I Need Some Help

I can't decide which Israel jersey to get. The Adidas jersey is the new jersey and the Puma is the old one. Let me know which one you think I should get....

It's a small world after all....and getting smaller!

The honeymoon will soon be over...

President Elect Barack Obama received a majority of the independant and moderate-right vote in this past election, which was a major factor in his election. This country is still a moderate-right country, no matter what this past Presidential election tells you. Barack Obama is without question, a shrewed and skilled politician...this past election proved that. He ran his campaign with skill, showing himself as a moderate when he had to, who would reach across the aisle. But he showed himself to be a liberal when needed. This is what captured him so many votes.

There is much to say about this past election, however I want to focus on the moderate-right Christian voters who voted for Obama (of which there are many at Cedarville). These people care about issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and other "moral" issues as well as caring for the needy in our society. Barack Obama, as stated before is a man that knows what to say to itching ears. He portrayed himself as a man that cared for the poor, displayed in the resurgence of the Social Gospel a movement that is not new to the Church but once again important due to the influence of the Emerging Church. This is known by those who study history and realize that there is "nothing new under the sun," which includes movements in the Church. I am not doubting his motives - just the way those concerns should be addressed, which is another discussion. He also portrayed himself as a man in the middle when it comes to abortion, which secured a lot of moderate Christian votes. His track record in Congress, however, does not back this claim.

Obama's record shows that he stands on the far left of the aisle and we can only hope that holds to his campaign pledge to meet in the middle. History tells us differently, however, that the track record of Presidents before entering office rarely changes when they enter the highest office in the land, let alone the world. And why do we expect it change? Honestly! A man's character, values, and convictions do not magically change when they enter the Oval Office. This is true for anyone! Why do we never look at past track records of candidates?

All this said, I beleive that Obama's "honeymoon" and popularity that he is experiencing now will quickly fade. Because of the fact that he appealed to a very wide base means that he cannot please everyone. If he governs from the left (particularly on moral issues) he will quickly loose the support of the moderate-right and possibly the moderates. If he governs from the middle, the left will be upset. He may still be popular near the end of his term, but it will not be like it is now. He hasn't done anything yet...he is President ELECT. We will have to see how he handles the office once sworn in. He will have a delicate balance to maintain - a delicate balance that he created.

FOCA

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is a bill that has been promised to be signed by our new President Elect Barack Obama. Here are the details and implications of the bill if passed.

A government may not

(1) deny or interfere with a woman’s right to choose –

(A) to bear a child;
(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or
(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or

(2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information.

Section 6 adds:

This Act applies to every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice, or other action enacted, adopted, or implemented before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.

The section highlighted above in bold italics means that FOCA, if passed, will accomplish two things:

1. it would invalidate all current and future statutes, ordinances, regulations, administrative orders, decisions, policies, or practices--at any level of government--that regulate or restrict abortion in any way;

2. it would mandate taxpayer funds to be used at the state and federal level for abortion services (not to do so would discriminate against the "rights" of abortion set forth in the bill).

Here are some of the state laws that would be invalidated:

All 50 states have abortion reporting requirements
46 states have conscience-protection laws for individual health-care providers
44 states have laws about parental notification
40 states have laws restricting late-term abortions
38 states have bans on partial-birth abortions
33 states have laws requiring counseling before an abortion
16 states have laws about having ultrasounds before an abortion

Google leads to Rome

The amazing durability of the F-15 Eagle

Only one more I promise

I think you can tell by now I like Caliendo...

More Caliendo....

Bar Stool Economics

This was posted over at Parchment and Pen and it is a very good simplification for the sake of understanding. My brother (http://thelawrencejournal.blogspot.com/) also posted it to his site before I posted it here. But more people need to better understand economics....so let's spread the knowledge around ;)

Source Unknown (if you wrote it, claim it).

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. ‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said, ‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.’ Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

‘I only got a dollar out of the $20,’declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,’ but he got $10!’

‘Yeah, that’s right,’ exclaimed the fifth man. ‘I only saved a dollar, too.

It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I got’ ‘That’s true!!’ shouted the seventh man. ‘Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!’

‘Wait a minute,’ yelled the first four men in unison. ‘We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!’

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Frank Caliendo...hilarious!

Looking Beyond the DJIA....

The DJIA is not the best indicator of the financial crisis according to this article. The TED Spread to which the article refers to is here.

