A reversal of sorts

Saturday, August 30th 7:11 p.m.

What I didn't say about my trip over here was how much it hit me when the orthodox Jews started praying toward Jerusalem. But they weren't just praying, they were bowing and reading from prayer books facing the wall. It seemed almost cultish. Then, when I think about it, and after seeing all of the dedication to religion here in Jerusalem itself, it worries me in several senses. One, it worries me how people can get so caught up in their "sacrifices" and miss the mercy aspect (Matt. 12:7/Hosea 6:6). Do you get what I'm saying? So many people here are pouring themselves into the Pharisaic idea that they must follow of these commands, and they miss the ideas behind the commands. It saddens me. But, what worries me just as much is how we Christians can complain and struggle with so little in comparison to the energy and time and devotion that these others pour in to their false religions. What is wrong with us? How can we, the only ones with the TRUTH fail to put our all forward. This has bothered me since I arrived here. How can I, one who has full capability to be used by Jesus Christ, not spend as much time as possible developing my relationship with him? I understand the gospel, yet I do not let it consume my life as the Muslems let the worship of Allah consume theirs. Perhaps that is what I am here to learn, the passion of one who knows the truth. We shall see.

Cheers

Travel and Arrival day one

Friday 29/08/2008 6:41 AM

Here I am way across the Atlantic Ocean just about to cross over London and Rome completely unable to fall asleep (since it’s only 11:43 p.m. NJ time). So, I am beginning my journal of sorts. After writing in a notebook all summer, typing just isn’t the same… but I’m sure I’ll get the nack for it again. I just watched several movies including: Kong Fu Panda, Chaos Theory, the pilot episode of the Sarah Conner Chronicles, and Be Kind Rewind. Wow. I have about 3.5 hours left. Oh I met a guy named David who is studying in Jerusalem too, at a school I couldn’t really catch the name of, but he said he’d be happy to share a sheruet (sp?) with me and Trey to Jerusalem. He seemed like a really nice guy, and I would really like to talk to him a lot more about his faith, but I’m sure I’ll have the chance to talk to a lot of Jews about t heir faith. I’d think they would be more than willing to share. I need to make sure I start out this time in Israel right, by spending it with the one who made Israel worth visiting. That has been my most common mistake in New Jersey/Wisconsin/Indiana and I refuse to let it happen in Israel/Egypt. I just read over Natalie’s note (list of things to do in Jerusalem) and it just made me more excited. I really wanna finish the reading that I was supposed to do over the summer (I tried to do it all in 2 days… I’m on page 27 of 97 ha). It is SO interesting *some of it* and I would love to finish and have a good command of both the land and the history behind it. The man I am sitting next to right now is really cool. He’s been all over the world!!! He works for a company specializing in making newspaper companies more efficient and productive. He’s been from Japan to Peru to Colorado Springs (his favorite place in the USA. anyway I’m getting tired of typing on here so I’m going to try and sleep again.

Cheers.