Britton Christian Church

It is Sunday morning, now Sunday afternoon for me here in Jerusalem. It has been a week that I will never forget! What has been the highlight of my time here in Jerusalem? Was it the Garden Tomb or sitting in the Garden of Gethsemane? How about walking through Hezekiah’s tunnel or visiting the City of David? How about…well, I could go on and on with the lists of potential highlights, but the fact of the matter is that the highlight for me has been quiet times of reading God’s Word by myself while looking over this incredible land full of history. I will never forget floating in the Dead Sea or seeing the caves where they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls, but looking over the Kidron Valley and reading the story of David capturing the city from the Jebusites in 2 Kings 5. From that victory a great, wonderful, and sometimes tragic history has been written. In very direction I turn there are stories to be read from God’s Word–that is what has made being here in Jerusalem so wonderful.

Today we got to go up on the Temple Mound where the 1st and 2nd Temples once stood. It was both sad and awesome to stand there where Solomon’s Temple once stood and to look at the land where Herod’s magnificent 2nd Temple once stood before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Today there are two mosques on the site: The Al Aksa Mosque which has been on the mound for more than 1300 years and the famouns Dome of the Rock which has been here for about 600 years. We were told today that Rabbis instruct Jews to never visit the Temple Mound because they don’t know exactly where the Temple once stood and therefore they don’t know where the Holy of Holies was located. No Jew, except the High Priest, was allowed in the Holy of Holies so it is not safe to walk around where the Holy of Holies was once located. We were also told that Jews and Christians were once allowed to visit inside the mosques, but not today. We were not allowed to take our Bibles up on the Temple Mound and we were not allowed to pray while up there. (Keep it on the down low but I prayed while on the Temple Mound)

We also visited the ruins of the pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a man who had been crippled for 38 years. (John 5:1-14) It was so interesting seeing the ruins because there were healing pools dedicated to the healing god, Ascelpius, located right where Jesus healed the man. The story has always fascinated me because Jesus asked the man, “Do you want to get well?” He had been physically limited for 38 years –of course he wanted to get well right? Maybe. While I have been here I have seen beggars every day. They each have their story. They each have their ankle bandaged or crutches under their arms or… We were told not to give them anything because many of them make their living by begging. Our guide knows some of them and he told us that they live very well. If you were to take away their story then they would have to do something else to provide for their family. I don’t know anyone like some of these folks I have met, but I do know many folks who have a challenge, are going through a trial, and instead of pressing on and trusting God to see them through they want to use their challenge or trial as a reason to throw in the towel. Jesus says, “Do you want to get well?” If so, then pick up your mat, throw back your shoulders, straighten up your back, and trust God to see you through! He’ll make a way where there seems to be no way! Don’t quit–have faith!
The story has taken on a whole new meaning after seeing the ruins of the healing pools of Ascelpius. Jesus didn’t need the healing waters of Bethesda to heal the man who had been lame for 38 years. Jesus walked right up to a pagan healing center and He healed a man without the “healing waters.” Wow! What a powerful truth for you and me. Jesus doesn’t need gimmicks or special “prayer cloths” or any such thing as some of the hocus pocus preachers are peddling in our land today. Trust Him. He is sovereign! You can trust Jesus in the midst of your pain and suffering regardless of what is causing it. You can trust Him alone!

We are off tomorrow morning for Petra. Have a super Lord’s day.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

Hi Everyone,

I don’t even know where to begin this evening. I try to write these posts like I was just getting home from my day and wanting to tell Connie what happened. I have a feeling that she would feel like she was being pummeled with thoughts after about 5 minutes of hearing what all happened in this day. I will try to narrow it down and stick to one subject even though i would like to sit here for the next three hours and fill you in on all of the details of a remarkable day. Let me take you to the Garden Tomb.

