The Upper Room

Thanksgiving

I just want to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving.  Enjoy the holiday.

Mama Rochel cry for us again

I just came across this great song.

 

 

Jerusalem Day

Having just returned from Jerusalem I was faced with seeing  biblical prophecy fore filled and being fore filled.  To be in such a glorious city is to be touched by GOD.  Sadly I was not able to be present for Jerusalem day. This is a day which was spoken of long ago. A day when Jerusalem would be reunited.

Sadly there have been many lies spread about Israel and about Jerusalem. But I can testify first hand that a united Jerusalem is the world's best bet for peace in the region. Here all people come together,  the old sniper towers are torn down, this city Jerusalem is alive, vibrant and growing.  On May 12th the nation of Israel celebrated Jerusalem day. Here are a few things to get you thinking.

Here is the speech give to the paratroopers after Jerusalem was unified. 

Colonel Mordechai Gur, June 7, 1967

Paratroopers, conquerors of Jerusalem!
When the Temple Mount was conquered by the Greeks it was liberated by the Maccabbees. The "Kanaim" and Bar Kochva fought against those that destroyed the Second Temple.
For 2,000 years the Temple Mount was off limits to the Jews.
Until you, the paratroopers, came and returned it to the bosom of its people. The Western Wall, towards which every Jewish heart beats, is again in our hands.
Many Jews risked their lives, over our very long history, to come to Jerusalem and to reside in it.
An infinite number of wistful poems have expressed the profound desire for Jerusalem that beats in every Jewish heart. During the War of Liberation incredible efforts were made to reclaim the heart of the people - the Old City and the Western Wall.
To you has fallen the great privilege to complete the circle, to give back to the people its eternal capital and its sacred center.
Many paratroopers, our finest and most veteran comrades, fell in this terrible battle.
It was a rapid and ferocious battle. In it you functioned as one body that crushed anything that stood in your way without concern for your own injuries.
You did not gripe, you did not complain, you did not report, you just advanced and conquered.

Jerusalem is yours - forever.

For your enjoyment listen to Ofra Haza sing HaKotel.

And Jerusalem of Gold

Holocaust memorial day

Our friend from Israel writes about this day. 

AGAIN…’the mantle’ has settled over the land…that tangible veil of mourning that drapes itself over the nation drawing us all into one – suddenly experiencing the grief and pain of the remnant of the 6million Jews who perished in the holocaust fires.   I hear the impatient police sirens rushing past and know that the Prime minister and President are  approaching Yad v’Shem (the holocaust memorial museum), just down the road from here, to begin the heart rending ceremonies, so I go into our apartment and turn on the television.  My husband and I stand for the beginning.  We will stand again at the end as ‘ha Tikva’, our national anthem is sung.  For 2 and a half hours we listen to stories, reflections, poetry, song, prayers.  Our Prime minister reminds us that the world is again ignoring the signs that it saw before, but this time in Iran rather then Germany.  It is an indescribable experience…intense…I can not explain it.  Now, entertainment ends, restaurants close and the siren will wail through out the land tomorrow morning at 10 am.  We will all stand for 1 or 2 minutes of silence…and…inexplicably…the grief of the survivors will again become public and be spread over us to share the burden with them.  So many of them hide it so well…and let it ‘out of the closet’ just this once a year…Inexplicable…that is all I can say. 

And this is the beginning of the extraordinary week that I have described before and STILL don’t know how to share so that you can really understand…Holocaust memorial day will end tomorrow night.  A week from tonight will begin Memorial day for soldiers and terror victims.  Then, as it draws to a close, the amazing thing happens…the half mast flag is raised…the trumpet plays 2 notes in a minor key…2 notes in a major key, and we are lifted into Independence day…joy out of grief…life out of death…flowers out of fire…How does this happen?  Perhaps by the end of the week I will finally find a way to ‘paint’ you a door to see into this unique experience with us. 

On the buses

From time to time I have had a guest blogger from Israel. I especially enjoy these posts as they show a part of life we do not always encounter. Believe it or not Israel is not the place of  homicide bombers and strife that the world media would have us believe. Yes, in "the land" there lives ordinary people going through the same things you and I do.

The post below is a contemplation on fifteen years of riding Jerusalem's buses. Sit down take a seat and enjoy what our guest blogger writes.

As I rode the bus today, I thought about the new year and time in general.  I was thinking how things change, and yet, it seems to me that our walk is simply to put one foot in front of the other and to ‘walk’…while we ‘stand’. 

So (since I was on the bus) I began thinking about the changes that have taken place on the buses in the 15 years that we have been here, and thought that you might enjoy hearing some of it.

One of the things that impressed me so much about the buses when we first arrived was how people poured in through the back doors as well as the front.  ‘Orderly’, it was NOT!  Baby carriages and wheel chairs now ONLY come in through the back doors, however other passengers are no longer allowed on that way anymore. 

It used to amaze me how someone in the back would pass money up to the driver.  The first time a stranger on the bus handed me a 100 shekel note, I was perplexed until I understood that I was to ‘pass it forward’ to the driver.  Now, you must understand that the hands through which this large amount of money passes through hands tha are not particularly polite, or affluent hands.  Some hands are attached to the surly, or needy, some were young, some were down right rough; however the money kept passing along.  Soon someone tapped me from the opposite direction and here came the ticket, and a fist full of change on it’s return trip to the back of the bus.  ‘How in the world will it find its way to the proper passenger!’ I thought.  No need to worry,…It did.  Everyone in the bus became a ‘faithful courier’ and the transaction was a success.  I didn’t witness this once, but time and time again. 

