The Dead Sea. Nothing lives in it. No fish. No scavengers. No plant life. And I wondered why. Was it always like this? To find the answer, I turned the pages of history back to the time of Abraham and his nephew, Lot, found in the book of Genesis. You may remember that at one…
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip (John 1:46). Nazareth was Jesus’ boyhood home. When you visit the town today, there is a place called “Nazareth Village” that captures the way life would have been when Jesus was a child. You see a goat herder, a Joseph-like carpenter…
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Shalom! It is the universal greeting in Israel, and most believe it means “peace.” That is partially right;…
I felt guilty. Here I was, frolicking around on a camel at a holy site, the Mount of Olives, and I was giddy. The Mount of Olives seemed to be Jesus’ special place. Luke tells us that each day he was in Jerusalem he taught at the temple, and each evening he spent the night…
The weather was not perfect for a boat ride. We were scheduled to go out on the Sea of Galilee in a smaller vessel, similar to the fishing boat Peter would have owned, but a brewing storm prevented it. Later that day, with the waves still choppy, and with spotty rain, we did go out…