Worship and testimony with Arab Christians in Nazareth

We are at the Nazareth Baptist Church for a meeting with Christians from the Nazareth region tonight. It is so wonderful to experience worship with an Arabic flavour! There are about 100 Christians gathered. We have come together to encourage one another, to share the blessing of Christian unity with one another and to learn from each other.

I forget, sometimes, that the Church throughout the world is so much more diverse than just western and African forms. What a joy and a blessing to be here.

The Christians here are so passionate about their faith (even though they are a minority community among Muslims), they have such a firm commitment to proclaiming the Gospel, and making it visible through acts of Christian service and mercy. I am deeply encouraged!

The hills of Nazareth

This afternoon we are in Nazareth for some sight seeing and meetings with some Church leaders. Nazareth is a lovely, predominanlty Arabic city, in the country. We spent some time at 'Nazareth village' learning some interesting facts about life at the time of Jesus. Geography, history, vegitation and a host of other things truly bring the scriptures to life!

Inside the Church of the beatitudes - the core of my faith

We have just left a wonderful, quiet, time at the Church of the beatitudes in Galilee.

Yesterday someone asked me if there were any passages in scripture that form the core of my faith. Indeed, there are, they are Micah 6:8, Luke 4:17-19, and the whole of the beatitudes (Matthew 5 & 6).

I am so drawn to this gospel, this good news, that has a real practical impact upon the lives of real people with real world pressures and struggles. Justice, mercy, humility and love - these are the hallmarks of Christ's loving Gospel. The teaching and ecample of Jesus echo God's radical hospitality, the hospitality that offers welcome and shelter first, and then only seeks to bring renewal and change.

I love this God, this Christ, and this Gospel, and I love the Gospel way of life.

Praying on the sea of Galillee

This morning our group (which has members from South Africa, the USA, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Namibia etc.) took two hours to pray about the concerns that we face in our Churches and nations. It is wonderful to see 'mainline' Christians, evangelicals, orthodox and Catholic Christians praying for the needs of the people among whome they live.

Issues of poverty, justice, sickness, the economies, education, safety etc., were all raised and prayed about.

In this picture you can see some members of the group on one of the wooden boats just off the coast of the modern resort city of Tiberius.

Filming Global day of Prayer spot on the sea of Galilee

Here we are at the sea of Galilee, it is a fresh water sea that is 230 meters below sea level. Jesus performed 25 of his 33 miracles in the region of this sea. It is lovely out here just as the sun is setting, we've hired one of the wooden fishing boats for the shoot. We did an earlier shoot at the Jordan, I'll post some pictures if I get a chance.

Filming on top of Massada

This was us filmimg today's insert for the Global Day of Prayer http://www.globaldayofprayer.com on the top of Massada.

At this point we have 212 of the world's 220 nations praying during the 10 days of prayer leading up to the global day of prayer on the 11th of May 2008 which will be linked and broadcast from Jerusalem with live feeds coming in from across the world.

Massada in the morning

It's just after sunrise and we are climbing up the Roman rampart to Massada. This is a very moving place. The price of war is incredible. It is so sad that we sacrifice the lives of others at the altar of ideological difference. As we arrived whole groups of paratroopers (17 and 18 year old boys) were on their way down the mountain after a few days of very hard training (what we called 'vasbyt'). I was so sad for them!

I did not enjoy being in the army when I was conscripted, I could not imagine sending my son (let alone my daughter like in Israel). Very sad!

At the waterfall in En Gedi

Here's a picture of Graham Power and I at the waterfall in En Gedi. This is an incredible oasis in the dessert! It is quite a climb to get up here, but I made it in my crutches (the secret is that I have 4x4 traction control in my legs!)

En Gedi is the area in which David spared King Saul's life in a cave. You can read about it in the Bible, here 1 Sam 23:29 - 24:1 forward.

What a great afternoon with my friends! We swam in the dead sea, came here, and now we are on our way into the desert to stay in a Bedoin tent.

Tomorrow morning we awake very early, and go to Massada where we shall film further inserts for the 'Global day of prayer' daily TV shorts.

Swimming at the dead sea!

This is the lowest place on earth (about 400 metres below sea level). We we're floating in the dead sea (it has 35% salinity, the normal salt content of the sea is only 3%!)

This is a picture of friends Corne (right) and Cois (left) de Kock - they're covered in the mineral rich mud (for which Ahava cosmetics is famous for).

Qumran community - where the 'dead see scrolls' were found

It is hot out in the desert today. We're at the Qumran site where one of the most important documents in Semitic religious history was found.

This is a fascinating place!

Filming for Global Day of Prayer at the Jerusalem Convention centre

Today we filmed some more inserts for the Global Day of Prayer - http://www.globaldayofprayer.com

Here you see Graham Power and Peter Sorokewa (from Ghana). I was filmed doing a communion service at the garden tomb. It is quite nerve wracking!

This photo was taken at the Jerusalem convention centre.

By the way, I'll be on a documentary that is shown on SABC 2 on Sunday 18 May, 9h30 am entitled 'One and undivided' about Bishop Paul Verryn.

An 'Apple shop' in the Old City of Jerusalem... An ancient iPod anyone?

Yup, an Apple shop in the old city of Jerusalem... I wonder how much an iPod from the time of Jesus costs?