Kissinger and Foreign Policy

While reading the book, Henry Kissinger and the American Century, by Jeremi Suri, for a book review of one of my classes, I came across a very interesting quote by Henry Kissinger, that really fits well in today's foreign policy debate and the upcoming elections. Kissinger states, "Whenever peace---considered as the avoidance of war---becomes the only objective of a power or group of powers, the international system is at the mercy of its most ruthless member."

A Not So Short Word About Israel....

I have wanted to write about something that has bothered me greatly since I have been back from Israel, but wanted to give it a little bit of time before I wrote about it. So hear, for y'all, is a not so short word on my thoughts about my time in Israel if you care to read it all.


The basic and underlying theme of this entire blog is that no matter what I do or say, and no matter how much people are interested to hear about my time in Isreal, they just won't completely understand or be able to relate, because they simple weren't there with me. I am asked all the time by friends (even not-so-much friends sometimes) and family, questions such as (but not limited to): What was it like in Israel? Did you like it? What was your favorite part of Israel/Jerusalem? And for those that have lived in Israel (or even lived abroad for that matter) you know full well how difficult and almost futile those questions are! But I will try to at least answer these three questions.


First of all, I loved Israel and Jerusalem and can't enough about them, but unfortunately it is impossible to explain to someone what a foreign country is really like (let alone the Holy Land)! And even then, living there is completely different than a tour of Israel. The tours really only go to the "tourist" or "pilgrimage" places and a person really cannot get a grasp of what it really is like to LIVE there. And this is not to bash tours to Israel. On the contrary, I believe every Christian should visit Israel (Lord and financially permitting of course :), but it doesn't change the fact that you cannot begin to know a culture really until you live in a culture. So when people ask me what it was like to live there, I honestly don't know what to say to that. The most and general answer that I give to people is that I have a greater and fuller understanding or the Bible, ANE (Ancient Near East)society, modern politics, modern culture, etc. because of the fact that I lived there. And for those in a Dr. J class, I will never read the Middle East section of the BBC again :) Living in Jerusalem through a fairly quite period (besides the Yesheva shooting in Jersualem) and still gaining an understand of the conflict there was somthing I could never learn in a classroom.

A second popular question I get asked is, "Did I like it there?" Yes, duh! And talking with some of the many MK friends I have, I now have a connection with them in the regard of having more than one home. I love Jerusalem and now consider it one of my homes. People asked me while I was in Jerusalem, whether I was excited to come home or not. And that was such a stupid question, but for those that haven't live abroad, I guess it makes sense to ask it. Something I had an MK friend say that really helps sum it all up was, "when you're there, you wish you were here. When you're here, you wish you were there." I wanted to come home, especially as the semester was coming to a close, because I was excited to see friends and family. Yet I was so sad to leave! I want to go back some day and possible get my masters there if the Lord allows. Jerusalem is home to me! It is just so hard to explain that to people, but I guess for those that have lived away from home in college, you can kind of get a sense of what it is like to have a different home. But then again, it really is not the same as a foreign country.

And thirdly, the question I probably get asked the most is, "what was your favorite part/place of/in Israel." I don't know!! What a silly question! I loved everything really! But I guess if I HAD to chose something I would say Jerusalem, simply because it was home. And whenever we would go on field studies for a few days, it felt great to come back home to Jerusalem. It was home to me (not at first though, just strange and different)! For those that have lived in Jerusalem or remember from possibly visiting there, that there is a tunnel underneath the Mt. of Olives. And if you are approaching Jerusalem from the East (which we did most of the time) you see the Mt. of Olives, and go through the tunnel and then immediatly as the exit the tunnel you see Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley! And you see the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock and this feeling of being home again hits you immediately, because you can't see Jerusalem at all until you either cross over or through the Mt. of Olives. It was especailly neat when I would get back at night and see the city (but particularly the Dome) lit up and almost breathing a sigh of relief that I was home again.


So Jerusalem (if forced to chose only one) was my favorite place. But I am also asked frequently, what was my favorite part. And once again, what a silly question! And once again, I loved almost all of it! But if I could generalize the whole semester into one favorite part, it would be that I learned from living there and studying the land and culture, that I am most thankful for learning the geography and culture of the Bible. And once again (not to bash short term trips to Israel), but I got to learn the land of the Bible like no trip could teach. And I admit, that before I went, that geography was not a overly huge deal to me when it came to understanding the Bible. And that is saying something from someone who absolutely loves geography. And I'm not saying that I didn't think geography was important to read the Bible or that I knew no Biblical geography, but rather it was not as important as I think it is now! And again that it one of the frusterating parts about being home now, because nearly no one back home understands or can relate even if they care to hear and try and understand! They may listen and be happy for me that I am excited, but they really could care less about the importance of the Wadi Kelt, Avdat, Megiddo Pass, Jezreel Valley, Harod Valley, etc!! I could tell you the geography of the Bible like the back of my hand now, which I am so thankful for. And how it has changed the way I read sripture (particularly the OT) and how it has challenged me to know more! And so I guess, if there was one overarching thing that I liked the most about being in Israel, it was what I learned there, both academically and nonacademically!


