Mount Arbel: Soaring over the Galilee

When I first went to the Galilee in on my Bible tour in 2017, I saw this cliff towering over the north end of the lake and said, "I want to go there". 

When I returned October 2021, I saw the same cliff and said, "Yup... I'm definitely going there... in the spring, when the sky will be the most brilliant of blues and the grass lush and green."

Cue my weekend in the Galilee in March. The time had come!

I was going to hike up the cliff, until I heard nonsense like "steep" and even sillier "handholds". Um... nope. Nope nope nope. Instead, I walked all the trails at the top, stayed at least 5 feet from every edge, and "maaaaahhh'ed" at a mountain goat. 

Wow, talk about breathtaking views!

But also, the history of this cliff is once again, INCREDIBLE. As if history cannot be incredible... I don't think that's possible. 

During the Hasmonean Period (The Inter-Testamental Period, or the "400 years of Silence"), Arbel was known as Mount Nitai. It was conquered by the Selucids (Greeks), as noted in the book of 1 Maccabees.

There was a great battle here between Galilean Zealots, who barricaded themselves at Arbel (there are a ton of caves all along the paths and cliffs) and the Selucids in 38 BC. Marc Antony sent Herod to quell a rebellion in the village of "Arbella"... that's Arbel. 

Herod was only able to win by having men lowered down in cages to the caves from the top of the cliffs. They were then able to kill the rebels that didn't jump to their deaths. 

Then, in 66-67 AD, Mount Arbel once again became a site of a great battle. Josephus, who was Commander of the Galilee, actually fortified the caves for refugees both in Mount Arbel and Mount Nitai nearby. To this day, a wall can be seen that was built to protect the caves. 

There's obviously so much more to the history of Arbel, as well as the histories up above. Maybe one day I'll explore them more. I'd love to see the synagogue and the caves! I just need cooler weather, a better sense of balance, and a SIGNIFICANTLY decreased fear of heights, haha. 

Wow! If you ever go to the Galilee, I 100% recommend Mount Arbel! It's incredible!

The Tomb of Honi the Circlemaker

Remember in 2019 when I talked about Honi and chutzpah? This story has been made famous in the evangelical Christian world after Mark Batterson published his book, The Circlemaker.

Well, I got to go to Honi's memorial site!

Honi Ha Me'agel was a wise rabbi who lived during the inter-testamental period (the 400 years of silence). At one point during his life, Israel experienced a horrible drought. One day, Honi went out and drew a circle in the ground, saying to God, "I will not leave this circle until you send rain."

A little rain fell, but it wasn't enough. So he said to God, "No, I'm asking for rain to fill wells, and pools, and caves." The rain became a torrential downpour. So he prayed again, "No, softer" and the rain lessened to a life-giving pace.

Now, it's possible to visit Honi's tomb up in the Hula Valley in northern Israel. It has a beautiful view, as you can see above! 

People come from all over to pray at Honi's tomb, much as a Catholic pilgrim might travel to pray at a saint's tomb.

There are two entrances, one for men and one for women. Here's the entrance to the women's section:

And here is what it looks like inside. The book case has prayer books and there are scarves to the side for women to use as head coverings.

The graves of his grandsons are nearby, as well as a school for young boys and a yeshiva for married men. 

Pretty cool!

Did you see Season 2 of The Chosen yet?

 I basically can't even with this show.

If you follow The Chosen on social media, even if you haven't watched season 2, you know that it ended with the Sermon on the Mount. It did NOT disappoint!

Actually the whole season was incredible.

photo from this article

I love how this show stays true to Scripture, while still using current best practices in telling a story—the most important story of all. I love how an episode on just a few verses (Ep 2), sent me to the Bible to see what the Word had to say.

I love how Jesus continues to be portrayed as fully human and fully God. 

I love how the disciples are being portrayed as people with different personalities, so that it's easier to remember who is who and maybe get a glimpse of what it was like to be the first to follow Jesus. Seeing their real struggles, both personally and inter-personally, adds such weight and dimension to what is going on.

I love the humor of the show. (Jesus and Quintus in the same room!?! WOW!)

I love the beauty of it, from the effects to the bright colors. 

I love seeing a portrayal of what these famous events (like miracles, the sermon on the mount, etc) could have looked like. I love the moments when I realize what is happening.

I love the tender moments, the teaching moments, and even the hard moments between Jesus and His followers. 

