Epicenter Conference - Day One

Ann Graham Lotz is the daughter of Billy Graham and is highly gifted in teaching and public speaking. Hearing Ann speak is something splendid. After the lively worship and Joel Rosenberg's introduction to the Biblical book of Joel, Ann started the teaching from Joel, chapter one. If one wasn't awake after the zealous worship, there was no giving way to jet lag during Ann's proclaiming of God's Word.

Of the many voices in Christiandom I trust to bring a message from God's heart, it would be Ann Graham Lotz.  Her life, ministry and personal relationship with God is one of integrity, honesty and consistency.  She is a woman who lives by the Word of God, studies it faithfully and teaches it wholeheartedly.  I strongly urge you to listen to this message in its entirety by going to the Epicenter Conference website. This message is for everyone, not just those who were attending the conference, please listen and take heart.

Ann powered through the first chapter of Joel as she read it to us and then began to teach what God had given her from the passage.  Her message entitled A Wake Up Call for Israel and the Church set the tone for the rest of the conference.  She emphasized the importance of knowing the times we live in. Anne's presence, demeanor and passion for the Bible made her message unforgettable.  She taught us about the "Day of the Lord".  Her simple definition was it's the day when God gets fed up and draws a line in the sand. The "day" is fast approaching and Ann challenged the listeners to take stock in our own lives, repent of known sin, quit fooling around and get serious about our relationship with God.  Why?  Because the time is extremely short, we are right on the cusp of Messiah's return and we must be ready to meet Him that day.

Enjoying our box lunches in the atrium.

As you may have already thought, this was not a "feel good" kind of conference. Every speaker challenged and stretched us far beyond what we encounter in our Western Churches.  Leaving the context of the West and entering into another culture is one of the most invigorating experiences I've had.  My world can get very small when it is focused on my life, my family and my work.  Departing from the known and stepping into the unknown allows me to walk in faith, trust God and let Him direct me to the places and people He wants me to encounter.  It brings me the greatest joy imaginable to fellowship with believers from many countries when the common thread is Jesus Christ. I so wish each of you could have this blessed experience!

Lunch was carefully orchestrated with drink stations, tables with box lunches and chairs for us to sit in scattered all around the atrium area of the building.  As we made our way to pick up our lunches, we caught a familiar face behind the table....it was Ilan, our fabulous tour guide from last year!  He immediately remembered us and greeted us with a huge smile and handshake.  Each box contained more food than folks could eat.  Each day, all the unopened items from the lunch boxes were collected and distributed to those in need who live in Jerusalem.

During the lunch break we were finally able to exchange some money at a bank just outside the entrance.  For some reason the ATM machine would not allow us to take cash out of our US account. Some places will let you pay in American dollars but it gets very complicated trying to figure out the exchange rate.  Paying in shekels makes things easier. 

The afternoon session was equally riveting as we continued the study of Joel with Ray Bentley and Skip Heitzig.  One interesting fact about the book of Joel is that there is not a date as to when it was written or who specifically it was written to. Yet the main theme is The Day of the Lord is coming, so get ready!

Looking back at the notes several things stood out. 
1) God is sounding a wake up call to the world and to the church.
2) Judgment is coming, sooner than we think.
3) There is a little time to examine your life and repent!  God is still offering Grace and Mercy.
4) The Messiah's return is eminent!

Early birds get the front row seats!

5) Be committed to living out Biblical truth.

Everyone we talked to at the conference had the same sense of being "called" to attend the conference. I don't know where all of this is taking us but I do know we have a responsibility to share the message of urgency with anyone who will listen.

What direction is your life going?  Do you need to make a "u" turn, get serious about your relationship with God or fall on your knees before Him and acknowledge that HE IS God?  There is still time!

Journey to Jerusalem - 2011

"If your vision doesn't scare you, your vision and your God are too small."  Brother Andrew

Its been four years since God started to speak to our hearts about Israel.  We have been praying together about what God wants us to do and how we can be a blessing to Israel. Small pieces of the puzzle came together after our initial visit there in February of 2010.  After much prayer and seeking God, we were directed to go to the Epicenter Conference in Jerusalem, May 15 & 16, 2011. This is the chronicle of our journey.                                                                                     

For the first time, ever, Dan and I embarked on an overseas trip by ourselves.  We made all the travel and hotel arrangements without assistance, in faith that God was directing us.  There was one small hitch when we left KC, the hotel was overbooked so we had no place to stay the last night in Jerusalem. Stephanie urged us not to fret but to play it by ear and see what transpired when we arrived in Israel. It seemed like a good stretch for us to really trust God so we left it up in the air, just as our daughter suggested.

