortality of the soul, that the soul never really dies, then you have no need for a resurrection and you have destroyed the foundation of the Christian faith. Read 1 Corinthians 15 where the first Christian theologian argues for the centrality of the doctrine of the resurrection. It might help to read it in a clear translation like the NLT where you can see the brilliance of St. Paul’s argument with more clarity.

If you have any questions (or comments), feel free to comment here.

Painting Theo-logy

I am so excited about our new Children’s ministry space. We’re making great progress and it is awesome! It’s fascinating to watch each room progress. I have to admit, at first, some of the artwork was confusing and messy, but each time I go back, I see the progress and I am more and more amazed.

Saturday, I was admiring the work of one of our artists airbrushing when he looked up at me and said, “you wanna give it shot?” I said, “uh, well, I’m a pastor not a painter, and I want this children’s space to look nice, so I’ll just pass, but thanks a lot.”

This particular artist’s name is Theo (which just so happens to come from the Greek word “theos,” which is the word for “God” which makes him the first Theo) and just like God, Theo knew I had abilities in me that he knew he could draw out. So, he said, “ah come on, try it, you can do it, I’ll show you how; come here.” So, emboldened by his belief in me, I thought, “I’ll give it a shot, if I mess it up, Theo can probably fix it anyway.”

Next thing I knew, he had taught me how to hold the airbrush just right and artfully depress the trigger, releasing a mixture of air and paint while deftly swinging my hand in a precise arc that combined proximity and speed for maximum results. I was amazed. He just grinned knowingly. When you enter what’s called the Giant room (for two year olds), and marvel at the huge blades of grass, just remember, I contributed to the art work (albeit an extremely small part) of that very cool room.

It’s all because of Theo.

The study of God, his nature and character, his attributes and how he works in our world, is called Theo-logy. But God doesn’t express himself and his nature just to himself; he loves to create and then to interact with his creation, especially the crown of his creation: human beings. He is always working in us, creating and shaping and personally handcrafting in us his divine art. Like a working artist, things may look messy at first, and you may not even recognize what he’s crafting, but when it’s all done, it’s a masterpiece. The New Living translation of Eph. 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” God is a master artist, utilizing his perfect wisdom and skill to bring about his purposes in our lives. He is making us like Christ.

Next time you feel like you or a fellow Christian’s life is messy or far from Christlike, remember it’s a process and to withhold judgment until it’s all done and the masterpiece is complete: Christlikeness. And when we get to heaven and finally are like Christ, we can all smile and say to each other:

It’s all because of Theo.

Tree Riding

Disclaimer: I am currently on Vicadin ES, so the coherence of the following blog may or may not be clear. I broke a rib yesterday while tree riding and I’ve gotten so many questions about it, I thought it would be a good subject to jump back into my blog with. Tree riding is when you climb a (20-30 foot) tree to the top where the trunk/main stem becomes thin and then lean out away from the tree toward the ground, kicking your feet out and letting your weight bend the tree, delivering you to the ground in an exhilarating ride. I’ve also jumped off the branch of a bigger tree grabbing the top of a smaller one nearby; same ride, just different approach.

The trick is to find a strong, healthy, supple tree (Red Maples and Oaks are best) that won’t snap under your weight and getting your feet out soon enough so you land standing up. I failed on both accounts yesterday and paid the consequences. Unfortunately, it’s hard to conclusively determine whether the tree is healthy or not in the winter, because all of the leaves are gone. So that was my first problem. But secondly, I got my feet tangled up in the small branches and didn’t get them kicked out soon enough after I started the bend and about halfway into the bend (about 15 feet in the air), the tree snapped and I fell face/chest down, landing hard and breaking my 5^th rib on the left side. Ouch. I knew laying there on the ground, I had either cracked or broken a rib. I think Gideon, my chocolate lab, knew too. Not as agile as I once was.

Once I got back to the house, I did a little research on cracked and broken ribs and it seems that while there’s nothing they can do to treat rib injuries, its good to have an xray to make sure there are no further internal injuries. That meant I had to call my wife. But tree riding is one of those things I never got around to telling my wife that I did, and this turned out to be a less than optimal time to share. Later I tried to argue that there’s biblical precedence for tree riding, with less than favorable results.

The beginning of Luke 19 tells the delightful story of Zacchaeus, the vertically challenged man who was so eager to see Jesus, he climbed a tree so he could see over the crowd. When Jesus came to the tree where Zacchaeus had climbed, he told Zacchaeus to “come down immediately” (the NLT says come down quickly). That’s what tree riding is; it’s coming down quickly from a tree. See, it’s biblical. (Right, my wife wasn’t convinced either.) At least I didn’t try to use 2 Samuel 18:10: “I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!”