land beyond the river
Anyway, first to mention would be my trip to the Dead Sea!
This was so fun. and the water really is..bizarre. you get in, and it just feels like normal water. but then when you walk about to where the water is about waist level, your lower body just floats up. and you cant do a thing about it. except enjoy!
I floated on my back for a while, but then accidentally got some water in my eyeball. no big deal, you say. ummm, yes big deal. it huuuurts! i couldn't open my eye for over 15 minutes..and i didn't want to get out of the water to rub my eye, and i sure couldn't rub my eye with my wet hand..so i just waited for the pain to finally subside. the dead sea is definitely not a place to host any swimming races anytime soon..
A little later, i found the dead sea mud i'd heard so much about--really good for your skin. i had a makeshift spa treatment and tried some on.
along with the trip to the dead sea, we went and saw Mount Nebo at the same time. they are very close to each other. as I've mentioned before, this is the place where Moses is said to have been laid to rest. it was really amazing to be up there and just think about how God took his servant to this very spot and showed him the promised land that he could not enter. and from one of the spots i was standing in, one can see exactly in what direction was Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the mount of olives, the dead sea, Jericho..
it's hard to read, but the sign also tells you how far each city is and the lines are proportional. for example, Bethlehem was 50 kilometers away and Jerusalem was 46 kilometers away. (that's not far! i was looking right into these cities..)
ok...a couple other things i saw in Jordan . we went to Jerash for an afternoon, which is the best preserved Roman ruins in Jordan (and maybe anywhere else in the world, minus Rome) it was really fascinating. Jerash is also one of the cities from the biblical Decropolis--10 cities composed this 'area'. Amman, Jordan is another one (called Philadelphia). 7 more sites plus these 2 are in Jordan, and the 10th city is in Israel. Jesus went talked about the decropolis and went to one of the cities, although we're not certain which one. i could have literally been walking where Jesus walked!
on the way back from jerash, we stopped at the (present day name in Arabic) Zarka river. this river is the biblical river: Jabbok River. this is where Jacob stopped for the night after he sent his wife on, and he wrestled with the Lord (or an angel of the Lord) and he was then named Israel.
just a couple more things...i saw the map in the church in Madaba and it's a famous mosaic map in the floor relaying the Holy Lands. it's really neat. here's a website that can probably explain better than i can: http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/mad/index.html
i guess i'll wrap up Jordan now.. we had a nice dinner out the second to last evening in Madaba. and then the last evening, 5 of us took a little trip...it really was the perfect ending...:
in Jordan, in the midst of shepards with their sheep, rolling hills of many colors, and the desert, there lies an oasis.
now called ma'in hot springs.
the 5 of us went to this oasis, not knowing what to expect, and we were amazed. it was beautiful and relaxing with waterfalls and lush vegetation. not at all what you'd think to find in a dry place like Jordan as soon as you arrived, you could smell the minerals coming from the water which was coming from the ground/mountain. we got in the water and it was a like a hot tub full of natural minerals; you could stand beneath the waterfall and get an excellent massage. we even went behind the waterfall to this little cave and sat for a while. the whole experience was relaxing and wonderful.
whether the Israelites, when wandering in the desert for 40 years, found this spot or not i do not know. But it does make me think that in the most unlikely of places or unlikely of times, God will provide. he always has and always will. and sometimes it takes an oasis in the midst of a desert for me to remember this.
on the way back to our hotel, we got a picturesque view of Israel at night. the lights from Bethlehem and Jerusalem lit up the landscape. and one of the only stars in the entire sky--and certainly the brightest star--was right over Bethlehem...
i'll just end with the lyrics from a song I've loved for a long time.
casting crowns: while you were sleeping:
oh little town Bethleham, looks like another silent night
above your deep and dreamless sleep, a giant star lights up the sky
while you're lying in the dark, there shines an everlasting light
for the King has left His throne, and is sleeping in a manger tonight..tonight.
oh bethleham, what you have missed while you were sleeping
for God became a man and stepped into your world today.
oh bethleham, you will go down in history--as a city with no room for its King.
while you were sleeping.
little town of Jerusalem, looks like another silent night
the Father gave His only son, the Way the Truth the Life had come
but there was no room for him, in the world he came to save
jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping.
the savior of the world is dying on your cross today
jerusalem, you will go down in history--as a city with no room for its King.
while you were sleeping.
United States of America, looks like another silent night
as we're sung to sleep by philosophies that save the trees and kill the children
and while we're lying in the dark, there's a shout across the eastern sky
for the Bridgegroom has returned, and he's carried his bride away in the night..in the night.
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
will Jesus come again, and leave us slumbering where we lay?
America, will we go down is history--as a nation with no room its King?
will we be sleeping?
will we be sleeping?
Wow. MJ
ReplyDeleteeish, that's one of my most very favorite and treasures songs. i still want the music at the beginning to be played at my wedding :)
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