Gulf1 - C - Carolyn Abell

Could You Put it in Writing, Please

By Carolyn Abell,

A few weeks ago, my pastor commented in his Sunday morning sermon, how special it is to receive a hand-written, personal letter from a friend or family member. I smiled when he said that, because it was a perfect reflection of my own feelings.

When I collect my mail from the box each day, the first thing I do is sort through it. About half of it fits into that category we call “junk mail” and goes directly into what administrative offices call the “circular file, also known as trash bin. Such things as political fund-raiser letters, solicitations from charities that don’t pass my rather high bar of efficiency rating, and the 37th notice from a roofing company that wants me to apply for a FEMA-financed roof all go into the discard pile.

Then there are the bills. I would love to throw them away, too, but my better  judgment prevails, and I place them on that shelf for “action required.”  Miscellaneous other envelopes require that I open them and scan the contents—things like bank statements, updates from my health insurance company and a reminder that Miss Kitty needs her rabies shot.

But occasionally, nestled among the junk mail, business letters, and advertisements, there is a hand-addressed envelope. This always grabs my attention, especially if there is a return address indicating it is from a friend or family member. Sometimes, in anticipation of the sheer pleasure of reading a personal note or letter, I will defer the moment by going to the kitchen to brew a mug of peach or raspberry tea, so that I can combine the pleasure of reading my special mail with sipping a steaming mug of fragrant tea.

Whatever it is probably won’t be very long. Lengthy, newsy letters have fallen casualty to a world where a long-distance phone call costs little or nothing. So if there is a lot to tell, we just pick up the phone and dial the person.

Of course e-mail has displaced much of our letter-writing, too. But even that mode of almost instantaneous communication has, in some cases, become simply a matter of forwarding some mass-produced inspirational story, many of which are fictional. They are the modern technological version of the old-fashioned chain letter that promises unexpected benefits and blessings for forwarding and sometimes threaten with unspeakably dire consequences for deleting. The latter is a signal to me to hit that delete button just to prove them wrong.

But those personal letters are something special. Besides the news they convey, they tell me more. They tell me that at some recent moment, the sender thought enough of me to sit down and pen a personal note. It may express some bit of news, or just a thought or insight that he or she wanted to share. But it makes me know that at that moment, I was the only one the writer was thinking about, and the words on that paper were meant just for me.

Sometimes we can express ourselves better in writing than in speaking. When carrying on a verbal conversation, we often struggle for the right word to describe a feeling or thought. But putting it down on paper gives us time to think of just the right way to convey a message.

Another thing that has almost become a lost art is penmanship. For those of us who grew up in the earlier part of the twentieth century, the ability to form letters and words in a distinctly consistent and legible hand was considered almost as essential as being able to put the words together using proper grammar and syntax. I remember in elementary school, having to write each letter of the alphabet repeatedly in a row—a line of A’s, followed by a line of B’s, C’s, and on down through the alphabet. “W” was probably the hardest for me. Some of my classmates could make beautiful W’s, with flourishes on both sides and the bottom points long and slightly curved. I never succeeded in that, so mine are just rounded on the bottom, with very little flourish—legible, but uninspired.

The pastor’s remark caused me to start writing more notes to people. Perhaps others will do the same. Who knows?  Maybe we can start a trend of returning to this  simple, but special expression of friendship.

Uh… Which Peace was that Nobel Prize For?

By Carolyn Abell

Well, now, doesn’t the prospect of world peace resulting from the many peaceful efforts of our peace-loving, Nobel prize-winning President just give you a warm glow all over?

Seriously, do you suppose the Nobel peace prize committee lives on a different planet?  How on God’s green earth can they declare that Barack Obama has been instrumental in the furtherance of world peace?  Someone should establish a committee to nominate the world’s biggest fools, and start by honoring the Nobel crew.

They could sit in company with that famous trio of peace-loving Nobel-winning morons from the United States – Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and now the charismatic Barack Obama—otherwise known as the axis of appeasement.

