I rejoiced with those who said to me,    “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” Our feet are standing    in your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is built like a city    that is closely compacted together. Psalm 122:1-3 Saturday was orientation day. The president of JUC, Dr. Paul Wright, opened with this thought: Psalms 120-134 are called Psalms of Ascent, sung when pilgrims would go up to Jerusalem (Jerusalem is at a local high point, so you always go up to Jerusalem). Today, when Jews immigrate to Israel, they say they make Aliyah, or more literally, […]
Author Archive: Brian Johnson
Arrival!
When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, Â Â Â we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, Â Â Â our tongues with songs of joy. Â Then it was said among the nations, Â Â Â “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, Â Â Â and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:1-3 With tears of joy, I am finally back in Israel. It’s like coming home. Had a couple delays in flights, but nothing too bad. As usual, I slept terribly on the plane. I flew from Grand Rapids […]
Shalom Y’all
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Adventure is out there! Up Here I am, sitting at the Gerald R Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, awaiting my flight to Israel. I got here at the right time, after the early morning rush. My flight departs about 10:00 this morning. I didn’t have to wait hardly at all. After frantically finishing packing last night, this morning has been rather relaxed. If all goes as planned, I’ll be in Tel Aviv by 9:30 am tomorrow morning, which is 2:30 am Eastern. I remember the […]
There’s a Map for That
Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16 I think all or most people who go through JUC in one way shape form or another do the mapping assignment. What is the mapping assignment? The mapping assignment is pre-homework to complete before you arrive at JUC (whether short or long term). It consists of seven maps of Israel at different scales and of different regions. There are instructions to highlight different cities or routes. After […]
Turkish Delights
How did I get interested in this Israel stuff? Why is this such a big deal to me? This tale goes back about ten years to when I was introduced to the teachings of Ray VanderLaan. I heard him speak at church a few times and then watched his video series. He is a high school Bible teacher, but is better known for the trips he leads to Israel and Turkey. I was fascinated by his teachings of the history and culture of what is happening in the setting of the Bible. Then in the summer of 2003 I was […]
A New Adventure
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,    may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth    if I do not remember you,  if I do not consider Jerusalem    my highest joy. Psalm 137:5-6 The year was 2005. I had just finished my masters degree in computer science and had accepted a job offer. However, before beginning my career, I hopped on a plane to spend five weeks at one of the places I most wanted to visit in the world: the land of Israel. I had learned of a […]