Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth...
Hi friends!!!!!! Can I just state that I survived this week! It is a pure miracle because I lost my mind and then found it about a million times. One day I was in such desperate need of a Word from the Lord that I just sat down, let my bible fall open, and on the right side page my eyes read this......
"Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.......
Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'" Isaiah 46: 4,8-10
I started crying after I read it. I don't make a habit of the "drop open and read" method but desperate times cause for desperate measures! The Lord provided! I printed this verse out and have a feeling it might be my scripture for 2011. I hadn't felt God pulling toward one scripture more than the other in this new year. I think this might be the one.
I have a deep loathing/hate for something in my life right now. The word "sustain" means something really important to me. There are two Hebrew meanings around the word sustain.......contain, feed, abide, nourish, hold, receive, bear, comprehended...and...lay, uphold, put, lean, stay, hold up, borne up, established, stand fast, rest, set.
I want out but that isn't a current option, so I have to trust that God will "nourish, hold up, feed" me through this current situation. And in my moment of craziness...he gave me this great portion of His Word to sustain me through it. That requires me to yell "AMEN" 3 times!!!!
Anyway, that is my current update and I could share more but I have a trip post that is way more fun! The day below was a perfect day! Blue sky, cool breeze!!!! I hope you will enjoy the change of scenery. We are now way up north and the vegetation is beautiful! Enjoy!
In my last post I did not show you the hotel we stayed in that night. This is it below. I had my own room that night and slept great.
The next morning we got up, had breakfast and then had some church time. Dr. Steve taught and we focused on the Parable about the lost sheep. Then it was time to head North to....
Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast. Founded by King Herod in the first century BC and named for Herod’s Roman patron, Augustus Caesar. This city was described in detail by the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius. It was a walled city, with the largest harbor on the eastern Mediterranean coast.
This site was insignificant until Herod the Great began to develop it into a magnificent harbor befitting his kingdom. The harbor was built using materials that would allow the concrete to harden underwater. The forty-acre harbor would accommodate 300 ships, much larger than the modern harbor existing today.
Caesarea played an important role in early Christian history. Here the baptism of the Roman officer Cornelius took place; (Acts 10:1-5, 25-28) from here Paul set sail for his journeys in the eastern Mediterranean; and here he was taken prisoner and sent to Rome for trial.
Acts 23:23-24...Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”
vs.33....When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
what is so cool is that I am currently in Acts, in Caesarea, with Paul in my bible study. So I can picture it all as I read. Amazing.
One of my favorite parts...the Hippodrome......when first built in the Herodian period, it seated about 8,000 spectators; in the first century CE seating areas were added, increasing its capacity to 15,000. This amphitheater was used for racing horses and chariots.
I was walking around the Hippo pretending like I was in "Gladiator" hahahhha....just waiting for an animal to pop up and want to eat me!
Then we took a nice chunk of time to go down and get our feet in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.
doesn't this water make you want to travel. The Med makes me want to travel to Greece now! ha
me
the water was PERFECT!!!!!!
Then it ws time to move on. Here is part of Herod's Palace.....
scriptures...read this
Josephus called this a "most magnificent palace" that Herod the Great built on a promontory jutting out into the waters of Caesarea. The pool in the center was nearly Olympic in size, and was filled with fresh water. A statue once stood in the center. Paul may have been imprisoned on the grounds of this palace (Acts 23:35).
still no luggage at this point so my outfit below was a "made up" one. ha. Desperate for clean clothes!
We then walked up some steps where we saw the great theater!
ruins of ancient shops next door
While we were walking we ran into Tim LaHaye, his son, and his wife Beverly (she writes fiction novels) again. They are the ones with their backs to us.
saying hello. These are the only two pictures that came out ok. I was trying to take pictures without them knowing I was being a stalker. I mean, i so should have been in the FBI. ha! Anyway, they were so nice.
and we met this man (with the tan jacket on) but I can NOT remember his name right now. Anywho, he is on tv and talks a lot about end time events. They were all there filming shows to air soon.
