Summer Hebrew 09

When I'm not in out little classroom hut or burying my nose in our homework there is great beauty to behold all around me. The Judean hills are so different from the fertile Midwest flatlands or the Minneapolis concrete jungle that I am used to looking over. Even as we read at prayer meeting last night, "The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and all those who dwell therein..." (Ps. 24:1)

Studies are going very well as we approach the half-way point in the first 4 week course on Jonah. Once that course is complete I'll be staying for an intermediate course in Genesis 1-3 that is offered for the following two weeks. Rachel is driving today through some of that fertile midwestern flatland as she and Benaiah go to celebrate Independence Day with her family and stay until my return.

Thank you for your prayer on our behalf - for courage, perseverance, focus, discipline, joy, and communion with God.

הודו לאדני כי טוב כי לאולם חסדו

Give thanks to the LORD for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Summer Hebrew 08

Greetings and Shalom to you,

Yesterday was an exciting day as we first delved into the book of Jonah. That will be out main course of study for the next 2.5 weeks along with a host of other activities to help us understand the book in Hebrew as Hebrew. Remarkably, by this point in our studies I'm reading the text pictured above (Jonah 1:4-5) out loud in Hebrew and understanding what's going on, no translation! Praise the Lord. Pray that all of us here would be able to proceed with due diligence and ample humility.

Summer Hebrew 07

Talked to Rachel again today - amazed at the gift of technology and the irreplaceability of face to face relationship. Tomorrow morning she begins her trek home to Michigan for the month of July. Benaiah is excited too, it will be his first long car trip facing forward in his car seat!

They'll be spending the month of July at Rachel's parents home in St. Johns. Rachel is planning to teach some backyard swim lessons with her mom, see some old friends, and get in a little relaxation time in the country and at their cabin. Benaiah, well, he doesn't have any plans but everyday is an adventure. I'm sure he'll enjoy getting acquainted with grass, trying out his walking in a bigger house, and getting pushed in the swings grandpa has been hanging up for him.

Pray for them as they drive the next few days. I miss being with them but am very glad they can make this journey and be with family for the next while until I return home.

Shalom to you all in Jesus.

Summer Hebrew 06 - A Day in the Old City

Har Zeytin is its Hebrew name, we know it as the Mount of Olives. I took the long walk up this hill yesterday for the first time. Across the valley from the temple mount was one of Jesus' favorite places to sit and teach. It's also the place where he made his famous prayer for us in John 17. And it was in a garden on this hillside where he was betrayed to his death, a death we have celebrated for millennia because of its eternal implications!

We have studies to fulfill on the weekends but much more time than is needed to complete them. Between rest, exercise, and soaking in the beautiful Judean countryside a few of us decided to travel to Jerusalem and see the Old City. After 8 hours of exploring just this small section of greater Jerusalem I can say that there is still so much more to see - perhaps another weekend.

One of the sights that struck me the most was seeing two groups of Christian pilgrims carrying crosses through the streets of Jerusalem, praying aloud, singing, and seeking to remember our Lord's great work of redemption. What struck me even more was that the first group I saw was clothed in all white and of obvious African descent. The second group, though not color coordinated, was all of Asian descent. How beautiful the body of Christ from every tongue and tribe and people and nation (Rev. 5:9).

Summer Hebrew 05

We have officially finished our first week, whew! So far we've communicatively used over 200 Biblical Hebrew words, learned three songs and began learning the Shema, moved from hesitant speakers to giving commands and answering questions in Biblical Hebrew (making lots of mistakes, of course!), and just today we began the book of Jonah.

This picture is from the end of our class period today where we prepared to welcome in the Sabbath. This is usually done in the evening among family but we did it before parting ways. To do this Dr. Buth, pictured here, taught us about the blessings we would say and the culture behind it. He did this almost entirely in Biblical Hebrew - and praise the Lord, most of us understood most of what he was saying most of the time!

We used something similar to the blessings that Jesus would have used at the last supper to bless God, the King over everything, giver of the fruit of the vine and bread from the earth. And may he be praised for this wonderful week of learning, may he be honored in all those who have supported us in prayer and by financial means and through encouragement, may he be magnified in the coming days of rest and study - through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thanks for your support. Shalom.

