yerushalayim shel zahav

"Yerushalayim shel zahav
Veshel nechoshet veshel or
Halo lechol shirayich ani kinor."

Jerusalem of gold
And of bronze, and of light
Behold I am a violin for all your songs.

Nazareth , what to say ?

I went to Nazareth for Christmas Eve. There was a parade. "It was kitschy."-Barton.

Very.

In other, more interesting news, they found a house from the time of Jesus just a couple days before I went. Alas, I did not know this when I was there. Here's an article about it --> http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-nazareth26-2009dec26,0,1508650.story

It's nice to not be constantly surrounded by the fake, commercial Christmas-ism so prevalent in America. I like Jewish holidays better. Simplicity and honesty is where it's at.

home in israel

cooooool menorah/chanukia.

This Shabbat I'm thinking about...

Listening.

A couple days ago I heard a worship musician named Jason Upton say "We can actually be addicted to the words of man. when we dont hear them, it's like we cant even live".

he continues: "but God has a voice too, except he doesnt amplify it--He whispers: 'you are my beloved.'"

So often I listen to the wrong messages & voices. In the end, it leaves me feeling upset and discontent after they're gone, much like Jason's analogy of addiction. I wait for people to tell me what I want to hear, but the satisfaction never lasts long when I do hear it. Perhaps this is why it's so easy to forget God's voice; I'm focused on the counterfeit substance--the stuff that will never satisfy me. When I turn my heart back to Him (I have to turn back all the time, it seems), and then listen to His voice & words... I am completely satisfied by them. It goes much deeper than just hearing; it actually settles in my heart and I can feel it changing my character, however slowly. God's words are actually life-giving words.

In this way, I can identify with the words of a lonely, galilean fisherman: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life." -Simon Peter - ( john 6:68)

...



I found this to be an interesting article about listening to God's voice rather than other voices (from hebrew4christians.com), which got me thinking again about that Jason Upton quote I heard earlier this week.

Shavua Tov, y'all.

beauty in the negev

landscape and plants i liked in the desert--with the help of rebekka's camera.

Happy Chanuka--blessings from Israel

Chanuka began last night. It is a celebration of the victory and the miracle that took place in the 2 century BCE when the oil in the Temple burned 8 days, instead of only one (there was only enough oil for one).

In these days, I am thinking especially of the miracle of light to guide our way in life--that God gives us the ability to see by it and thus walk in its illumination. The idea of 8 is also interesting: 8 days, 8 candles. In 7 seven days the world was created, and I've heard that 8 refers to the infinite, that which goes beyond perfection and completion. Putting those ideas together, God grants us light forever, not just for the day-to-day living, but also for eternal. I am thankful that His Word is a "lamp unto our feet and light unto our path"(psalm 119:110) and also that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (john 1:14)... showing us the way to the Father, the Melech Ha-Olam.

Baruch Ata Adonai, Eloheinu, Melech Ha-Olam

(Blessed are You, Lord our God, Master of the Universe)

random thoughts

1. whenever i hear techno/dance beat (which is all the time because my israeli roommates like to listen to it), i am haunted by flashbacks of that night in the Kineret when we witnessed 4-5 teenage girls letting loose all over the parking lot and dancing to arabic-techno songs blasting from their car stereo. I just might be scarred for life.

2. last week i was walking around campus and i overheard two guys talking in hebrew about a funny youtube video and then suddenly break out in english: "hey there khalilah" and "the hummus rap". apparently, remy has become world famous! it made my day. this is a shout out to anyone who has studied arabic and/or likes middle eastern food.

useful word #3

I learned last night that חלק is a very useful word in trying to describe things.

The Negev and Ramon Crater

It was an amazing weekend we spent in the Negev, in the south of Israel... I wanted to write about it quickly before I forget some of the details and stories..

Our international school took us on a hike to the desert which we got back from last night--about a 3-4 hour bus ride from Haifa. The beauty of the place was harsh and astounding. Ramon crater is the largest crater in the world. It used to be a huge mountain but turned into a crater due to erosion... I didn't pay attention to how big it was, but it was big. We hiked in the middle of it the first day, a fairly easy, flat hike, and on the second day we did a more challenging hike.



This was the first look at the crater from the top... It looks like a view from a plane, but no. We were standing on a look-out ledge.


Walking walking. Barton and I joked about the pictures that we took. This is desert wasteland picture #42.

After the first hike, we went back to the bus, and the driver took us to the campsite. Daytime was moderate ~70 degrees, but night felt like we were living in a dry icebox. We slept under a huge tent as a big group (25-30 people) where the campground also provided us with some thin mattresses, which was nice. We cooked our own dinner that night, a huge feast! I helped make the pita--flour, water, oil, and a little salt. Then it had to be kneaded and put on the big circular metal plate over the fire in order to harden them. I think I've got the process down, if ever I want to make pita on my own.. So good.

The second day we hiked along a ridge overlooking both sides of the desert. It was quite steep in some places, and I felt like that nomad-caravan we saw on the way here... (from the bus we saw on a nearby ridge a caravan of 5 camels from Jordan who were on their 3rd day passing through the desert--the bus driver knew them). Apparently, it was forbidden for the Nebotean nomads who inhabited this region to ever drink wine... It was punishable by death. And I could see why. You needed all your senses and awarenesses to be able to navigate this wilderness and know every step, every rock. You also needed to protect from raiders, robbers, etc.


At afternoon, we came to this valley with huge rock walls on every side. When it floods, this place is completely full of water. Rachel and Bekah informed me that we were hiking on part of trail that runs from south-north of Israel and leads through all the amazing natural places including parts of the Golan and Mt. Tabor.

All in all, it was fun hanging out with everyone and the conversations along the way were the best part for me. We had time to talk about everything we normally wouldn't talk about... My roommate Amy is an environmental scientist and she was explaining things like Permaculture and climate change to me. After a few hours, the constant walking becomes meditative, and I found that the best way to clear my head. It was good to be outdoors and away from Haifa for awhile. This morning I woke up really thankful for this experience... truly special.

snippets from daily life

my fantastic norwegian friend kirsten and i! same hebrew class, so everyday before or after class, we go to a cafe and do homework or just hang out. this is the best cafe on campus--elite.

i just heard some sad news a few days ago. my favorite guard, an arab man named Guzli, was fired from his position and i no longer see him everyday. apparently, from what eliot told me, he was fired because he didn't check bags and IDs enough. but i would swear to you that that man knew almost everyone that walked through that booth. he ALWAYS greeted everyone; he chatted to you more than you wanted, because you were on your way to class or something. He was so friendly, and he would take time to talk with us in hebrew or arabic, explain things and write words on paper that we didn't know. He even gave me arabic homework a couple times and then gave me lessons.

I really wonder what happened; It might have been racism on the part of the school, or they could have been right that he didn't fulfill his duty in making sure of the people coming in and out....I think even though he didn't check every person's ID, it was because he already knew them by face. That's a bit hard to prove though...

The guards that replaced him hardly smile and definitely don't greet you in such a nice way that Guzli did...

This weekend I'm going on a hiking trip with the international school to the Negev desert and a natural crater there. Pictures to come..