50 Days at 30,000 feet

About 2 weeks ago we started a challenge with our church, to read through the New Testament in the 50 days leading up to Easter.  I personally believe that reading the Bible and knowing what it says is one of the greatest things that anyone can do to build their faith in God, and live a meaningful life.  The Bible truly contains the Words of Life.

It may sound like a daunting task to accomplish in 7 weeks, but when you actually break it down it is really only about 25-30 minutes a day of reading (depending on your pace).   We have even factored in two "grace days" each week that give a way for people to catch up on what they had missed, or even get ahead if they know that the days ahead are going to be busy.  It really isn't that intense of a schedule.

Think of it like this:  how much time do you spend per day just browsing people's Facebook status', or reading your Twitter feed?  I would be willing to be that it is around 25-30 minutes over the day, especially if you have FB and Twitter on your phone.  Think about it...if you took that time and invested it in reading the Bible you could read the entire New Testament simply re-prioritizing the time you already spend.  You can even read the Bible on your phone with an app like Bible by YouVersion.  Or even still, have that app stream an audio Bible to you in the car on your commute.  That will take your traffic skills to a whole nutha level!

One thing that I have observed in reading such extended sections of the Bible in a short amount of time, is what I call the 30,000 foot effect.  Usually when us Christians read the Bible, we are studying, looking deep for things we can apply to our lives.  This is a great practice, however when we stare at the details that close we often loose sight of the big picture of Scripture...the overall narrative of what God was doing through the whole book.  When you look out the window of a plane from high altitude you really can get a better perspective of the land.  You can see how cities connect, how natural features work together, and so on.  When you read the Bible by taking larger portions at one sitting, and doing that for 50 days, you get a new view on how God works, and how the stories and teachings work together.  It really is awesome.

I want to invite you to join me on this challenge.  You may not finish it by Easter, but when it comes to reading the Word of God, it isn't about a checklist, or time frame.  It is about knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ!  

Here is a link to the plan:  http://cpnorthshore.com/index.php/archives/1757

Israel & Jordan Top Ten (Part 2)

So we have been home for a week now.  I have thought about our trip a bit more, and here is part 2 of the list:


5.  Meeting new people and making new friends.
Ok, so I didn't have to ride on a plane for 20 hours to do this, but there is something about seeing people on the other side of the world, shaking their hands, sharing a meal with them, hearing their stories, seeing them laugh, that makes you realize how many interesting people there are.  I loved talking to our tour guide Ikey Korin, and our bus driver David, learning some Hebrew phrases (butchering it, I am sure).  It was interesting to talk to our Jordanian guide, Jamil, and hearing about his life an family.  Trips like this are cool for their Biblical and historical significance, but also for their "people significance."

Plus, I loved getting to know the other 28 people that were on the trip with us.  I have a lot of new friends all over now!  That's cool.

4.   Standing in the place where Paul appealed to Caesar

And thereby brought the witness of Christ and the Good News of the Gospel to the most influential city on earth.  It was from Rome that the church grew to reach every corner of the earth.  This is in the palace of Herod in the port town of Caesarea.  This is the story recorded in Acts 25.

Paul knew that his life and ministry would be difficult and that he must suffer, but he also knew that he was to testify to the gentiles and the leaders of the gentiles.  He knew that he wasn't meant to die on a backroad between Caesarea and Jerusalem at the hands of murderers.  He knew that the Good News would be preached all over the world, and he was determined to engage himself in the promise of Christ (that is in the next point).

3.  Caeserea Philippi--The Gates of Hell and the promise of Christ

It was in this place that Jesus made his promise to build his church, and even the very gates of Hell could't prevail against it.  Behind me in the picture is the cave from where a river in ancient times flowed, and was referred to as the "gates of Hell."  This was a center of pagan worship, and a pretty dark place (although impressive), yet it was here that Jesus gave his promise to build his unstoppable church.  I love this place because it reminds me that to be involved in building the Church, we are living the fulfillment of Jesus own prophecy.  Whenever the Church grows, and salvation comes to one more, Jesus is building his Church.  What Jesus says can be counted on!

2.  Perspective
Ok, so this is a bit less concrete than the others on the list, but one thing about traveling around the world that I love is the change you can feel in yourself.  I have walked where Jesus, the disciples, the prophets walked.  I have experienced new cultures, met new people, eaten new foods.  I am a different person.  I read the Bible differently.  I see people differently.  I watch the news differently.  I have a new lens through which I can view the world.  I can relate to my own struggles and experiences with greater clarity.  I can see myself as a part of a bigger world.  I think that's cool, and I am glad to have been able to share that experience with my wife, and with my oldest daughter.  Sandy and I hope to take all of our kids in the future.

1. Baptizing my daughter Talia in the Jordan River.
I can't express adequately how happy I am that our girls are growing in their faith and are wanting to serve the Lord for themselves.   All of our girls have been baptized in water, and now one of the four have been baptized in the Jordan River.  I can't wait to baptize the other three in the Jordan some day.

Israel & Jordan Top Ten (Part 1)

In the wake of our recent trip to Israel and Jordan I have been going over the places and experiences and trying to sort out what would be on my top ten list. This was my second trip to the "Holy Land" (the first was in 2007), and even though there were many repeat sites, I was able to absorb so much more the second time around.


10.   Falafel. 
So this may be a shallow favorite, but I seriously love this stuff. I know you can get it in America, but it's truly different. For those of you who have never had it, it's a deep fried chickpea mixed with garlic, parsley, etc, then stuffed in a pita with salad, dressing, and sometimes a few french fries stuffed in there. It's really good. Here is a video of a guy making falafel in a small Druze village near Mt. Carmel.  They make thousands every day at this place, and it was one of the best on our trip.  They let us into the kitchen to take a look.


