Twelve Things I Love About Jerusalem

Why twelve, you ask?  I don’t know.  I was looking at pictures of our year in Israel this morning and started thinking about how I love that place. For those of you who don’t know, we spent last year living in Israel and serving on the leadership team of Succat Hallel, a 24/7 house of prayer in Jerusalem. It was one of the best years of my life but also one of the hardest years of my life. I know that sounds strange, but it’s really true. The difficult times refined my walk with God in a way that nothing else could, so I treasure even the hardest days.

These twelve things are in no particular order. I couldn’t put them in order even if I had to. I love every one of them. Ok…here goes….

1. Looking out my living room window at the Jordanian mountains  of Moab. The security fence that borders the West Bank is visible also.

2. Visiting my 2 favorite places on the Temple Mount. This was the location of Solomon’s temple & possible site of the third temple.

And this is the inside of the Eastern (Golden) Gate where Yeshua will enter the city when He returns. (Who is that handsome man standing there?!)

3. Worshiping with the community at Succat Hallel

4. Watching Bar Mitzvah ceremonies at the Western Wall on Thursday mornings
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A Dove in the Old City

A couple of weeks ago, Gary and I took Austin and Hannah (our oldest son & future daughter-in-love) into the Old City to eat a shawerma. I love falafels and shawermas. Have I ever mentioned that?  Anyway, on the way to the little falafel shop, we stopped off at the Western Wall.  We didn’t have time to stop and linger, but we saw a white dove on the Wall over on the women’s side, and Hannah and I didn’t want to pass up the photo op!  A white dove on the Western Wall…the only section of wall left from the 1st century when Yeshua walked here….a Wall that His human eyes looked at….

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