Ok...back to Caesarea......Herod the Great also constructed a theater with a seating capacity of 3500 and is the earliest of the Roman entertainment facilities built in his kingdom. The theater faces the sea and has thousands of seats resting on a semi-circular structure of vaults. The theater was covered with a skin covering (vellum), and visitors probably brought cushions with them to soften the stone seats. According to Josephus, this is where the death of Herod Agrippa occurred, in Acts 12.
The stage...everything was in great condition
i love that the audience faces the sea. reminds me of my childhood and going to the outdoor theater in Galveston. Watching a musical as the sun goes down over the water...doesn't get better than that!
a few statues hanging around...
The lack of fresh water at Herod's new city required a really long aqueduct to bring water from springs at the base of Mt. Carmel ten miles away. In order that the water would flow by the pull of gravity, the aqueduct was built on arches and the gradient was carefully measured. Later Hadrian and the Crusaders would attach additional channels to Herod's aqueduct. Super cool and advanced!
We spent all morning there and then it was time to drive even futher North and get some lunch!!!
are you seeing all this green plant life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The minute we started seeing green my heart wanted to explode. From desert to trees. It was such a nice change
We drove up into the mountain where we stopped to eat in a darling, tropical restaurant.
I got the falafel of course. Every place makes them different and at this point I was addicted! They also had an entire room that was a buffet full of yummy salads and grilled veggies to stuff into your pita!
After lunch we headed to Mt. Carmel
Mt. Carmel was most significant in ancient times as a barrier to traffic along the coastal plain. The 1500-foot high limestone mountain impeded armies and merchants traveling to the Jezreel Valley. Biblically, Mt. Carmel is referenced most often as a symbol of beauty and fertility. To be given the "splendor of Carmel" was to be blessed indeed (Isa 35:2). Solomon praised his beloved: "your head crowns you like Mount Carmel" (Song 7:5). But for Carmel to wither was a sign of devastating judgment (Nahum 1:4).
The statue at the Carmelite monastery reflects the Lord's victory over the prophets of Baal. Shortly after fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, altar and even the water, Elijah had the prophets of Baal slaughtered at the Brook Kishon - something which should have happened long before!
This is the Monastery built on top of the area of Elijah's contest, assuming tradition is correct. The monastery of Muhraqa is at the top of the hill, but tradition places the contest slightly lower near a spring. The crowds of Israelites would have filled the spacious territory around to see whose God would win.
In the Bible, the Jezerel valley (in below picture) was the scene of a victory by the Israelites, led by Gideon, against the Midianites, the Amalekiltes, and the Children of the East, but was later the location the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines.
In Christian Eschatology, the part of the valley which the Battle of Megiddo was fought is believed to be destined to be the site of the penultimate battle between good and evil (the final battle taking place 1,000 years later in Jerusalem), known as Armageddon.
compass painted with arrows pointing to different cities in Israel
an oil tree farm below
We then drove to another part of Mt. Carmel where I got to get up close and personal with an olive tree...
and eat an olive right of the branch. It tasted super CRAZY but I will try anything at least once ha! Next to the olive is a Roman coin we found.
We also stopped to check out another Roman city ruin site.
a Roman road......
here you can still see the marks from their chariots! so coooooooolllllllll
This floor mosaic was one of the prettiest I saw on the entire trip. Just look at that face and in such great condition.....
This would have taken the artists FOREVER to create. yikes
then it was back to the bus and time to drive to Nazareth....
The sun was getting ready to set and all the Middle East colors were vibrant and beautiful!
Situated inside a bowl atop the Nazareth ridge north of the Jezreel valley, Nazareth was a relatively isolated village in the time of Jesus with a population less than two hundred.
Today Nazareth is home to more than 70,000 Israeli Arabs, and Upper Nazareth is home to thousands more Jewish residents. It is also known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is predominantly made up of Arab citizens of Israel.
Jesus spent his boyhood years in Nazareth before beginning his ministry when he was about 30. After moving his home to Capernaum, Jesus returned to teach in the synagogue of Nazareth twice more, but was rejected both times. On one occasion the townspeople were so outraged at Jesus that they tried to throw him off a cliff to his death.
