Today's post comes from Anna Grace Glaize!
On the Sea of Galilee!
Whew, have we done a lot! Today is day four in the country, but it feels like we just got here. The days have flown by. Tomorrow's our last full day in the Galilee area, and I'm trying not to get sad. I'm hype for Jerusalem, but who knows when I'll get to wake up to a gorgeous view of the Sea of Galilee again. Here's a quick recap of what we've done so far (feel free to skip this part): Bet She'an, Beit Alpha, the Church of the Annunication in Nazareth, the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaeum, boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, the Ginosar Boat, and Bethsaida. Today we did Tel Hazor, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Nimrod's Fortress, and the Golan Heights.
If you got overwhelmed reading all that, you have some sense of why time is passing so quickly! I'm having an amazing time and am constantly impressed by the level of depth in our conversations. Today we spent a lot of time on what Jesus says to Peter at Caesarea Philippi. He asks him, "Who do you say that I am?" We've been asking ourselves the same sorts of questions.
Being in Israel has really helped us wrestle with all this. We're learning about how Jesus' world shaped him, and, in doing so, questioning how our world has shaped us. Of course, being influenced by our cultural contexts is inevitable. Yet, as Dr. Borders pointed out, being a good disciple means being willing to let God change and shape our worldview. That process can be kind of scary. Letting it happen requires trust. But each time it happens we get a little bit closer to becoming who we were intended to be. We get a little more human. We get a little more Christlike.
Good things are happening in the hearts of our pilgrims! We may end each day tired, and a few of us are growing weary of shawarma, but we're all having fun and learning a lot. There's a whole lot of joy in this group. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. You'll hear more from us soon!
Shalom, ya'll!
At "Abraham's Gate" at Tel Dan