Another thing that caught my attention was the mothers and babies.  Often a mother with a baby, perhaps several other children, and many packages would get on the bus and attempt to settle herself before paying the driver.  The baby was handed to other passengers, total strangers (I know, because I held my share), and the mom would head toward the front to settle the business.  The babies and children would smile contentedly, as if we were all family.  Impressive! 

There were ‘bus-birthdays’, graduations, army milestones and other joyous occasions that were shared with the entire bus by way of passing around cookies or other goodies (‘halavi or parve?’ passengers would ask – ‘is it dairy or non dairy’…in connection with the kosher laws)…nuts or a salty packaged snack were the most popular.  ‘Mazel tov!  Brachot!  (Congratulations!  Blessings!)  Is it your 18^th?  You are in the army now?  You are going to get married?’  These were total strangers, but now really…tied together one with another by a common bond of bus jostling and a common history of struggle.  Such special moments! 

Then there were ‘the steps’.  By that I mean children, perhaps 5 or 6, obviously from the same family, all about 1 year apart.  Once I saw TEN together, and I think that the oldest one wasn’t much more then ten!  The oldest is the boss and each ‘step down’ is in charge of the one below it…unless there is a hyperactive sibling.  Then several more level headed youngsters take control of that one.  It is amazing for me to watch … these little mother hens, so serious about their charges…so careful to do as they have been taught.  It is very impressive.  One day I listened carefully.  It seemed to me that the mother of the family was in labor and about to give birth, so the responsible little ‘brood’ were traveling to a relative. 

I have seen lost down syndrome people gently calmed and delivered to their homes when they missed their bus stop.  I have received a free bottle of soda pop from a bus driver who bought a case of cold ones to pass around the bus on a particularly sweltering day. 

And I have seen deeply moving and dramatic scenes during the long, heart wrenching intifada. 

Much has changed over the past 15 years.  The buses are air conditioned, so I don’t think that there will be any more free drinks on a hot day.  The bloody intifada seems to have sobered everyone…or was it the last war, or the one before or the political situation, or the economy, or just the tremendous pressure life in Jerusalem. 

None the less, the poignant moments continue, if one watches for them, which I try to do.

AND…we are still entertained by the enigma of ‘route change day’ (designed to keep the drivers on their toes, alert) when the driver gets a new route…and we…the passengers…must tell him the bus route…directing him (NOT without argument! – ‘Go left here.’ From another ‘NO!  What are you TALKING about!  He doesn’t go left until the NEXT block!’) This is SO highly entertaining that I will leave it to be filled in by your imagination!  Wish you were here!  May our year conform completely with His will for each of us! 

Happy New Year

Happy new year to you all. For me 2009 was a bit rough. But I have high expectations for 2010. Adventure is knocking at the door, and I am excited to see what takes place.

I am still continuing my Hebrew studies. This class has at times been challenging. But I am surprised at just how much I have learned. 

I am seeing friends move on in a deeper relationship with GOD. That excites me.

There is much to look forward to. Lets enjoy the adventure of 2010.

Christmas here at last

Yep it is early October and I have already seen my first advertisement for Christmas spending.  While at a business lunch the overhead TV screen declared I should "buy my Christmas music now".  With expected slow retail sales this Christmas advertisers are acting early. This is making me even more determined not to spend this Christmas season.

Studies

This has been a very exciting time for me. As many of you know I have been studying Hebrew.   This has been home study with some wonderful resources.  But I got to a point where home study was not enough. I needed to go deeper and have formal instruction. 

I have entered into a Biblical Hebrew class.  The class is very intense with a goal of completing first year seminary Hebrew.  I am loving every minute of it.  There are good stresses and bad stresses.  The bad stresses for me are often work related.  The good stresses are being pushed to think harder and go deeper into GOD's word.  The class is two hours every week then we have eight hours of home work.

Hebrew is a wonderful language.  It is rich and rewarding.  As one person once told me, "English is like a line drawing, Hebrew is like a sculpture, it has contours and texture".  That statement is certainly true.

Listening

 
Image: ASBO Jesus

Summer may have led to a slow down in blogging, but it has not curtailed the tunes I listen too. Much of today's worship music seems like fluff.  I have been craving substance.  That meat has been found in hymns. These ancient songs are rich in theology and deeply Christ centered.  Kingsway has produced a marvelous series called "The hymn makers". This series is well worth buying and will nourish your soul.

Alive and kicking

I want to thank everyone who has contacted me asking, "is everything Ok"?  It is true I have not blogged in over a month.  Yet, I can report that all is well.  The lack of blogging is nothing more than a determined effort to enjoy life. I have been spending less time in front of the PC and more time experiencing good things.

I have been making greater efforts to spend times with friends. Going for long walks. Reading books of of all kinds, from theology, science and general fiction.  Prayer has also been a major focus.  Summer is good and I have been enjoying the time.

On fathers day, we took a drive to Duluth.  Both of us really need to get out of the city. We spent a little time at Duluth harbor.  A tacenite vessel came into port. 

As it was fathers day the Captain's family were on hand to welcome him home.

From the lake front we went on to a state park.  While sitting in silence, listening to the breeze rustle tree branches, a young deer came out to feed.

Nature is far more entertaining than anything on television.  In peace and silence we can sit back and watch a whole world most of us never encounter.

So for those of you who have been concerned about the silence...worry no more. Life is good.  I hope to blog more in the days to come, stay tuned.