Very little is known about Nazareth from the ancient sources. Outside of the New Testament, Nazareth is never mentioned until the Byzantine period (4th c. A.D.). Archaeological excavations have confirmed that the city was only a small agricultural village during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
We visited this coffee shop below later that evening!
The beautiful Roman Catholic Church!
read this sign below. really read it............
A Byzantine church was built over the place where it is believed that the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary. In 1966 the Roman Catholic Church began constructing a new basilica over these remains and today this church is the largest church building in the Middle East. The Greek Orthodox Church nearby is built over the town's water source.
In the outside courtyard were large pieces of art work from every country on this planet! It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
The grand doors.....with the story of Jesus on them.
it was Sunday evening so many were getting ready for the service to begin
the ceiling in the entrance
confessional booths
The service was held in the old basement part of the church.
Upstairs we found this......................... WOW
i have a soft spot for stained glass and yet I don't even own one. such a shame. anyway, i want this in my home......soooo beautiful!
picture of the prodigal son
prayer bench
other church details.....
even the floor was art!
The entire church was breath-taking.
When then left and walked down the street to the coffee shop where.....
my head almost exploded with all the Arab pastries just sitting out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUM YUM
Turkish delights
Yoni bought us all a little of everything so that we could really experience the goodness.
everything is sweet and crunchy and savory all at the same time. Like nothing I have ever tasted before.
and the chocolate........................oh the chocolate. so divine you could just die!
here we are enjoying the snacks. And did I mention the Arab coffee is sooo good. So strong it could put hair on your chest but still good!!!!
and the last thing we tried was a warm cheesy dish. I have no idea what it was called but it involved cheese and this candied honey stuff on top!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!!!! so good
It was dark by that time and so we drove to the Sea of Galilee where we would stay for the next 3 nights!
we got there and I was reunited with my luggage! It was like Christmas opening it up!
It was a changing point in my trip because I didn't have to worry any more. Up next is the mouth of the Jordan River, meeting a blog reader, and
Caesarea Philippi.
Good thing I am only blogging once a week since these posts take you about a week to read! ha! only a few more to go! Hang in there. Off to clean house, make my first pound cake (from the new Southern Living mag) and buy me a new bible study!
Have a great weekend friends! I love you very much!
"Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.......
Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.
Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'" Isaiah 46: 4,8-10
I started crying after I read it. I don't make a habit of the "drop open and read" method but desperate times cause for desperate measures! The Lord provided! I printed this verse out and have a feeling it might be my scripture for 2011. I hadn't felt God pulling toward one scripture more than the other in this new year. I think this might be the one.
I have a deep loathing/hate for something in my life right now. The word "sustain" means something really important to me. There are two Hebrew meanings around the word sustain.......contain, feed, abide, nourish, hold, receive, bear, comprehended...and...lay, uphold, put, lean, stay, hold up, borne up, established, stand fast, rest, set.
I want out but that isn't a current option, so I have to trust that God will "nourish, hold up, feed" me through this current situation. And in my moment of craziness...he gave me this great portion of His Word to sustain me through it. That requires me to yell "AMEN" 3 times!!!!
Anyway, that is my current update and I could share more but I have a trip post that is way more fun! The day below was a perfect day! Blue sky, cool breeze!!!! I hope you will enjoy the change of scenery. We are now way up north and the vegetation is beautiful! Enjoy!
In my last post I did not show you the hotel we stayed in that night. This is it below. I had my own room that night and slept great.
The next morning we got up, had breakfast and then had some church time. Dr. Steve taught and we focused on the Parable about the lost sheep. Then it was time to head North to....
Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast. Founded by King Herod in the first century BC and named for Herod’s Roman patron, Augustus Caesar. This city was described in detail by the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius. It was a walled city, with the largest harbor on the eastern Mediterranean coast.
This site was insignificant until Herod the Great began to develop it into a magnificent harbor befitting his kingdom. The harbor was built using materials that would allow the concrete to harden underwater. The forty-acre harbor would accommodate 300 ships, much larger than the modern harbor existing today.
Caesarea played an important role in early Christian history. Here the baptism of the Roman officer Cornelius took place; (Acts 10:1-5, 25-28) from here Paul set sail for his journeys in the eastern Mediterranean; and here he was taken prisoner and sent to Rome for trial.
