Our Israel Trip continued

Continuing with more videos of our Israel trip below.

Up in the Golan Heights, near the Lebanon and Syria borders.

The water looked so fresh and clean and reminded me a bit of Jesus’ inviting words to the Samaritan woman, as he describes himself to her as “living water….The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (Jn 4:7ff)

Our guide at Katzrin Park was most hospitable and informative, showing us, among other things the process of making olive oil in ancient times.

Our Israel Trip January 31-February 8, 2014

My wife and I were blessed to be given the opportunity to go on an eight-day Familiarization trip to Israel that was arranged through UNIGLOBE Vision Travel Inc. of Vancouver and Eshet of Israel.  It was a fantastic trip, we visited many of the places where the ancient biblical heroes of faith and  Jesus and his disciples lived and walked. We took around 1,000 photos and plan to do power point presentations at our churches. I also shot a few very short videos with my Asus tablet, and am starting to upload them to YouTube. I am still a bit camera shy, and tend to freeze up when doing videos, hopefully I can improve with more practice. I will share some or perhaps eventually all of the Israel trip videos with you here on this blog. So here goes…

This was the first video I shot.

The second video.

The third and last video on this post.

Our New Year X-County Ski

Today we went out skiing to Police Point Park. It was a perfect winter’s day, not too hot, not too cold, no wind, about minus 7 or 8. God was smiling down on us, so we got our 30-year-old cross-country skis, boots, poles, and  gloves and headed out to do some skiing.

Me all enthusiastic at the beginning of the ski

My wife, Julianna enjoying the trail

Me gliding along on the trail

We met up with these folks snowshoeing

Of course others were x-country skiing too

The sun going down behind the trees

River banks in the distance

Happy New Year everyone, and a BIG thank you to all who visited my blog and especially those of you who took the time and made the effort to leave a comment on my blog in 2013. I am going to take some time to evaluate whether or not to continue with this blog, as it has been online now for several years. So if you find my posting rather infrequent or not at all, that is the reason.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Joy

Michelle gives us the following challenge this week: “Whether or not you celebrate a winter holiday, the years’ end is a perfect time to look back at the year-that-was and happily forward to the year-that-will-be. A time of renewal, celebration, and joy. This week, let’s set ourselves up for a happy new year: share a photo that shows us JOY. “

Joy comes in many a various ways, a baby’s laughter, reading an insightful book, embracing a loved one after a long journey, celebrating festivals like Christmas-the birth of Christ.  Check out the other entries here.

A favourite nativity decoration on our Christmas tree

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Mary, after she learns that she is going to give birth to Jesus, sings the magnificat.  (Luke 1:47-49)

“Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.” -Frederick Buechner

“Now, when I hear that Christians are getting together in order to defend the people of Israel, of course it brings joy to my heart. And it simply says, look, people have learned from history.” -Elie Wiesel

“To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy and a whole heart and a free mind.” -Pearl S. Buck

“I sing my sorrow, and I paint my joy.” -Joni Mitchell

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” -Jesus (John 15:9-11)

Christmas Collage

Weekly Photo Challenge: One

Michelle gives us the following challenge: “This week, we want to see photos that focus on one thing. Maybe you’ve got a stark photo of a single tree silhouetted against the setting sun, or a lone sandpiper wandering the beach as waves crash. Perhaps you’ve caught your mother sitting by herself in a moment of quiet contemplation. Maybe you saw a basket of wriggling puppies, and got a photo with a single fuzzy face in focus.” Be sure to check out the other entries here.

My mother enjoying our Christmas tree several years ago

When I think of the theme one, many things come to mind, including this beautiful Holy Communion hymn by Omar Westendorf, “You Satisfy The Hungry Heart,” sung here by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Community

Cheri Lucas Rowlands gives us the following WPC: “Community. When I think of this word, I imagine all sorts of scenes: A family sitting and chatting in a living room. Crowds gathering in squares to watch a holiday tree lighting. Or even some of the spaces on the web that I frequently visit, like The Daily Post. But community doesn’t necessarily conjure up images of people. I took the image above on a recent layover in Seoul, South Korea, in a mall complex in Insadong. I noticed a communal wall of thousands of trinket and ornament-like offerings, many with scribbled messages. The place was cheery and welcoming, and I could imagine all the people who’d walked this path before — their stories, their relationships, their hopes and dreams. This week, in a post created specifically for this challenge, show us community, and interpret it any way you please!” Please check out the other entries here.

Blest be the tie that binds.

