Thought of the Day !!

The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.
Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)

God sees when no one else does. This means that when we lie or are deceitful in any way, even though we may think we get away with it, we don't. You can fool some of the people all the time. But you can never pull a fast one over on God. He knows what you do, what you say, and what's in your heart.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror! Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless?
James 2:19-20 (NLT)

What James is trying to tell us is that simply believing that God exists and that He created us is not enough. It's not the kind of belief that Jesus speaks of in John 3:16 when he says that "all who believe shall never perish, but have eternal life". This kind of saving belief (or faith) has good deeds attached.

He is not telling us our good deeds will save us, but that true faith (or belief) in Jesus is life changing. When we accept, we not only accept Jesus as our Savior (the one who saves us), but as our Lord (the one whom we invite to run our lives). And when Jesus is in control, good deeds will naturally follow.

So it's not that good deeds save us, but that they point to a person who is living out his/her salvation. As Jesus said, "We will be known by our fruit."

So what kind of fruit have you produced lately? Are there signs that you are a Christian? Do good deeds pour forth from you? Or do you claim to have faith while having no deeds to show the authenticity of it?

May we all have a fruit-producing day today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12:9-13 (NIV)

Pay very close attention to these words of advice, for these are the actions of a true Christian. Are you doing these things?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

God's way seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven to prove it is true. And it is foolish to the Greeks because they believe only what agrees with their own wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God. This "foolish" plan of God is far wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is far stronger than the greatest of human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:22-25

To an unbeliever in Paul's day, the message of God coming to earth in the form of a man to suffer and die for the sins of the world must have sounded foolish. I suppose nothing has changed though. Many today have a hard time believing in a loving God when there's so many bad things going on in our world. Many have a hard time grasping how a person can be 100 percent human and at the same time 100 percent God. Others can't understand how any being has simply always existed without having a beginning. And so the message of the cross is foolish to them who are perishing, for they simply cannot believe.

The problem is that much too often we try to package things up into something we can understand so that we can believe. But faith is not logically thinking things through until they make sense. Faith is believing even when we don't understand or comprehend.

We'll never completely understand the totality of God's wisdom. And that's alright. We don't have to. We simply have to have faith.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.
James 4:13-16 (NIV)

We want to control things don't we? I think it's in our nature. I'd love to be able to control the weather today. I want the sun to come out and stay out so that the ground will dry by Saturday for our Fall Festival. Yet, in this world there is very little we have control over.

It is God who is in control. Now this doesn't mean that He moves us around like pieces on a chess board. He gives us the ability to choose our own actions; what we will say, do, accept, etc. But He is in control of what happens in this world. Only He can decide if it will rain or not Saturday. Only He can miraculously cure someone's body. Only He can stop time. Only He can add another star to the night sky. Only Him. This is because He created all these things.

The two most important prayers in the bible to me come from our Lord Jesus. One is when he teaches us to pray the Lord's prayer and the other is when he is at Gethsemene. In both he prays that God's will be done. And isn't it of comfort to know that the one who created and controls everything knows how all things should work out? We may want this or that, but God knows so much more than our limited minds can handle. He knows how the things that we ask for will affect us. He knows the outcomes of all things and we can only know the here and now.

He also answers "No" to us at times because we need to go through the fire and be refined like silver is. Sometimes the impurities of our lives must be burned out to make us better. Sometimes we have to go through hell to see heaven on earth. And only God knows when those times are.

