When we got to Jerusalem we went to the Mount Of Olives and looked over the city.  The rest of our day was focused on walls.  We first met with the gentleman who designed the controversial barrier that separates Jerusalem from the West Bank.  He talked about the need for the wall to be built in order to protect the Jews in Jerusalem from terrorist attacks.  He also discussed some of the resistance to what many Palestinians have called the “Wall Of Apartheid”.  Later that evening we went to the Western Wall as the Jewish Sabbath began and participated in evening prayer.  The Western (or Wailing) Wall is the last remaining wall of the destroyed temple.  It is a place where Jews pray believing that God’s presence still rests in the temple and that it will be rebuilt one day. I took my prayer list (that included the Community Of Hope family) and placed it in a crack in the wall as is the custom.  I got excited about DMV prayer requests being lifted up in such a holy place.  I am expecting testimonies of miracles to meet me when I get home.

The various walls caused me to have to deal with the challenge of conflict in a land of faith.  What does it mean for people of such great faith to have such great conflict.  I am especially reflective because walls of conflict aren’t isolated to Israel and Palestine.  One of the prayer requests I placed in the wall was for Sis. Tonda White.  Sis White is a member whose 18 year old son Johnquan was killed yesterday as a result of gun violence .  I pray that God and the Community Of Hope church family will wrap their arms of comfort around the White family during this time of loss.  I also pray that God will show us all how to dismantle the walls that separate us while establishing firmer foundations for our walls of faith.  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

Today was a great day.  Started off the day with a visit to the synagogue at Capernaum.  This is the place where Jesus started his ministry.  It was a great place to start our journey. We also went to the Church of Magnification which is located on the spot that Jesus fed the 5000 and the Mount Of Beatitudes where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount.  Met with a charismatic Arab-Israeli pastor who talked to us about the state of the church in Israel and Palestine and later a soldier talked to us about the situation with Lebanon as he showed us the Israeli-Lebanon border from the top of a mountain.  It’s been a full day, check out the pictures below.

About to land in Israel and reading the 1st chapter of John while
listening to Phillip Bryants album Gracefully.  That album is crazy and
has me in the right mood to set foot in the Holy Land.  Had been
flipping back and force between that album and Rev Donald Vails.  I
laughed because both sing “There’s Not A Friend”.  So different and
separated by decades but both so anointed.  This connection helps me to
further value my trip to a place with such old school significance while
still maintaining a present day power.

Reading John I realize that i will soon be walking in regions that I
have so long read about.  The place where John the Baptist testified of
the light.  The place where “The word was made flesh and made his
dwelling among us”.  I’ve landed in airports all over the world but
this landing feels like so much more.

The view from my room beside the Sea Of Galilee