July 13, 2009

Reading a book by Basil Pennington that is his journal when he toured the Holy Land.

June 22, 2009

Old City in Jerusalem

Well, Nola and I have just returned from our trip to Oregon and Washington and are now starting our new blog for the trip to the Holy Land in January 2010. My body is still on Oregon time so since I can't sleep I might as well blog. Our trip to the Holy Land will have two new additions! Our sisters, Mona and Carolyn!! I am very excited to be able to share this experience with them.

Just a little history of how this idea came to fruition. Nola and I started discussing a trip to the Holy Land about 3 years ago. We thought we might go in 2011 but started doing some research a few months ago and made contact with Dr. Jim Sibley who is a professor of Israeli studies at the Pasche Institute in Dallas. He and his wife, Kathy, visit Israel 3-4 times a year and he said they were going on a tour being planned by Union University in Jackson, Tennessee in January 2010. He put us in contact with Dr. Wells at the university and before we knew it we were signed up to go. Dr. Sibley nicknamed us the Texas Contingency...pretty important sounding isn't it? Shirley TC-1, Mona TC-2, Carolyn T-3 and Nola T-4.

This is an academic tour which is what Nola was hoping for. The itinerary is really great: Coastal route, the Sea of Galilee, Hula Basin/Upper Galilee/Golan, Jordan Valley/Dead Sea, Wilderness of Judea/Masada/Jersalem and The Holy City of Jerusalem.

Dr. Sibley said we can prepare for the trip by studying the history of Israel and by reading the Old Testament, especially 1 & 2 Samuel. He said it will give more meaning to the sites we see if we have some Biblical context of the history.

I came across a book, "ISRAEL, A Spiritual Travel Guide", written by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman. I just started reading it tonight and it is no coincidence that I found this book. Dr. Sibley said there is only one "1st time" that we will visit Israel and no other visit will be like it. This book says the same thing. The author, Rabbi Hoffman, talks about how special Israel is and that "Jerusalem really is just a little bit closer to heaven." He references Psalm 24, "Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?" Who shall stand in His holy place?" I read this entire Psalm and it is overwhelming.

Rabbi Hoffman also talks about not only preparing ourselves physically but also spiritually. "The operative word is kavvanah, the rabbinic term for focusing attention on the spirtual challenge of the moment and not letting your mind wander. Your trip can be just another vacation, or it can be the journey of your life. The trip you are about to make is properly called a pilgrimage. You are about to be a pilgrim to a holy site."

I got my copy of this book on Amazon.com but I will share my reading as I go along. I look forward to sharing my personal journey as I prepare for our trip.