ISRAEL - Part 6 The Food

The staple wherever we went was pitas, hummus, and "salad" which consisted of several plates including marinated red cabbage, cucumber and tomato salad, tabouli, and medley of sweet peppers. These were often accompanied by meat, usually arriving on skewers.

Other mainstays were Schwarma. Basically, meat in a pita.

And falafel, which is basically fried chick pea balls in a pita.

Lots of pitas.

Good thing I love pitas.

A friend of mine advised me to eat falafel in Jerusalem, which is advice well-taken to all of you heading to Jerusalem any time soon. Falafel man's falafel will no doubt ruin every other falafel experience I will have for the rest of my life.

Correct falafel eating technique

Me and the Falafel Man

Some other memorable meals during the trip:

(1) The first morning, I befriended the chef (surprise, surprise) who in exchange for my friendship cooked me up an omelet I will never soon forget. It was your basic pepper, tomato and onion job with one subtle twist. A spice. I knew I knew it. I just couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, I asked him what it was. He said, "Mint." Mint in an omelet. Who would have thunk? Brilliant.

(2) Eating fish heads (it was actually Lia's fish head) by the Sea of Galilee brought back some serious memories from my time in Kenya when I used to eat kichwa cha samaki. It's a Swahili old wives tale that if you eat kichwa cha samaki (fish heads) you get smarter. I was hoping it would help me with Swahili. This time I was hoping I would keep it down.

befriend the fish before eating it

Hunter is hilarious in the background of both these shots

A third meal that I will remember with great fondness, mostly for the company (though the food was exceptional) was with our new friends Gary and Cindy Bayer, perhaps the two most hospitable human beings on God's earth. Much could be said about this couple. I'll leave it at this: they have a simple, clear vision that when realized could quite possibly change the world. It was there we also met the wonderful Erez and Cici (president and first lady of Jerusalem Bible College).

Gary and Cindy

Erez and Cici

A final meal that will remain in my mind was outside Zababida with our Palestinian Young Life friends (more to come on them). I'll also remember it for being my first hookah smoke!

It's all in the stance

Like a pro

Sorry Nancy, I'd photoshop you eyes if I knew how

ISRAEL - Part 5 Mount Arbel

Sometimes the best discoveries come totally by surprise. That's what happened to Hunter, Scott and I on our last day in Galilee. Near our outpost in Nos Ginosar there is a mountain called Arbel. The cliffs there were mouthwateringly close not to give them a shot.



We left before breakfast. Little did we know that there was far more to these cliffs than met the eye. Turns out, and we discovered this en route while we dodged horses and cows with horns, that the cliffs were riddled with caves.









We learned later that these caves go back as far as the Maccabean Rebellion which pre-dates Jesus by over 150 years!

I read this online: Josephus relates that Marc Antony had sent Herod to suppress a rebellion by the Jews (this is 37 B.C.) from Arbel "lurking in caves...opening up onto mountain precipices [that] were inaccessible from any quarter, except by some tortuous and extremely narrow paths leading up to them; the cliff in front of them dropped sheer down..." (Josephus, War 1:305, 310).




It was easy to imagine Jesus and his disciples sheltering out here. Heck, I wanted to shelter out there. Had I known they were there I would have kissed my bed at Nos Ginosar good-bye.





The only bummer was Lia wasn't there. Fortunately, we ended up with an extra 90 minutes in our morning schedule, and I twisted the tour group's arms into going back.





It was a quick, hot, strenuous hike. But it made the Coke at the end all the better.

ISRAEL - Part 4 The Team

Here's our team (plus THE BEST PHOTO BOMBER in history. The girl, second from the right in the back. Internet, do your work. I must know your name! You rock!)

Let me introduce the rest to you...

Hunter -
A true visionary. How about this for a resume: born in the Bible Belt (North Carolina), lived in God's Country (Montana), and settled in the Holy Land?

I have been a fan of his for years, but now I can claim him as a friend (I will still keep my fan status card, thank you)

My appreciation has only increased since getting to know his beautiful wife, Lauri (they have a better engagement(s) story than ours and that's saying something) and their wonderful daughter Haley, who helped me stave off homesickness by giving me three hugs a day.  

Now I miss Haley!

Haley! Visit me with you come to America this summer.

Scott - 
One of my dearest friends. It was an incredible treat to be with him for the week.

He was notoriously late...for everything! On one occasion we left him! It was part because we were on a time table, but I think it really was to teach him a lesson. He says he was stuck behind a police barricade, but his email betrays him ; )

Bruce and Alysia - 

Bruce and I had a moment I'll never forget. 

Picture this: singing the Star Spangled Banner on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. When Bruce throws his arm around me as we belt out the final part... Priceless. 

My moment with Alysia came on the last morning on the terrace in Jerusalem. Thanks Alysia. 

 

Steve and Annaliese - 

Steve is a professional storyteller. Many years ago he and his wife adopted Hunter. Over the course of the week, I think they adopted us. And we couldn't be happier about it! My favorite moment with the Maddox's happened in Jericho. It was dinner. There was wine. And we shared some great stories. (I owe them one actually.)

Annaliese is a professional smile-maker. She put one on me every day.

Allison - 

I have another name for her, but I won't share it.

