At the end of this month Cindy & I are joining a group of 26 pastor's and spouses on a journey to Israel. It is something we both have wanted to do. In fact, in 2000 we had assembled a group from our last church to go with us to Israel when violence broke out and the trip was canceled. After that I really didn't know if we would ever get there.
What follows is our itinerary. They really keep us moving. After flying into Tel Aviv which is 7 hours ahead of eastern standard time we visit 2 sites before checking into our hotel. We are going to be exhausted unless we can sleep on the plane over.
Right now we are preparing our packing list, making sure we have all the documents we need and generally gearing up.
I'll tell you all about it when we get back.
Shalom
TUES, FEB 27
Stay at Renaissance Hotel, Tel Aviv
Visit Emmaus & Old Jaffa
WED, FEB 28
Stay at Kibbutz Hagoshrim
Visit Caesarea by the Sea, Mount Carmel via the Valley of Armageddon, Gideon's spring, Mount Tabor with lunch in the monastery, Experience a baptism in the Jordan River, Mount Beatitudes
TH, MAR 1
Stay at Gai Beach Hotel, Tiberias
Visit Tel Dan (at a glance), Caesarea Philippi (Banyas), Mount Hermon (Mount of Transfiguration), Road to Damascus, Kibbutz at Ein Gev with St. Peter's fish on the wharf,
Capernaum, Menza Christi, Tabgha, Ginosar where we see the "Jesus boat" .
FRI, MAR 2
Stay at Three Arches Hotel, Jerusalem
Visit Cana of Galilee, Nazareth, Kumran, Masada, Ahava cosmetics factory, Dead Sea at Mineral Beach and lunch, Mount Scopus for a "Welcome to Jerusalem" ceremony, Jerusalem.
SAT, MAR 3
Stay at Renaissance Hotel, Jerusalem
Visit Model of ancient Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Dominus Flevit, Palm Sunday Road,
Gethsemane, Pool of Bethesda, House of Caiaphas (the High Priest), Bethlehem with lunch at Sababa Restaurant and some shopping, Church of the Nativity, The Garden Tomb to participate in communion, Seminar at the hotel entitled "How to Run Your Own Pilgrimage."
SUN, MAR 4
Visit Old City to visit the Kardo, Temple Institute, Wailing Wall, Rabbi's Tunnel,Via Dolorosa
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jaffa Gate, Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Street in downtown modern Jerusalem with a shwarma lunch, Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial
After dinner we get taken to the airport where we board our plane back to the states.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
A SOJOURNE IN PHOENIX
A SOJOURNE IN PHOENIX
A few weeks ago I drove over to Phoenix so that I could attend a seminar on Process Preaching.
On the way I stopped and had dinner with my sister Barb & husband Joe in Tucson. It is always good seeing them and of course Barb’s great cooking is an added treat. I was only able to spend a few hours there since I was heading to Phoenix to spend the night at my brother Don’s home.
Right now Don has a house full. Normally it is just Donny, his daughter Lacey and Darin, a boarder we never see. Now another brother, Jon, who just got a job in Phoenix is joining the pack for a number of months. His family will move out to the Phoenix area after school is out. Then I showed up. Our bedroom looked like that of the 3 bears. There were 2 single beds and my cot all lined up in a row. My dad suggested we sleep in shifts. It was great seeing everyone. Jon started his first day while I was there so I got to hear about his impressions of work and what it is going to be like.
For almost 30 years I have been chained to a manuscript when preaching. It was what I learned in seminary. You wrote out your 3 point sermon and “delivered” it. That meant that after some years of experience I could craft a fairly good message that I could now read to people. My reading became pretty good also so I wanted to change that. I wanted to be able to look into the eyes of my congregation more as I spoke to them. So when I got a mailing about Process Preaching and it was in Phoenix I decided to go. I am really glad I did.
Over the course of a few days our group of 20 pastors from all over the country learned a process of preparation that would get us out of our manuscripts. I used that process this last Sunday and it worked. Many people commented to me about how my message was great. What they don’t know of course is that the sermon they heard was the one I took with me to Phoenix and “rehearse”. It will be next Sunday’s message that will tell the tale.
Cindy & I are now starting to think about our upcoming trip to Israel. We will be there in three weeks.
Shalom
A few weeks ago I drove over to Phoenix so that I could attend a seminar on Process Preaching.