Like I mentioned before, it was one of the best semesters academically! I learned so much while I was JUC, which is why I wish to go back. What makes it so great is the location. I could read the BBC all day (for those in Dr. J's classes) but would never have the understanding of the Middle East that I have now, if I had never gone to Israel and lived there. And I could study the Bible till I'm blue in the face, but when you are there and live there, you understand customs and a culture that have not really changed much since Biblical times. Studying in Israel allowed me to go many places that NO tour groups go to such as: Cypros, Hyrcania, Hippus, Wadi Rum, Wadi Danna, Dibon, etc! This was possible because I did not have the crunch for time that many tour groups have, which allowed me to hike to remote sites. Quite the blessing! Another great perk for JUC is that according to the Israeli Supreme Court, JUC does not have to have an Israeli tour guide along with the groups tour guide. Although while I was in Jordan twice, this was not the case, and we did have to have a Jordanian tour guide along with Dr. Wright (my prof), for the obvious reason that we weren't under Israeli law in Jordan.

But besides being challenged academically there, God taught me many many valuable lessons that I will never ever forget. Without going into a lot of details, God taught me things that I needed to learn the hard way. And while spending time in Israel was one of the best and rewarding experiences of my life, it was also of the most difficult and a time that I really grew in my faith! And despite being one of the hardest semesters (not speaking academically, even though that was difficult as well) of college, I would not trade it for anything. I can look back at those struggles and hard times and see that God taught me a whole stinking lot, and am now thankful for those lessons that I learned (even though they were learned the hard way). I am a new person because of Israel and thank the Lord for providing me with the chance to spend time in Israel!


Now some of the things that frusterate me now that I am home. First is lingo, terms, ect. that I can't use back here. A lot of it is geography, which I mentioned was so emphasized at JUC. But not so much just Biblical geography, but modern day places. And like I said earlier, I know Jerusalem like I know, say the Cedarville area. I will rattle off places like: Jaffa Gate, Eastern Hill, Tyropean Valley, Ben Yehuda St., Jaffa Road, Coffee Bean, Christian Quarter Rd., Shabban's shop, etc., and expect people to know what I am talking about. Because all of my friends at JUC knew what I was talking about when I would mention these names. It really is frusterating, because that was home, and I want t people to know this very important piece of my life. But even if someone is really sincere and wants to know about my experiences, they really can't understand because they just weren't there and don't share the same experiences as me. I remember before leaving for Israel, talking with a friend who studied at JUC for a year, and he told me all these places to go and how to get there, and he would rattle off streets and places as if I should know them all. And I remember thinking, "I will never remember any of this." And I didn't until I was there for a few weeks, and then it all started to come together. And now I feel the same frusteration of people just not understanding, no matter how much I want to share and no matter how much they want to know!

And for those that have spent significant time overseas, you understand that you pick up the language around (at least a little bit). Now at JUC, everyone speaks English which was nice, because I was not there to learn the language (at least not yet...maybe). And in Jerusalem, honestly, almost everyone speaks English, belief it or not. This is not the case so much in Cairo or Jordan, but still many people speak Enlgish. But I did pick up a few Hebrew words, but mostly Jewish prayers, Psalms, and liturgy. And some Arabic as well. And now coming back to the States....absolutely no one speaks either Hebrew or Arabic. Which is frusterating because a lot of the world (particularly the Middle East where my passion is, speaks Arabic). And most of the Bible is written in Hebrew, which is why I have started to learn some Hebrew. But it is just another little thing that is frusterating about being home and people just not understanding!

I left a lot of friends when I left JUC. Many of those that I knew at JUC, I know I will never talk to again let alone see again. But my close friends, I know that I will at least keep in contact with. And what is so hard is knowing that all those that were there during the Spring of '08, will never again be together again in Jerusalem, which is really sad. And even though I may keep in contact with my closer friends, I still may never see them again (on this earth at least) because they are scattered across the country. And of course inside jokes are inevitable when you are together that long. Inside jokes like, "Fitness cereal," "Little Bentley," "Why not?" "Exactly!" I can never say to any of my friends back home. It is just sad and frusterating when you make friendships but then have to leave after only a few months.