We go to the same church. It's called Hope.

We didn't spray paint it. Thanks to whoever did.

Check out the smile she put on that camel. That's the kind of gal Allison is.

Mary Hil - 

She was a Young Life gal of mine, and still she turned out amazing!

She brought a lot of fun as well as a horde of snacks. My favorite Mary Hil moment was actually a meal we shared before leaving JFK. By the end of it, I think we had pretty much figured her entire life out. Ha!

And despite being the youngest, she fit in perfect. 

Yousef and Nisreen - 

Zebabdeh (sp?) born and bred. They got married on our anniversary. Yousef has promised to remind me, and vice versa.

One thing I love is Humor is universal. It's one of the fruits of the spirit. Seriously, they'll discover it someday in some ancient scroll (check back this week to read about our trip to Qumran)

And last but certainly not least...

Rich and Nancy - 

They remind Lia and I so much of Lia's parents I began to call Nancy "Sue"

And Rich, "Rich"!

Nancy was my partner in crime. Whenever I wanted to do something crazy, I knew I could count on her to do it with me. Rich got himself in his own trouble. He asked everyone. I mean everyone he met how they would solve the Israeli/Palestinian question. It was unbelievable. He even got cussed out! 

Leela and Me - 

This is us clean.

This is us dirty. 

(Dead Sea blog entry forthcoming as well)

ISRAEL - Part 3 Water Walking

How cool would it be to walk on water? Answer: very.

Needless to say, when we arrived at the Sea of Galilee, I had big plans to pull off the impossible because, after all, nothing is.

Right?

One evening when Anna Rose was three, I was talking to Lia about how impossible writing is when Anna Rose piped up and said those very words: "Daddy, nothing's impossible with God." Dang it. Wouldn't you believe she was right?

Which leads me here to the water's edge of the beautiful Sea of Galilee. A lake of many names: Gennesaret, Kinneret, and Tiberias to go along with Galilee - the largest fresh water lake in Israel, the second lowest (at 200 or so meters below sea level) in the world (we'll be visiting the lowest in a couple days!). I had an amazing run there. It was like the opposite of running at altitude - no, it wasn't like the opposite, it was!

But running is one thing - water walking is another.

All I needed was faith.

No problem.

Here, my partner in crime, Scott Steele sizes up my chances. 

We were standing on the beach at a place called Peter's Primacy.

It's the "traditional" (we talked about traditional already) location where Jesus and Peter had their conversation on the beach.

John 21. It's one of our favorite stories in the New Testament, one of the most beautiful pictures of love and forgiveness ever written. And we were standing there.

You could almost smell the fish Jesus had been frying.

And Lia and I had just tag-teamed the devotion.

So it was about as good a time as any.

I rolled up my pants. (Quite a display of faith, wouldn't you say).

I approached the water's edge. Tiny waves lapped at my toes.

I closed my eyes.

I prayed.

I mustered all the faith I could muster.

And stepped...

Granted, it would have been riskier trying a water walk in the middle of the lake. But my options were limited.

I sunk right in.

Dead on arrival. 

The faith of a gnat. Actually, gnat's float. I've got less faith than a gnat. 

Which gets me thinking about the significance of the place...the point Jesus was making to Peter when he restored him that day.

It was like he was saying the same thing to me: "Ned, don't you get it? It's not your belief in me but my belief in you that matters."

Dang it. He's right, of course. You'd think I'd learn it by now.

ISRAEL - Part 2 Nazareth

For a country that is only 2% Christian, Israel has some churches. The ones we visited were ones at or near places where Jesus did things. 

The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth

looks like a Star Wars time warp on the inside. 

It's the "traditional" place where Gabriel appeared to Mary. "Traditional" is the word they throw in when they're pretty sure they're wrong, but maybe they're right.

Anyway, Mary and little Baby Jesus play a prominent role here. The garden outside is full of Mary and Baby Jesus' from across the world. Here is China's:

I had a hard time getting Talladega nights out of my head.

Carley: "Hey, um, you know, sweetie, Jesus did grow up. You don't always have to call him, 'baby.' It's a bit odd and off-putting to pray to a baby." 

Ricky: "Well, I like the Christmas Jesus best and I'm saying grace. When you say grace, you can say it to grownup Jesus or teenage Jesus or bearded Jesus, or whoever you want."

Cal: "I like to picture Jesus in a Tuxedo T-shirt because it says, like, 'I wanna be formal, but I'm here to party too.'" 

The United States pictures Mary as Lady Gaga. 

It reminds me of the quote attributed to many: God created man in his own image, and we have been returning the favor ever since. 

Germany made the door. There's a sculpture inlaid in the bottom left corner of Jesus as a teenager. This is Jesus in Nazareth: The boy who grew and became strong; was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him (Luke 2:40).

It's pretty cool, no, downright amazing, that of all the places Hunter could start Young Life he's starting it in the town where Jesus was a teenager. I couldn't help imagining Jesus in the crowd of high schoolers we met. Kids like Sari and Fareed and Anas and Jameel. He would have been in a Jewish high school, I guess - no, they didn't have high school back then...but you get what I mean.  

I saw the rocks he played on. I swung from trees in the place he swung from trees. And it didn't matter to me one dot or iota whether it was the "traditional" tree or not.