So let us submit to God's will in our lives through our actions and through our prayers. Let us all pray today that God's will be done. And if that is the same as what we want, then great. If not, then let's learn to accept that God knows better and He is still listening and still in control.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
Romans 12:11 (NLT)

We do various types of work during any given week. Some we get paid money for. Others we find fulfillment purely in the act of doing them. Some are called honey-do's, while others may come from a to-do list that we've made ourselves. Some tasks require a lot of manual labor, while others make us think. But no matter what kind of work we do...no matter how unimportant or important it may seem...lets do it as if we're doing it for the Lord and His approval. Instead of going into it with a bad attitude and complaining about, we should be enthusiastic, giving every job our best effort. This will bring about a sense of joy for us as well as being a witness for others.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth."
Genesis 9:14-16 (NLT)

Whenever we look at a rainbow we can be reminded of God's promise of "Never Again". "Never again will the flood waters destroy all life." We can also be reminded of God's love. The world had become absolutely wicked and filled with violence. And God punished humanity by sending the flood. But it was God's love for humanity as a whole that saved it through Noah and his family.

I believe we can be reminded of God's mercy as well. This covenant that God gives to us has no "if-then" clauses. The promise to never again destroy the world is not dependent on anything we do or don't do. God simply says that He will never again send the flood waters. I also believe that this doesn't just mean that He won't destroy the earth by water next time, but that He won't destroy the world. In chapter 8 God says:

And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, "I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. - Genesis 8:21

I believe that the rainbow can remind us that there is hope for a future as well. Even though God punished humanity, He said never again. And with that comes hope for our future here on earth, as well as when we leave this place.

And finally, I am reminded of how God grieves over those of us who are lost. The flood waters destroyed the earth because of God's wrath...His anger. But I think that there's much more to it than that. I've heard it said to children that when it rains it's God crying. Obviously, this isn't true. But think if it were. Think about how many tears it would've taken to flood the earth. I believe that God grieved heavily for every single person and animal that He'd created and had become wicked or had to be destroyed. And then I'm reminded that every time I sin, I grieve my Father in Heaven as well.

The next time you see a rainbow, stop and think about what it can remind you about the promises of God.

In the love of Christ,
greg

6 Year Anniversary

Take a moment to pray for all those affected by the war in Iraq. It began 6 years ago today.

Thought of the Day !!

Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and wasting time meddling in other people's business.
2 Thessalonians 3:11 (NLT)

It's much easier to complain about what's wrong, be it at work, church, home, or wherever, than it is to help fix it. Let us be a part of the solution to poor work situations, dead churches or poor home lives...not a part of the cause. Lets not complain about situations. Lets use the love that Christ teaches to try and work them out.

How many times already this week have you complained? How much time will you now devote to finding ways to better situations you can have a little control over or getting away from those you can do nothing about?


In the love of Christ,
greg

War in Iraq

Pray for those who fought or lost loved ones in the Iraqi War. Tomorrow marks the 6 year anniversary of the beginning. Thanks to Gavin for the reminder.

Thought of the Day !!

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Colossians 3:15-16 (TNIV)

Attitude. What will yours be today?

We can have an attitude filled with negativity where we complain about things in our lives. And we don't normally have to go far to find something to complain about. But what kind of day will that make? Have you ever seen someone who was complaining about their spouse or their church or another person or their job, etc. smiling?

On the other hand, if we look just past those things we can complain about, we can find something to be thankful for. Even those of us with great difficulties in life can be thankful for something. When we look to God and give Him thanks and live the out our day in this thankful spirit, we find that we have more smiles than when we complain. And it's much more fun to smile than to cringe.

What is it you can be thankful for today? Give thanks to God today for your many blessings and remember these blessings whenever you're about to complain about something today.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
Matthew 3:13-15

I used to wonder why in the world would Jesus be baptized. I mean wasn't he the only sinless person to live? And wasn't John's baptism a "baptism of repentance"?

Matthew is the only gospel who gives us an answer to this question, and it comes from Jesus' own mouth. He tells us that "it is proper...to do this to fulfill all righteousness". In other words, this is something that both of them must do to perform the revealed will of God. And so this is a self-sacrificial point in the life of Jesus where he does God's will. He doesn't just recommend that we do it. He doesn't say, "Do as I say", but instead he tells us to "Do as I say and as I do".