Before I went and lived in the Middle East, I thought that I had a varily good grasp on the modern and ancient Middle East. I knew I was no expert by a long shot, but I knew at least more than the average Joe. And I probably did know more than the average Joe, after all, I am a International Studies Major, I better know more than most people! But after living there for a few months (which is really not that long), I realized how little I knew. Sure I knew all the facts, but it is completely different when you see things with your own eyes. It's hard to describe, but the best way to put it is that I was able to see the big picture more clearly, and better able to put myself in the shoes of those that live in the Middle East. I remember a group of student from a Menonite school in PA, and they were also doing a study abroad program for their school. But with their particular program, they traveled the whole semester from the Middle East up to Rome, never spending a "significant" amount of time in one place and getting a lot of different experiences. Which to be honest, would be cool to see a lot of places and do that program, if I could also spend a semester in one place AND get to know a particular area very well. But anyway, that is a different topic. What was interesting about this group was that they began their trip in Palestine (and I use this term to denote the region of Israel proper and it's territories) in the West Bank with Palestinians. Which this is not to bash on Palestinians, because I knew A LOT of awesome Palestinians while I was in Israel. The point is that these students came to spend a few weeks at JUC after living with these Palestinians for a few weeks and almost every single one of them were strongly oppossed to Israel and the "attrocities" taking place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They would sport "Free Palestine" and "Israeli apartheid" t-shirts around campus. And discussion about the what is wrong on both sides has its place, but these people were off the wall. And it was just so frusterating because they acted like they had solved the problem of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and knew all the answers. And I had only been there for a little over a month at this point and had realized that the conflict is MUCH more complicated than many Americans think. What I learned while over there was that the more you know about the conflict, in many regards the harder it is to come up with a solution. Everyone has to understand this....that there are radicals on BOTH sides and there are some great poeple on BOTH sides! I knew lots of awesome Palestinians while I was in Israel. And I knew lots of awesome Jews while I was in Israel. I met lots of Palestianian jerks while I was Israel. I met lots of Jewish jerks while I was in Israel. It was all really just based on the individual when it really came down to it. Just as in the states, anybody can be rude and a jerk, and at the same time anyone can be kind. I am so glad that I was able to live in Israel, because now I have a much deeper and better understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict!


Now little things will trigger off memories from Israel all the time. One example of this is the song, "Better Days," by Goo Goo Dolls. And the reason for this is that on the very last night that I was in Jerusalem, we had a kind of going away party and we had a video of everyone's best picture from the semester that was played. And one of the songs that was put to the pictures was "Better Days." And of course ever time I watch that video of the semester or hear "Better Days", everything comes right back and I am flooded with memories. Except, everyone back home just sees some cool pictures, but to me they mean so much and that just makes it so much more frusterating because even though people want to see pictures from my trip, I can never really express fully that moment that a simple picture captured. Or the other day when I was golfing with my sister, we saw some wildflowers and they looked just like the ones you see everywhere in Israel during the springtime and that again, it brought me back there. And everytime I am reminded of Israel it is a bitter sweet feeling. I miss it so much but at the same time am thankful for all the memories and lessons I learned. It is a feeling that can't be described to those that have never felt it.

Overall, going to Jerusalem was one of the best times of my life and because of that, it can be very frusterating! Because if there is ever something that you were passionate about but no one can understand what you were talking about, simply because they just don't have the same experiences of passions, then you can get a little sense of what I am going through. It is frusterating, because practically everyone that I knew in Jerusalem, had all these experiences with me, but I won't see them on a regular basis. I will use Hebrew/Arabic phrases now and people will look at me weird. I wil try to explain a geographical place and its significance, but people just give me blank looks (even if they really are interested). I wouldn't trade last semester for anything...it changed my life! And it's because of the fact that it changed my life that it is so frusterating when people don't understand my passions. And I can't blame people for not understanding...they didn't go through what I did. But I will never stop trying to tell people about what I learned in Israel and will never forget the things that I learned there, no matter if people can relate or not!