Flights and connections were seamless and we arrived in Tel Aviv with all of our luggage, whew!  Our beloved taxi driver, Moshe, whom we met last year, was waiting for us in the arrival hall of Ben Gurion airport.  His steadfast smile and trustworthy service are worth every penny of the fare. It was Shabbat so there was little traffic and we were able to relax and enjoy the beautiful drive to Jerusalem. The overwhelming sense of being home flooded my heart.

Upon check in at The Caesar Premier, we found they were serving Shabbat dinner. The price seemed a little steep so Danny negotiated with the restaurant manager for the meal and got it for $10 less!  We looked a bit shabby after the long journey but were treated like VIPs by the manager and his staff.  Being a blue eyed blond in a country where most everyone has dark hair and dark eyes brings one quite a bit of attention whether one desires it or not!  As we left the Shabbat dinner, which was simply delicious, the evening restaurant manager reached out, took my hand and kissed it! I was a little shocked but managed a shy, smile and promptly headed up the stairs to the long awaited shower, pillow and clean sheets.On the way up to the7th floor, we experienced the Shabbat elevator, which had a mind of its own and stopped on every floor so one does not need to push any buttons. It was a lengthy ordeal but I suppose part of Shabbat (the Sabbath) is about slowing down to focus on God.

After a healthy Israeli breakfast the next morning we set out on foot to find the International Convention Center where the Epicenter Conference was to be held beginning on Sunday.  The air was cool and there were many families out walking together in the quaint Jewish neighborhood on Yaffo St. Men walked together and chatted while women pushed strollers and engaged in friendly conversation with each other. Children straggled along behind their parents, playing and smiling as they walked.  We had a map of sorts but it was vague at best and after a few misreads, we stopped to ask for directions.  Turns out we were standing directly in front of the building we were looking for.  Although we could not enter, we were assured by a bystander this was the place where the Epicenter Conference was being held.

Yaffo St, Jerusalem

Timing the walk back to the hotel we estimated it was a 20 minute excursion.  Danny settles for nothing less than front row seats so plans were put into place for a 7 am breakfast with a 7:20 departure time. This would get us to the conference a full hour early giving us the advantage of front row seats.

Shofar, made from ram's horn, blown like a trumpet

The plan worked beautifully with the exception of walking at a brisk pace on a full stomach...not the best idea for two old fogies, but we still made it in time to get two premium front row seats!   Something about sitting on the front row makes one very attentive with few distractions. As we waited for the auditorium to fill, the opportunity to chat with several staff members and make some new friends sitting around us filled the gap.  The conference was held in the King of Kings Church and was packed out, standing room only.  There were over 620 people from all around the world attending and a tingle began to make its way up my spine as the worship team took it's place and the Shofar was sounded.

News in Nazareth

Modern day Nazareth looks like any other contemporary Israeli city. As we approached, part of me longed to see what it was like when Jesus lived there. I imagined myself as one of His neighbors...how would it feel to reside near the Light of the world, the Word of God? Was He a people magnet? Probably. Was He highly respected for His outstanding work as a carpenter? Undoubtedly! When He said "good morning" to you, did warmth and love fill your heart? Most certainly. As I rehearsed this scenario in my mind, the bus pulled up to Nazareth village rebuilt to resemble first century structures.

A young, American college student guided us through the museum and out into the village.  She was a volunteer spending a semester to study and serve in Israel.  Nazareth is located 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee and 70 miles north of Jerusalem.  It is located on three sides of a rocky limestone hill overlooking the Jezreel valley. Climbing the steep, rocky, paths past the terraced gardens was hard work with my high tech walking shoes.  The thought of walking the same path in flimsy sandals gave me a new perspective of how much more difficult everyday life was at the time of Christ.

Above - a shepherd tends his sheep in Nazareth village.  Note the ancient olive tree on the right side of the picture believed to be around 500 years old!   Our guide shared about how much work went into making a small terrace garden place.  Building the wall of the terrace, filling it with soil and preparing it for planting
could easily take several months of labor.