Our guide took us to the traditional place where they crucified Jesus and we sat and listened to him speak for several minutes about the site and how the Romans like to crucify people where things were most busy so that people would see and be afraid of what might happen to them if they broke the law. After we left Golgotha we walked around to the Garden Tomb. There were several groups situated throughout the Garden as they have created little sitting spaces for groups of 20-40 in several different areas. Our guide was describing the tomb we were looking at as a first century tomb of someone who was wealthy. Archeologists have determined that it was a wealthy person’s tomb because of the size of it. He also went into more detail about what Archeologists have said throughout the years, but as he was talking I heard the most gorgeous sound that distracted me. It wasn’t in English, but it was familiar. I continued to listen until I recognized the tune…”Shout To The Lord.” I left my group and followed the sound until I was standing in one of the little spaces created by those who own the Garden. There was a group of about 30 Germans, hands lifted in worship, and singing “Shout To The Lord” with all of their hearts. Ooo…I just got goose bumps again!

I went back and joined my group and David Darnell grabbed me and introduced me to some guy in Spanish. I think David speaks every language known to man except for maybe Pig Latin. ha! He had met a group of people from Nicaragua. David introduced me as his pastor to the pastor of the Nicaraguans and we hugged each other like brothers. We were separated by language by drawn together by the love of the Lord!

There were folks from Africa, England, Korea, Ireland, and David introduced me to a husband and wife that he had met from Spain. Why did these folks travel from all over the world? There is only one reason and His name is Jesus. Glory be to His precious name! It is the name of Jesus, and only the name of Jesus, that can bring a broken and fragmented world back together again. Sitting at the Garden Tomb and shifting my stare between the empty tomb and the full hearts of people from all over world made me realize that Jesus is the hope of this crazy, broken world. Pray for eyes to be opened and hearts to be touched with the Good News of Jesus our Savior.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

Hi Everyone,

We spent almost the whole day in the Old City of Jerusalem today. We could spend another ten years and still not see everything there is to see. I’d been told that Jerusalem is a city within a city, but I had never really grasped it until seeing it today–Jerusalem is a city within a city. There is the Old City with a wall around it and then there is the modern Jerusalem which has been build around the Old City and across the hills. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about let’s try this: It would be like building a wall around the downtown area of Oklahoma City. The wall is to protect the citizens against their enemies. As time rocked along growth began to take place around the old city of OKC until you have people living in Midwest City, Edmond, Mustang, and other areas.  This is what happened in Israel. During the passage of time, and as other nations overthrew Israel, growth outside the city took place. Today, Israel is spread out all over the hills, but today we were in the Old City of Jerusalem.

We sat on the “Southern Steps” of the city early in the morning and listened as Kay Arthur taught us from Luke 19. It was a powerful lesson and to hear it sitting on the very steps that Jesus walked on to enter the city! Wow! How do you beat that! From there we went to the Western Wall. You’ve seen pictures of this on TV as Jews pray there day and night and stick their prayers in the cracks of the wall. There were many men and women praying while we were there today, but there is a fence to keep the men and women separate. I was so blessed by the humble prayers of these Jewish men, women, and children. Stop and think about this: Jews have been gathering at this exact place since the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. The generations change, but they keep coming to pray.

I was so amazed at all of the excavation going on around the Old City. Archeologists are digging and making all kinds of discoveries here in Jerusalem. On Thursday of this week I will get the opportunity to go with some others from our group to view the city of David. Archeologists now believe that David’s “Jerusalem” was located down the hill from where the Old City is today. They believe this because the water source, the Gihon Springs, are located down in the Kidron Valley. Look it up in your Bible maps to see what I am talking about. Anyway, I am going to visit an archeological dig and I’m so pumped! I’ll send you pictures.

The last place we visited today was the Holocaust Museum. I had the opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. a few years back, but todays visit really hit me hard. There is not a Jewish person in this land who was not impacted by the Holocaust. To stand next to many of these people as I walked through the Museum and to know that they had a mother, father, grandparent, uncle, or some other relative who died was so sad to me. I left there with a heavy heart.