Acts 23:23-24...Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”
vs.33....When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
what is so cool is that I am currently in Acts, in Caesarea, with Paul in my bible study. So I can picture it all as I read. Amazing.
One of my favorite parts...the Hippodrome......when first built in the Herodian period, it seated about 8,000 spectators; in the first century CE seating areas were added, increasing its capacity to 15,000. This amphitheater was used for racing horses and chariots.
I was walking around the Hippo pretending like I was in "Gladiator" hahahhha....just waiting for an animal to pop up and want to eat me!
Then we took a nice chunk of time to go down and get our feet in the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.
doesn't this water make you want to travel. The Med makes me want to travel to Greece now! ha
me
the water was PERFECT!!!!!!
Then it ws time to move on. Here is part of Herod's Palace.....
scriptures...read this
Josephus called this a "most magnificent palace" that Herod the Great built on a promontory jutting out into the waters of Caesarea. The pool in the center was nearly Olympic in size, and was filled with fresh water. A statue once stood in the center. Paul may have been imprisoned on the grounds of this palace (Acts 23:35).
still no luggage at this point so my outfit below was a "made up" one. ha. Desperate for clean clothes!
We then walked up some steps where we saw the great theater!
ruins of ancient shops next door
While we were walking we ran into Tim LaHaye, his son, and his wife Beverly (she writes fiction novels) again. They are the ones with their backs to us.
saying hello. These are the only two pictures that came out ok. I was trying to take pictures without them knowing I was being a stalker. I mean, i so should have been in the FBI. ha! Anyway, they were so nice.
and we met this man (with the tan jacket on) but I can NOT remember his name right now. Anywho, he is on tv and talks a lot about end time events. They were all there filming shows to air soon.
Ok...back to Caesarea......Herod the Great also constructed a theater with a seating capacity of 3500 and is the earliest of the Roman entertainment facilities built in his kingdom. The theater faces the sea and has thousands of seats resting on a semi-circular structure of vaults. The theater was covered with a skin covering (vellum), and visitors probably brought cushions with them to soften the stone seats. According to Josephus, this is where the death of Herod Agrippa occurred, in Acts 12.
The stage...everything was in great condition
i love that the audience faces the sea. reminds me of my childhood and going to the outdoor theater in Galveston. Watching a musical as the sun goes down over the water...doesn't get better than that!
a few statues hanging around...
The lack of fresh water at Herod's new city required a really long aqueduct to bring water from springs at the base of Mt. Carmel ten miles away. In order that the water would flow by the pull of gravity, the aqueduct was built on arches and the gradient was carefully measured. Later Hadrian and the Crusaders would attach additional channels to Herod's aqueduct. Super cool and advanced!
We spent all morning there and then it was time to drive even futher North and get some lunch!!!
are you seeing all this green plant life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The minute we started seeing green my heart wanted to explode. From desert to trees. It was such a nice change
We drove up into the mountain where we stopped to eat in a darling, tropical restaurant.
I got the falafel of course. Every place makes them different and at this point I was addicted! They also had an entire room that was a buffet full of yummy salads and grilled veggies to stuff into your pita!
After lunch we headed to Mt. Carmel
Mt. Carmel was most significant in ancient times as a barrier to traffic along the coastal plain. The 1500-foot high limestone mountain impeded armies and merchants traveling to the Jezreel Valley. Biblically, Mt. Carmel is referenced most often as a symbol of beauty and fertility. To be given the "splendor of Carmel" was to be blessed indeed (Isa 35:2). Solomon praised his beloved: "your head crowns you like Mount Carmel" (Song 7:5). But for Carmel to wither was a sign of devastating judgment (Nahum 1:4).
The statue at the Carmelite monastery reflects the Lord's victory over the prophets of Baal. Shortly after fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifice, altar and even the water, Elijah had the prophets of Baal slaughtered at the Brook Kishon - something which should have happened long before!
This is the Monastery built on top of the area of Elijah's contest, assuming tradition is correct. The monastery of Muhraqa is at the top of the hill, but tradition places the contest slightly lower near a spring. The crowds of Israelites would have filled the spacious territory around to see whose God would win.