Jesus' most important consideration in life was doing the will of the Father. We can see this throughout his ministry. This is the reason that God shares God's appreciation with His Son as He proclaims "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

May we be reminded that just as Jesus strived for righteousness, or being in a right relationship with the Father and doing His will, we should as well. Jesus may be the only person who ever perfectly succeeded in this. But God is not expecting us to live up to what His Son did. He does expect us to try though. And don't worry. When we fail. We can start right back over again because of God's forgiveness.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

[God says,] "Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry."
Amos 5:23 (NLT)

God isn't telling us not to sing. Actually, we find in the New Testament that we should sings songs of praise. What God does not want is to hear us singing to Him while living lives that are unjust. We are called to get our lives right with God and allow our praise to be genuine for the one who has made us righteous. When we're living a life of justice and peace for others, our hymns of praise will be sweet music to God's ears...even when we sing off key.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Don't long for "the good old days," for you don't know whether they were any better than today.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 (NLT)

We can long for a past when things seemed much simpler...much easier...much better. We can also live our lives in the past trying to relive what happened, only to be disappointed by the fact that we can never truly go back.

We can try to hold on to the past so that we are unchangeable in the future. Or we can treasure the memories of the past, while preparing for the future by making today worth living as well.

Life is ever changing, and when we fail to realize this, we get left behind in despair. Allow God to share His future with you and then go and share that future with others. In doing this we won't complain about today and wish things were like they were way back then. Instead, we will make a future worth living as well.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Philip went off to look for Nathanael and told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." "Nazareth!" exclaimed Nathanael. "Can anything good come from there?
John 1:45-46 (NLT)

Be careful in pre-judging others. That's exactly what Nathanael did. He judged Jesus based on where he was from. "Can anything good come from (Nazareth)?" Maybe there were many people who came out of this area that were...let us just say..."less than perfect". But that doesn't mean that any of them should be judged based on the character of others from the same area.

If we're not careful we can do the very same thing that Nathanael did. We might even say or think something like, "Can any person of that race / religion / part of the country / etc. be of any count?" The truth of the matter is that we really don't know. So get to know someone before you judge them based on their color or age or social status or whatever. You just might find out that something good comes from places like Nazareth.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Come, be my disciple."
John 1:43 (NLT)

Before any of Jesus' disciples became disciples, they were called. And just as Jesus chose the original twelve, he chooses us today to follow as well.

Jesus called Philip to be a disciple. In becoming a disciple, Philip would witness the miraculous powers of Christ and later go and be a witness for Christ. Jesus wants to do the same with us. He wants us to witness his power and his love. But then he wants us to go and share these by being witnesses to others.

How is he calling you to be a disciple today? Are you to witness by working with the impoverished? Are you to witness by your visits to check on the sick or the elderly or even the imprisoned? Is it to be through preaching or teaching God's Word to others? Is it to be through a simple testimony or the help given to a friend in need?

Remember, God calls us all to a primary relationship with Him through His Son. But that's only the beginning. As Paul puts it in his letter to the Ephesians, we've been created in Christ Jesus to do the good works that God has already planned for us. This means that we've been called to serve as disciples of Christ.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.
Matthew 7:24;26 (NLT)

This comes at the end of Jesus' teachings that we now call the Sermon on the Mount. He speaks of people being wise when they build their houses on something solid that is reliable and not going anywhere. This would only make sense to people then...and now. You don't build a house until you have a firm foundation.

But often times people build the houses of their lives on something much less solid than the Rock of Christ. Houses can be built upon the sandy soil of a person's income or personality or reputation or anything else that helps them get by in this world. The problem is that when the winds blow and the floods come these houses can crumble because of nothing stable underneath.

Matthew uses the word "moros", which we translate as foolish here. Can anyone guess what we get from this word? Moron. How about this? Jesus is teaching the people the moral law, or the moral (right) way to live. If they hear what he has to say and simply ignores him, they are foolish. Or it could be said that this would be a moronic thing to do.

