Tracing the steps of Jesus (Part 1)

We've been in Israel for the past three nights. How much can one cram into 24 hours? As much as is humanly possible! First things first, we arrived into Jerusalem after a short wait getting our passports inspected. After a very pleasant ride in a local shuttle bus/taxi, we arrived less than 1.5 blocks from where we stayed -- across the Damascus Gate! To imagine what this gate is like, think of a small channel or walkway overflowing with humanity and items for sale and then multiply it by 7!! That is the Damascus Gate on a Saturday evening.

We left the next morning for the Dead Sea area -- although we didn't hike up to Masada, it sure felt like we did when we walked around the compound area in the heat of the day. That King Harod sure liked his luxuries -- cold pools, tepid pools, hot pools and steam baths -- sky high in the middle of the desert. Its amazing, very little grows up there, except in oasises. Then, you find green lushness in abundance. Its really a contrast. Our day of sightseeing in the area closed with a short dip in the Dead Sea. One really does float! Our mud bath and saline rinse does wonders for the body! All the aches and pains of the body float away just like in the commercials. We all agreed that we needed to visit at least once a week as part of our weekly regime. How nice would that be?

Today, we were up in the Sea of Galillee area. We drove all around it, saw and read where so many foundation stones of our faith happend. From the eastern side where the demons were cast into swine, to the west side where thousands of people were fed from 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. The most amazing place was the mountain side slightly northwest of the sea, where the beatitudes were shared with us. One of my favorite being: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall inherit the earth. / You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family. "

Our journey holds the remaining pinnacle sites back to the old city -- Jerusalem where we'll have a chance to remember the names of the innocents and the righteous among the nations. We'll close our day by tracing the footsteps of Jesus: Transfiguration Mount, the Via Dolorosa and the Garden Tomb.