Travel to Israel: Are there Security Concerns?

I am going to Israel again. This will be my fourth trip to visit, walk and see the land of the Bible. These trips are always exciting, and I am inviting you to go with me this time. The date of the trip is May 5-18, 2018 (which gives enough time to plan and to save). For details about the trip (a brochure) you can click on the link, or visit my website www.KosherCopy.com.  

Elevator at Ben-Gurion Airport where we enter Israel

Each time I go to Israel, and every time I return home, people say to me, “I would like to go to Israel but I am scared of terrorists.” They often add, “Were you afraid when you were over there?”

Golan Heights looking at the Damascus Road

I reply to them, “Not at all,” because on my three journeys to the Promised Land I have neither been fearful nor have I felt any concern. On the contrary, I have felt a sense of joy and renewal as stories of the Bible come alive for me when I walk the land where the events recorded in scripture occurred. I feel sorry for those who avoid travel to Israel due to their own trepidation.

Bar Mitzvah

In preparation for each trip to Israel, I spend time in prayer. I make sure the time is right for me to go (as I do with many other events in my life). I seek out the things the Lord would want me to learn about Israel as I go, for if the trip is dedicated to the Almighty, I will be under His protection. I go with the knowledge that if God wants me to share testimony to His protection and love, I will return home safely.

Temple Mount and Jerusalem

I remark to people that there is a greater chance of being harmed here at home (at the mall, due to road rage or just by chance) than there is with a tour group in Israel. Terror attacks occur randomly both in the United States and around the world.  Assaults happen most often in unprotected areas because they are unexpected. The nation of Israel is on guard and well rehearsed in order to prevent actions of hatred.

Scary thing crawling out of the sea

I have been pleased with the great protection offered by Israel’s army, which has alleviated any threat or fear. The truth is, wherever I look in the tourist areas there is a military presence. The country of Israel enlists all young adults for a period of two years for women and almost three years for men. These recruits are trained and stationed in the areas where conflict could occur if not guarded. The security forces also include local police who keep an ear out for any potential problems.

Chelsea with new friends near Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem

As I approach my next trip to Israel during the month of May 2018, I plan in prayer and look forward to the presence of God who will protect the group. I look forward to the experiences God has planned for me while I am in the land. And I look forward to sharing those experiences upon my return to the United States. I hope you will sign up to go with me, and do the same.

A Few Mustard Seeds

What began as a few comments in a Bible study has now turned into a project. We were studying Luke 17 and verse six entered our study. The verse starts, “‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed...“ We began to talk about mustard seeds.

These seeds are small (Mt 17:20), but from them a tree grows which is large enough for birds to roost. (Mt 13:31-2). We wondered, “how small are these seeds?” A few of us who are gardeners then asked, “Will these seeds grow here?” None of us had ever tried to grow mustard before. We had never seen a mustard seed. And we just wondered.

So, I looked it up (step one of my project). There are several types of mustard seed. White Mustard (Sinapis alba) and mild white mustard (Sinapis hirta) grow around the Mediterranean Sea, oriental mustard (Brassica juncea) originally comes from the foothills of the mountains in India, and black mustard (Brassica nigra) which can grow up to eight feet tall. Several references told me the plant mentioned in the Bible is black mustard.

I dug deeper and found that black mustard seeds can be grown in North Carolina. Several nursery sites said these annuals do quite well in our climate. So I ordered a packet (step two of my project).

The seeds came last week. Indeed the seeds are small. One thousand seeds have been packed into a small plastic bag measuring one inch by one inch, with room to spare. There were no instructions with the packet, just the seeds, so I don’t know when to plant them. I will look that up (step four of the project).

But first I will distribute some seeds (step three of my project). A thousand is too many for me to plant, and it was the men’s Bible study which originally brought me to this project. I am giving several men packets as New Year's gifts. If we all plant them, I have faith someone in our group will succeed in growing them.

Black mustard is from the same genus of plants as cabbage, so they are planted in early Spring, about three weeks before frost. The Brassica juncea is also used in our area to produce mustard greens, so they can also be planted in the fall. For our usage of the plant we will let it go to seed, because it is the seed stalk which gives height and produces the seeds we desire.