As Christians, we hear the word of God through sermons, bible studies, prayer and especially Scripture. The moronic thing for us would be to listen and proclaim that these are wonderful teachings, but just unrealistic for us in today's world. That's done more than we want to admit. It's done every time we say we cannot forgive or cannot turn the other cheek or cannot love our enemy. For with God all things are possible. And with Christ as the foundation of our lives, we can do whatever He asks of us...and our lives will be filled...and we will be wise.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Thought of the Day !!

[God says,] "I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free."
Isaiah 44:22 (NLT)

Through His loving grace God has swept away our past failures. All we have to do now is return to Him. Let us return those areas of our lives to Him that seem to keep failing us. And then let us give thanks that God is not like most people, who hold past sins against each other.

In the love of Christ,
greg

The Hard Way (Thought of the Day !!)

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law.
Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT)

I was listening to an older song by DC Talk this morning coming in to the office. It's called "The Hardway" and goes like this:

Some people gotta learn the hardway
I guess I'm the kinda guy that has
to find out for myself
I had to learn the hardway, father
I'm on my knees and I'm crying for help
now I've been high and I've been low
I've been some places that you will not go
I never thought there would come the day
when I wished I never would've lived this way
but I've been searching for a long time
I thought the devil was a friend of mine
I turned my back on everything that was true
and wasted years that belonged to you
some people gotta learn the hardway
I guess I'm the kinda guy that has
to find out for myself
I had to learn the hardway, father

The Psalmist says that joy comes to those who don't follow the "advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers". If the opposite is true, then pain comes to those who live life revelling in the world's misguided attempts of pleasure that never bring ultimate joy.

Just as in the song, I had to learn the hard way. God allowed me to make my life miserable with partying and trying to make as much money as I could by whatever means I could. When I finally realized just how miserable an existence I was living, my God said to me, "It's time to quit living for you, and time to start living for me." Ever since then there have been ups and downs. But there has been more and more joy in my life that no amount of worldly pleasure could bring.

Some people gotta learn the hard way. How about you?

In the love of Christ,
greg

Final Day in Jerusalem

Final day in Jerusalem:

Today is the day I finish my "Thoughts from a Holy Land Experience". It was the last day to eat from the buffet of fresh fruits, vegetables and breads. It was the last day to ride in the bus and laugh with some new-found friends, some old acquaintances, our bishop and her mom and a whole host of people with tons of pictures and souvenirs. It was the last day to hear the words, "One dolla, One dolla, Just One dolla". It was bittersweet. I was tired and actually needed the rest from being at home. But I was no where near ready to be finished with this Mountaintop Experience. Whether or not I was ready, though, the last day had arrived.

The Old City was our destination, the Temple Mount to begin with. We entered the Temple through the Dung Gate and saw where people would have come to have their ritual cleansings in baths called Mikvah baths. Then we walked the main road of the Temple. This is the road that all would walk at one time or another. Jesus surely would've walked across these stones at some point. From the road we were told to look up at the southwest corner of the Temple. It was the highest point and would be where Jesus was tempted by Satan to throw himself off from.

Then came a place that there is no doubt Jesus taught. It was the teaching steps where rabbis would come and teach whoever would listen. It was tradition that the rabbi could speak on these steps without being interrupted. The bible tells us that while there during that last week Jesus taught the people. This would have occurred right here on these steps. I could imagine Jesus teaching those things as I sat there listening.

It is on these steps that Jesus effectively closes out his public ministry. He speaks out against the scribes and Pharisees. They would no doubt have representatives there. But they may have heard themselves, for their offices were directly above these steps. Jesus may have been hardest on the Pharisees because he had the most in common with them. They saw people as supposing to live holy lives, kind of like our belief of the priesthood of all believers. He may have been most pained by them because he had the most hope for them. They just didn't practice what they preached.

