Impressions of Israel – A Symbol of Interest

Posted on September 24, 2021September 26, 2021 by Chris

During one tour, we peeked through a locked grate to see a little bit of the catacombs below Jerusalem. A few hard-to-see symbols were on the wall.

When we asked why this entrance was locked, we were told there were a lot of symbols in this portion of the catacombs. Neither the Catholic Church (which owns a lot of property in Jerusalem) or the Jewish authorities wanted to see these symbols.

This “Grafted In” symbol dates back to the first century A.D.

Romans 11:17 says “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,”

The top of the symbol is the menorah used in the Jewish Temple representing the Torah, the Light of Judaism.

The middle is the Star of David, representing the Messiah (Yeshua). Yeshua is the son of David who will rule over the Kingdom of David.

On the bottom is the fish (ICHTHUS) recognizing the followers of Christ (the Christians).

Note the base of the menorah and the tail of the fish join to form the Star of David. This means Yeshua (Jesus) grafted his followers into the faith and promises God gave to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.

I wear this pendant most of the time as a reminder to myself that everything God promised to His followers is also promised to me.

There are many, many places in the United States where this can be purchased. The one I know the best is Jerusalem of God in Greeley, Colorado.

Impressions of Israel – Seeing the Bible come alive

Posted on September 18, 2021September 18, 2021 by Chris

I continue to work on my book, Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs. One of the stories, Hannah Brings a Basket, is about the basket Moses was placed in before being set afloat on the Nile River.

Today, as I walked near my home, I spotted an area where cattails grow. New thoughts about the story bounced through my mind. Now I know cattails and bullrushes are not the same plants, but they are similar. Both are used to weave mats to sit or sleep on, baskets, sandals, etc.

Bulrushes are a better choice for a basket that needs to float on water because its spongy center is designed by God for that purpose. When Jochebed wove the basket to save her son, she covered it inside and out with tar and pitch. I think the purpose was more to keep the water from seeping in than to keep the basket on top of the water.

The inspiration of the cattails and the writing and editing on the story reminded me of how close God is to me at all times. I didn’t need to travel thousands of miles to remember His presence. It is right here and right now.

Halleluiah!

This story of Moses is in Exodus 2:1-10. More information on the differences between cattails and bulrushes can be found at https://www.askdifference.com/cattail-vs-bulrush/.

Impressions of Israel – Recipe

Posted on September 10, 2021September 10, 2021 by Chris

Hummus

Any international travel includes a food-based experience. It seems every
country has at least one food specialty and most have more than one. While I
had heard of hummus my first experience tasting it was in Isreal.

Some foods are claimed as a specialty of more than one country. Hummus is
one such food as it is a basic staple throughout the Middle East. It can be
eaten as part of breakfast, lunch, or dinner or as a snack. Israel and Lebanon
have traded the Guinness World Record for the largest dish of hummus with the
most recent winner being Lebanon in May 2010 with a recipe including eight tons
of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), two tons of tahini, two tons of lemon juice, and
150 pounds of olive oil.

For those unfamiliar with hummus, it is a dip or spread eaten as a side dish
or with pita, vegetables, or bread. It is also eaten as an appetizer.
Considered to be a healthy food due to high levels of dietary fiber, protein,
vitamin B6, manganese, and other nutrients hummus is part of many lifestyle
meal plans.

Before he was my son-in-law, Cedar, worked for a missionary group in Israel
for four years. During that time, he enjoyed a lot of hummus. It has been said
a bachelor who does not like hummus cannot survive in Israel. When he returned
to the United States, he was unable to find a hummus he liked.

Cedar and Jennifer experimented with and tweaked an almost endless list of
hummus recipes to find one he liked. Below is the final result.

Hummus

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (or 2 cups cooked chickpeas)

2 cloves garlic, minced – optional

1/3 c. bean juice

¼ c tahini

2 tbsp. lemon juice

3 tbsp. olive oil

Salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until
smooth and creamy.

Enjoy.

Share your favorite Hummus Recipe.

First Arrival

Posted on September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 by Chris

Impressions from Israel

It was 2005 when Roy and I traveled to Israel for the first time. Roy had a lot of experience traveling outside the United States, but international travel was a new experience for me. We traveled with a dance group from our daughter’s church. Jennifer was a member of the Israeli Celebration Dancers.

I doubt it is unique to have some travel jitters. But I didn’t expect what happened when we landed in Tel Aviv.

As the plane touched down the passengers clapped and cheered. Was it the joy of being back on land or the joy of being in Israel? I’m still not sure.

Trouble attacked when it was time to leave the plane. I could not let go of the arms of my seat. Fear glued my hands in place. I refused to leave the plane until it returned to the United States.

I was terrified I would embarrass myself or my country. Not sure why or how, but I was sure the embarrassment was real.

Not even sure what that means.

Jennifer and her friend gently pried my fingers from the arm of the seat, while Roy reassured me. They held my hands as they guided me off the plane. Roy walked close behind us. I think he was there to support me, but it might have been to keep me from running back to my seat. We were the last to leave.

We returned to Israel three times since they helped me off the plane. All three times I felt like I was coming home.

Now, I view times of terror during new experiences as a barrier trying to prevent me from receiving a blessing.

As I write my book titled Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs, I find my impressions of Israel put me in touch with my characters in the story and my movement on the path to publication.