Flourishing Life

“To journey without being changed is to be a nomad. To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim.” – Mark Nepo I blogged about the actual experience and the activities in which I participated on my…

Chris, Edith, Bob & Bernd on Mr. Arbel This morning I ate one of the best breakfasts I've ever eaten. The Shavit family knows how to cook and how to present a meal. I needed all the nutrition I could get for the hiking we did today. The four of…

The Horns of Hattin A nice kosher breakfast awaited us in the morning. Shortly afterward, our little group was off. Even before you leave the grounds of the kibbutz, the Horns of Hattin are visible as a pair of peaks that are opposite ends of a long dormant volcano. This…

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8 (ESV) This verse was in my morning Scripture reading today before we set off on the trail from Marwa's Inn. God is good and he's shown his goodness to us…

I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and finalized packing. Breakfast was ready at 7:00 a.m. so I enjoyed a nice Arab breakfast of eggs with various spices and veggies added, cereal, cheese, and a pizza-like pastry. At 8:05 we were out the door and heading up the 400 or so…

Joseph the Builder I slept in the latest I’ve slept on this trip, 7:00 a.m. I woke up earlier, didn’t get up and fell back to sleep. It was nice. A group of students from a Mennonite college left the inn this morning to hike part of the Jesus Trail.…

Bob Walking the Ramparts The Rev. Dr. Bob Kaylor and I spent a leisurely morning at the hotel before walking to the Old City where we exchanged dollars for shekels and walked the ramparts surrounding the Old City. This offered a unique view of life there as we could view…

Today was the last day of our group Holy Land Pilgrimage. It has been an amazing journey and I have truly enjoyed sharing it with a wonderful group of people! It's been a blast getting to know the folks from Tri-Lakes UMC in Monument, Colorado, and others from California and…

Early this morning we made our way down out of Jerusalem into the Judean wilderness and headed toward Masada, Herod’s fortress that was used as a last refuge of militant Jews during the Jewish Revolt which began in A.D. 66. As we were driving along the Dead Sea, Hannah pointed…