It is said that black mustard seeds produce other seeds abundantly. They are used as the base for spicy mustard on our table. One recipe says to 1) grind the mustard seed; 2) add cold water and let stand for 10 minutes; 3) add vinegar (could be pickle juice) to seal in the flavor which starts as a reaction with cold water; 4) complete the mixture with a little salt, turmeric, paprika and garlic powder. Let the mustard sit in a refrigerator for at least a day to remove bitterness. The resulting condiment will keep forever.

I will sow my seeds indoors in mid-March (unless someone tells me differently, and I have enough seeds I can attempt to plant them several ways). I will move them outside once they are high enough, hardening them first, then planting them in my garden. I will plant them in faith they will produce.

I will also plant my seeds to teach me about faith in this new year. The year starts small, but within seven days it will turn into a week, and it will last for three hundred sixty five days (or 52 weeks). There are many things I hope to do in this new year. I will start several projects in faith this week, during the first few days of 2017, and pray they will be successful. I pray this year will produce abundantly for you (the reader) also.

Five Goals for the New Year

Pray More

God desires that we offer several types of prayer, including prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, confession, and supplication (prayers for others and ourselves). A balanced prayer plan for the new year should include each area (A.C.T.S.) of prayer.

1. Adoration: Read a Psalm a day and give praise to God from the prompts found in the Psalm.

2. Thanksgiving: Make a list of ten things you are thankful for each day. These can be for answered prayer, kind acts of people toward you, or kind acts from God (sunsets, “coincidences,” discoveries, and much more). Keep these in a small journal which will be reviewed the day before Thanksgiving.

3. Confession: Each day I need to check my behavior several times. A good way to do this is each time I get in the car I can ask if I have spoken unkindly, taken advantage of things I should have shared with other people, promoted myself more than I should have, or forgotten to praise the Lord for something in front of others.

4. Supplication: I need to make lists which I will check regularly. These include a prayer list of ongoing needs, relatives, leaders (including national leaders, those who guide me at work, or those who guide the people I care for), and friends (besides actual friends who you spend time with in person or talking to on the phone, you can pray through your friends on Facebook and other social media lists), and neighbors (those who live in your neighborhood and your community). Set a day when you will pray for each group and keep lists as necessary.

Read the Bible every day

Set one or two times and places where you will read your Bible.

1. The first could be in the morning before you get out of bed as you read a Psalm in order to prompt prayers of adoration and praise.
2. The second time of scripture reading will be determined by your daily schedule. You can also jot down a reading plan which will promote balanced Bible reading. Rather than Bible snippets or tweets I will read an entire chapter or section of the Bible daily.
3. You can read other passages as they are shared with you or as they come to mind every day.

Advance your work

Many people have jobs. A job can be paid or life callings (such as parenting) which are performed without pay. A new year offers a great time to review goals and accomplishments in each job. Make a list of jobs in which you are involved. Place on this list things which need to be accomplished in 2017. What were your accomplishments and failures in 2016? Place on your list how you will build on these or fix these in 2017. Set some timetables and check-up points through the year.

Exercise

The Bible says our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to take care of ourselves. I need to enforce several areas of personal care including eating correctly and a daily exercise plan. Sometimes this means doing things I hate (like calisthenics first thing in the morning, drinking more water).

Do Good for Others

Speak kind words daily and spread good deeds weekly. At least once a week during the new year, plan how you can share good beyond words in our world. This can include visiting the elderly (especially shut-ins or nursing homes), baking and taking cookies to neighbors, serving in your church, writing notes of encouragement (and sending by old fashioned postal mail), mentoring someone (perhaps younger than you), joining a co-worker to help them in a difficult project, raking leaves for a neighbor, paying it forward for a random person, or a multitude of other “good deeds.”

Life in a Twitter World

A New Year is rushing upon us. What will it bring? Sanity, civility, and satiety in our lives or confusion, conflict and scarcity?

Will the New Year rush upon us, or will we rush upon the year? Will we find time for things of meaning? In 2016 a few things stood out to me. There are fewer book stores and they do not stock as many books. People are reading less and surfing more. In the National Gingerbread Competition the homes were noticeably less detailed, which means people who normally spend time on their hobbies did not put as much into the thing they love.

