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All Nations: Gethsemane and the Church

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All Nations: Gethsemane and the Church

A visit to one of Jerusalem's most famous landmarks teaches us that there is no death without perseverance at Gethsemane and that there is no "Church of All Nations" without death.

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Slippers and a clothesline

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Slippers and a clothesline

“What does that do?” I ask, as I come up the trail behind a middle-aged woman. I eye a widget dangling from a ‘biner on her backpack.

“Wham-O’s new particle levitator.”

Fwooooooooot, I whistle. “It looks so different! I didn’t think they could compact it any more.”

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Jesus trail report, 2017

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Jesus trail report, 2017

Thirteen explorers from five U.S. states met at the opening of 2017 to walk the Jesus Trail. The Trail is a blazed course that passes through urban and rural regions of northern Israel-Palestine. Many sites of significance were encountered by the group; these give testimony to the deep and diverse history of the area known as Galilee.

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Mysteries and moses' mentor

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Mysteries and moses' mentor

We stand alone in the room of stone. Husam gestures, “This is the grave of Jethro, the teacher of Moses.”

I knew it was coming and yet his words still catch me by surprise. Husam’s face is sober. His words are deliberate. Moses had a mentor. And, according to the biblical text, a father-in-law. 

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Weather or not

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Weather or not

The Mediterranean World is favored by good weather. Certainly, it has its share of rain and thunder and ice and bluster; these are but temporary guests. Its Princeps civitatis is the sun. Brilliant Helios. Sol. Shemesh. Shems.

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Houghing and uh-oh-ing

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The lanky surgeon leaned back on his stool. His feet touched the floor. His head touched the wall. Thus elongated, he grimaced, then pronounced, "it's avulsed." 

"Avulsed," of course, is doctorspeak for "you ripped that sucker clean off the bone."

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A frontier tabernacle

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A frontier tabernacle

Sunday schoolers and Raiders of the Lost Ark fans know that the presence of God was once associated with the Tabernacle. According to the biblical text, this frame and fabric structure was constructed in a special moment in time. Israel was moving to a new frontier. As the people packed or pitched their tents, so too, their God.