The Garden Tomb and "dianu"

Our trip to the Garden Tomb was really cool. We started our time there with a great message by Dr. Koshy (a spiritual mentor and friend of Joel's). We had communion there also.

To take Communion on the same grounds that Jesus rose from the dead................I mean............come on..........really...............................could it really get any better than that? Obviously it was a highlight of the trip.

We learned a Hebrew word ...."dianu" (pronounced "dee-a-new")... which I kept coming back to me over and over again during our trip........it means............."this alone should be enough".

The day in the tomb.......dianu for sure!

Here are some pic's. One is inside the tomb itself.

Broken arm......catching up....Jerusalem

Hello all,

Finally.....a moment to catch up on the trip, though the way the time presented itself is not good. Our 5 year old daughter, Ellie, broke her arm yesterday and we are sitting here in the hospital in Charlotte while she recovers from surgery this am (3 pins in the elbow and a cast for 4 weeks!). Please pray for her recovery and healing. She has done great amidst alot of pain.........better than Daddy did in having to see her go through it!! There is a clear spiritual message in the process of watching a child experience pain......but that is for another time.

So.....while she is sleeping.......and we are waiting.................lets catch up.

Next up was Jerusalem. Dan had told me all along that what we experienced in Tel Aviv and the Galilee were completely different than Jerusalem and he was right. Jerusalem is not at all like the open, mountain areas like we saw in the Galilee. While it is obviously rich in history and biblical context, it is very urban and crowded.

The Temple and the history around it is so far beyond what I had read about it was really enlightening. I mean I have read the bible and the scriptures about the Temple but you can't really understand it til you are standing there overlooking it. The significance of the 32 acres that this sits on is the most prized / sought after piece of land in the world! Think about that.....

Our first day in Jerusalem we listened to Joel preach on the Mount of Olives about God's promises to Israel and the significance of Jerusalem....very cool. Then we did the actual Palm walk that Jesus did when he came into Jerusalem.......then ended the day in the Garden of Gethsamane (where Jesus confronted Satan).

Not a bad start to our time in Jerusalem ya think.

Pictures are of the Mount of Olives, Garden, overlooking Jerusalem, cemetery (complete with tombs)......

Next up......the Garden Tomb, Qumran, Masada, and the Dead Sea.

sw

We're back but not done!

Hi all,

We made it back safely. Thank you for all your prayers while we were there. They were felt and appreciated.

If you are interested, you can continue to check in with the blog as I have SO much yet to share. I underestimated the time that it took to post while we were there AND how little time we would have to do so.

So......more to come, complete with pictures.

Blessings,

Scott

Gates of Hell

We're sitting here waiting to get on the plane in the Ben Hurion Airport in Tel Aviv and I realized how much stuff we have not had the chance to share yet. The trip was absolutely amazing.

I am going to keep posting the tours and pictures so you can check the site if you want to see the other pictures and posts.

On this day, we went to Caesarea Phillipi. This was in an area called Pan (named after the greek god....half man half goat...played the flute....thus the Pan flute....everything has a story). There were also many other greek idols there. This is an area that Christ stood with his disciples and is also where Jesus asked Peter "who do people say I am?" Read Matthew 16:19.

Anyway, greek mythodology believed that the gods entered Hades through a cave in the rocks there and thus this became known as the Gates of Hades....or the Gates of Hell. The picture of Dan and I is in front of the Gates of Hell. Not too often you get to do that.........literally anyway.

The rest of the day was spent in the Golan Heights. Alot of history of the wars in Israel are there. We could see into Syria and Jordan from there. We were close to the borders of each. Joel spoke there as well. Very, very interesting how important this peace of land is very Israel.

That's it for now. Post some more when we get back.

More Pic's less Talk

Hey friends,

In the absence of time to write a long summary .......... I thought I would just post some pictures for everyone. Most are of our time here in Jerusalem. Joel teaching at the Temple (Dome of the Rock), grave site across from the old city, and us:)

Blessings to all.

More to come later.......