I love the insights into Jewish culture, like the prayers and Mary Magdalene teaching Ramah how to read. Since I am also learning Hebrew, it was cool to see her teaching the alphabet to her, and me realizing I knew what she meant! 

Basically, I LOVE this show!

I'm still trying to figure out what my favorite moments were from Season 2, because it was just so good. I definitely need to #bingeJesus soon. 

What about you? Have you seen The Chosen yet? It is the first-ever multi-season series based on the true stories of the Gospels of Jesus. Let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you haven't seen it yet, you need to #comeandsee! It is worth it!

The Turned the World Upside Down by Charles Martin

 Finally, my review of Charles Martin's newest book, They Turned the World Upside Down!

I always need to start off talking about Charles Martin by stating that he is my favorite author, especially in the fiction world. His first nonfiction, What if It's True?, was incredible, and his second has not disappointed either. It felt very different than the first book, though still familiar, and it's clear why this book needed to be written and published as well. It's message is powerful, and one that needs pouring over instead of a quick read-through.

Since my focus on this blog is highlighting things about Israel or a culture connected with the Bible (first century or modern times), I'm going to focus on that for this review and specifically feature one insight that stood out to me. But I did want to say that these details are included to enhance the story and explain the context, not the focus—which is encouraging readers to live as Jesus charged His followers to. 

But here's what stood out to me as far as this blog's focus (and there were many moments like these with clear, cultural insights throughout the book):

In Chapter 9, "Willing to be Willing", Martin opens with the story of Peter and John going to the temple to pray in Acts 3. There, at the gate called "Beautiful", they meet a lame beggar who is asking for alms. He asks them for money, but Peter says, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give unto thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" The Bible says that immediately, the beggars feet and ankles were made strong and he does: "leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God." 

This is where Martin says something I hadn't considered before: "Then he walks into the temple. Why? Because he's been lame since birth, and according to Leviticus, 'no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame.' Which means he was excluded from temple worship. For his entire life. No fellowship with God. He was born and has always been a complete and total outcast. But not any longer. Now he's included" (pages 138-139). 

WOW! Maybe I've heard this before in my life, but I can't remember if I had. The magnitude of that moment... not only the physical healing, but that it allowed the beggar to enter the temple for the first time... that can't be glossed over. His healing brought Him near to God. It brought him in fellowship with others, but most of all, the God of the universe. I'm going to be thinking on this for a while, and its wider implications of how our healing and freedom always brings us closer in fellowship with God. 

What do you think about this story? Did you know this before? And have you read this book? If not, I definitely recommend it! You can get it here on Amazon. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Israel and the Church by Amir Tsarfati

Last month, Behold Israel's Amir Tsarfati released his third book: Israel and the Church.

I really enjoyed this book, as I thought it was an interesting, well-developed, and Biblical read. And I love Tsarfati's sense of humor. He fully explored the connections and contrasts of the Church and Israel and what the Bible says about each. Most of all, I appreciate his insight as a Messianic Jew who has dedicated his career to teaching about current events, the end times, and how they all line up according to God's Word.

Tsarfati organized his book by talking about both subjects, Israel and the Church, as 

1) two chosen peoples with 

2) 2 distinct plans by God for them, having 

3) 2 different paths in Revelation and finally, 

4) while being 2 peoples, they are part of the same family. 

The way he did this was clear and thorough. And I'm so glad he wrote this book, because there's so many false beliefs growing it daily about the nation of Israel and its people—God's chosen people. Over the past few years, we've seen a dramatic increase in anti-semitism (I say this in reference to recent decades, keeping in mind the horror the Jewish people endured in the 20th century beyond anything we have words for in English), and it breaks my heart. It's wrong to speak and act that way towards or about any group of people, FULL STOP. The fact that it is happening to this beautiful nation (and has really throughout its history) is overwhelming in scope. As someone who loves Israel and wants to learn everything about its language, culture, and history, I can't understand it, honestly.

Oh, there is one thing I wanted to highlight that is actually just an aside in the book. It reminded me of this post from a few years ago. In a section talking about God's powerful presence on behalf of Israel, Tsarfati references the Red Sea Crossing: "There is an underwater land bridge between the 2 sides of the Red Sea connecting Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It is a geographical feature that no one can explain. On the shore at either side of the land bridge are places that once had columns—from the time of King Solomon—that marked where the crossing of the Red Sea took place. So when the children of Israel passed through, they didn't have to walk all the way to the bottom of a deep ocean and then back up. They went across the land bridge that was much higher than all the underwater terrain around it. Even before the Israelites knew they had a problem, God had led them to the exact place where He would solve that problem for them" (pages 20-21).