The Curiosity of Jesus' Humanity

The doctrine of Christ being both 100% human and 100% God at the same time is a well known doctrine. But when we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that more often than not, we tend to emphasize the diety of Jesus more than we do the humanity. Not that we do not recognize the humanity and diety of Christ, but rather we simply emphasize one over the other. And maybe it is just me, but I tend to emphasize Christ being completely God, because it is SO essential to our salvation. But what we tend to forget about sometimes is that it was also ESSENTIAL that Christ be 100% human for our salvation to take place.
The reason that I bring this up is that I was reminded of something a professor said when I was at JUC. He was talking about the raising of Lazarus from the dead. And of course the passage in this story that we all know so well containing shortest verse in our English Bibles as, "Jesus wept." It is a profound (though short) verse that really shows us the humanity of Christ. But think about the context of the passage and what may not have been recorded for us. Lazarus had just been risen from the dead. Christ knew, because of the fact that He was God, that he also would be raised from the dead and would also been in the grave for approximently the same amount of time as Lazarus. And remember that Jesus was good friends with Lazarus.
Now I cannot say this happened for sure, but just out of my own curiosity as a human, I wonder if after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and assuming that Jesus wouldn't leave abruptly after raising a friend from the dead, that he stayed at least a little while to talk with Lazarus and his family, that He didn't pull Lazarus aside and out of His curiosity of being human, didn't ask Lazarus, "So....what was it like in there, Lazarus?"
Just a little food for thought and something to think about....

Did we get more than voting with Women's Suffrage?

I heard the other day a theory that is sure to be controverisal and to raise some hairs with some people. We have always been told that big government in the US basically started with the New Deal and FDR. But this theory I heard proposed, argued that it really began with the beginning of onset of Women's Suffrage. And it does make sense if you think about and is at the very least interesting to consider and think about.

When you look through US history before woman's suffrage, you see women basically dependant on the men in their lives, being either their father or husband. I'm not hear to debate whether that is right or not, but that's the fact is that is what life was like before women's suffrage. And with the beginning of women's suffrage, we really begin to see the beginning of the women's liberation movement and the breakdown of the nuclear family. (Again this is not a debate about women's rights or the feminist movement, I have enough to say about that). But the fact remains that throughout US history, women have been paid less and have a more difficult time finding a job. And couple that with the breakdown of the nuclear family, you have a recipe for women relying on the government when they cannot earn enough. And really from there it is just a domino effect, with more and more reasons and causes for government to grow larger. I am a strong believer in multiple causation and strongly support women's suffrage, don't get me wrong. But none the less, it is an interesting propostion to think about. An interesting theory whether you agree with it or not.

The Phenomenon of "Desert Cities"

For those of you that do not follow the happens of the Middle East and in particular the Gulf (as called in the Middle East or the Persian Gulf in the West) States (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, etc. ) there has been, one could say, a phenomenon of these wealthy oil countries building massive and high tech cities completely out of nothing in the deserts of their countries. These cities are an attempt for these countries to diversify their economies which are so highly centered on oil. And since the Gulf States have the money and the governments to allow the channeling of money directly to building massive cities out of nothing, there has been a surge in building in the Gulf States lately (mostly all from South Asia labor).

Most notable of these "Desert Cities," is Dubai, one of the seven Emirates that form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai is currently building what will become the tallest building in the world, the "Burj Dubai," scheduled to open in 2009, and will stand 2,694 ft. high (more than 2x the height of the highest floor in the Empire State Building)! The first underwater hotel resort just opened this past year, called the "Hydropolis." The "Palm Islands" are three artificial islands made with 1 billion cubic feet of dregged sand and stone and are therefore the largest main made islands in the world! In Dubai they have the entire world....well, 250 man made islands that form a map of the world, with each country able to be bought starting at $6.85 million. If you like to shop, the Dubai mall, completed in 2006, is the world's largest mall with 5 million sq. ft. And for those who have been to the Middle East, it also has the largest souk :) If your not a fan of the desert and prefer snow...Dubai has the worlds largest indoor ski resort. And there are plans even starting to take shape of a future "spaceport" in Dubai, and I am not lying!
Other countries such as Saudi Arabia are building cities that will be home to around 2 million people and are built literally from nothing! Now they may not be as extravagant as Dubai, but these oil countries are showing the world that they can compete with the big western countries. And to be honest it is a cool site to see these "backwards" Arab countries using the money that they have to build up their economies. Now we can debate about oil prices and these countries taking advantage of the world with the oil they have. But lets be honest here....that is what capitalism is people! And the US in a sense did the same thing these countries are doing in its own history and made the US what it is today! And if these countries by becoming more "western" economically may be the best weapon we have against terrorism. It really is an interesting thing that is happening in the Middle East, but also something that many Americans really don't know much about. I believe that is mostly due to the fact that we have been brainwashed into thinking the Middle East is backwards and can't do anything "civilized." Well I got some news....Dubai is kicking our butts when it comes to showing off in the world and being the biggest, best, and setting all the records (something Americans have always prided themselves in). Hmmm...maybe Americans should realize they are not the only ones that live in this world.