We allow our minds to twitter between topics skimming the surface and digging deeply in nothing.  We flit from topic to topic, activity to activity and thing to thing. People act on flashes of fake news tweeting threats and ramifications. The tenor of our civilization today is to tweet out mean statements, anger, ultimatums and not niceness. Our twitting has produced an uptight and defensive society.

There are more twits in our society than ever. Stop! Think! What is a twit? Merriam-Webster says, “a silly annoying person : fool.” Urban Dictionary says, “The kind of person that makes a retarded chimp look smart.” The Free Dictionary says, “A foolishly annoying person. A reproach, gibe, or taunt. To taunt, ridicule, or tease, especially for embarrassing mistakes or faults.” Oxford Dictionaries say the word in 1930 described a talebearer.

 Some have chosen to counteract taunting tweets with Bible tweets. Here are the top Bible Tweets. Here are Twitter recommended Bible Tweets. And this site gives Chapterized Tweets, now available in paperback.

But is this what God wants? Beyond the tweet “With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth,” (Ps 119:13) an oft quoted passage goes on to say, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.” To meditate means: “think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence.” The Bible tells us to slow down.

The Bible tells us to take time to “delight” in God’s decrees (Psalm 119:16) and to “rejoice” in following the “statutes” contained in scripture “as one rejoices in great riches.” (Psalm 119:14) The Psalmist asks, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” The Bible says by taking time to memorize God’s word and by taking time to recount all the laws that God gives us.

The book of Psalms opens by saying, “Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season.”

Will the New Year bring a rush for us or will it allow time to meditate on God’s law. Will this meditation bring tweets or the actions which bring real good to others? Let us make the most of the New Year and bring glory to the Great Name of God.

Its Not Over Yet!!

Well, the title might be misleading; Christmas is over, but Chanukah is not. We are in the second of eight days of the Festival of Lights (or Feast of the Dedication). The Jewish writings say one must rejoice every day of the festival.

The Jews at one point argued over how to light the candles on the Menorah. Hillel thought we should begin with one candle on the first day, two on the second day, and so forth until there are eight candles lit (plus the servant candle) on the final day. Shammai said there should be eight (plus one) candles lit on the first day, and as the holiday wore on there should be one less candle each night. The Rabbis decided to support Hillel’s idea because the holiday should grow on us and not diminish.

Even so, this season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah or both, should grow in meaning and joy day by day into the New Year. And the spirit of the holiday should continue to grow day by day throughout 2017. (Unless there is a good reason, why should we worry or be sad next year?) So the point is to take one, two or three things which come out of the Christmas season (not material, but spiritual), and live them throughout the New Year. I have more about this in my book, Advent Journeys. There are devotions for all eight days of Chanukah.

I wrote in my last blog to “let your light shine.” Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Mt 5:14-16).

In 2017 we should be a witness to others. People are drawn to joy (which is why we all like Christmas) and light (as moths are drawn to light). While many might complain about the state of our world, the economy or the government, as Christians we must realize we have and we need to be something more. The only real way to change this world is from the inside out. And that means we must share what is inside: faith.

Jesus and Chanukah

The conversation comes up way too often. Someone says, “Merry Christmas.”

I reply, “Happy Chanukah.”

They say, “I thought you were a Christian. Christians don’t celebrate Chanukah.”

I reply, “Jesus did. When I celebrate Chanukah I think of Jesus.”

They reply, “Jesus did not. It was not even around then.” [Although I think they would rather say, “Why would Jesus do that, He wasn’t even Jewish.” But most know better or have enough doubt that they don’t want my answer on that one.]

The fact is, Jesus did celebrate Chanukah. It is recorded in John 10:22: “Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter.”