I sure hope you are enjoying the pictures and notes we’re putting on the blog. I’ve been getting emails from many of you that encourage me to keep posting each day. I was blessed with the opportunity to come to the Holy Land and I have felt a great need to allow others to share the trip with me. Shalom.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

I don’t believe it! I really don’t believe it! As we rode up the mountain and into Jerusalem I got the chills. We went to the Hebrew University and listened to Kay Arthur teach us about the significance of Jerusalem to God. It was such a powerful lesson with the Dome of the Rock (the Muslim mosque which sits where the Temple once stood) in the background as Kay walked us through the Scriptures. We are going to spend the next 6 days here in Jerusalem so I will be able to send you pictures of each of the sights from every day. One last thing. I hope you will check out the pics from today because we visited the ruins of Bet She’an before we came to Jerusalem. Bet She’an is the place where the Philistines hung King Saul’s head on their city wall to embarrass Israel. I got a picture that many archeologist believe to be authentic, but I will let you decide. Have a super day and know that I am praying for all of you while I am here.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

Good Morning Everyone,

I’m short on time this morning since we are getting ready to load up the buses and head to Jerusalem. I tried to get online last night after we got home, which was late, but the internet here leaves much to be desired. I sent some pictures of our trip yesterday so I hope you will take the time to check them out. Let me tell you a little about the day.

We left our hotel and went to Capernaum, which is about six miles north of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus left Nazareth He went to Capernaum and made it His home base during His ministery. Capernaum was also the home of Simon Peter. We saw Peter’s house yesterday and it was so awesome. In the first century Christians built a church over the site. Today, Christians have build a “flying saucer” over the site. It’s not really a flying saucer, but it sure looks like one.

I was able to walk in the old syagogue, built in the 300’s A.D., where many of our brothers and sisters worshipped. If you look at the picture I sent of this you can see white stones resting on black stones. Archeologists believe the black stones are the very foundation stones of the synagogue where Jesus taught.

From Capernaum we went a mile down the road to the Mount of Beautitudes, the place where Jesus preached the greatest sermon that has ever been heard. We read Matthew 5-7 as we sat on the hill and I went back 2,000 years in my mind. Those who heard Jesus were sitting and looking at the Sea of Galilee just like we were!

From there we went down the road around the Sea of Galilee a little further and we visited the Museum of the Boat. Some of you may remember about 5 years ago when a boat was discovered on the Sea of Galilee in the area where Jesus ministered. I’ve got a picture you can check out to see it. Archeologists date the boat to Jesus’ day. There is no way to know if it was the boat that Jesus and His disciples used, but it was used in the day in which Jesus sailed the Galilee.

After such a full day we went to eat at a “Sho Nuff” Jewish restaurant. The food was out of this world! A Jewish lady that owns the restaurant got up and sang a tribute to Kay Arthur who has been going to Israel with groups like ours for 30 years. Kay loves the Jewish people, she loves Israel, and the people of Israel love her. We had a great time, but I was ready to hit the sack. I hope you will enjoy the pictures from my day.

I continue to be overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of Israel. I have always known that the Jewish people were people of great national pride, now I understand why. They are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They live in the land that God has given them. They are surrounded on every side by political and religious enemies and yet they walk the streets with confidence. They have faith in God. They believe that they are people of destiny, God’s destiny. I was thinking about this last night. You and I are not Jewish, but we can have and even greater confidence than the Jewsih people. The Word of God teaches us “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10) Last night at the restaurant they were playing music and dancing when the lady stopped and said, “Do you know what you are singing?”  Then she said, “Messiah will come! Messiah will come!”  I’ve got news for you my friends, “He has come!”  Jesus came to take away our sins, to call us from darkness to light, and to give us the assurance of eternal life! The Messiah has come and He is coming again!  Through Jesus you and I can have the confidence of knowing that our past is forgiven, our present is secure, and our future is in God’s hands. What a glorious future it will be for those bow their knee to the King of all Kings! Have a super day.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

Hi Everyone,

It’s 9 pm here in Tiberias and we just got back to the hotel a short while ago. It has been a full day to say the least. We spent the morning in Megiddo. This is the most famous battlefield in the world and the place where many believe the final battle will take place. It was truly amazing to stand on the mound of Megiddo and see the ruins dating back to Solomon, up to king Ahab, and even later.

