Transjordan, Cisjordan, Gaulanitis . . .
Reading and walking, the words that we miss.
Transjordan, Cisjordan, and old Bashan . . .
Study this stuff and you'll surely catch on
The garden fountain
Packing for the jesus trail
Personal security
International travel is riskier than sitting in your pajamas in the living room with the curtains closed. Of course, if you are eating an entire bowl of cheese dip with a spoon while watching Netflix . . . well, never mind. Deep down, you want to go outside and play. Maybe even visit the lands of the Bible. But you are afraid. So let me help. Wipe the dip from your chin and read on.
The sheep pass by
Walkabout jerusalem
Ticket to ride
Christmastide pilgrims
It may seem odd to be thinking about pilgrims at Christmastide. But it is fitting. Pilgrimage is for every season. There is never a wrong time to undertake a journey for the purpose of encountering God. Most pilgrimages are unexpected and topsy-turvy experiences. Sometimes they get messy. Ask Paul the Apostle. Whom did he expect to meet on the road to Damascus? Or ask the Christmas shepherds. After they heard the angelic announcement, they said:
"Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened" (Luke 2:15).
Progress Report
Surviving the end of a semester is always a difficult thing. Students say it; teachers can say it too. Papers are due. Tests must be created, administered, graded. Administrative meetings multiply. Then the copy machine jams.
Complicating the end of this semester for me is the challenge of preparing a course for the next round.
Fam Trip, January 9-19, 2017
Sometimes a too-good-to-be-true deal is exactly that. Not this time.
The Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies has pulled out the stops in designing a unique educational experience for professors, pastors, and their spouses. It has all the earmarks of our regular study-tour, minus the sticker shock (well, you might be shocked, but not that way!).
Jesus Trail, Jan 3-10, 2017
Thousands of sightseers view the land of the bible through the window of a tour bus. A few seek a deeper experience. If you are among the latter group (or know someone who is), I invite you to try Galilee on foot. There is no better way to slow down and appreciate the natural beauty of the Heartland. For those who are veterans of a standard study- or pilgrimage-tour, this may be the perfect way to build upon that previous experience.
The Woman who would be King (apologies to R. K.)
Sodom apples
On Mermaids and Diodorus and Coffee
She was a Man-Eater
The Martian in the Bible Lands
Fragile Grass
I stand on top of the tumulus (burial mound) of a once-great Phrygian king. This earthen Ozymandias has no sneer, but rises, tired and worn, from a sea of gold. Hills roll away from my feet and disappear over the horizon. I tell myself again, this is modern Turkey. It might as well be Eastern Colorado. The wind whistles just the same.
Mediterranean Shrublands
Into the Dark Wood
We park the RHD (right hand drive) vehicle on the “wrong” side of the road and walk to the lookout. The mountains of Western Cyprus unfold. It is magnificent. One does not expect such vertical drama on an island. Clinging to crumbling slopes are some of the oldest trees on planet earth. I rehearse my paradigms. It is “highland forest” in Mediterranean style: windswept, cool, dry. Scientists use the term biome to describe regions with unique constellations of climate, fauna, and flora.
Swarming with Life!
The Biblical text swarms with life. Goats, trees, bees, and bears form part of a background against which prose narrative tells stories and poetic passages draw inspiration. Occasionally, the created order steps forward and occupies center stage: a lion mauls, an oak tree snares, a donkey speaks! Such moments are brief though, and nature returns to its more familiar role.