With Iran’s jihad-driven Ahmadinejad blatantly threatening to launch a nuclear holocaust, while Obama flaunts his charisma toward the Olympic committee (unsuccessfully) and hams it up on Saturday Night Live, anyone with the brains of a parsnip must wonder how he has contributed to world peace.  As Ahmadinejad’s arsenal grows, so does his alliance with Russia, Iran’s primary source of arms and equipment for mass destruction. And now Sean Penn’s buddy, Hugo Chavez, is negotiating with Iran to help him acquire nukes for Venezuela, so he can add to the threat against “the Big Satan.” (That’s jihadist code language for the good old U.S.A.)

Meanwhile, Nobel-winning, peace-loving Obama still believes his charms will result in worldwide nuclear disarmament. Proudly toting his new prize, he’s happily humming that old John Lennon tune, “Give Peace a Chance.”

People blessed with common sense and better acquainted with signs of unpeace, are cancelling trips to Israel next year because of indications that, unlike Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu recognizes the enemy and is preparing to defend that nation’s existence.

American and allied soldiers and Marines are dying in Afghanistan because the peace-loving, hubristic Obama believes he is smarter and knows more about wartime strategy than the four-star generals who have spent the better part of their lives preparing for, training for, and participating in war. Rules of engagement devised and imposed by peace-loving liberals who have never worn a uniform or even visited a battlefield, are insuring that our courageous warriors are sitting ducks for the Taliban, who are guided by no rules other than to win at any cost.

How many presidents in the past half century have had over a million people marching in protest in front of the nation’s capital, to demonstrate their discontent with a  leader who is out of touch with the rest of the country?  Perhaps the fact that this 9/12 demonstration was such a clean and peaceful protest convinced the Nobel committee that only Obama’s peace-loving charisma kept them from rioting.

With eschatologists like Joel Rosenberg giving frequent warnings about threats to Israel from every side, and our own peace-loving Obama’s unsupportive and condescending attitude toward that country, it seems more and more credible that a world catastrophe of cataclysmic proportions could occur before long. I know people who are already stockpiling food for such an event.

When the nuclear missiles start flying toward this country, I guess the peace-loving Nobel winners will be huddled in a bunker somewhere, clutching their prizes, and shaking their heads in bewilderment.

Just for the record, if I could have nominated a Nobel peace prize recipient, it would have been General David Petraus. He understood what Aristotle said more than two thousand years ago, “We make war that we may live in peace.”

Copyright by Gulf1 10/09/09

Thoughts on Birthdays

By Carolyn Abell

There was a star danced, and under that I was born. - William Shakespeare.

When we are young, birthdays are an event of great anticipation and excitement!  A birthday party for a child is filled with friends, games, entertainment, presents-- all combined with the honoree's favorite cake and ice cream. When my boys were still in the one-digit birthdays, they hated girls, so birthday parties for them were boisterous and loud, with a roomful of little boys from their class at school and from the neighborhood. Their father would get down on the floor and let them "wrestle" him. I served chocolate cake and sipped sherry to calm my nerves.

It was never a problem choosing a gift for children. There was always a newer, better, video game or skating board they can not live without.

Now that I'm past the 60 mark, birthdays are times of reflection-thinking back on the path of life that I have followed-sometimes speculating about choices I might have made. There were good times and bad times, happy times and sad times. But they all add up to that bank account of my life. Deposits of long and healthy friendships, family relationships, and achieving life goals hopefully outweigh the withdrawals caused by losing a loved one to death, divorce, or a broken heart.

Birthdays make me think of life's blessings, which seem so abundant: a friend who knows me well enough to know the perfect book that I will enjoy; one who knows my favorite restaurant and sends me a gift card; and another one who gives me a handmade work of art fashioned by loving and skilled hands into a piece of stained glass that hangs in the window and catches the rays of morning sun, filtering them into magnificent colors to delight my senses and warm my heart.

Some just think of me and call to wish me a great day followed by many more. I'm ashamed that I'm not nearly as good at remembering their birthdays.