On the way I stopped and had dinner with my sister Barb & husband Joe in Tucson. It is always good seeing them and of course Barb’s great cooking is an added treat. I was only able to spend a few hours there since I was heading to Phoenix to spend the night at my brother Don’s home.
Right now Don has a house full. Normally it is just Donny, his daughter Lacey and Darin, a boarder we never see. Now another brother, Jon, who just got a job in Phoenix is joining the pack for a number of months. His family will move out to the Phoenix area after school is out. Then I showed up. Our bedroom looked like that of the 3 bears. There were 2 single beds and my cot all lined up in a row. My dad suggested we sleep in shifts. It was great seeing everyone. Jon started his first day while I was there so I got to hear about his impressions of work and what it is going to be like.
For almost 30 years I have been chained to a manuscript when preaching. It was what I learned in seminary. You wrote out your 3 point sermon and “delivered” it. That meant that after some years of experience I could craft a fairly good message that I could now read to people. My reading became pretty good also so I wanted to change that. I wanted to be able to look into the eyes of my congregation more as I spoke to them. So when I got a mailing about Process Preaching and it was in Phoenix I decided to go. I am really glad I did.
Over the course of a few days our group of 20 pastors from all over the country learned a process of preparation that would get us out of our manuscripts. I used that process this last Sunday and it worked. Many people commented to me about how my message was great. What they don’t know of course is that the sermon they heard was the one I took with me to Phoenix and “rehearse”. It will be next Sunday’s message that will tell the tale.
Cindy & I are now starting to think about our upcoming trip to Israel. We will be there in three weeks.
Shalom
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
MAMA MIA FUN
MAMA MIA
Wow! Just think back to those wonderful days of yesteryear, the ‘70’s, and picture in your mind where you were when platform shoes, bell bottom pants, white belts and disco were all the rage. One musical group I always enjoyed hearing was ABBA. The music was always upbeat and driven. I remember also getting a bit of grief because I liked to listen to that music. Who couldn’t love songs like Chiquitita, Dancing Queen, Mama Mia, Super Trouper, Take a Chance on Me, S.O.S. and many others. I bet you are smiling right now aren’t you.
Well, well, well. ABBA IS BACK! Mama Mia, the smash hit musical based on the music of ABBA is touring the country to sell-out crowds. Cindy & I drove to El Paso to see it. It was so much fun. The story the musical tells is that of a young woman who is getting married on a Greek island. She has grown up without a father and wants to know about him. She reads her mother’s diary (kids, don’t try this at home; these are trained professionals) and discover references to 3 men her mother “knew” 20 years previously. She impulsively invites those men to her wedding without telling mom, of course.
The sets, costumes, lighting, dancing, acting and singing were all superb. I just wanted to sing along but for some reason Cindy didn’t want me to. We had a very entertaining 2 ½ hours.
It took Cindy & me a long time to give ourselves permission to spend the money it costs to see big name entertainers. We were raising kids and had those expenses. Yet in the past we managed to experience the music of James Taylor, John Denver, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. They all put on great shows. Of those mentioned my personal favorite was John Denver. We saw him at least two times in Milwaukee.
After the show we stopped at Fuddruckers and split a juicy hamburger, onion rings and chocolate shake.
Yesterday was a good day.
Shalom
Wow! Just think back to those wonderful days of yesteryear, the ‘70’s, and picture in your mind where you were when platform shoes, bell bottom pants, white belts and disco were all the rage. One musical group I always enjoyed hearing was ABBA. The music was always upbeat and driven. I remember also getting a bit of grief because I liked to listen to that music. Who couldn’t love songs like Chiquitita, Dancing Queen, Mama Mia, Super Trouper, Take a Chance on Me, S.O.S. and many others. I bet you are smiling right now aren’t you.
Well, well, well. ABBA IS BACK! Mama Mia, the smash hit musical based on the music of ABBA is touring the country to sell-out crowds. Cindy & I drove to El Paso to see it. It was so much fun. The story the musical tells is that of a young woman who is getting married on a Greek island. She has grown up without a father and wants to know about him. She reads her mother’s diary (kids, don’t try this at home; these are trained professionals) and discover references to 3 men her mother “knew” 20 years previously. She impulsively invites those men to her wedding without telling mom, of course.
The sets, costumes, lighting, dancing, acting and singing were all superb. I just wanted to sing along but for some reason Cindy didn’t want me to. We had a very entertaining 2 ½ hours.
