Still Going in the Holy Land

Well, my plans for regular blogging have been hampered by time, as well as spotty and slow internet. While I've been able to post pictures to Facebook occasionally, I haven't been able to get my camera's photos to transfer easily to my various internet storage places. Yes, I still use an actual camera, not a phone accessory.

So, instead of all sorts of clever and informative posts here, there have been a few FB picture dumps. That's not what I wanted to do, but I don't feel TOO bad. After all, it's been another amazing trip to Israel for our group. Ten times is not too many times to come, especially when you have the privilege of introducing people to their Bible in a brand new way.

I'm very thankful once again to introduce old and young alike to the wonders of the biblical record as it is reflected in archeology and history, and to remind us all that while the Bible's witness to its own authority is enough, the corroboration of history is a faith enriching experience.

I'm thankful for the demonstrable accuracy of what the Bible says about even "minor" details. As we travel around Israel and read Scriptures and reflect on the incidental details, we discover how precise the scriptural record is, from distances to practices to events. Don't let anyone tell you that the Bible isn't good history. Archaeologists who disagree always wind up altering their conclusions--I'm not an archeologist, but I am old enough to watch people either recant their assertions that the Bible is wrong, or else discover that the Bible's details are even more accurate than what we knew.

I'm thankful for a God who has not only preserved his Word, but allowed people to make amazing discoveries and finds that affirm what he his infallible record of events. It certainly should be an encouragement to all to believe the things less visible, wouldn't you think?

I am sobered by the number of people who can know truth but not be changed by it. How can someone quote scriptures, visit the places where Bible events took place and can be attested to, and still not believe. Sadly, it is the case.

But I am also reminded of the power of the Word by two different testimonies I have heard here in Israel of people who continually heard the Gospel story as tour leaders were telling it to their groups and wound up believing it for themselves.

At Caesarea

Morning on the Sea of Galilee

On the steps of the Temple

So, my FB friends can see more pictures, and I'll return to more normal blogging when I return to the States!