The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands….In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. Psalm 19:1, 4-6 This morning, when most of you were starting to think about going to bed, I was waking up early to hike to see the sunrise. Leaving at 4:30 am (9:30 pm Eastern time), […]
Category Archives: Travel
The Garden
The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. Isaiah 51:3 I’ve been keeping busy attending classes and doing homework the past few days. I now understand the difficulty of going back to school after being away for a while. I’ll detail later what I’m taking, but these courses are certainly nothing like the computer science classes I remember taking. This will be a challenging […]
Scavengers
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, […]
Arrival!
When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, 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 […]
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 […]