The Great Pyramid at Giza

Khafre's Pyramid Climb

This video is from the tunnel down to the chamber of Khafre in his pyramid at Giza. Khafre's pyramid is the 2nd tallest at Giza and is the pyramid that still has part of its limestone casing left on the peak of the pyramid. The video starts after we climbed the longest of tunnels which was about 4 feet tall at the most and was a steep climb (about 45 degrees) and maybe 50 yards, but its hard to say exactly. The tunnel then goes back up to meet the second passage way that leads to the chamber which starts half way up the pyramid (this is where the video starts, mainly because we technically weren't allowed to bring cameras down). The tunnel was really hot and the air felt stagnant. The video ends ubruptly where the tunnels come together and then there is a long passage way before you enter teh chamber. It ends suddenly because as soon as a got up the shaft I saw an Egyptian standing in the tunnel. And who knows if he worked there, but he probably didn't even though they say they do. But anyway...enjoy :)

Another video from the Bazaar...

Crazy Cairo!

I was talking with a friend about Cairo today and we both agreed that it is nearly impossible to describe what Cairo is really like. The best way that he found to describe it to people that have never been there, was to describe it as a complete and utter attack on all the senses. And to be honest, that really is the best way to describe it. It's loud, moves fast, dirty, busy, packed, smells, crazy, and stressful all rolled up together. I went to the Bazaar (market) twice while I was there, with which Cairo has one of the largest in the world. And we veered away from where all the tourist busses go and where there were only locals with non-tourist stuff being sold, which really gave me a sense of the city. I took two videos while at the Bazaar to give just a small small sense of Cairo, so here it is....

Why was Jonah so angry?!

We all know the story of Jonah, the man who did not want to do the will of God and believed he could flee from the presence of God. We all know how God had a fish swallow him for 3 days and how the fish spit him up. We all know how he preached to Ninevah and how the city repented and God spared them. And I don't know if it is just me, but for me it seams that many times we stop at that part of story. Why does God add the part about God providing Jonah with shade from a vine and how Jonah became angry when the vine died. Have you ever wondered about that....why Jonah got so mad over a little vine dying? I mean, doesn't that just seam silly to us? Of course....it's just a vine Jonah! But how many of us have experienced the comfort of airconditioning at one point or another. Or how many of us have water available from the tap? How many of us have sat in the hot burning sun all day in 90+ or 100+ degree weather with little water to drink (let alone purified) in the desert?

When I was hiking in the wilderness this past weekend, the first place we stopped at was a placed called Hyrcania out in the middle of a israeli military testing zone, only open on Shabbat. A place that no tourists EVER go! And because of that fact, it wasn't made for tourists to see and really only JUC students and a few others go to see it. So there was about a mile hike to the base and then straight up to the top. Now this isn't a bad hike at all comparatively. But that day, the temperature was in the upper 90s at least, and I was only able to fill 3/4 of my Nalgene that morning because I woke up late. And I was thirsty!! And there was no shade that whole morning. Did I begin to understand why Jonah was so angry...maybe just a little.

The next place we went to was Cypros and this was in the early afternoon, the hottest part of the day, and we were in Jericho, one of the hottest parts of the country. And again it is a place no tour groups ever go to, and is a straight up climb because it was a fortress/palace of Herod. And about 3/4 of the way up, we found shade, under a cleft in the rock (sound familiar). The only shade I had seen the whole way up. And this time I had planty of water, but to see that shade was marvelous. You really can't describe the feeling but have to experience it. We weren't really all that far from the top and I have had more crueling hikes, but that shade was oh so wonderful in the hot dusty wilderness. Did I begin to understand why Jonah was so angry....maybe just a little.

And we all know that Jonah had no right to become angry when the vine died. God says in 4:10,11 the last verses of the book, "But the Lord said, 'You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Ninevah has more than a hundred and twenty thousand peoplewho cannot tell their right hand from their left, and mant cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?'" It's hard for us who enjoy the luxuries of the 21st century to truely know why Jonah was so upset when the vine died. Did he have right to become angry? No, of course not. But when one understands the context that Jonah was in and why a vine can be the only thing you think about when you're sitting in the heat of the sun, one is better able to appreciate the message of Jonah. You can better appreciate and understand the importance and concern that God had for the people of Ninevah, when you know how important a silly little vine can be to you, when it gives you shade from a hot burning sun.