Summer Hebrew 04

Boker Tov! Every morning I wake up, shower, spend time in private worship and then step out the door to face my new host culture. "Boker tov" is their simple "good morning" statement. When I get up to the dining hall I'm greeted by this - a lovely kosher breakfast. Actually, it's a buffet so I can chose what I like but this is my normal fare: hard yellow cheese, a few eggs, salad (peppers, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, wet white cheese), juice, milk, tea, and pita with honey. [meat and dairy cannot be mixed in kosher settings]

Usually I sit by an open window and spend some time reading Pilgrim's Progress before class starts while eating my breakfast. Today Christian met and parted ways with Mr. Formality and Mr. Hypocrisy who entered the narrow way from the city of Vain-Glory. It seems that in this land where I am a guest religion has lots of formality, lots of legality, and yet sadly misses the narrow way.

Pray for me and the various peoples God has placed me among for the summer. May it be replete with worshipful language learning and witness-conscious living. Shalom.

Summer Hebrew 03

Short update tonight but a fantastic day!
-I got to watch my little buddy play for almost an hour on Skype today. He's having great fun with mommy, Mimi, and aunt Courtney. (I think he misses daddy though :-(
-Got a glimpse of a wild antelope on my run today through the countryside.
-Spoke a full sentence in Hebrew to an Israeli and was understood!
-Hosted a wonderful prayer meeting in our hotel room tonight for all the students.
-Tomorrow I may be going to Jerusalem for the first time!

Contrary to what the picture may seem to indicate, our teacher actually do like one another. Here they are just demonstrating some Hebrew vocabulary for us as we were introduced to the sacrificial system. 95% of the class time is in Biblical Hebrew so they will do almost anything to help us understand without giving us a translation. This makes for a pretty wild four hours every morning!

Thanks for your prayers. Shalom.

"A Blast from the Past," or so it seemed. Upon arrival in Israel 3 days ago we met some friends at a popular shopping mall near the airport. I knew our quest would take us to some historical places, but I didn't expect this! (Don't worry, they're not real.)

This was just a small surprise from our initial days - which are common in international travel - but here are a few more serious ones:

-How expensive a taxi is on the Sabbath
-How in your face the culture can be
-How open people are to talking about what Americans would consider too deep for public conversations (i.e.- religion and personal faith)
-How clear the Muslim call to prayer echoes through the valley beneath my hotel
-How beautiful the Kibbutz is that we're staying at
-How much fun it can be to learn another language, especially a "dead" one

Thank you for your prayer. Shalom

Summer Hebrew - Day 01

We finished our first day of Hebrew class at 12:30 today and I hadn't written down a thing! In fact, the teachers encouraged us not to write anything, even when we got back to our rooms. The key learning words this summer are: relax, enjoy, absorb.

Now, after that description it may seem like we didn't do a thing today, but in fact we were very busy. Though we knew some of the vocabulary coming into class, we interacted in a living setting with approximately 70 different Biblical Hebrew words or forms in just 4 hours.

I have some homework to do later this afternoon and then we're required to get 8 hours of sleep. Ha! How's that for homework.

Many thanks to all who are praying for our family and for my studies. Here's just one photo off my balcony of the hill-country just north-west of Jerusalem. (we're on top of one of the taller hills)

Greetings family, friends, and supporters. I've arrived safely in Israel. Last night we (myself, Scott, and his wife Vanessa) met with some friends who live locally. They gave us a brief introduction to the land and to the people who call Israel home. It was very helpful.

After a stop at the grocery store we hired a taxi to take us and our luggage to the Kibbutz. The airport is on the west coast of Israel and the Kibbutz hotel where we are staying is near Jerusalem in the center of the country. So, it was quite a ride with our cabby Yosi who at times expertly navigated one-lane roads through the mountains.

I hope to be posting pictures and videos from the days to come. Today is a time for rest and reflection - tonight is orientation - tomorrow classes begin at 8am.

Rachel and Benaiah are doing well. It's sad to be missing them on our first Father's day but they slipped a card in my bag before I left. We're holding on to the promise Jesus made to us, "everyone who has left (lit.- let go, released) houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."

We are grateful for your prayers during this season of our lives and preparation.

Back From the Dead...7 Days and Counting

After a three days in the dehumidifying process, it appears the Lord has spared our computer. It got splashed with some water last week and I was pretty sure it was finished. But apparently we acted fasted enough and the Jesus who holds the universe together by the word of his power kept water from going down into the sensitive innards. Whew...relief.

So, a brief apology to all for any delayed emails, etc...

This morning we packed my backpack and prayed together. This week will go far too fast. And I will miss mornings like this...

A Video Worth 98 Minutes

It's two men, sitting in chairs, talking about doctrine...but it's worth your watching. Carve it up into 10 minute segments or watch it all at once. May the Lord bless your viewing.

VIDEO