Israel Trip: Day 3

We had an early start as usual, and we headed over to Tabgha where we visited the Church of the Multiplication. Churches are erected at sites of importance to the faith and this is the spot where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes took place. It was really cold as it was drizzling. :(



See the mosaic on the floor in the church? It shows the mosaic of the fish and loaves in front of a large rock and it is believed that Jesus stood on this rock when he blessed the fish and loaves before the items were distributed. We did much of the sharing on the bus because silence must be maintained on church grounds and it was really too cold to be able to stay focused on what our pastor and guide was going to share.

It was such a pity we couldn't go to the Mount of Beautitudes to see where site where Jesus delivered the famous Sermon on the Mount. Our guide shared that the place is like a natural amphitheatre and has amazing acoustics so cool that it can amplify the speaker's voice. It was a bummer that we didn't get to experience it live.


We then visited Olea Essence, an olive oil press at Golan Heights and they make use of every part of the olive fruit! When the founder heard that Singaporeans were here, he came out to meet us. The founder considers Pastor Prince a personal friend and apparently everytime he comes here with his pastors! :D


This is the R&D department where they are testing out stuff for new products. After testing/sampling the products, we made our purchases and headed off. You can also buy their products online here!

As you can see outside, it's a very foggy day... We got to the site dubbed as the Valley of Tears on Golan Heights. It's really freezing out there as it was drizzling.


Remains of the war... an Israeli tank on the left and a Syrian tank on the right that never left. Apparently intelligence was received in the week leading up to the war, that the mines were being cleared and there were signs of an imminent war but the military commander did not believe so and didn't take any action.

So the war went into effect on the nation's holiest day Yom Kippur and the Israelis were severely unprepared for the attack. We know how the war ended and it was a victory for Israel, but it wasn't without much bloodshed by both sides. Our guide also shared with us that his brother brought him to the spot and it was a sight he would never forget, with tanks littered all over the place.

Okay, enough of that. Let's move on to Caesarea Philippi or Banias Springs! This is the source of one of the largest springs feeding the Jordan River. This site is a place of pagan worshiip and they worship the god Pan during the Greek times, thus the name Panias, or Banias in Arabic, and human sacrifices were offered there to please the god. That is just so twisted x.x This a pretty scenic place and I wished we had time to go on a hike there...








The Gates of Hell - Where human sacrifices were thrown into... If the sacrifices disappeared into the water, it meant the gods had accepted the offering. If signs of blood appeared, it meant the sacrifice was rejected. This is also the location where Jesus asked His disciples for their take on the peoples’ impressions of Him and his callings, and Peter replied that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 16:17- 19

Pastor Pauline then shared on operating in the authority He has given us and here are my notes:

Operate in the authority He has given you. You must know it before you can exercise it. Speak! Live in your new identity as a king-priest, leave behind your old life. Your life is bound by what you know and you need to know about your inheritance. The Lord has come to give you a new identity, a new beginning and authority, walk in it! Jesus has severed you from death and you received His salvation, health, peace and wholeness. He wants you to be reigning in this life.

Field of maize just outside the kibbutz. We then went to the place where people can buy dates and other items as souvenirs. I got some tea leaves and garlic salt (the smell is really strong!) to take home.


It felt like such a short day huh? More travelogues coming up! :)

Day 1 in Israel

It's been on my heart to visit Israel, to walk the paths that Jesus had taken and have personal revelations of His love for me in the holy land and this year, I finally made the trip. :) We went with a tour group and we met up at Changi Airport for a briefing and prayer session first before we all dispersed to do our own things prior to embarkation. We transited at Bangkok and we had to go through strict security control (loads of questioning from El Al's staff) before we could finally board the plane that would take us to Israel. We were supposed to be boarding at about 10pm++ but by the time we boarded it was way past midnight and I fell asleep in my seat even before the plane took off. After 11+hours, we finally arrived!


The first thing we did was to get some food in our tummies, and we did so at Caesarea Maritima, our first stop of the day. Oh yes, I feel that we have been blessed with the best tour guide and bus driver for this trip. Coincidentally, both the tour guide and bus driver are named Avi. :) Throughout the whole trip, we were constantly bombarded with tons of biblical, historical and geographical knowledge regarding Israel by our tour guide (and he really knows his stuff) while our bus driver had been expertly navigating the narrow roads on the mountains (sometimes with another bus coming from the other direction!) and taking care of members who are unable to go on the trails. He's not supposed to do that, but he went the extra mile. Anyway, I'll stop side-tracking!


View from the cafe where we had our breakfast Caesarea Maritima is where Peter preached the gospel to Cornelius' household and they were among the first Gentile believers. It is also the place where apostle Paul was imprisoned for 2 years before he was taken to Rome to stand trial.


Walking part the hippodome where horseraces, events and games are held in this arena.