Several months ago a woman a few years older than I, told me her own birthday was coming up soon. "I told my children I don't want them to buy me gifts," she said firmly. "I just want them to write down their fondest memory for me."  Reading these special thoughts would be far more rewarding than opening a box or gift bag with a new figurine or scarf.

Later I thought about what a wonderful gift that is: sharing your best memory, perhaps from childhood, perhaps from the teen years, maybe even as an adult. But something you never told your mother before-something to warm her heart and make her smile with deep satisfaction, to validate her role as a mother.

When my own mother celebrated her 80th birthday several years ago, one of my nieces thoughtfully compiled a scrapbook for her, filled with photographs made at special family events. She also solicited cherished written memories from others, and had them artfully displayed in the scrapbook. It was probably the nicest gift one could ever receive-one that raised many fond reminiscences and reflections.

Another sixty-ish friend and I were sharing our thoughts on birthdays recently, and we both agreed that they are nothing to dread or fear, but are a cause célèbre.  At our age, we are like fine vintage wine; we may not sparkle or fizz, but we have depth, clarity, and refinement!

Obama’s Appeasement of Terrorist Regime

by Carolyn Abell

I hope that by the time this gets to press, our President has found the courage and moral imperative to condemn the oppressive shariah law-inspired Khamenei - Ahmadinejad dictatorship in Iran, but I’m not betting on it. Ever since the obviously “fixed” results from last week’s presidential election declared Ahmadinejad the winner, Iranian students and other Iranian citizens longing for change have been demonstrating their dissatisfaction with the status quo in that country. Thus far Obama’s statements concerning that situation have been pitifully lame, in true keeping with his philosophy of appeasement.

This is something he can’t blame on his predecessor, like he has everything else that has gone wrong. It all began on his watch, and with his abysmal lack of knowledge and experience in dealing with such a situation, his first reaction is to ignore it and hope it goes away.

After all, Obama was really counting on his charismatic personality to win over the jihadists bent on our destruction. If he managed to hypnotize over half of the U. S. voters into believing he was a messianic savior, why couldn’t he similarly charm the rest of the world with his vague rhetorical jargon? Since he is so fond of Islamic world leaders (kissing up to the king of Saudi Arabia, for example), maybe he thought he could convince them he was the long-awaited 12th Imam. All indications are that he has the hubris to believe it.

His refusal to call them “terrorists” is so naïve as to be laughable. Iran has been funding and equipping terrorist groups all over the world for years. Ahmadinejad is very open about his intentions to annihilate Israel and the United States, and is rapidly building up the nuclear capability to carry out that threat. As the prophet Jeremiah phrased it, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” You can cozy up to a leopard and call it “kitty, kitty” if you want to, but it’s still going to attack you at the first opportunity.

How I long for George Bush’s moral clarity and strong leadership in accurately identifying the axis of evil and refusing to negotiate with it!  He made me feel safe and protected. Obama makes me feel vulnerable and embarrassed to be part of a country whose leader no longer stands up for the human rights of people trying to rid themselves of oppression.

Who knows what will pan out in the next few days in Iran?  Right now the demonstrators seem to be confined to the Teheran area; if the spirit of rebellion spills out into other towns and villages, it could become a real revolution. Let’s hope that if that occurs, Iran’s military leadership will have the courage to choose the right side.

Iran is ripe for revolution for several reasons. First, the Mullahs have ruled with an iron fist since their coup in 1979, and the meaning of “freedom” has vanished within that country. The human heart longs for liberty, not oppression.

As a direct result of the regime’s bully tactics, several million refugees have left Iran during that thirty-year period.

The country is now suffering from an unemployment rate that is somewhere between 30 and 50 percent.

And the regime does everything possible to suppress communication with the outside world. Video footage seen on television is due to private citizens in that country recording it secretly and then sending it via circuitous transmission to Twitter. 

The demonstrators’ signs, in very clearly printed English, are a desperate bid for support from our country and others that still enjoy personal freedoms. Our terrorist-sympathizing, Islam-schmoozing President would be doing the world a service by at least coming out with a statement of support for their efforts to liberate their country from the  election-rigging, Mullah-controlled jihadist theocracy.