There was a natural, rock, wine press (right) where grapes were stomped and the juice would run down from the platform (where girl with the boots is standing) into a hollowed out cistern for short term storage. The amount of time and effort it took to grow a little bit of food made me think they must have eaten much less than we do. The doorways and other artifacts found at different sites suggested the stature of the first century inhabitants were significantly smaller than we are.
While touring a reconstructed home, we learned something about first century "carpenters" I never

heard previously.  Carpenters were primarily stone workers as well as wood workers.  This new piece of information seemed perfectly logical because the most plentiful building material in Israel is stone and wood is scarce.  On the left is a replica of an olive press made of limestone.  Olives were placed in the shallow "pan" and the stone was rolled over them to crush the meat and prepare them for the olive press.  After the olives were crushed and pits removed, they were tucked in round, flat baskets with a large lip around the outer edge, then stacked on top of each other. Progessive amounts of weight were applied for the first, second and third press. The first press of the olives produced the finest of the oil (extra virgin oil) which was given to the priests for use in the temple. Sounds like a tithe, doesn't it?  The next presses are used for cooking, cosmetics and oil lamps.

To the right you can see the dark round basket sitting on the floor which the crushed olives were loaded into.  They were stacked on top of each other in preparation for the press. On the right side of the picture are two of the three weights which were applied in progression.  Another name for the olive press is gethsemane or the crushing place.  It brings to mind the great agony Christ suffered as he prayed and sweat drops of blood the night he was betrayed on the Mount of Olives in the garden of Gethsemane.

The synagogue in Nazareth village was not only a place for the men to gather to pray and discuss scripture but it was also used as a school and meeting place for all the villagers. The roof was made of layers and layers of reeds, rocks and soil which would have taken months to construct in first century. Women in the community were restricted to peering through the windows at the roof line when the men were praying. Stair steps lined three walls of the synagogue and provided graduated seats for participants to settle.

Before Christ, women were often treated like chattel.  Jesus is the one who lifted women up to their place as honored and cherished, created beings. After all, it was two women who first received the most important news in history; His glorious resurrection! 
If you would like to see a short video on Nazareth Village check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4neHFy0jXQ&feature=related#watch-main-area

It's a local call

This is our bus driver, Eliaser and our second tour guide, Ilan.


Eliaser kept us laughing with a plethora of politically incorrect jokes, complete with accents. Eliaser taught us a song in Hebrew which I also know in Russian and have "performed" many times at orphanages. Ilan had a marvelous sense of humor as well as a deep understanding of what Christians wanted to experience on a tour. At many of the sites, Ilan had us bring Bibles to read passages of scripture that related to the particular place we were standing. He also taught us a song in Hebrew and enjoyed hearing us sing familiar praise songs. Ilan was extremely patient, diplomatic and respectful with our diverse group. Eliaser and Ilan had quite a comical rapport with each other which added a delightful flavor to the tour. Ilan teased Eliaser about being a donkey keeper and had endless jokes about it every day.



Both of our tour guides (Misha [pictured on the right] and later Ilan) gave us an interesting perspective of prayer in Israel. They said that when we "talk to God" in the USA, it is a long distance call, but when you are in Israel, "talking to God" is a local call! We all laughed at the time and I pondered over how this concept might relate to reality. I will admit, at times it seems like my prayers are like one of those little bouncy balls that just ping all over and never reach the intended Hearer. However, after a couple of days in Israel the light began to dawn in my finite little mind. This is where it all started and the Holy Spirit is again moving in a powerful way in this tiny country. As Joel Rosenberg says, Israel is the epicenter of the world.
 
As we visited places where Jesus lived, worked and ministered, my faith began to deepen to a whole new dimension. It is like a large tree in a dry land whose roots plunge deep into the earth searching for nutrients and water. Suddenly those roots find a life giving spring. The deep, core, roots of the tree drink in the nourishment and are fortified from the "foundation". It is a difficult feeling to describe, mere words are inadequate. My faith in the Living God and the risen Christ grew exponentially with each bit of information my mind was desperately trying to take in and comprehend.
 