We also went back to Nazareth for lunch today. We ate at a place that use to be a church, but today it is a hotel. The food was out of this world, but every meal we’ve had has been a real blessing. The Meditteranean food is awesome.

After lunch we went to the Jordan River below the Sea of Galilee. There were many people in our group of 200 plus who wanted to be baptized and I was one of them. Before each of the people were baptized they had to give their name and why they were being baptized. For many folks it was their first time to be immersed and their testimonies were so moving. For others it was a reaffirmation of a commitment they had made earlier in life. For me, it was an opportunity to experience once again one of the most important and powerful experiences of my life. When it was my turn to talk to the crowd, I stood there in the waters of the Jordan and told them, “I was raised in locker rooms and not in a church so it was a teammate that led me to the Lord. When I went to see the preacher and talk to him about being baptized he read to me from Romans 6 where Paul said that “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”  (Romans 6:3-4 NIV) I told the folks that those words were the most refreshing and needed words I had ever heard. It’s been 26 years since I stood in those baptismal waters. I’ve had opportunities to do lots of really awesome things during my life. I’ve met lots of incredible people. I’ve learned many wonderful things, but those are still the most powerful and life-changing words that I’ve ever heard! I’ve dedicated my life to sharing that message with those the Lord places in my path. There is hope in Jesus. There is new life in Jesus. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, He has the power to raise us up above the mess we’ve made and give us a brand new life!

When I came up out of the waters of the baptistry at First Christian Church in Duncan, Oklahoma almost 27 years ago I felt like I had been given a new life, and I had. Today, when I came up out of the waters of the Jordan River, I gave thanks for the new life, the abundant life, that the Lord has so graciously showered upon me since that time I accepted Him into my heart more than 26 years ago. God is so good and He has proven Himself so faithful throughout these years.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

Hi Everybody,
It was another wonderful, and full, day. We went as a group to the precipice outside of Nazareth, (it’s no “precipice,” it’s a mountain!), where the crowd was going to throw Jesus off the cliff because they hated what He had to say. (Luke 4:29)
It was so awesome standing on top of the hill and looking to the left, to Mt. Tabor, where Deborah, Barak, and the armies of Israel defeated the army of Sisera. On our right we could see Mt. Carmel, the place where Elijah had the showdown with the false prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 17-18)

We could see so much of Israel and it was so amazing to hear our guide tell Biblical story after Biblical story. The greatest story was told as we looked down from the precipice at the Church of the Annunciation, the place where the angel announced to Mary that she was going to give birth to the Messiah. (Luke 1)

We had a bird’s eye view as our guide told us about when it was time for Mary to have Jesus. Joseph and Mary made the long trip, a trip of five to six days, through a mountainous, rugged countryside.  The trip was also through Samaria, an enemy of the Jews, so they traveled under constant threat. Hearing the story from high above Nazareth sure made the story come alive.

We also went to Caesarea, the great city that Herod the Great around 22 B.C. This is when construction began, but you should have seen the city that archeologist have unearthed in the past 10 years. Herod’s Palace was there, a magnificent palace, along with the most famous port along with the Mediterranean coast. Herod also is credited for bringing the Olympic games back to life and he build a huge athletic arena right on the coast of Caesarea. The real significance of Caesarea is found in the book of Acts. The first non-Jewish convert came from Caesarea. Phillip preached the Gospel in Caesarea. Peter was called by God to go to Caesarea and preach the Good News to Cornelius’ household. In Acts 23:33 we find Paul handed over to the authorities in Caesarea where he kept in prison for 2 years.

