2000-year-old tree bears fruit—for the first time!

Remember this story?

Well, Methuselah's story isn't over!

According to this February 27, article from Behold Israel, Methuselah, who was in fact a 'male' tree and cannot produce fruit. However, 6 more seeds were painstakingly revived and were given the names Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith, and Hannah. Then, Methuselah was used to cross-germinate Hannah, and the result was...

111 dates!

Which means, that these dates are as close as we can get to tasting what a 1st century person did when eating from a date palm. It's still different because of so many factors, like soil quality, air quality, etc. But still, can you imagine? This is what Jesus and the disciples would have tasted in the desert.

WOW! 

The stories that seed could tell...

Reading through the Bible Chronologically

A few years ago, I decided to read through the Bible chronologically, which is something I've never done. I've always just read it in the order it exists in the modern-day Bible, or read specific sections or books at a time.

But this time, I wanted to understand the Story of the Bible even more.

So I found this plan online and purchased the mac daddy of study Bibles. I love this Bible because it has an overview of every book, as well as in-depth content on translations, cultural information, historical information, cross-references, and so much more. It has maps, charts, graphs, and even photos of the confirmed ancient places. I got new highlighter pens and soon, my Bible was psychedelic in the best possible way.

I once lived with a cat, and he loved the book of Leviticus most of all

I learned soooooooo much from this study. It took me a year and a half, but it was soooo worth it. Since I started right after I returned from Israel, I was able to see so much more in my mind than I had before. I was able to connect people and stories to places in ways I hadn't before. It gave me a big thrill to mark with a bright blue * all the places I'd been! I wasn't in a hurry, so it took me about a year and a half to complete, but it was 100% worth it. The benefit of reading chronologically is that you are reading in 'real time'... like, you read about David hiding in the caves of En Gedi in 1 Samuel and then the Psalms he wrote while there. You're able to match what prophets were alive during which king's reign.

There were so many moments that took me by surprise, even though I knew what was going to happen. For instance, as the Old Testament counted down to 586 BC and the destruction of Israel under King Nebuchadnezzar, I was unprepared for how heartbreaking it was to finally get to that part and see it happen. There were so many moments of small verses or phrases that took my breath away, like in Joshua 21: 43-45, where it says that God fulfilled His promises and gave the Israelites rest in their own land, as well as instructions on how to live... only read just pages later about their rebellion.

Perhaps the most exhausting part was reading of the different kings who followed the Lord and the ones who didn't. It seemed like almost every other one put up altars to false gods in the high places, and then the next tore them down. It made me tired to read even though I knew it happened over generations, and wonder about the people putting them up and taking them down. Didn't anyone say, "Wait, I built this like 60 years ago, then I was commanded to take it down, and now I'm building it again?"

Anywho...if you've never read the Bible chronologically, I highly recommend it. The plan is free (see above), and you don't need to buy a new Bible. I just wanted more contextual info than my regular Bible could give me. Reading through this plan was the best thing I've ever done, and I can't wait to do it again one day.

Have you ever read through the Bible chronologically? What did you think? Please let me know in the comments below!

What If It's True?: Charles Martin teaches from Capernaum

So, earlier this year, author Charles Martin of What if It's True?:A storyteller's journey with Jesus, travelled to Israel with his church for a Bible tour. While there, he taught at several locations. These teachings were filmed, and he shared the links with his fans in a newsletter.

Which basically means I get to hear my favorite author teach from my favorite place in the world—no big deal.

Anyway, one of the places he taught was in Capernaum, and it was here that he read aloud the story he'd written about the tassels/hem of garments, David in En Gedi, and the woman with the issue of blood.

So, please go buy this book! But, here's where you can hear it read aloud—in the very place it happened 2000 years ago.

Click here or on the image above, and then select the video titled "Capernaum" in the 2nd row.

Enjoy!

The Caves of En Gedi

The caves of En Gedi (those holes are all caves), where David hid from King Saul. This is where he crept down one night and cut off a piece of the hem of King Saul's cloak.

No one knows exactly which caves he was in (there are a million), but this is the place. He also wrote a few Psalms here, like Psalm 57 and 142.

We even saw the little goats, as mentioned in 1 Samuel 24, as well as a freshwater spring.

En Gedi (and throughout the desert) is home to acacia trees, which have soft wood and are grown in dry riverbeds. These are the trees made to make the Ark of the covenant... and the crown of thorns.

 #apictureadayofIsrael #israel