The above photo was taken earlier this autumn at the 100th anniversary celebration luncheon of the first church that I served as an ordained pastor. The photo reminds me of the following words of Jesus and the apostle Paul: Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among [or among can be translated “within”] you.” (Luke 17:20-21) Paul, in describing Christian community, employed the metaphor of the human body: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:12, 27)

Weekly Photo Challenge: Let There Be Light!

Ben Huberman gives us the following challenge: “Let there be light! Many of you already know that the photo in photography means light. More often than not, though, we shy away from actually showing its source in our photos. In time for the shortest days of the year (at least in the northern hemisphere), let’s give our trusty lightbulbs, flickering candles, and pedestrian street lamps their due respect. IN A NEW POST CREATED FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO THAT FEATURES A LIGHT SOURCE. We’re entering a truly light-filled season. Christmas trees, Hanukkah menorahs, and Kwanzaa kinaras are spreading their glow in homes the world over (or are just about to), while main streets and public buildings are being prepared for the winter holidays with an explosion of bright decorations. Take a look around you. Choose one of the light sources you see, and make it the focus of your challenge entry. It can be a dramatic chandelier or a pair of dying candles; the moon, a row of glaring lightbulbs in the parking lot, or a gaudy lava lamp stored in your attic: anything goes. The light doesn’t even have to be switched on: some lamps are just as fascinating for their shape as for the photons they emit.” Be sure to check out the other entries here.

Nativity Lights

“O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!” Isaiah 2:5

Light bathing the frosty trees while walking

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-on them light has shined.” Isaiah 9:2

Medicine Hat lights at night

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Another Nativity

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” John 1:1-5

Advent wreath & candles

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

And finally, a little music, “Light of the world,” Tim Hughes:

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unexpected

Cheri Lucas Rowlands gives us the following challenge this week: “Unexpected. The world is an interesting place: we stumble upon unexpected things each day, like signs that are unintentionally amusing, bizarre sculptures, or even strange evidence of a miniature world on the side of a building. So, your photo challenge this week is to capture something unexpected. You can also interpret the theme in other ways: a street scene or landscape that just doesn’t look quite right, an impromptu portrait of a loved one, or any other image that reveals a sense of surprise.  IN A NEW POST CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO THAT MEANS UNEXPECTED TO YOU.” Be sure to check out the other entries here.

My niece didn’t expect quite this close an encounter

This photo was taken at Omega Park, near Ottawa.

The best things in life are unexpected-because there were no expectations. -Eli Khamarov

Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capacities simply by being given the opportunity to do so. -Doris Lessing

Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. -Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 24:42-44

Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers

This week Sara Rosso gives us the following challenge: Layers. Layers can reveal, conceal, and make something more complex. They can vary in size, texture, color, or functionality. Each layer can have its own story, meaning, or purpose. They can overlap, blend, or be distinctly separate. A layer doesn’t have to be a part of a single object but can even be a slice of a multifaceted image or scene. In a new post specifically for this challenge, share a photo which means LAYERS to you!

View of South Saskatchewan River Cliffs from a distance

Second view of S. Sask. River cliffs from a slightly different position

3rd view of S. Sask. River cliffs from different location with prairie & trees in foreground

4th view of S. Sask River cliffs playing with Picasa 3

5th view of S. Sask River cliffs editing with Picasa 3

6th view of S. Sask. River cliffs from different location

“A grownup is a child with layers on.” -Woody Harrelson

“Everyone has different layers to who they are.” -Carmen Electra

“It’s our challenges and obstacles that give us layers of depth and make us interesting. Are they fun when they happen? No. But they are what make us unique. And that’s what I know for sure…I think.”  -Ellen DeGeneres

“When you first hear Mozart’s music, your first impression is that it’s very alive, but if you peel away the layers, you can hear sorrow and sadness behind it, and that’s what I try to be: multi-layered.” -Park Chan-wook

“I like the idea of the documentary as a portrait. There’s not a chronological beginning, middle, and end structure. You build something in the editing room that’s shaped by getting to know the person and digging deeper, unpeeling the layers of them as you get to know them.” -Spike Jonze

“Most of the things that really matter require faith. ‘How do I know that my wife loves me?’ ‘How do I know that Mozart’s ‘Jupiter Symphony’ is sublime and beautiful?’ There are all sorts of things wich come at a more lowly level than that-‘How do I know that two plus two equals four?’ There are different layers, different types of knowing.” -N.T. Wright

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honour.” -Psalm 8:3-5 Please be sure to check out the other entries here.