We left the steps and went to one of the most famous modern day points of the Temple. We know it as the "Wailing Wall". But I found out that Jews see this as derogatory and ask that it be called the Western Wall. This is the section of the wall that was closest to the Temple itself. It was not as long as I imagined, but just as special a place to be. The men had to cover their heads again, and then we were separated from the women. They had a smaller section to the right where they could go. But before going to this special place, we had to go through metal detectors and even have our bags searched.

As I went to the wall itself, I prayed for peace. I prayed for my family. I prayed for my church. I prayed for God's will. I felt like this was a place that deserved respect and where my prayers were heard. There is an old saying that a prayer from the Holy Land is worth as much as 10,000 from anywhere else.

I was approached by a Jew while there and was told that he prayed for me and my family. I thought it a wonderful gesture, until I saw his hand stretched out asking for a donation for the "rabbi". Well, I wasn't going to let that bother me. I gave him a buck and asked to have my picture taken with him by the wall. :)

The Pool of Bethseda was next. This is where Jesus healed a man who had been crippled most all of his life and was not able to get into the pool. The belief was that at certain times the pool would stir and the first person in would be healed.

This was the northern wall in Jesus' time. A Roman Garrison was built onto the wall near here. They would build temples to worship their own gods. Esclepius was the god of healing, and the priest would throw a snake in the water and the first person in would be healed, according to the Roman beliefs. So the question was why were Jewish people, who believed in only one God, there hoping to be healed by this Roman god. Maybe because they were desperate, and desperate people sometimes do desperate things. And it's desperate people that Jesus seems to seek out.

After leaving the Pool of Bethseda we went on the Via Dolorosa. I learned that this is a walk of faith, not of history. I always believed that these were the footsteps of Jesus to the cross. But in actuality, they are simply a possible route. In the end we end up at Calvary, and that is what's important. At Calvary we enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and where Jesus died. It was a dark place. I guess that's appropriate. The thing I remember most about this place was the desire not to speak. It was as if it hurt to do so.

The traditional location of the tomb of Jesus is in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. A second possible site is just a short walk away. I guess it doesn't really matter which location (if either) is the real one. The most important thing is that the tomb was emptied.

On to our hotel for the last time and a 13 hour plane trip to Atlanta. What a trip! Michelle and I have already said that we're going back as soon as we can afford it. I encourage all who hear this to go as well. It is truly a pilgrimage that every Christian should experience.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Day 3 in Jerusalem

After reading last Friday's thoughts I noticed a glaring omission. Somehow or another I left out another one of those Holy Spirit moments from Day 2 in Jerusalem. This took place at the end of the day in the Church of the Nativity. I cannot believe I spoke about being in Bethlehem and forgot to talk about the church that sits atop the place tradition says is where Jesus was born. The Church of the Nativity is the oldest church in the world. It is also where Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, which we call the Vulgate. He came here as a young man and lived out the rest of his life at this location.

But the church itself is known mostly for being where tradition says that Jesus was born. It was in a cave that he would've been born. And as we traveled down to the spot, it felt to me like the presence of the Holy Spirit was filling each and every crevice. You can actually place your hands on the rock where they say he was born. Michelle and I both knelt there and had our picture taken. Whether or not this is the actual rock on which Jesus was placed after being born, it signified for me a place where I could touch and feel the presence of God. It was a feeling that was simply out of this world and unexplainable.

So that brings us to day 3. Our travels would take us to Bethany, Bethpage, the Mount of Olives and into the Old City. This very long and eventful day began with us traveling to Bethany. Bethany means "house of poor" or "house of sorrows". This is the city where Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha lived. This is where Jesus would spend the night during that last Passover before his death. This is also the last place that a leper could go to see the Holy City, for lepers were not allowed in Jerusalem. This was a poorer village and right on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Today, it's part of the West Bank.