Copyright 2009

True Christians Mourn Tiller Death

by Carolyn Abell

The assassination of Dr. George Tiller, the Kansas physician noted for specializing in late-term abortions, is shocking and deeply troubling. I share the sorrow of his grieving family and pray for their comfort. Such a violent and indefensible act of vigilante justice is truly a setback for those of us who have for years attempted to end such a barbaric process by appealing from a position of conscience, reason, and humane justice.

I absolutely believe that abortion is wrong, and even though it is legal, my own conscience, born of Judeo-Christian principles, defines it as murder. The fact that it is legal, however, gives protection under our laws to those who participate in abortion. For a citizen to assume the right to kill a physician who is acting within the law is nothing more than unsanctioned vigilantism. It also serves as a setback to the peaceful efforts of the many who are against abortion, but who would never dream of harming someone involved in that practice.

In his June 1 “End of Day Report,” however, Gary Bauer, who also deplores the murder of Dr. Tiller, nevertheless made this very interesting observation: “The reality is that the political Left created the culture of death in America – where our unborn children are disposed of each year just like Styrofoam cups. Once you create that culture of death that devalues innocent life, and champion the idea that some human beings have no right to life that we are bound to respect, then every life is at greater risk.”

Christians are taught to “hate the sin, but love the sinner.” That is why many of us engage in support of pregnancy care centers, which specialize in educating clients on more acceptable options, and giving them assistance with pursuing those options. All human life is precious, from the miniscule clump of living fetal cells to the life of Dr. George Tiller.

I recently read the book, “Tortured for Christ,” by Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, who spent almost 14 years in a communist prison in Romania. During this time of extreme persecution, to the point of near death, Rev. Wurmbrand continued to pray for his persecutors. Only the love of Christ can give that kind of forgiving and loving spirit to a person. Several years ago before his death, Rev. Wurmbrand was asked to speak at a pro-life rally, where he lauded the efforts of those who defend the lives of the unborn. He also asked, however, if the protestors had invited the abortion doctors into their homes and cooked them a nice meal. Such an act of kindness and outreach might do much more good than animated demonstrations.

In fact, Christian love and kindness did indeed result in the conversion of at least one abortion-supporting individual. In her book, “Won by Love,” Norma McCorvey related how she worked in an abortion clinic for several years. In fact, she was the “Roe” in the infamous Roe v. Wade case by which the Supreme Court legalized abortion nation-wide in 1973.

After a pro-life group moved in next door to the abortion clinic where she worked, McCorvey was eventually won over by the genuine love, affection, and trust of its occupants. The friendships grew and strengthened, until McCorvey finally made a decision to accept Jesus as her Savior and changed her life’s focus to fighting against abortion instead of working to promote it. She has also appealed, thus far unsuccessfully, for the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

Statements by a family member of Scott Roeder, the suspect in Dr. Tiller’s death, allege that he had a history of mental problems, which will no doubt be useful in his defense. Hopefully it will also mitigate the damage to the pro-life movement, which as a whole, does not condone violence of any kind, and should not be held accountable for the actions of a clearly unbalanced individual who decided to execute his own brand of rogue justice.

Copyright Carolyn Abell 2009

Know the True History of Our Nation

By Carolyn Abell

As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day 2009, remembering the hundreds of thousands of courageous members of the military who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our nation's freedom, many of us are distressed over the direction in which our country seems to be heading. 

Our President's repeated declarations that we are not a Christian nation are born of either gross ignorance on his part or the willing denial of truth. In either case, these denials are deeply disturbing to the majority of our citizenry and an affront to our founding fathers and those brave men and women who have fought for our freedom from Valley Forge to Fallujah.

It is a fact that for decades there has been a concerted effort among many historians to hide, distort, and rewrite our nation's history in an effort to minimize and marginalize the influence of Christian beliefs and Judeo-Christian morality on the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and who wrote our Constitution.  The documentary evidence is available, however, to support the fact that they were men of courage and faith who held a deep respect for Biblical teachings and Divine authority.