In the Bible, the Jezerel valley (in below picture) was the scene of a victory by the Israelites, led by Gideon, against the Midianites, the Amalekiltes, and the Children of the East, but was later the location the Israelites, led by King Saul, were defeated by the Philistines.
In Christian Eschatology, the part of the valley which the Battle of Megiddo was fought is believed to be destined to be the site of the penultimate battle between good and evil (the final battle taking place 1,000 years later in Jerusalem), known as Armageddon.
compass painted with arrows pointing to different cities in Israel
an oil tree farm below
We then drove to another part of Mt. Carmel where I got to get up close and personal with an olive tree...
and eat an olive right of the branch. It tasted super CRAZY but I will try anything at least once ha! Next to the olive is a Roman coin we found.
We also stopped to check out another Roman city ruin site.
a Roman road......
here you can still see the marks from their chariots! so coooooooolllllllll
This floor mosaic was one of the prettiest I saw on the entire trip. Just look at that face and in such great condition.....
This would have taken the artists FOREVER to create. yikes
then it was back to the bus and time to drive to Nazareth....
The sun was getting ready to set and all the Middle East colors were vibrant and beautiful!
Situated inside a bowl atop the Nazareth ridge north of the Jezreel valley, Nazareth was a relatively isolated village in the time of Jesus with a population less than two hundred.
Today Nazareth is home to more than 70,000 Israeli Arabs, and Upper Nazareth is home to thousands more Jewish residents. It is also known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is predominantly made up of Arab citizens of Israel.
Jesus spent his boyhood years in Nazareth before beginning his ministry when he was about 30. After moving his home to Capernaum, Jesus returned to teach in the synagogue of Nazareth twice more, but was rejected both times. On one occasion the townspeople were so outraged at Jesus that they tried to throw him off a cliff to his death.
Very little is known about Nazareth from the ancient sources. Outside of the New Testament, Nazareth is never mentioned until the Byzantine period (4th c. A.D.). Archaeological excavations have confirmed that the city was only a small agricultural village during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
We visited this coffee shop below later that evening!
The beautiful Roman Catholic Church!
read this sign below. really read it............
A Byzantine church was built over the place where it is believed that the angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary. In 1966 the Roman Catholic Church began constructing a new basilica over these remains and today this church is the largest church building in the Middle East. The Greek Orthodox Church nearby is built over the town's water source.
In the outside courtyard were large pieces of art work from every country on this planet! It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
The grand doors.....with the story of Jesus on them.
it was Sunday evening so many were getting ready for the service to begin
the ceiling in the entrance
confessional booths
The service was held in the old basement part of the church.
Upstairs we found this......................... WOW
i have a soft spot for stained glass and yet I don't even own one. such a shame. anyway, i want this in my home......soooo beautiful!
picture of the prodigal son
prayer bench
other church details.....
even the floor was art!
The entire church was breath-taking.
When then left and walked down the street to the coffee shop where.....
my head almost exploded with all the Arab pastries just sitting out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUM YUM
Turkish delights
Yoni bought us all a little of everything so that we could really experience the goodness.
everything is sweet and crunchy and savory all at the same time. Like nothing I have ever tasted before.
and the chocolate........................oh the chocolate. so divine you could just die!
here we are enjoying the snacks. And did I mention the Arab coffee is sooo good. So strong it could put hair on your chest but still good!!!!
and the last thing we tried was a warm cheesy dish. I have no idea what it was called but it involved cheese and this candied honey stuff on top!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!!!! so good
It was dark by that time and so we drove to the Sea of Galilee where we would stay for the next 3 nights!
we got there and I was reunited with my luggage! It was like Christmas opening it up!
It was a changing point in my trip because I didn't have to worry any more. Up next is the mouth of the Jordan River, meeting a blog reader, and
Caesarea Philippi.
Good thing I am only blogging once a week since these posts take you about a week to read! ha! only a few more to go! Hang in there. Off to clean house, make my first pound cake (from the new Southern Living mag) and buy me a new bible study!
Have a great weekend friends! I love you very much!