Mt. Carmel Filafel from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

9.  Climbing the cliffs of Petra.

Since this was my first visit to Jordan, it was also my first visit to Petra, the Nabatean city that was carved out of the sandstone cliffs.  If you have seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you know the place that I am talking about.  It is really impressive to approach the city through the only entrance (the Siq) which is a 2.5 km walk through a narrow sandstone canyon with the cliff walls ascending up to 250 feet above your head, then to come around the  final bend and see the Treasury rising from the ground to the top of the cliff.  But what surprised me most about Petra was how big it was beyond that.  There are nearly 300 other carved tombs in the valley, but the treasury is the most well preserved.  There is a 3,000 seat theater carved into the rock which was expanded by the Romans in the 2nd Century AD, and so many cool places to explore.  We started climbing the cliffs to see one sight, and quickly discovered a trail or staircase that lead to another.  You could literally spend days exploring that valley and not see it all.  I even met some new Bedouin friends who invited me to join them for some traditional music.


Bedouins in Petra from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

8.  Visiting Bethany beyond Jordan from the Jordanian side of the border.

Here I am standing in Jordan, and the people on the other
side are standing in Israel.

The site along the Jordan River where John the Baptist was actually baptizing, and where he baptized Jesus, is a sleepy little spot along the river across from Jericho.  When the Bible says John was in the wilderness, it isn't kidding.  This spot is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  In 2007, when we were in Israel we visited this spot from the Israeli side of the Jordan (which serves as the border between Israel and Jordan in this area).  At that time our group needed a military escort, and when we arrived we could see just across the river, a Jordanian soldier with his machine gun standing guard.  The river is literally only about 20 feet wide at this point, the the soldiers on either side can clearly see what each other are having for lunch.  This time we visited the site from the Jordanian side.  There is a cool Orthodox church there, and down at the river you can see over to the Israeli side, where this time I could see the Israeli soldiers.  Cool site, because Jesus was baptized there, but also cool because of the political realities that are overlaid on it.

7.  Turkish Coffee.

Ok, time for a confession: it is currently the Lenten season, and technically I should be fasting coffee, since that's what I determined to do, but I made some exceptions on this trip.  Hey after all God desires obedience more than sacrifice (not sure how me drinking coffee works out as obedience, but it certainly would have been sacrifice to pass this up).  Living in the land of Starbucks, Ladro, Zoka, and a coffee shop on every corner, we Pacific Northwesterners pride ourselves on having the corner on the market when it comes to coffee, but until you have tasted  a good cup of Turkish coffee from the tent of a Bedouin, your list of coffee experiences isn't complete.  It is great to see the beans roasted over the fire right in front of you, then hear the coffee be ground in a musical fashion, and hear the symbolism of Bedouin hospitality in the traditions of coffee consumption.  I have always thought that coffee should be enjoyed as more than just a beverage, but as an experience--and this just confirms my thoughts.



6.   Wandering the streets of Jerusalem's Old City.

I love hanging out in cities.  I love walking through downtown areas, watching people, shopping, eating, and all that good stuff.  Jerusalem has all of those elements, but there is something about the Old City of Jerusalem that is unlike any other city.  You have all the modern accents of life in the city, but all right next to and mixed in with thousands of years of history.  You have churches, mosques, synagogues, shops, restaurants, museums,  archaeological sites, kids playing soccer, houses, apartments, all jammed into the most interesting city in the world.  It's almost as if you could imagine King David walking right next to the electronics shops, or Jesus and his disciples stopping at the Falafel stand, or playing soccer with the kids.  There are a number of things to see in Jerusalem that are worth seeing, but just being there is a feast for the imagination and senses.

Jordanian Farewell Dinner

So our last memory of Jordan is a great one....with the exception of the 5 airport security screenings that is!

Untitled from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

A Few More Israeli Days & a Jordanian Sunset

So we didn't have good wi-fi access the last few days, so here are a few pictures from our recent adventures from the Dead Sea, Qumran, Masada, Beit Shean, and a few more.  We currently are in Amman, Jordan and are headed south to the city of Petra, which I am quite excited about.

As we left the Galilee region we stopped at the peak of Mt. Arbel for the view.   I  wonder if this could be one of the mountain tops that Jesus often retreated to in order to pray.

The ancient ruins of Beit Shean are cool.  Here I am at the Roman restroom.. not the most comfortable, but you get the idea.

Sandy and Talia looking over the ruins of the ancient city of Jericho....and the walls came a tumbling down.  

Looking down on the Roman city for Beit Shean from the top of the Ancient city, where Saul and Jonathan's bodies were hung after their deaths, until the men from Jabesh Gilead came to resue them and treat them with respect.

Talia and I on the balcony of our hotel room overlooking the Dead Sea.

And a few more pictures:

A Bedouin roasting coffee for his guests...us!

Our first Jordanian sunset....beautiful.

Galilean Adventure

So we had a pretty cool day today. We visited the mount of Beatitudes, Peters house in Capernaum, and a few other places around the sea of Galilee, then we went for a boat ride on the sea. We had a cool time of prayer and worship. I shared from Mark 6 which is where Jesus walked out to the disciples on the water...and right in the middle of our ride the wind and waves got crazy and the weather took a crazy turn.

Here is a video of sandy leading a few songs.


Untitled from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

Then on the way to Nazareth we hit some crazy rain and hail. Here is the view from our bus.

Untitled from Jay Smith on Vimeo.

Final days in Jerusalem

Here are a few last pics from Jerusalem.  We had such a great time in this amazing city.  We had a free afternoon on Tuesday and explored some more of the Old City and made it back to the hotel just in time for dinner.  I can't wait to vet back to this city soon!