Back to the prayer issue. After all, isn't prayer all about faith? Faith in the One you are petitioning or praising or thanking? So with an increased amount or quality of faith, would it not become easier to "talk to God"? Would one not feel closer to God with a stronger sense of who He is and a magnified sense of connection? The dots were starting to connect as I began to sense a powerful presence much like the presence of the Spirit when I've been on mission trips. When you are in a place where the Spirit is being poured out, it is a sweet and satisfying experience that floods your soul with inexpressible joy. God is doing a mighty work in Israel by bringing His people back to the Covenant Land from the corners of the earth and blessing their labors. According to Ilan, the Israelites believe this is a fulfillment of Ezekiel 37.

This is only a small part of what He's doing. We actually saw prophecy being fulfilled every time we drove from place to place. The dessert is literally blooming! These are just a few of the crops we saw growing; wheat, corn, date palms, olive groves, oranges, lemons and grapefruit; almonds, avocadoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, beans and bananas. The Israelis have farming down to an exact science with large, arched green houses peppering the desert. They invented a drip irrigation system that allows farmers to plant in the dry, sandy soil and grow plentiful crops. This is done by placing small arches over each row about 2 feet apart and then stretching plastic from end to end securing the plastic on a wooden stake at the end of the row. The plastic serves as a mini greenhouse and the drip irrigation system delivers just the right amount of water (a precious and scarce resource) without wasting any. These irrigation systems are sold around the world.
 
Millions of trees have been planted in Israel because during the Turkish rule, most of the trees were cut down and used for railways and to build various things in Turkey. During Tu B'Shvat the children take a day off school and together, go out and plant trees. It's a thoughtful event; they take the restoration of the land very seriously. Ilan proudly pointed out areas where trees had been planted and forests were again populating the once barren land.

God's hand is evident in the restoration of Israel; we saw and experienced His great work in the land and in the people. In a later post I will share about an Orthodox woman and her young daughter we had a very interesting conversation with.

Left is a mustard plant in bloom. Remember what the Lord said about faith?

"And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you."  Matt 17:20

Things that were and things to come

Remember when Elijah the prophet challenged the 850 prophets of Baal & Asherah during King Ahab's reign?  You can read this incredible account in 1Kings 18:1-40.  Elijah met the false prophets at Mount Carmel to prove to the people once and for all that the Lord is God.  Can't you just see them dancing around the alter, jumping up and down all day long, calling on Baal to light the fire under the sacrifice?  They even cut themselves until they bled in hopes that their god would answer.  Of course neither Baal nor Asherah showed up. Then Elijah prepared his offering and soaked it with water, twice. When Elijah called on God, well what can I say, the fire came down from the Lord and not only burned the offering but the wood, the stone altar, the dust around it and the water in the trench! 

Can you even wrap your mind around that sight?  When God shows up, He leaves no doubt in anyone's mind as to who He is!  It makes my spine tingle to think about it.

Our next stop was Mount Carmel; the very place where God showed Israel His great power.  The Carmelite monks have built a lovely church and lush garden on the top of the mountain and there is a fabulous view from the roof overlooking the beautiful and fertile Jezreel Valley.

As you look further you can see the mountains of Judea and Samaria also known as the west bank. At the bottom of this photo, you may observe the rows of olive trees, a common sight in Israel. 

Olives, olive oil and hummus were available to us at every meal.  Being a staunch lover of all kinds of olives, I was delighted indulge my pallet, even at breakfast.  After gorging myself on olives the first couple of days, I decided to restrict myself to 6 at every meal; 3 green and 3 black along with a healthy helping of hummus. Pure heaven!

This is the stone altar inside the church on Mt. Carmel.  It is made of 12 stones like the one Elijah built; one stone for each of the tribes of Israel.

Now on to Megiddo, a very important city that guarded the main pass
of the Intercoastal Highway leading to the Jezreel valley.  It was one of the most important commercial and military centers from 2000 to 1000 B.C.   King Solomon used Megiddo as the headquarters of one of his 12 administrative regions.  He rebuilt Megiddo to serve as one of his chariot and garrison cities.

As we climed the rocky path to the gate of the city, I tried to imagine horses navigating the steep, slipery, stone path with a war chariot in tow and living in a stable with a stone floor.  Not the picture of comfort, is it?

On the Eastern side of the city you can look out over the valley of Megiddo, the famous battle ground where many Old Testament battles were fought and great military men such as Thutmose III of Egypt (15th Century BC), Napolean in 1799 and General Alllenby during WW I waged assaults.