Purim

Last Thursday (3-20) at sundown was the beginning of the Jewish holiday Purim. The holiday celebrates God delivering the Jews from annihilation by the Agogite Hamon. And on the evening of the beginning of Purim, all the Jews go to the synagogue and read the Megillah (scroll) of Esther. Now you have to understand that for the Jews, Purim is basically the most festive of all holidays, for good reason....they are celebrating God saving the Jews from annihilation! Therefore everyone goes to the synagogue dressed up (like Haloween in the States, except not the scary part). And you will see everything there from clowns to Mary Poppins to wizards to cute little girls dressed as Minnie Mouse :) to pirates to Star Trek to everything! There are other reasons that people dress up but that is for another time. Anyway, here is a short clip from Purim that shows the reading of Esther at Hebrew Union College, right across the Hinnom Valley. And everytime Hammon's name is mentioned in the book, everyone makes noise and yells, to blot out his name (again there are theological reasons for the blotting out of his name, but that is for another time)Unfortunately, I wasn't able to upload the larger and better video. But if your my friend I'll show it to you anyway when I get home :) You'll see people will be yelling and using noise makers as soon as Hamon's name is mentiond, you can't miss it...so enjoy :)

Hoshana!!

"Hoshana!" or in English, "Hosanna!" It means, "save us" or save now." Now, every Christian knows that this word is used during the triumphetal entry of Christ on Palm Sunday. But do most Christians know that it was a key word in Hebrew liturgy, and was used in prayers during Sukkot? Yeah...probably not. Anyway....today was Palm Sunday on the Western calendar, so a bunch of us from JUC went to the Mt. of Olives to walk down it. Now, I am definently not one of those people that gets a spiritual high or whatever from visiting sights or doing these pilgrim type things. When you live here for a little while that pilgrim "high" you could say just doesn't happen. And to be quite honest, they get in the way a lot of the times when I'm walking through the Old City or around "pilgrim places" around Israel. I just think of it as God testing my patience :) After all, even if we did know what Jesus touched or where he walked, or whatever, it's still just rocks and dirt....I mean, isn't it? Not that I'm saying any person that really feels soemthing when they go to holy sites is shallow, not at all. But anyway, this is a whole different discussion, and beside the point. Needless to say though, walking down the Mt. of Olives was neat. And though the path Jesus took, was no doubt different then the one everyone took, it was still cool to see Christians from every nations. And I mean every nation! You would hear for example, "How Great Thou Art," in four languages all at the same time! There were people from Palestine, US, Turkey, Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Thailand, S. Korea....on and on. And it was hard to say how many there there (not in the same spot at the same obviously), but it was in the thousands at least. I would say at the very least 10,000 were there total during the afternoon. But anyway, here is one of the videos I took outside the church, where according to tradition, the colt was tied to, and thus where the procession started. Everyone was singing, "Hosanna." I unfortunately wasn't able to upload the larger video of this song. But this one still gives you a great feel of the atmosphere, and it has me in the video for about 2 seconds :) So here you go....

Call to Prayer

This video is taken from the northern end of the City of David looking east towards the Mt. of Olives, but specifically Silwan Village. This is by far the most dangerous area of Jerusalem and many Arabs do not even go there. As Dr. Wright put it, "don't go there, unless you want to know what it feels like to have a rock hitting your head." I don't go there :) But anyway....here is the Muslim call to prayer, which is heard very clearly in East Jerusalem.

Little Bedouin Girl

A group of Bedouins joined us in the Judeaen Wilderness during our lecture in order to make some money off of us :) They did wait patiently until we finished. The video is of a litle bedouin girl, now more than 4 years old, who was pulling the donkey around, hugging it, and hitting it with the reins. It was really cute and funny at the same time, Dr. Wright had to compete for attention. But anyway, I sneaked this short video in while Dr. Wright was lecturing :)

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from teh Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper;The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, not the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.

Psalm 121 is a Psalm of ascent, which is talking about Jerusalem. Now you have to remember when this Psalm was written that "Jerusalem" was the City of David located on the "Eastern Hill." Now for those who have never been to the City of David, it is hard to describe what the landscape is around the city, but I will do my best. Everyone knows actually being there is the best thing, therefore I put this video up to help.

The Eastern Hill is the lowest hill in the area surronded by the Kidron Valley on the east and the Central Valley on the west with Mt. Moriah at the northern end. The Mt. of Olives to the east is much higher than the Eastern Hill and the Western Hill to the west is much higher than the Eastern Hill. And Mt. Moriah (the Temple Mount) is the access point to the city, where the citadell, to protect the city, and later the Temple would have been. The City of David is not a fortress on the highest hill!!!! And the Psalmist knew this....and anyone reading this Psalm knew that. "I will lift my eyes to the mountain; from whence shall my help come?" The Psalmist knew God was his protection. Also the slope to the Kidron Valley was very steep...."He will not allow your foot to slip."

