Shepherds of Greatness

This week in the devotional Advent Journeys we move to the fields outside Bethlehem. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live as a shepherd? There is more to the life than just following sheep. Take a look at the devotions this week, you can explore for free if you are an Amazon Prime member. I think you will enjoy the adventures of the Shepherds.

The Bible has a lot to say about shepherds. The first shepherd in the Bible (and we can assume the man who domesticated sheep) was Abel. His work, his heart of faith, and his offering pleased God. God’s love for Abel was seen by all (but there were not many people in the world at that time), and was displeasing to Abel’s brother Cain.

The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jacob’s sons were all shepherds. They developed large flocks, enjoyed great prosperity and developed quite a reputation as businessmen. Some of their neighbors were not too keen on their success. The Philistines stopped up their wells and attempted to get them to move, but God protected the Hebrew people.

Moses took up shepherding at the age of forty after a tragedy made a move necessary to sof ha’olam smola (סוף העולם שמאלה). Moses possibly learned the basics of shepherding through leadership training in Egypt in the school of Pharaoh. On the back side of the desert Moses met his wife, saw a burning bush and received his call to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. (Who ever said Shepherding is boring?)

In an opposite way a shepherd boy named David received training to become King of all Israel through his leadership of sheep. (I wonder if there is a similarity between dumb sheep and a nation full of people). David learned bravery through protecting his sheep. He learned to sing and compose music either through necessity because of the vastness and emptiness of the Judean wilderness or through the constant bleating of the sheep. The solitude of the desert also taught David to worship God.

Shepherds are a unique group of people who carry a huge responsibility. This week we will join the shepherds as they live out their responsibilities and carry out their duties. Please, join the reading!

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Book Ideas

   I talk to many people who ask, "where do you get your ideas for books?"
   The answer is fairly simple, from two sources: ideas come out of my heritage and also out of my curiosity.  There could be some other areas from which I have drawn ideas, but those are the starting point thus far for my books (which I have written including Advent Journeys, Spring; Connecting with God, and A Christian Passover in the Jewish Tradition.
     My most recent book began with a family tradition: Advent.  When my children were young, in order to teach them the faith (in a rather Jewish way) I came up with weekly themes, daily scripture readings and connected activities (soon to be listed at our website) which would be fun and hold interest from day to day.  Such as on Shepherds week we read Luke 2 and send Christmas cards announcing the birth of Jesus ... just as the angels announced Christ's birth long ago.
   My family followed this tradition (changing as my daughters grew older) for more than twenty-five years.  I put this tradition in writing as pamphlets for others, but when I decided to put it in book form, it did not seem to be interesting enough.   So I asked myself, what would make it interesting enough: And Advent Journeys was born.
   With this idea I could have written the standard Biblical exegesis book and described the Bible passages in my own words, related how the birth of Jesus tied into Old Testament prophecy, or told about theology or tradition ... but my curiosity led me another way.  I thought "I wonder what the trip was like from Nazareth to Bethlehem."  Simple question, or so I thought!
   There are three or four roads from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  People most often describe the road from Nazareth trough Jezreel Valley down the Jordan River and up the wadi of the Good Samaritan to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  Many travelers took that road, especially Pharisees who wanted to avoid contact with the Samaritans.  But this road is longer and more difficult than the other two.
   An easier route is south through Megeddo Pass to the via maris then up the Beit Horon pass to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  This route is much easier than the road through the Jordan Valley, also avoids contact with the Samaritans, and is almost never in consideration as the road Joseph and Mary traveled.  This road is also longer than the third option:
   I feel Joseph and Mary traveled almost due south, between the two other routes on the shortest route possible.  I found this route on the internet listed today as Israel route 60, in one place listed as the Joseph and Mary Highway.  I feel this route is most likely because as an adult Jesus still traveled this road on the way home (as evidenced in John 4).  So I followed this highway.
   The first problem of the route today is that it journeys through the West Bank, an area which is described as risky.  The second problem is some parts of route 60 are worse than risky and have been bulldozed in order to contain violent areas.  In spite of difficulties my curiosity told me to travel the route and see what the road was like.
   Fortunately I was able to travel the route without getting shot at or putting my life in danger through the internet. Google Maps, Facebook pages, Wikipedia information and other sources were consulted, along with books and 19th century journals (when the land was safer) to learn about the route.  And it was interesting.  Thus came into being week 2 of my latest book Advent Journeys.

New Book Release

   Advent Journeys, our new book is out!
   This book will take you places you have never been before!
   Through this book you will join Zechariah (husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist) as he serves in the Temple; you will join Joseph and Mary as they travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem; you will spend seven nights with the Shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem; and you will travel with the Magi from their observatory to Bethlehem.  And there is more: for interfaith families (and others who are interested) we share the journal of a Maccabee.
   Are you interested?  Take a look at the listing on CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/5669825
    Also on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Advent-Journeys-David-Levine-Simon/dp/1516841735/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445982747&sr=1-1
   The book will be coming soon on Kindle.
   This is a great idea for a Christmas gift ... or even better, a Thanksgiving gift so people can join the Journey each day of Advent.