Sea of Galilee and more

We spent the day today at the Sea of Galilee complete with boat ride (yeah. ... we were floating were Jesus walked). The Sea is absolutely beautiful. For those of you following along on what happened biblically in the Galilee area ....... 26 of Jesus's 39 miracles happened in this area so it is rich in biblical stories and meaning. Too much to really put into words on this blog. Our guide, Schmulik (english version of Samuel) did a great job of teaching us what all happened in the places we visisted.

We then had the traditional St. Peters fish for lunch. I had been warned of this tasty treat by Dan and Diane prior so I was ready. It's basically a fish prepared whole............ head, guts, the whole shootin match.

But suprisingly tasty:) You can see the picture ....... judge for yourself.

After that we went to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus gave his sermon on the mount! Very cool and a great time of reflection. We were allowed about 45 minutes to sit alone and just spend time with the Lord. One of the best parts of the trip so far. The mountain (more like a really big hill) overlooks the Sea and is beautiful. The picture above of the Sea is from there.

We ended the day in a museum of what they call the "Jesus Boat". Really cool story of a boat that was uncovered in the Sea and determined to date back to the time of Jesus. Maybe it was THE boat .......???? Who knows ..... but interesting.

Oh yeah ...... when we got on our boat ride they played the raised the American Flag and played the national anthem. Odd to be on the Sea of Galilee and feeling a little like you are at a ball game!

Next up for our tour is the "big question" at the Gates of Hell and the "Tearful" valley.

The Orphanage

Hey friends,

It seems like we are so far behind in posting new pictures and updates (at least to me anyway). We will post another Blog with pictures tonight to get us caught up. It has been a great, crazy, busy tour so far. But I wanted to send a quick post to share with you what we had the privilege of experiencing today.

As most of you know, our trip is part of what is called the Joshua Fund which is part of Joel Rosenberg's ministry and vision. The fund is specifically set up to help the state of Israel and the people that live here.

With that in mind, one day of our trip here was scheduled to be mission work (although we could not call it that here ..... too many bad associations in Israel with the word "mission"). But it has been part of the plan all along. Our day of mission work was today and it was so awesome that I wanted to share what happened. So here ya'll go.

We did our "work" today at a Girls Orphanage here in Jerusalem called appropriately the Jerusalem Girls Town. The unique part of this mission is that the Orphanage is run (and is located) in the Orthodox Jewish part of Jerusalem. For those of you that do not know, the Orthodox Jews do NOT like (or even acknowledge) Chrisitians. Basically to them, we are lower than low. I experienced just a little of this on the plane ride here ........... really eye opening! Anyway, this place is considered Ultra Orthodox.......so they really, really dont like us.........you get the idea.

We were told what to wear, what to say, what not to say, how to act, and what to expect. This was only the third time that they have ever allowed Orphanage "Outsiders", let alone a group of American Christians believing in Jesus, into their gates (the other two groups were locals from the area so this was definitely a first!).

Our bus pulled up at about 9am this morning and we all came in and just started to work. Our goal was to just let our "hands" show the love of Jesus through our actions. If we got to see some of the girls (or even the Rabbi), then we knew that would be a bonus. But we were prepared to not really expect anything other than to work.

The orphanage consist of Jewish girls from around the world who have found themselves alone and without anyone to care for them. Diane was able to love a young girl, along with her two other sisters, who just had their father murdered by Alquida in Yemen because he is a Jew. The Rabbi's father founded the orphanage after returning to Israel as a Holocaust survivor. He noticed the streets full of orphans who lost all, or nearly all of their family members in the death camps. His heart broke for the girls and he simply began bringing these lost souls into his family's small apartment. He later was able to acquire the current site right before the 6 Day War broke out in 1967. He bought the property for nearly nothing as property values in this area of Jerusalem dropped in anticipation of 200,000 Jews dying in the war. As we know, God had a different plan and He delivered Israel another miraculous victory in the face of certain defeat (in just 6 days to make sure everyone knew it was Him who deliverd His people).Today, the land the orphanage sits on is worth an estimated $50M.