Ruins


We also saw the remains of an ancient theatre where performances were put up for the pleasure of the citizens. Pastor Prince had also preached there previously! :)


The aqueduct that brings water into the city. Next stop, Mount Carmel!


At Mount Carmel. Pictures don't do the place justice.

Israel was engaged in idolatry and Elijah proposes a test of the powers of Baal and God. Two altars were built, one for God and the other for Baal and to see which god will answer by fire. Mount Carmel is where Elijah called down fire and God consumed the sacrifice (and even the altar!), defeating the Baal prophets. Next, we proceeded to Megiddo. Megiddo is an ancient fortress/city and it is also identified as Armageddon in the book of Revelation, the site of the world's last great battle.


We came across an altar, where they would conduct sacrifices on.


This is a public granary where people use one stairway down and another up to deposit their grains.


There's also an underground water system and it's pretty cool. 183 stairs down and walking through the 80m tunnel (where it's really cooling underground), the people of the day could get access to the spring located outside the city without being seen by enemies outside the city walls. Last but not least, we went to Mount of Precipice, where the Gospel of Luke shared that Jesus was rejected by His fellow Nazarenes after He had preached in the synagogue and they wanted to throw him over the cliff.


View from Mount of Precipice. On the way to our hotel in Tiberias back, we passed by Nazareth (which is now occupied by mostly Muslims) and Cana. The thing about tour trips is that we end the day quite early at about 6pm so we would get enough rest for the next day's activities since we had to get up early. :) Will blog more again!

A Jesus culture.

It's in our human nature to gravitate to the negative side of things, to pick up the negative things in life to talk about. Take a look at the papers and you'll see it's true - stories of uncertainties, crises, moral indiscretion... it's almost depressing. All this trickles into our lives and conversations with people around us, and if we are not careful we might become laden with cares. But I'm thankful to Daddy God for the environment He has planted me in and opened my eyes to. :) In the morning, Kev drops me a love message and affirms me of my identity in Christ at the same time.



Throughout the week, other than Kev, I have a bunch of sisters and brothers in Christ who continuously share God's word to build ourselves up with. Kath even came up with a Jesus culture programme where Friday is set aside for us to share God's faithfulness in our week. :)



I'm experiencing Daddy God's favour and faithfulness mightily this whole week. My boss came back from her business trip and got all of us little gifts. Then later on in the day, she called me into her cubicle and I thought it was work-related. It turned out that she bought something extra for me that she didn't get for the rest. :) Just yesterday, a colleague got me a little Hello Kitty card because another colleague and I love Hello Kitty! And His goodness doesn't stop.

This morning I was out for a run with Kevin in the park and in the middle of the run, I told Daddy God, "How nice it will be to see a squirrel on my run". Alas, I came to the end of the run and I hadn't seen a squirrel. While I was stretching, Kev pointed out to me that there was a squirrel on the tree! That's Daddy God's favour right there and I just feel so loved. Daddy God does not just give us our needs but satisfies our wants too. :)

Sometime in the week when I was alone, my thoughts drifted to friends whom I felt were more successful than me - friends who have successfully applied for their flats (and their flats are halfway built) and friends who have advanced in their careers though we were of the same age group and a tinge of envy came over me. So I was with my thoughts for a while until I felt the Lord ask me, "How do you define success?" People have measured success by the cars they drive, the houses they live in, the goods they possess. But with the question He asked, I've come to a conclusion; material wealth is not the measure of success or worth and I'm a success because the Lord is with me (Genesis 39:2). :)

This week has been a tremendously blessed week with Daddy God's fingerprints all over it. I'm thankful that I have these people in my life who reminds me that although we are in this world, we are not of this world. This is the new environment I'm steeped in, we have Christ and He makes all the difference in us. :)

Nothing compares to this love

Surely the Lord's goodness and mercy follows me everyday of my life. :)

Today I really felt it.

As the day unfolded in front of me, I can see.... I can see that what I wrote down on my vision map (faith picture, whatever you call it) a month or two back can really materialize as long as I have faith in God. If it's a dream that He has planted in my heart, He can open doors, He will bring it to pass, and all I need to do, is to believe.

Right now, I'm just gonna remain still and bask in God's love. :)

Thank You for the cross

I just came back from caregroup and we watched The Passion of the Christ.
The movie has been out for really long now but I've never seen it.
And.... I cried. :'(
Watching it reminds me of everything He had gone through for us...
If this is not love, I don't know what is.

Thank you for the cross, the mighty cross
That God himself should die for such as us
And everyday we're changed
Into your image more and more
Yes, by the cross we've truly been transformed

I fell in love with the man who died for me

Just finished Joseph Prince's Destined to Reign and it left me wanting more of Jesus, so I picked up Crazy Love by Francis Chan the other day at the library. Have you ever felt that way before, like you can never get enough of someone? Yeah, that's how I feel about Jesus. :) It's just crazy knowing how much God loves us.