Being a Christian nation does not mean that everyone is compelled to be Christian in belief. In fact, one of the guiding principles of Christianity is that everyone has freedom to choose what he or she believes. The fact is that polls show most American citizens do believe in God.

There is also compelling evidence that the founding fathers believed Christians make better leaders. The first Supreme Court Justice John Jay stated it succinctly: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

The majority of our Presidents have, in fact, been professing Christians of varying denominations.  Although Thomas Jefferson is often touted as the "deist" President who disdained Christianity, historical documents dispel this idea. Jefferson was, in fact, instrumental in launching weekly Sunday worship services in the Capitol-services in which he participated regularly.  As he once stated to a friend, "No nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man and I, as Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example."

Another evidence of our national religious heritage is the fact that each one of the fifty states has a constitutional preamble which references God. Most make bold reference to "Almighty God," while others refer to "the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe" (Maine and Missouri), "Our Creator" (Virginia), and "Author of  Existence" (Vermont). But without exception, all acknowledge a supreme authority.

With grateful admiration that I learned recently of U.S. Congressman Randy Forbes' (TX) introduction of House Resolution 397, in which he has called upon our Congress to affirm our Christian heritage and religious history, and to proclaim the first week of May each year as "America's Spiritual Heritage Week."  The resolution, which is several pages in length, cites over seventy historically documented examples of Christian influence in our national history. Forty-one bipartisan supporters have signed on as sponsors. Although my representative is not one of them, I have written him and asked him to support H.R. 397.

In another effort to educate our citizens on its Christian heritage, author and historian David Barton has recorded "The American Heritage Series," consisting of several hours on DVD, in which he corrects many of the modern misconceptions of our national history. Years of research into our nation's carefully preserved historical documents have revealed that America's founding fathers were deeply reverent and religious men who were guided by Godly principles and wisdom in their development of our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. More information is available at www.wallbuilders.com.

The series is being used as an educational tool in some communities and churches.  Knowledge is power, and unless we arm ourselves with the truth, rather than believing distortions and lies propagated by those who want to promote unhealthy change, our nation is doomed.

Copyright 2009 Carolyn Abell

It’s All About Power

by Carolyn Abell

He didn’t even try to hide it. In his defection speech from the Republican party, Senator Arlen Specter declared very simply that polls of his Pennsylvania constituency showed that he had a very poor chance of being re-elected as a Republican, and therefore he was switching to the Democratic party. He also mouthed some platitudes about the Republican party’s leaving him, an utterly implausible excuse, since the basic Republican party’s platform hasn’t changed since Ronald Reagan’s day.

Yes, the pure and simple reason for Specter’s abandonment of the party that had served him well for five terms in the Senate was nothing more than a desperate grasp at retaining his personal power base.  As one of the more senior senators, he has held positions on many of the “plum” committees, including the Senate Judiciary Committee.  People who have spent this long building up a base of power and influence are deeply reluctant to lose it.

Specter recently dismayed (and betrayed) his fellow Republicans and millions of our conservative, tax-paying citizens by voting for Obama’s huge pork-laden “stimulus” bill, one of the most irresponsible actions in the history of our country. Evidently it not only angered fellow members in Congress, but must have had repercussions with his voters in Pennsylvania, who made it known they would not tolerate such traitorous shenanigans, and come next election cycle, would be voting for someone with more sense of responsibility.

What makes Specter’s defection so ironic is that in 2001, when Senator Jim Jeffords abandoned the Republican party to become an independent, an angry Senator Specter introduced legislation to prevent a senator from changing parties in mid-term. Presumably his ire over “Jumping Jim’s” defection stemmed from the quaint, old-fashioned notion that a senator is elected by his constituents based on his party credentials and the campaign platform on which he runs—a platform that normally mirrors the party’s basic positions on most issues. He then owes his constituents his loyalty to maintain those positions for the six-year term of office.

