Timing is everything – so they say. Have you ever wondered about God’s timing? Joshua may have felt the same way when he went to lead the people of Israel into the Promise Land. After 40 years of wondering in the desert, they were finally back at the Jordan River. God had been preparing them to take possession of the Promised Land. A trip from Egypt that could have lasted only a few weeks had now lasted more than a generation. What was worse, at the very time that God said to cross over, the Jordan was at full flood stage. This was the worst possible time to cross at the Jericho crossing. Joshua 3:14-15a says:
“So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest.”
Can you imagine standing on the eastern shore of those cliffs, looking down into the river valley and seeing that mighty river, dark with mud from seasonal rains? Many probably said, “Wait! We’ve been waiting 40 years. What would it hurt to wait 40 days.” Timing is everything. The only reason that I can think of for God to move the people at this time was glory – God’s glory. Jericho needed to tremble at the hand of God. Something miraculous needed to happen to show that God had done it. So God said move forward. Here’s what happened next: Read the rest of this entry »
On the second day in Israel, we traveled North along the coast to Caesarea Maritima. Herod built this city in honor of one of the Caesars and added all the grandeur of Roman life. The city at the time of Christ and Paul included a theater, hippodrome, a man-made harbor, and a Royal Palace. Though Jesus did not come to Caesarea, Peter and Paul did. This is the city where Peter visited Cornelius (Acts 10). Also, Paul was imprisoned here and appeared before Agrippa in Caesarea (Acts 23-27). Caesarea was the main port city for Jerusalem and therefore it was used as the staging area for Pilate’s armies. For many years there was no historical verification of Pilate’s governorship, but during among the excavations at “Caesarea by the Sea” a discovery was made bearing his name in a dedication plaque to Tiberius. Once again, the truth of the biblical account was confirmed.
Jesus said: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
During our trip to Israel, we spent the first night on the Mediterranean Sea. We had been travelling for about 30 hours and it was difficult to even think about going anywhere. However, I saw that the sun was setting over the Sea and the kids and I ran with camera in hand to find a good shot. We missed the sun setting but got to the beach in time to catch this shot. This sea connected Israel with the rest of the Roman world in the time of Christ. You could said to Africa or Greece from here.
I will try to post some more pictures from the trip and give you a sense of what we saw.
Hello from the Harvest Dinner
It’s not totally put back together, but I am finally back online with the blog!! The u-haul boxes are still scattered all over the room here, but I am finally getting some of the blog parts back on the shelf. Thank you for your patience. I’ve learned some new things along with the move that will help improve the site. I’ll keep you “posted!!” Also, I’ve been finding myself micro-blogging more and more on Facebook. So, the best place to keep up with me, that will probably be the best place.
Last night we had the privilege of ordaining one of our men as a deacon of the church: Russell Turner. Russell has an amazing humility about him. We have had him in observation and training for a year and have seen him serve in various capacities. We are grateful that he is so willing to serve in this way.
This week we begin our Fireproof sermon series. You can also join in on one of our home group studies about marriage. Our local fire department will be on-hand Sunday morning to help us remember 9/11. Show your support for them when they come. Take a moment to thank them for all that they do for us. The ocal theater called today and said that they saw our mailer and ad and wanted to see if we would endorse the movie so that they could bring it to Cameron! I told her that a 5000 piece mailer went out. Thank you Mrs. Cunningham for calling!
Also, take a minute to see the updated fireproof website.
We had a great time at the lake picnic and baptism (sponsored by our Sunday School). Thank you Clayton and Darla, Russell and Mandi, and crew for making it a wonderful picnic. Here are some pictures.
As you pray for the upcoming election and our current president, this video should encourage you in supporting what they do on our behalf.
