20 years ago...

Twenty years ago today, the Berlin Wall, and communism, fell and all the news channels were replaying President Reagan's famous line, "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

And I couldn't help but wonder, what would this world be like now if Mr. Hope and Change was president then. You know, the one who is pulling troops out, cutting military spending. Would the Berlin Wall have fallen if America hadn't pressured the USSR so much. Would communism in Eastern Europe remain? Thankfully, we had a real president then and we don't have to wonder. But I wonder what the world will look like 20 years from now, when we're living in the aftermath of Hope and Change.

Me, in front of the Berlin Wall, May 2007

Israel and Jordan part 2

Check the post dated 11/5/09 or go here for part one.

Wednesday we got up early and headed for the remains of the ancient city of Caesarea. Caesarea was a city built by King Herod in 22 BC on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It was the seat of the Roman government for 500 years. Pontius Pilate lived there. Caeserea is where Peter came after his vision in Joppa that the Gospel wasn't only for Jews anymore. Peter was told to come and preach the gospel to Cornelius, a soldier who lived and worked there. This is also were Paul spent 2 years in prison. There were ruins of an arena where they held chariot races as well. Stacy and I climbed over the fence and down some rocks and got our feet wet in the Mediterranean Sea.

The amphitheatre at Caeserea. We sat here and sang  "How Great Thou Art"

Some ruins at Caeserea

The Mediterranean Sea

My feet in the Mediterranean Sea

Mom, Stacy, and I on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea

ancient arena for chariot races

more ruins at Caeserea

Mom and I amongst the ruins

After Caeserea we went to Megiddo. Megiddo was the site for many ancient battles. The New Testament says the final battle between good and evil, Armeggidon, will occur here. The only source of water in this ancient city was outside the gates. So the people built a tunnel underground so that they could safely reach the water. We climbed down 180 stairs into the tunnel and then climbed another 85 to get back out.

ruins of the city of Megiddo

they stored their food in here. see the steps along the side. this way there was only one way in and the food was safe.

the start of the tunnel down

climbing down

it was a long way, and some of the stairs were pretty precarious. in their time, of course, there were no hand railings

in the tunnel

in the tunnel

Mom, almost at the exit

From Megiddo we headed to Nazareth, Jesus' boyhood home. Nazareth was kind of dissappointing. It is a modern bustling city with no real remnants of Jesus time. But we stopped at a the site of Mary's well. In Mary's time this would have been where the people came to get water. Today, a Greek Orthodox church sits on the site.

After this we headed to the Jordan River. While not the actual site that Jesus was baptized it is very close. Some members of our group were baptized in the river, while Stacy and I took more pictures of our feet in the water. Then we shopped :)

my feet in the Jordan River

me, at the Jordan River

it was really pretty

When we got back to the hotel, we decided to walk around the city of Tiberius to get dinner. We found a McDonalds. I got a chicken nugget meal, and it cost $13, American. It was $39, shekels. Quite expensive for 6 mcnuggets. :)

Israeli Mickey D's.

What has it cost you?

I'm sure you've heard Christians called every name in the book. I get so mad when I hear us referred to as naive, or ignorant, or simple-minded. Why is it that when I stand up for my beliefs I'm being ignorant, or prejudiced, but when other people stand up for theirs's, it's all about "equality"? What makes my beliefs less valid than your's? I don't think they are, and that's why it bothers me that Christianity is looked down on so much. I've had discussions with people and as soon as I say that I am a Christian, they totally disregard my opinions and such. It's like I'm a whack job. And I always wondered why that was.
At church on Sunday, the pastor said something that really made sense to me. "Christianity that costs you nothing, is worth nothing."
Jesus said " If any man come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it. And whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the world and lose his own soul." --Matthew 16:24-26
Jesus gave His life for us, why should we not be willing to give up ours for him?
I believe that these situations are tests, are we willing to stand up for Him, or do we hide our true beliefs? I once had a guy that I really liked say that he couldn't date me anymore because "he wasn't the church type." In my naivete, I believed that he could change, and I questioned God why can't I be with him? Why can't I find someone who wants to be with me? I should have been asking myself, why would I want to be with someone who isn't "the church type."
If this is what Christianity costs me, a few taunts, a few names being called, even if it means I don't find someone to marry, then I still am blessed. Because Christ gave His life for ME. And if all He asks of me in return is to stand up for Him, and defend His name, then I bear that cross with gladness, and gratitude.
The pastor told the story of the movie Glory. I had seen this movie in jr high, but not since then, and really don't remember it at all. It is the story of the only all african-american regiment fighting in the civil war. The night before they were to go into battle as the front line, and were facing certain death, and one character said to another, "Let it be told to our families that we went down standing up."
And thats the attitude we should have for Christ, if someone is going to take me down for being a Christian, it won't be easy, because I'm going down standing up!

Flashback Friday

Ok, so I thought I would be all organized and get this done ahead of time, but I forgot, and ran out of time to get over to my parents house and scan an old picture. So I have to use one that I already had scanned. Since it's November, I thought I would do a Thanksgiving theme. So here's this weeks flashback picture...