The idea of owing a group of citizens who elected him into office, some consistency, loyalty and integrity was fine for other senators. But when it appeared it would have an adverse affect on Arlen Specter’s personal political career, it only took a few phone calls from Vice President Biden, no doubt filled with tantalizing promises of campaign cash from the Democrats’ fat coffers, and more plum committee assignments, for Specter to abandon any pretense of loyalty to his former principles.

More and more of our country’s hard-working citizens are becoming increasingly disenchanted with corrupt politics in Washington, and are being energized to do something about it. The Tax Day TEA parties produced far more participants among both Democrats and Republicans than anyone expected, and organizers are capitalizing on the huge turn-outs to keep the momentum going with follow-up meetings and strategies to replace career politicians with people who still understand the meaning of “we the people” and the obligation to support their voters instead of building personal power bases.

If Shakespeare’s Marcellus (in Hamlet) thought something was rotten in Denmark, he would have reeled from the stench in Washington. Greed, corruption, and power-mongering among those we are supposed to trust, is so palpable, I’m surprised they haven’t started issuing masks to cope with the odor.

The irresponsible spending; the cavalier disregard for the threat of terrorism and the danger posed by the “axis of evil;” the revealing of classified information to the detriment of those who are trying to save lives; and the many insulting remarks about the military who put their lives on the line to defend the homeland, are just a few of the stinking, rotten betrayals foisted on us by the President, Senate, and House of Representatives. To again paraphrase Shakespeare, “A pox on all your houses!”

Israel in Photographs, Final Part

by Carolyn Abell 
(Click on image to see larger view)

I’ll finish up the photo journey through Israel today. I sincerely appreciate all of the positive comments and some questions readers have addressed, and I hope that each person reading this, if you haven’t already, will have the opportunity to visit the Holy Land.

The excavated ruins of the ancient Roman city of Bet Shean show that it is one of the best preserved in the country. Note the huge amphitheater in the rear. This was also the site where the bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung on the city walls after being killed by the Philistines at Mount Gilboa. (1 Sam. 31:10)  The photo below shows some of our men demonstrating how the public toilets were used in Bet Shean 2000 years ago.  

Another set of ruins, this is what is left of Masada, an ancient Jewish mountain city that overlooked the Dead Sea. The story of Masada comes from the writings of Josephus, who tells us that it was destroyed by the Romans in 74 AD, after being under siege for two years. The night before the city was taken, however, the 900 plus occupants decided to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Romans. Two women and five children hid, rather than kill themselves, and thus were the source of information about the event. In 1964 an ancient manuscript of the 37th chapter of Ezekiel was found here. Many of you will know that this chapter relates Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones, in which God resurrected the bones, causing them to come together, be covered with flesh, and be renewed in life. This is a symbolically sacred story to the Jews, who believe it was prophetic of the rebuilding of the nation of Israel. In 1988 Israel celebrated its 40th birthday celebration, part of which was filmed at Masada. To commemorate this event, American actor Gregory Peck, amidst the ruins of this place of so much sadness, read the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, as a statement of the rebirth of a nation.  When our group visited Masada in March, I was honored to be chosen to read the same chapter to our group. 

The Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in various caves at Qumran.  Most of them were here in cave #4.

 

A scaled-down model of the Temple surrounded by a meticulously reconstructed Old Jerusalem enabled us to visualize how it would have looked in Jesus’ time.

 

This was one of our first views of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.  Note the prominent gold dome from the Muslim Dome of the Rock, which occupies the Temple Mount.

Here is a Jewish cemetery at the Mount of Olives. Jews from all over the world have purchased plots in Jerusalem so that they can be buried in the Holy City of God. One night at our hotel we met a man from New Jersey who had just arrived in Jerusalem. His mother had passed away and he had her body flown from California to Jerusalem to be buried at Mount Scopus, where she had purchased a plot 20 years ago.

We arrived at the Church of the Nativity (where Jesus was born) in time to watch this procession of Armenian church officials coming in for mass.

This Church of Shepherds in Bethlehem was built in the shape of a tent. It is believed to be the spot where the angels appeared to the shepherds to tell them about Jesus’ birth.

These ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are well over a thousand years old.  The garden was beautifully kept up and preserved. Gethsemane was where Jesus spent His last night in prayer before His crucifixion.

In Jerusalem, this beautiful mosaic is inside the Church of the Flagellation, which stands in the place where Jesus was tried by Pontius Pilate.

This altar in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is believed to mark the spot where Jesus was crucified.

This “Train to Nowhere” is perched atop a railroad that ends exactly where you see it. Brought from Auschwitz, it is now part of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, where Jews and the rest of mankind relive the horrors of Hitler’s death camps.

We saw many Israeli Defense Force (IDF) units and individual members throughout our trip. This unit is having a history lesson on the southern steps of the Temple Mount. A large part of their training consists of motivational lessons of various historic battles and how God has helped the Jews survive through the centuries.

“Golgotha” means place of the skull. It is near this site that many believe Jesus was crucified, although the “official” place is at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  Below is the opening of a cave tomb adjacent to the skull-like rock, which was discovered by an Englishman, General Charles Gordon in the late 19th Century. The site is well-maintained by an independent organization from England, but not officially sanctioned by the Church of England.

The couple with their backs to the camera are Sam and Helen Rogers, who arranged the tour for us and served as group leaders for this pilgrimage.

Israel in Photographs, Part II

By Carolyn Abell

This is the second in a series of photo journals about my trip to Israel. Thanks to all who have expressed interest and commented on the previous one.

   Here we see the ski resort atop Mount Hermon, located in the Golan Heights and the highest point in Israel. It was very active with skiers the day we went. Mount Hermon is right at the Syrian Border; in fact it peaks at about 10,000 feet on the Syrian side. I snapped this one from the chair lift.

  The ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, built by Philip, the son of Herod the Great, is now merely ruins, although this beautiful Corinthian column is in amazingly good shape for being 2000 years old. Somewhere in this vicinity is where Jesus told Peter that he would be the rock upon which the church would be built (Matt. 16:13-20).

On a nature trail along the Dan River near Caesarea Philippi, Gilla explains that the Dan is formed from water coming down from Mount Hermon. It was a delightful, rushing stream, and pleasant (albeit treacherous!) walk. At one stop along the way Bryan read the 42nd Psalm.

This Tabor Oak at Caesarea Philippi appears to be growing out of the stones. Actually, it was growing there before excavation started, so you can tell from where the tree base is, how much has been excavated. In spite of removing surrounding soil, the oak continues to thrive.

This canopy covers an archaeological site currently under excavation. The structure shown is known as “Abraham’s Gate” to the ancient city of Laish, now know as Dan. The gate is believed to date from about 1800 B.C. and is the only gate in the world with mud bricks instead of stone, from that time period.

Yardenit is believed to be the site along the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. Many pilgrimage groups come here to renew their baptismal vows and some even renew their baptism by immersion in the Jordan River.

I can’t take credit for this photograph; Bryan Roberts made it and gave permission to use it. But I want to tell you about my friend, Jo. She and I are about the same age; we are members of the same church, and have been friends since we met three years ago when we both found ourselves serving on the county library board of trustees.
 Just before the trip, Jo’s mammogram indicated a large mass. An ultrasound verified the mass, and she was told to see a surgeon. Unwilling to cancel her trip to Israel, Jo booked her appointment with the surgeon for the day after we returned.
 Jo has a lot of faith, and she felt the “peace that passes all understanding” during the trip, as she believed God for a miracle. She really wanted to be fully immersed in the Jordan River, but the coolness of the weather and other circumstances made it inadvisable, so instead she prayed as she dipped her hands in the water. Sam Rogers, our minister and group leader, also prayed for her, as he did for each of us.
 When she returned to Tifton and had her surgeon’s appointment, he performed a needle biopsy, and informed her that all he found was fatty tissue. Isn’t our God great?

These are beautiful frescoes inside the Greek Orthodox Church of Mary in Nazareth.
 

This is a huge mosaic inside the Church of the Annunciation, the largest Basilica in the Middle East. This particular mosaic is from Spain. Other countries have their own splendid works of art lining the inside walls of the Basilica.