It took Cindy & me a long time to give ourselves permission to spend the money it costs to see big name entertainers. We were raising kids and had those expenses. Yet in the past we managed to experience the music of James Taylor, John Denver, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. They all put on great shows. Of those mentioned my personal favorite was John Denver. We saw him at least two times in Milwaukee.
After the show we stopped at Fuddruckers and split a juicy hamburger, onion rings and chocolate shake.
Yesterday was a good day.
Shalom
Thursday, February 01, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Happy New Year one and all,
We had a wonderful Christmas celebration at church and then we finally got together with our kids. Matt was supposed to get here the Wednesday before Christmas but managed to fly into Denver during the worst storm they've seen in years. Laura & BJ live there so luckily he had somewhere to be. Laura rescued him from the airport. Over the next number of days they got reacquainted. Then all three managed to fly down here on Christmas Day.
After a day and a half around here we drove over to Puerto Penasco, Mexico on the Sea of Cortez for a 4 night adventure. The weather was good but cool. We had a great time. The hotel sure was nice, the food was terrific and the hot-tub was blissful. The pool was open but the water temperature was just a bit above freezing. One afternoon we rented ATV’s and boy did we scoot around. It was fun. At night we watched V for Vendetta, played cards and laughed a lot. We also took a sunset cruise all bundled up against the cool night air.
We made it home on New Years Eve after driving 8 hours. Once here we prepared finger food, watched the count-down on TV, soaked in the hot-tub, and lit sparklers. Whoo – no parents! I have to tell you about that. If I remember right Matt tells us that when he was a Resident Assistant at school a college kid drank too much, streaked across the campus yelling “whoo – college – no parents”. Well once Matt told us that it was our mantra in Mexico. “Whoo – no parents!”
After a few more days here Laura & BJ flew back home. Laura starts a new job and has been involved in setting up the program from the ground-up. That’s impressive. The same afternoon AJ, Matt’s friend from college flew in to join us here in Las Cruces. White Sands, Juarez, card games, movies, chatting, great food all kept us busy here. AJ & Matt flew home yesterday (Sunday).
Matt got some great news. He will be in Washington, DC the last semester of his undergraduate work doing some class work but more importantly an internship for a congressman. Actually he reached high and got chosen to be an intern in the office of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Wow! We are very thrilled.
Since Christmas life returned to normal. I just returned from a preaching seminar in Arizona but that is another story.
We had a wonderful Christmas celebration at church and then we finally got together with our kids. Matt was supposed to get here the Wednesday before Christmas but managed to fly into Denver during the worst storm they've seen in years. Laura & BJ live there so luckily he had somewhere to be. Laura rescued him from the airport. Over the next number of days they got reacquainted. Then all three managed to fly down here on Christmas Day.
After a day and a half around here we drove over to Puerto Penasco, Mexico on the Sea of Cortez for a 4 night adventure. The weather was good but cool. We had a great time. The hotel sure was nice, the food was terrific and the hot-tub was blissful. The pool was open but the water temperature was just a bit above freezing. One afternoon we rented ATV’s and boy did we scoot around. It was fun. At night we watched V for Vendetta, played cards and laughed a lot. We also took a sunset cruise all bundled up against the cool night air.
We made it home on New Years Eve after driving 8 hours. Once here we prepared finger food, watched the count-down on TV, soaked in the hot-tub, and lit sparklers. Whoo – no parents! I have to tell you about that. If I remember right Matt tells us that when he was a Resident Assistant at school a college kid drank too much, streaked across the campus yelling “whoo – college – no parents”. Well once Matt told us that it was our mantra in Mexico. “Whoo – no parents!”
After a few more days here Laura & BJ flew back home. Laura starts a new job and has been involved in setting up the program from the ground-up. That’s impressive. The same afternoon AJ, Matt’s friend from college flew in to join us here in Las Cruces. White Sands, Juarez, card games, movies, chatting, great food all kept us busy here. AJ & Matt flew home yesterday (Sunday).
Matt got some great news. He will be in Washington, DC the last semester of his undergraduate work doing some class work but more importantly an internship for a congressman. Actually he reached high and got chosen to be an intern in the office of Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Wow! We are very thrilled.
Since Christmas life returned to normal. I just returned from a preaching seminar in Arizona but that is another story.
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