The Festival of Dedication was a time Jewish people stopped to thank God for restoring the Temple from the desecration of Antiochus Epiphanes, which is recorded in the New Testament also. “When you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel (9:27; 12:11) —let the reader understand…’” (Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14) The Abomination took place on the 25th day of Kislev (Jewish month), and Judas Maccabeus restored worship on Kislev 25 three years later. (The story is in our book Advent Journeys)

The problem which allowed the desecration of the Temple was not a mighty army entering Israel, but rather a people who blended with society. At first the people sought to dress and decorate their homes like Greeks (vases and colonnades, then the little figurines or idols). Then they blended more, with music and cultural habits. This extended to the family of the High Priest. The High Priest’s brother took a Greek name and then he took his brother’s office by deceit and bribery. The cultural shift opened the door for a tyrant to enter and take over.

Matthias (father of the Maccabees) was sickened by the cultural shift. He saw the things happening in Jerusalem and moved from the city to the country. Then, when he and his village were forced to bow down to an idol, he took his stand and refused to submit himself to the humiliation, to the soldiers or to the culture. A battle erupted, which the Jews won. Then worship was restored and the Jews were able to dedicate the Temple.

To remember the dedication, the Jewish people light a candelabrum called a menorah each night for eight nights (beginning tonight … Christmas Eve coincides with the first day of Chanukah this year). Jesus would encourage us, “let your light shine!”

Seventeen Months and Counting

I, and those who choose to go with me, will embark on a fourteen day trip to Israel in less than seventeen months, 500 days, May 5-18 2018 to be exact. I am looking forward to this trip, and to taking friends with me! (I hope you can go.)

Join us on a trip to Israel May 5-18, 2018

As with all good trips, this takes planning. Much planning has already gone into this endeavor, which was but a dream six months ago. At that time Sarah, Chelsea and I were in Israel. Sarah had just completed a dig at tel Gezer. Chelsea was beginning her program at Hebrew Union with David Illan to dig at Dan (we will visit both sites on our trip), and it was said, “Wouldn’t it be great to get a group of friends to come back to Israel in two years?”

Eating dinner in Jerusalem

We went out to dinner with Shlomo, who will probably be our Israeli tour guide, and discussed this trip. We talked about places we had just seen, and places we needed to see while in Israel.

Our tour leader standing on the Precipice near Nazareth

I then began talking to people and thinking about when this trip should occur. Finally, in November, I talked to John Delancey in order set the date for our trip and put the details in place. We looked at possibilities and talked about ideas. Then we looked at dates, availability of flights, hotels, sites, and meals. This month John e-mailed me the plan for our trip, and I am pleased to announce a May 6-19 trip to Israel. We will see a lot!

2018 Israel Tour sites and regions traveled

Our 2018 trip will begin in Tel Aviv where we will experience how the modern state of Israel was born.  We will proceed south through the regions where King David fought Goliath and where Samson lived to Beer-Sheva where Abraham stayed. We will proceed east to the Dead Sea, climb Masada and see where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found before we proceed north to the Sea of Galilee. We will visit areas where Jesus walked, and sites further north. After four nights on the Sea of Galilee we will travel south to Jerusalem, where we will spend the final four days of our tour.

City of Joppa with seaport

I’ll say it again (and keep repeating), my family and I would love for you to go with us (sign up, e-mail me, let me know you’re interested)!

Beautiful Bell Caves in Israel

Good trips take planning. This week in Advent Journeys, we read about the journey of the Magi from the East to Bethlehem. Their trip was planned in detail after seeing the star which appeared to announce the birth of the King of Israel. They gathered food, clothing, transportation, maps, star charts, and gifts suitable for a king.

Riding Camels in Israel

Our trip will take planning. In this blog I want to help those who are going on the trip to get more out of the experience. I will be writing about our upcoming travel plans over the next seventeen months. I will take twelve months to write about our stops (taking one month to write several blogs about each day in Israel) and also write about what a person needs to take with them and how to prepare for the trip. I will also produce a travel guide for each member who signs up so they can carry more detailed information on their tablets or kindle to Israel with them. I want us to be prepared for the best experience possible!

A boat ride on the Sea of Galilee

If you are going on the trip (or if you are not able to join us but would just like to follow along by internet) please 1) “follow” on the KosherCopy facebook page; 2) add me to your Google+ circle of friends; and 3) e-mail me so I can notify you when a new blog is produced.  I will also send you updates at the end of each day on our trip.