When one stands in the City of David, this Psalm really comes to life, because it makes so much more sense what the psalmist is talking about. The video starts looking south at the northern end of the Eastern Hill and the little hill inf front of you, that you can barely see and is in the very bottom right hand corner, would have been the entire city of Jerusalem at the time of David. It really is small,hard to see, and moves by quick! Then it pans left (west) toward the Kidron Valley and the Mt. of Olives. Then it looks up at the Temple Mount, close to where Solomon's Temple was (this was the most vulnerable part of the city, because there was no valley to protect the northern end. It then pans towards the Western Hill, which like the Mt. of Olives is higher than the City fo David. It then returns looking south, with once a again a quick view of the City of David. But don't get the location of the City of David wrong. It is the lowest "hill" on the very bottom of the screen and really isn't much of a hill at all.

I hope this video helps y'all appreciate Psalm 121 more and what the City of David was really like.

A humbling Lesson

I am really frusterated today....at people who believe that they are smart, wise, and good thinkers, when they are really ignorant, prideful, and arrogant. Today in one of my classes, a girl who will stay unnamed blurted out something as if it was matter of fact (the subject will remain anonymous as well). But as she blurted it out, almost imediately the entire class including the professor knew she was wrong. A girl behind her tried to explain to her why she was wrong, and for about 1 minute they argued, which seamed like an eternity while the prof continued teaching. She was very defensive in an attempt to defend her views, and at the very end of the arguement she says, "I know what I'm talking about, I went to school for 7 years!" This girl has blurted out "this is how it is, not questions asked" statements like this before. Needless to say, the didn't sit well with me.
Another example today was when me and a friend were in an arguement with a girl of whether Marx's ideas were good or not. Now it was very clear fromt the discussion, that she dispised capitalism, blaming poverty on it, and how she wished we could live in small communities which embraced socialism....but what she believes is beside the point. And this girl argued that we can listen to what people say without accepting them, and have good discussion, which of course she was right. But when she talked about how she loved and appreciated philosophy so much. And she could just sit around and talk about things all day long. And how much education she recieved in her philosophy classes. My impression honestly was simple arrogance.
My point being that it was a academic humbling experience. I love to learn...just love it! But today was a great reminder that knowledge can lead to pride. There must always be a balance of wisdom and knowledge in everything we learn. And it was reminder to me that I will never have all the answers no matter how much schooling. I pray that I will never comeoff to people as arrogant or as a know it all, simply because I have more schooling then them.

London...City of Darkness

I had the priviledge to spend three days in London on my way to Israel. And it was a lot of fun seeing a lot of the sites for the second time and some for the first time that I was unable to see on my first trip to London. It was also very convenient to be able to go from site to site rather quickly, since it was only me and Andrew Davis, instead of a large singing group who do not know the difference between good historical sites and a Falafal! Anyway, what really intrigued me on this trip was not just being able to see so much more, but to see the city in a whole new light. While on my first trip we stayed only a few days "in" London and it was technically on the outskirts. And not only that, but we had a tour bus take us around (very touristy looking...I know, I hate looking like a tourist. I like to blend in as much as possible). But on this recent trip we stayed just west of Westminster off of Earl's Court (for anyone who knows where that is :). Anyway, staying more in the heart of the city gave it a new face. Me and Andrew also took the Underground EVERYWHERE. And for anyone that has been to big cities, you know that you can really tell what a city is like by their public transportant (particularly subway systems) and the people on them.
All of this to tell you one observation I made while constantly on the Underground. The city of London is dead! Spiritually that is. Ironic isn't it, since England has such a strong history of being a country of missionaries and theologians. And it's not so much that the city worships other religions persay. Rather it is apathy that is crippling the country (and Europe for that matter). Also Europe, but particularly London, is dealing with the "problem" of Muslim imigrants. The population growth of Europe is in the negatives, while those Muslims living in Europe have a positive population growth due to not just immigration, but birth rate. Therefore you combine the apathy of Europeans and Londoners, with the increase of Islam in Europe and you have a scary situation. This is not to say that Europeans are inherantly of more value than Arabs, but speaking rather of the religion of Islam taking a foothold on Europe.
There is a very could chance that apathy, laziness, and pride could cripple London and Europe, where the "center" of Christianity once stood....may we learn from this!