We began the day with simply working our rear ends off landscaping the grounds. We cut, we dug, we used picks, we used jack hammers, we hauled, we sweated a lot! During this time the girls began walking by and we would simply say "shalom!" and "good morning". We were blessed as they would begin to walk by and be somewhat suprised with our simple smiles and greetings. One or all of them would give a shy "shalom" back, giggle and then run off. The girls had a wonderful spirit (really suprising given their setting (Ultra Orthadox - can you say the law) and their stories (brokenness, woundedness, loneliness).

Early afternoon after we were done working we went into the orphanage and the rabbi actually addressed us, shared his heart of this orphanage. He was very open with us even taking us into one of the rooms that 5 girls share. It was about the size of a little bedroom and had 5 twin beds in it, but surprisingly it has air conditioning. We were amazed that he was so nice to us. ( because usually ultra orthodyx jews look down on gentiles, we are like dogs to them.) Such a miracle! The women presented every girl there a bracelet from the Joshua Fund. They were so excited they had such joy on their faces. At the end the Rabbi told us this is history here. This is a holiday. It's like Hannukah, on Hannukah we light a light on the outside, today you lit a light on the inside.

He said we were all welcomed back anytime and to bring our families. This sentence is a true miracle. Anyway, it was an amazing day for us, life changing. It was probably the highlight of our tour so far!!

sw,dh,dh

Paranoid King, Armageddon, and Mount Carmel

Joel preaching... Worship on Mt. Carmel Remains of Caesarea

Our first day of Adventuring through the Land of Jesus took us to Caesarea where King Herod (yes, the king who had all the children in Bethlehem under 2 years old murdered) built the most Roman city in Israel at that time. He was both brilliant and notorious. He was an incredible builder and created a masterpiece on the Mediterranean Sea. This amazing city featured a huge man made harbor, Colliseum, Hippodrome (fancy name for race track - just think of Ben Hur and Gladiator), pools, Shrines, etc.. .. .. He was completely Loyal to Rome and they made him the "King of Judea." As he aged he became Increasingly Paranoid and eventually had his sons killed, his wife killed and nearly every other member of his family to protect his kingdom. Succesfully He Fought against a Persian invasion and that is why he was Freaked out when 3 wise men from the east (Persia) showed up one day and said, "Hey King Herod, where is the new born king of the Jews?" That is what motivated him to go and kill the children in Bethlehem. As Paul Harvey says, that's the rest of the story! Joel Rosenburg then taught on "The Epicenter" and how Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount make up the epicenter of the world. He shared with us The People, The Land and why there is so much controversy and world focus on this tiny part of the world. It was a great start to the day.

We then went to a very obscure location you probably havent heard of called ARMEGEDDON! Yes, it is a real place. It is the location where the three primary trade routes of the world emerged and connected - Europe, Asia and Africa. That is why over 27 battles throughout history were Fought there and maybe why the prophesied battle of Armegeddon makes sense. We Toured the remains of the fortress aging back to 5000 years where a Canannite alter was uncovered. It was at this location where the Canannite's Sacrificed, among other things, baby goats in its mothers milk. Thus, the Levitical law for the Israelites not doing this Pagan practice now makes sense. It kind of makes the ruins from the time of Solomon (only 3000 years old) a real Yawner. How old is America anyway? Joel taught again about the future battle of Armegeddon, the historical context of the valley and the prophetic implications associated with Revelation and the rise of the Antichrist. Just a basic Sunday school lesson for children on flannel cut outs with Jesus petting a lamb (yeah right!)