As we departed the region of Galilee, we stopped at a place marked “sea level,” looking down on Galilee, which sits 700 feet below sea level. We enjoyed four days at a Kibbutz hotel directly on the lake.

Here we see the remains of a Byzantine church at Kursi, the place where Jesus cast demons out of a man and into a herd of swine. Gilla told us it was the first case of “deviled ham.”

 

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…” (Matt. 6:28)
 Wild flowers were at their peak when we visited. The red ones in the center are red anemone, which are traditionally called “lilies of the field.”
 In a few days I will continue this photo journey of the Holy Land. Until then,
Shalom!

Copyright 2009 Carolyn Abell   

Israel in Photographs, Part I

by Carolyn Abell

Some readers have asked about photographs from my trip to Israel, so I have decided to share some of them with you. I’m not a great photographer, and frankly sometimes I was so enthralled with what I was seeing and where I was walking, that I would forget about taking pictures. I think some of the ones I did take, though, will be educational, and I will explain beneath one what it is.

Our very first stop after getting off the plane was the ancient city of Megiddo, which was one of the royal cities of the Canaanites and was first assigned to the tribe of Issachar, but later to Manasseh. What you see in the front of the photo are two watering troughs for horses with a horse hitching post (vertical) in between. Our guide said that these were constructed by King Ahab during his reign of Israel. He had several hundred horses and stable. It is believed that a trough similar to this in Bethlehem was the “manger” that the infant Jesus was laid in. There was very little wood in Israel at that time, but stone abounded both then and now, so it is a common building material.

This is a huge amphitheater at Caesarea Maritime, an ancient capital of  Palestine, founded by Herod the Great in the first century B.C. It sits on the shore of the Mediterranean and faces out over the sea. It was built to accommodate 4000 spectators.

 

Another structure at Caesarea Maritime was this ancient aqueduct, commissioned by the emperor Hadrian in the second century A.D.  It was designed to bring water down from the springs of Shuni.

 

This scene looks down on an olive grove on the side of Mount Carmel. The mountain is very close to the city of Haifa, which is now Israel’s business center, abounding with such names as Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo. We spent our first night in Haifa, in a hotel called the “Dan Carmel,” perched high above the city with a beautiful view of the harbor.

 

This photograph of your truly was made at the Israel-Lebanese border. A few feet to the right of the sign is the concertina wire that designates the border. The distances shown are in kilometers. Note that the wording is in three languages: English, Hebrew, and Arabic. This is standard for road signs throughout Israel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Bryan Roberts, one of our group, sitting in what would have been the “seat of honor” in the ancient synagogue at Capernaum. If you recall, Capernaum is where Jesus began his ministry (Matthew 4) and worked many miracles, one of which was healing of the paralyzed man who couldn’t get to Jesus, so his friends climbed on to the roof and cut a hole in it, to lower him down.

 

 

This is an overview of the ruins of Capernaum. It is likely that Peter lived in one of these dwellings, and where Jesus healed his mother-in law (Matt. 8:14)

 

 

  This is the preserved ruins of a boat that was found in 1986 in the Sea of Galilee, appropriately, by two fishermen. It has been determined to be of the type Peter and other disciples fished from during Jesus’ time on earth. The boat’s construction is primarily from oak and cedar.

 

 

  This is another photograph of me between my friends Pat Doss and Bryan Roberts, all members of the same church in Tifton. We were enjoying the beautiful day and our ride on the Sea of Galilee in a boat the owner called “the Jesus boat.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Members of our group were very attentive as Gilla (left, striped shirt), explained this ancient olive press. Olives are a big crop in Israel, especially in the Galilee region.

 

The Church of the Beatitudes was built at the spot where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. In a courtyard outdoors, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, we ended that day’s pilgrimage by celebrating communion and singing the chorus, “We are standing on Holy Ground…”  The awe and reverence was palpable.

 In a few days I will show some more photographs from Galilee and the Golan Heights, including Mount Hermon with its snowy ski resort and the River Jordan.