I was standing on the Mediterranean coast and looking at the ruins of what used to be a palace, not the palace of Herod the Great, the palace of the Governor, Pontius Pilate. For many years skeptics doubted that Pontius Pilate was a “real” individual from history—that is until archeologists discovered a stone with “Tiberium” (Latin for Tiberius Caesar) and “Pontius Pilate” inscribed on it. I’m getting goose bumps just recalling what I saw! I’d better quit for now, but you can check out the pictures by clicking on the link from yesterday. Our computer guru is adding pics to the page every day. God bless you all. Check back tomorrow and let’s walk some more through this wonderful land of our Savior.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

Hi Gang,

It was an unbelievable day! I am so blessed to have this opportunity to see where Jesus walked. I’ve only been here one day, but I can honestly tell you that I am overwhelmed with what I’ve seen just today. We began our morning at Korazin. Archeologists have been digging there for some time and they have unearthed a community that dates from Jesus’ time. They’ve also found a synagogue that dates later than Jesus’ day, but which was amazing to see. You can read about Jesus’ cursing Korazin and Bethsaida in Matthew 11:21-22.

Our next stop was in the northern part of Israel where the tribe of Dan eventually settled. I could write for days on the history of this, but I’ve got to keep it brief since I don’t want to inundate you with “stuff.” You can read about what I saw in 1 Kings 11-12. Jeroboam was given 10 of the twelve tribes and promised that if he would seek the Lord then the Lord would give him an inheritance and future that sure sounds like the promises God made to David’s lineage. Jeroboam was the king in the north when the Kingdom of Israel divided. God had commanded His people to only worship in Jerusalem so Jeroboam had a problem. He thought that if his people went to Jerusalem that they would side with Rehoboam and want to stay in Jerusalem. Jeroboam set up an alternative to God’s prescription for worship in Dan and Bethel. He made two altars, set two golden calves on them, and told the people, “Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” The false altar of Jeroboam erected over 3,000 years ago has been found! It is amazing to see! They have also discovered the city wall surrounging Dan. (It’s the picture of David and Karen standing in front of the city gate) I was so not wanting to leave the place. Also, Kay Arthur, our Bible teacher for the week did an awesome job of teaching from 1 Kings 11-12 while we stood and gave upon the false altar.

Our last stop of the day was at Caesarea Philippi, a city built by Herod the Great’s son, Phillip. It is built at the base of Mt. Hermon and absolutely beautiful, but full of idols. This is the place where Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” (Matt 16:13f) It is also the place where Peter made his bold confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” It is amazing to look at the ruins of this great city, a center of worship and culture, and to see that today it is merely ruins. Where are the accomplishments of Herod the Great, his son, Phillip, and all of the other great Roman Emperors? They are ruins! I stood today with people from all over the world, not a physical building, but the Body of Christ, and Christ’s body is growing each and every day! Wow! What a blessing to walk to where Jesus walked.

You can see the pictures as I add them here on the website.

Wow! What a trip! I left my house at 4 am on Tuesday morning and we got to our hotel at 9 am (OK time) Wednesday! It was more than 24 hours of planes, trains, and automobiles. When I got to New York I went through security and chilled for a couple of hours before they called for us to board the plane. Dr. Darnell boarded just fine, but they pulled me to the side and asked me why I hadn’t been through security? I told them I had, but they said, “You haven’t been through El Al security.” I soon learned that they were talking about the Israeli security that you have to go through in addition to the U.S. security check. News to me. They whisked me downstairs, went through all of my stuff, and asked a ton of questions before they finally let me get on the plane. David was laughing when I finally got on the plane. I felt like I was Osama’s little brother or something. You can bet I won’t forget again.

Once we landed in Tel Aviv we gathered up our stuff and boarded buses which carried us to Tiberius. We are staying on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. Wow, what a sight! Already my mind has thought of so many wonderful stories from God’s Word concerning the Sea of Galilee. I can almost see Jesus and His Disciples out on the waters! What a gorgeous sight!

We’re getting ready to eat in a few minutes and then I’m hitting the sack. I wanted to sent a post to let everybody know we made it. Oh, I also wanted to let everyone know that I got an email from Deana Basey letting me that Shannon and Jeremy welcomed a new little boy, Braddock Lynn, into their family yesterday! God is so good! Stay tuned and I’ll try to keep you up to date on what’s happening in the Holy Land.