Isn't it amazing how we have a God who knows us intimately, loves us so deeply and every request we bring to Him is not too trivial? As I practise Jesus' presence, I can see it slowly manifesting in my life. As I rest in Him, things seem to fall into place effortlessly.

For example, I suffer from bouts of rashes several times a year, and I was experiencing my second bout maybe about a week back. It usually starts off with a small patch on the side of my thigh before becoming bigger. Nothing would really alleviate the itch. Balms and creams can only temporarily soothe the itch till it's time to apply it again. Sometimes it will itch so badly that I would wake up in the middle of the night to find myself scratching at the afflicted spot. :( Usually the situation has to get to the worst stage (where it looks really disgusting and swollen) before it starts to heal.

But this time around I believed in Jesus for my healing. I stopped applying anything to my leg and just kept confessing that by His stripes I'm healed and I'm the righteousness of God in Christ. Just like that, my rashes was caught in its tracks and I'm healed now!

Lord, how you protect, redeem, heal and bless me! You say "I am that I am", and I know You are everything I need You to be. :)

Come what May

Ariel & I at Hillsong Brisbane Campus

Last year I had the chance to serve along side fellow God-loving people in one of the awesomest churches ever in Australia (in my opinion anyway!) and I really enjoyed doing that. Come this May, I’ll be stepping into a new season… It’s different from what I did before, but I’m sure God will be guiding me every step of the way. :)

“Jesus didn’t die halfway for you, why do you get to live halfway for Him?” – That’s a quote I saw on tumblr earlier which really hit me and drew attention to the way I led my life. Maybe slightly more than six months back, someone once asked me if that mistake I committed, the lifestyle I was leading was a good testimony. At that point of time I just felt that I was in no wrong since I had no one to be accountable to but I forgot I was still accountable to Jesus! Now I see his point now… but I wonder… I wonder if he had examined his own actions and if he’s also truly leading a life for Jesus too.

Right now, I guess the most important relationship for me to work on right now is the one with God. I have faith that if I take care of the things that are important to Him, He will take care of the things that are important to me. From this moment on, I will live my life fully for Jesus! :)

My favourite Bible verse of the moment

I really liked it a lot, so much that I have a postcard with the verse on it and I read it every morning when I wake up.

Along with this verse, come alot more verses that come to my head whenever I feel unsettled, anxious. If you are here by chance and you're feeling uneasy, I hope these verses will bring you peace as they did for me :)

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still" ~Exodus 14:14

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." ~Deuteronomy 31:6

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

in the middle of my little mess

reblogged from faithnotes.tumblr.com

So many things to be thankful for despite everything. God shows His love for me and I just feel so enveloped by it all. He most definitely showed it through my friends. They listened intently even though most of the times they only hear me sobbing. They checked on me almost on a daily basis to see if I were okay, and I'm just so thankful for that.

And the little things God did for me... like random conversations with strangers that brightened up my day a little to having a seat no matter how crowded the public transport gets... really just brings a smile to my face. :)

Thank you Ariel for lunch, bunny ears (so cute!) and showing me around the new MTV office. Thank you chai meimei for all the candies you've gotten me, though I haven't quite touched them yet hahaha. Thank you Josh for being so patient with me when I was learning how to play the guitar. Thank you Ju Leen for being there for me in the middle of the night, and it was fun ransacking your beauty trove the other day! even better when you passed me some Bath & Body Works products ♥ Thank you Shayne for brunch and your insights on things. Thank you bestie for being there for me even though we are thousands of miles away. Thank you Yining for praying for me, and I'm so glad distance didn't put any obstacle for our friendship to blossom!

Most of all, I have God to thank everything for. I asked for a sign and He gave me one. His advice for me had fallen on deaf ears so many times and He knew that I'm more of a visual person... So He made me see. What I saw was a jolt to my system, but that did it for me.

So God, thank You for showing me things so I can finally let go and let You take over. Because I'm precious in Your eyes, You will not let dirt remain in my mouth where You intend delicacies to be placed. Whoever You have plucked out from my life, I will not run after them because You did that for my protection. I'm letting go of unpleasant things, so my hands are finally free to receive the best things in life that my Abba Father wants to bless me with. Thank You for loving me.

shalom

In Christ alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My comforter, my all-in-all

Here in the love of Christ I stand

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me

From life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

THE PURPOSE DRIVEN DECLARATION

Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling and I’m finished with wavering, I’ve made my choice, the verdict is in, and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living, and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me,” character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I’ll give it all I’ve got. I’ll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me. When times get tough, and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace. I’m Spirit-led, purpose driven, and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for every day, and generous with everything God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say, "However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost I’m ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway. Whatever it takes, Lord; whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I’ll hear you say, 'Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!'"

~Rick Warren