After Bethany, we went just down the road to Bethphage. Bethphage means "house of unripened figs". This is where Palm Sunday begins. Bethphage is known for the place where Jesus sends his disciples to get a donkey, and from there he travels into the city with the people waving palm branches and placing their cloaks on the ground. He is welcomed as a king. But after his teaching is hard to digest, many will fall away. I wonder how many of us fall a little ways away when we struggle with Jesus' teaching in our own lives?

The rabbis said that if the people were ready for the Messiah, that he would come from the clouds. But if they were not, he'd come into the city on a donkey. This shows that they were not yet ready. But we believe that the next time the Messiah comes, he will come from the clouds. I wonder if we'll ever really be ready though?

On to the Mount of Olives. We entered a church that remembered the Lord's Prayer. It was written in mosaics throughout in many different languages. The church itself didn't do much for me, but from time to time we would have a guide or Palestinian friend who would pray the Lord's Prayer for us in Arabic. As they prayed for us, it just seemed like a true blessing from God. I had never heard these words uttered in any language other than my own, and it was a blessing and a gift from our friends over there.

It had gotten to be lunch time, and we each chose a spot to eat down this small alleyway in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Six of us found a little coffee shop that we were told served quiche. It happened that they didn't, and of all things, we ate pizza. It was also there that I had one of the best cappuccinos ever. The experience of this local place was great. I spoke with the young lady who worked there. She was a very sweet Jew who lived not far away. She asked if we were afraid to be there. And I told her that we were truly at ease. She was thankful of that and glad to see people coming in, even in a time of violence south of there.

After lunch we traveled to the Upper Room. It was just a room. If this is truly the Upper Room of the Bible, I can imagine Jesus reclining with his disciples. From there we went to where many believe King David is buried. The men had to put on paper yammakas, and the men and women were separated. This is a place of prayer and worship for individual Jews. It's considered a very holy place.

Then the bus took us to a spot where we could see a panoramic view of the Kidron Valley. This was definitely a big photo opportunity. From there we went to St. Peter at Gallicantu Church (Spelling??). This is the church that remembers Peter's denial of his Lord. There is some evidence that this was Ciaphus' house, and that in the courtyard, Peter denied Jesus three times by a charcoal fire. Being there was a reminder to me that I've denied Jesus as well in many ways in my life. I wondered how many of us could have been strong in Peter's position that night. It was a time of reflection for me on my own need for forgiveness. I thank God for forgiving a denier such as me.

Deep in the bowels of this place is a prison that can be described more as a pit or small dungeon. After Jesus' mock trial and before being brought to Pilate, it's believed that Jesus was placed here. On the outside of the church we saw a depiction of a man with a rope around him, which made more since after seeing this place. They would tie a rope around the prisoner and lower him into this dark pit, and the only way to come out was the same way. Could Jesus have spent part of that night in this pit? Now there are stairs going down. It was kind of creepy thinking about how he could've been there bleeding and weak and shivering in this cold damp dungeon.

The Garden of Gethsemane was next. The Church of all Nations is built on this spot. It was Jesus' custom to come here and pray. This is how Judas knew he'd be there. Gethsemane means the place of the Olive Press and this is symbolic because Jesus' soul and even his physical state was pressed here. When he prayed on that last night before being arrested the Bible tells us that drops of sweat fell just like drops of blood. Before Judas showed up, he could have easily made his way back to the safety of Galilee, but Jesus chose to do the will of the Father. As I sat there at the possible site where Jesus prayed, I wondered what I would have said. Could I have had the strength to say the words of Jesus, "not my will but yours be done"? It was here that I asked God to give me the strength to do His will instead of mine. And it was here that the Spirit swept over me. What a holy place to be.

In the love of Christ,
greg

Pictures from the Holy Land

Could Jesus have prayed "Your will not mine" on this very spot?
From left to Right - Me, Michelle, Jackie McGough, Oscar McGough - behind us is the Kidron Valley
What a beautiful ceiling
Sarah, who served us lunch, was such a pleasant person.
Boy they love their animals in Israel!