Shabbat in the Land?

My first Sabbath in the land what not what I expected.  For the last year, I have changed my lifestyle to honor God on the Sabbath.  It's been so sweet, keeping His Sabbath rest.  But yesterday, Shabbat was a whirlwind of activity - all delving into the land of Israel and the history of God's people.

We rose early, ate a sumptuous breakfast, (which our guide said was simple because of Shabbat) and were on the bus by 8am heading to Caesarea.

What strikes me most about the land is how ancient everything is.  Coming from the U.S., everything is new by comparison.  But here in Israel, even the new construction, made to blend in, has a feeling of being a part of this place for a long time.  And that's hard to grasp when you don't grow up with it.

Take for instance, when we were at the tel of Megiddo.  Archeologists have uncovered over 5000 years of history there, and I was looking at it and touching it!

As we were ascending the mound, our guide Hillel, said that every so many feet we ascended, we were moving forward in time by 150 years.  That is truly a hard concept to get my head around.  The rooms I stood in at one time held people who were contemporaries of Solomon, of Ahab, of Abraham!

I think the most emotional part of the day was when we were at Mt Carmel.  We ascended the stairs of a church to the roof.  As we came out of the stairway, the view of the Valley of Jezreel took my breath away!  It was so vast, so beautiful and surrounded by mountains far in the distance.

As I stood there, knowing it is also called Armaggedan, the thought of that valley being filled with blood to the height of the horses chest spoke volumes of the amount of blood that will be spilled.  If there is going to be that much blood shed at the end, there will be millions upon millions of deaths. How sad that humankind is so willing to die rather than bending the knee to Messiah.

And having seen and experienced this, God used this whirlwind of a Sabbath to make my heart a little more like His, as I now have a deeper desire to pray for the salvation of many.  And isn't that what Shabbat is all about...drawing closer to Him?

Shalom Alechem!

Landing in the Land

This long awaited trip feels like it has yet to start.  We are in Tel Aviv and it reminds me of Hollywood Beach, Florida. Yet, there are many telling differences.

The hotel we are staying at is kosher.  The elevators move up and down on their own.  And at one of the entrances to the hotel there is a table with many candles on it - candles lit to welcome the Sabbath.  To be honest, I felt a bit guilty that the hotel was working last night.

The dinner buffet was magnificent.  There was such a variety of food that I couldn't even sample one of everything!  I had lamb, which I haven't had since I was a child.  I remembered the flavor.  It was my mother's favorite, but I remember not liking it too much.  Funny how your taste buds change as you get older.  Very much like your taste for the things of the Lord as you grow in Him.  

The dessert spread also had far too many choices, but what I did have gave such joy, that I truly felt this was a special Sabbath.  

After dinner, my roommate Laura and I took a walk on the promenade.  In Hollywood, we call it the broadwalk.  As we stepped into the sand, it was so soft!  It felt like talcum powder.  And as we approached the Mediteranean, I knew we weren't in Kansas anymore.  

Living in the United States, a fairly new country, we don't have the connection to the ancient past as do many other places in the world.  And here, in the land flowing with milk and honey, as modern as Tel Aviv is, the spirit of ancientness (if there is such a word) permeates.  

Our tour guide, Hillel, has 43 years experience.  The ride from the airport to our hotel gave a small, wonderful morsel of things to come.  He has so much knowledge!  I am praying that the Lord will make me a sponge so that I can soak up all that he has to pour into me, not losing a drop, so that I can bring this precious water to you. 

And only here, in the land of Israel, does the tour start with the guide praying the Shema!  Praise God!

Dreaming Toward Israel

This blog is called Journey to Messiah. I started it as a way to share what I've learned with my Gentile brethren about our Jewish Messiah.  There have been many times that I've wanted to write something, but it was more of an experience than lessons learned, so I opted not to write.

Yet this morning, as I was praying about what to write, the Lord prompted this silly child of His - what better time, what better platform to share my journey to His Holy land?

I am on a flight to Tel Aviv.  As I write these words, it still feels surreal.  On the little monitor in front of me, I see the progression of the plane as we have crossed the ocean and are now flying over Spain.  I am in awe that this little Italian girl from Corona, Queens, New York, would actually be on an airplane on the other side of the Atlantic.  And most astounding of all...on my way to Israel!     
   

Even as I write these words and see the screen assuring me that is exactly what is happening, it doesn't seem real.  Could it be that it has been a dream for so long, that I'd given up hope of it ever happening?  Could it be that I don't feel deserving?  Could it be that all these years of reading about the place has made it somehow fictional?

Probably all of the above.  Yet here I am, 6 hours out of the US and 4 hours from my destination - the most holy place on earth.  The place God chose to dwell.  The land flowing with milk and honey.  The place that will see the return of the King Messiah as He rules and reigns over all the earth.

For those of you who may not know, it was the generosity of God's people, my brothers and sisters in Messiah, who made this trip possible.  And that makes it all the more precious.  Check out the fund raising campaign for the details. (www.indiegogo.com/dreamingtowardisrael).  

I don't know how often I will be near a wifi to post, but I will do it as often as I can.  And I suspect that I when I get back home, I will have a lot to say, to share my experience of the land and the people of Adonai.