Without a doubt, the most famous battle of all times,
Har Megiddo or Armageddon will be staged here according to Revelation 16.  The armies of the world will assemble for battle on the great day of God the Almighty! 

Har Megiddo battle gound is now posed as peaceful farm land.
I stood there envisioning the armies of the world gathering to wage war with the Lamb.  According to scripture, once again, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords will appear to defeat His enemies once and for all!  It makes me want to shout, Halllelujah and turn a few cart wheels!  You can read the whole scenario in Revelation 19.

After studying Revelation for 2 years through Precept Ministry, being in the Holy Land is the most exciting experience I've ever had.  The Bible literally comes to life and everything you've studied for years starts to make sense.  It's like finally getting the pieces of a puzzle so you can put the picture together.

  This is about as close as I'll ever get to driving a chariot  You can see in the background that Megiddo is up high.  The archaeologists have excavated down and found 20+ civilizations under this one! They just kept building new cities on top of old ones.  That was before the days of bull dozers!

Megiddo also had an underground water tunnel to protect the water supply when under siege.  I decided not to walk the 100 + stairs down and back up but many of our group did and said it was quite amazing. 

Steps leading down, down, down to the underground water tunnel.

Our day ended in Nazareth where we visited a reconstructed Nazareth village complete with costumed guides.

6 - 7- 8

Bumpy start

The day before we left for Israel was horrible, just about everything went wrong. To make matters worse,  there was a huge snow storm pelting the East Coast causing airports to close. In the middle of the day, we received a phone call from the travel agent saying our flight from Philly to Tel Aviv had been cancelled.  My heart sank as the agent relayed the tentative information about an alternate route which included sitting in the Frankfort airport for 8 hours, arriving in Tel Aviv at 3 am and getting 3 hours of sleep in a hotel before the tour began. 

By the time I reached home after waiting for the "cable guy" all afternoon at my daughter's apartment, an email arrived with the final flight schedule.  US Airways rerouted us from Philly to Toronto where we would fly directly to Tel Aviv.  This was the first of many "divine appointments" we would discover as our adventure unfolded.

The revised schedule meant a much earlier departure but I could easily handle that since I'd been working round the clock for two weeks to prepare for the trip.  We left KC, flew to Philly then to Toronto and found another surprise waiting for us.  The overseas flight had been switched to El Al, the famous Israeli airline known for its impeccable safety record and service!

TSA could take some lessons from Israeli security.  We were thoroughly questioned about everything except our bowel and blader habbits then run through several security checks and a scrupulous pat down.  Interestingly, we did NOT have to take our shoes off! 

Three years of prayer had prepared the way and I could already see God was at work.  All my anxieties about the flight melted into joy as we took our seats and found the one next to me was empty.
This meant we could take turns stretching out our legs to sleep in a horizontal position. 

Every aspect of the flight was delightful and a warm peace settled deep in my soul through the night as I securely slept in the darkened cabin. This is the first in many overseas flights where everyone slept and there were no movies playing through the night....it was wonderful.

We arrived in Tel Aviv at Ben Gurion Airport in the early afternoon, anxious to step foot on to the "Holy Land".  I was filled with a sense of awe as we walked through the airport, passport control and customs.  Something deep inside me was stirring.....an overwhelming sense of being "home" flooded my heart.

Our Israeli tour guide, Misha (a Ukrainian immigrant - another divine appointment) met us and gently guided us to the brand new, purple, tour bus which would be our transport for the next two weeks. One of the first things I noticed about Misha was that he called us "friends" when he was speaking to the group.  There were two bus loads of folks on our tour and we were on the yellow bus (another - no accident since the primary color bus I have always been assigned to in Ukraine was the yellow bus!).

The hotel was about an hour away in a city right on the Mediterranean called Netanya.  We had a fabulous view of the Sea from our balcony.  After a quick shower and change of clothes, we were invited to a buffet dinner with a marvelous selection of fresh vegetable salads and healthy entrees.  Of course there were some irresistible desserts as well. 

After dinner we gathered in a room and Misha gave us a short orientation and the agenda for the first day of our tour.  By then our group  of singles, couples and families from the US, Canada and Australia were bleary eyed and in desperate need of a good night's sleep.