This was Thanksgiving '04. We alternate years between going to my cousins house in Arizona and them coming here. So this year we were in Arizona, this is my little cousin Tatum and I horseback riding. She was 4 in this picture. She's 9 now, and one of my most favorite people. She has no fear, and is always ready for an adventure. Love her!

Israel and Jordan part 1

I originally posted this in March, but never posted parts 2 or 3. So I'm gonna re-post this part, and then add parts 2 and 3 in the next few days.

Here's some stories from my trip to Israel and Jordan. There are so many pics and stories, I have to divide them up. Stay tuned for more...

We left Sunday from LAX. I left my house at 4:15am to pick up my cousin Stacy and go to my parents house and from there we headed to the airport. I didnt sleep at all the night before hoping to sleep on the airplane. We landed in NYC at 4pm NY time and had to lug all our million pounds of luggage to a whole different terminal where we had to check in for our international flight. Once there we had a 7 hour layover. I still hadn't slept at all. We got on our plane to Amman and 2 hours into the flight I took some Ambien. AHHH the wonders of Ambien. I woke up, eight hours later, an hour before we landed. We landed at 5:00 in the afternoon monday, 37 hours after I had left my house.

Stacy and I waiting in the airport

Once there we got on a bus for a 3 hour ride to Tiberias, Isreal. About half way there we had to cross the border. We had to get our luggage off the bus, scan in thru the xray machine and go through customs to get out of Jordan. Then we had to put all our luggage back on the bus and drive 100 feet to the Isreal side of the border where we had to get our luggage off the bus, scan it thru the xray machine and put it back on the bus. We got back on the bus and sat there for almost 2 hours while they search under the bus for bombs and guards walked around with machine guns. While waiting there our adventures started. We were making a bathroom run, when we quickly learned that the toilets were turkish. Meaning that they were basically holes in the ground. There were spots for your feet and then you had to squat and aim for the whole. (Hence the nickname squattie pottie.) We finally got to the hotel, ate dinner, and called it a night around midnight.

Tuesday started bright and early at the Sea of Gallilee. We had a 6am wake up call, ate breakfast, and headed to our boat for a trip across the Sea of Gallilee. I was actually surprised at how big the Sea of Gallilee was. I was expecting just a small lake but it was quite large. So you can imagine how large it must have seemed in Jesus' time. We enjoyed our time on the lake with a quick message from Luke 8, where Jesus calms the waters of the Sea of Galilee. It was a very unique experiece to hear that story, which we had all heard many times before, on the very waters that Jesus calmed. We were where He had been. It was awesome. Many of us were in tears while singing worship songs.

Sunrise on the Sea of Galilee

Fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee

Stacy and I on our boat tour of the Sea of Galilee

Once across the sea we went to a museum and then boarded our buses to Capernaum. Capernaum was a city that Jesus frequented. There are remains of a synagogue that was most certainly visited by Jesus. There are also the remains of Peter's house.

Capernaum

Ancient ruins of the church at Capernaum

The remains of Peter's house

After leaving Capernaum, we went to the Mount of the Beatitudes, over looking the Sea of Galilee. This was a very serene place, and as another location that we know Jesus was at, very surreal. We were walking among, and sitting upon rocks, that He walked among, and perhaps sat upon. We read a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, and enjoyed the moment. It was very moving.

The Mount of the Beatitudes. Can't you just see Jesus up there preaching to the masses? It was a beautiful, and very moving, place.

In everything, give thanks

I tend to be a glass half empty kinda girl. And while I am conscious of this, I tend to fail at the whole "look at the bright side" attitude. So I'm starting a gratitude journal. I know that I am blessed in all things, and so this is my way of reminding myself. So when I start to get that half-empty attitude, I can remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for in my life. Big things and little things. Everything.
So I'll post some of the things I write in the journal, but mostly it's for me. To remind myself of all the good things in life. I encourage you to start one too.

(My printing is not very neat here. I'm kinda disappointed in it.)

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything, give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Halloween

Yesterday was my first Halloween that I haven't worked in 4 years. And I'm so glad I didn't have to work. It was a Saturday so I'm sure it was horrible (it's usually bad no matter what day of the week it is), and it was time change, so if I had been working, I would've worked and extra hour instead of slept and extra hour.

Since it was the first one off in years, I decided I would have fun. I carved pumpkins, the neighbor and I totally decorated our houses with spiderwebs and other fun stuff. I didn't realize that I didn't take any pictures until just now. I think she may have taken some, if so, I'll get copies from her and post them later. After the trick-or-treaters were done. I headed out to a party with some friends. I left early however when they busted out the Ouija board. I don't believe in alot of things, like vampires, zombies, etc. But I do believe in angels and demons, and I believe that using the Ouija board is just inviting satan into your life. So I high-tailed it out of there.

My niece went trick-or-treating for her first Halloween. She had two costumes, a strawberry that she wore at her school carnival, and a butterfly that she wore for trick-or-treating. I know I've said this before, but she's just so darn cute.

Look closely and you can see two little teeth in there. :)

at her school carnival with her daddy

Fishing for candy

Heading out for some trick-or-treating

trick-or-treating fun