We ended the day with an amazing testimony of our Lord's presence and power. The prophet Elijah went up against the Prophets of Baal on Mt. Caramel to make the children of Israel choose which God they were going to serve. The people had been drawn away to serve the false god, Baal, who required them to sacrifice their children on a Firey alter. The Showdown happened in epic fashion with the Prophets of Baal being Humiliated before the people when the Lord consumed Elijah's sacrifice with fire from Heaven. Immediately after, Elijah Slaughtered all of the false Prophets of Baal and the people turned back to the living God of Israel. So, how does that relate to today? After nearly 2,000 years of Excile, we had an amazing experience Worshiping Jesus on the top of Mt. Caramel with a Congregation of Jews, Arabs, American Christians Fleeing Persecution and refugees in Africa. We all sang songs of our Savior and it was one of the most amazing moments of worship for us. The amazing thing about this church is the fact that it has been established by a former Broadway actor / drugged out Jewish dude from New York along with his Jewish wife. God saved him in the "Godless" sub-culture of New York's artistic community. If his salvation testimony was not enough the testimony of what God has done through his life of surrender is amazing. Think about it ... God calls a drug using, Unbelieving Jew from New York to go back to the Holy Land and establish a Congregation of Jesus Believing, Worshiping Jesus, Arab loving people on top of Mount Caramel! We truly can not put any limits on what He "can do".

Quite a first day. Let the adventure continue.

Coming soon to a blog near you .... why everyone is excited about a really old boat that wont float, getting an attitude on the "Be" Attitudes, pre-game festivities on the Sea of Galilee and dead fish that is still looking at me?

Two hot Gentiles at Armegeddon

dh

Leaving Armegeddon,

Tel Aviv, Cat City & The Dancing Camels

Day 1 - Tel Aviv

We arrived in Tel Aviv, the most "modern" city with over 1 million people living in the modern, urban city. We checked into our hotel and then headed across the street to take a stroll on the shores of the Mediteranean Sea. We (Dan, Diane and me) stopped by "The Manta Ray" restaurant and enjoyed a cold "Dancing Camel" (local Israeli beer), warm Sangria with almonds and then cigars (Dan and me, definitely not Diane). We later had a dinner with the entire tour group, over 300 people from all over the US, and listened to Joel Rosenberg speak about the Geo Political environment in Israel. Then, off to bed. It was truly a turbulent start to our adventure in the Holy Land.

One interesting thing we noticed while walking along the beach here in Tel Aviv are the stray cats! Not just a few, but a bunch! Everywhere. Big, fat cats. We had one that sat under our table at the restaraunt?? Weird.

Day 2 - Caeserea, Meggido, Mount Carmel & Tiberias (Sea of Galilee)

Coming soon to a blog near you....Herod the Paranoid, Rocking in the Epicenter, 5,000 year old pagan ruins, why we dont want to cook a baby goat in it's mothers milk and a former Jewish Dr. of Theater worshipping Jesus with Arabs and Infadels on top of Mount Carmel (who says we are afraid of Hamas).

We Made it!!

After 8 hours of hanging out at JFK, and 10 hours in the plane flying, we finally touched down in the Holy Land!!!! I had some delays getting on line so I apologize for the delay (especially to my beautiful bride and kids...). But we are here and it has been a great so far.

We stayed in Tel Aviv the first night at The Dan Panorama which overlooked the Mediteranean Sea. Very, very nice.

The flight over was quite an experience. I didn't get much sleep as the Hissidic (sp?) Jews were pacing the aisles ALL NIGHT long praying and would wake me up each time they came by. It was very odd to wake up and be looking into the face of a guy with a big black hat, long beard, and the crazy sideburns hanging down. There were also two Jewish women who got into a crazy argument that got pretty loud, but other than that.....it was uneventful:)

I had read that when they announced that you had landed in Israel, that everyone would applaud and celebrate..........it's true. And now that I have been here for a day and half, I can see why. It is an amazing place. More to come.

Scott

Israel Countdown

We (Dan and Diane Horner and I) are one day away from leaving and I am super excited (and still a little nervous too). It is all good. Our flight leaves Charlotte at 9:30am tomorrow for JFK and then we catch our plane to Tel Aviv around 6pm. Please pray for us if you would. Pray for our safety during the travel and that we would not have problems with the security, planes, etc..

Also, pray for our families as we leave tomorrow. Pray that they are safe and secure while we are away.

Lastly, pray for Israel. Pray for her protection. Pray that we can see what there is for us to see and hear while in HIS great promised land.

Blessings to all.

Talk soon.

Scott