For more on this, check out this INCREDIBLE documentary by Fox News' Ryan Mauro. It was mind- blowing to me then, and is still mind-blowing to me now!

That's it for this post on Amir Tsarfati's Israel and the Church. You can get it on Amazon and basically anywhere else you buy books, but I'm going to post the link to where you can get it from Behold Israel here. Let me know what you think!

Apeirogon by Colum McCann

 Can you say this word?

Yeah, I can't either. An apeirogon is a shape with an infinite number of sides. And this book is aptly named. Apeirogon isn't written or formatted like a typical book. It follows the story of two fathers, one Israeli and one Palestinian, who lose young daughters in the conflict. Written in 3 parts, there aren't even chapters so much as sections—a many different sides making up the shape of the story. 

I'm sure there's so much symbolism I missed in reading this book, but a few I picked up on: flowers, birds, and the name of the story.

Again, what I picked up on while reading this story is how much I have to learn. McCann did a masterful job in showing the similarities between the two fathers, their humanity and their shared heartbreak—which in turn leads them to an unlikely friendship.

This story will definitely make you think and will challenge the reader. You can check it out here on Amazon if you are interested!

Another election?

Israel will have its 4th election in 2 years next week. 

Just 12 months after the elections in 2020, after which a unity government was formed, Israel is heading back to the polls. After personally living through a presidential election in Argentina in 2019, then the 2020 election (and January 5 GA run-off) in the States, the word "election" makes me tired. And maybe triggers some PTSD. I can only imagine what it's like to head back earlier than planned—multiple times! 

Will Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be re-elected? Or will his rival, Benny Gantz, win? Or someone else entirely?

We'll be watching to see what happens on Tuesday, March 23! Check back next week for more details on who won and what that means for Israel!

Newest Archaeological Finds in Israel

Have you heard about these new incredible discoveries?

A 1500-year-old inscription of 'Christ, born of Mary' was uncovered in Northern Israel in the doorway of what was a Byzantine church! Christianity Today says that while the stone and building were 1500-years-old, the doorway itself dates to the 5th Century B.C—proving again the practice of re-using existing materials and building around them. How cool!

If that wasn't amazing enough, here's another one:

WHOA- A royal seal was found that can be linked to King Hezekiah, who lived over 2,700 years ago! Click here or on the image below to watch the video about it. Amazing! Being such a history dork that I am, this kind of news makes me SOOOOOOOOOOO excited!

But, that's not all!

Recently in Timna, Israel, purple fibers were found dating to King David's reign! (Approx. 1000 B.C.) As this is an extremely rare find, this is really exciting!

What do you think of these amazing new discoveries? Let me know in the comments below!

The Marcus Ryker Series by Joel C. Rosenberg

Speaking of peace treaties between Israel and Muslim nations, have you read the Marcus Ryker Series by American-Israeli author, Joel C. Rosenberg?

I just discovered this author in January, so reading these books were a lot of fun! Actually, I only read the first 3 because The Beirut Protocol does not release until March 9 (and I really hope that is the last book in the series, because I want to know what happens!).

It's been incredible to read, however, because it's like seeing the pages of current events and recent history come to life, but in a different way, as Rosenberg clearly states in author's notes that these are works of fiction. However, throughout the novels are references (and events related to) the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, a real-life event. Book 2, The Persian Gamble , talks about a close relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (this was written and published in 2019, well before the real-life August 2020 peace treaty). And then, Book 3, The Jerusalem Assassin, not only is set mostly in Israel, but deals with the topic of a possibly peace treaty between.... get this.... Israel and Saudi Arabia. 

Written long before its publication date, the author had no way of knowing officially of all the peace deals that have happened since August 2020. However, I would say that the most shocking of all would be one with Saudi Arabia, and Rosenberg totally went for it in this series. I am so here for this! And now I have to wait for Book 4, which seems cruel, haha. 

If you love political and military action fiction set in real-time, then this series might be for you! You can find all of Joel C. Rosenberg's books here on Amazon... needless to say, I'm going to be reading a lot more of his novels!

Chosen by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Last week, I re-read a beloved series from the 1990s, the Full Circle Series by Lisa Tawn Bergren. It's a fun series because each book is set in an incredibly picturesque (and adventurous!) location, and the main characters of each novel are loosely connected to each other (a relative, friend, or roommate of the heroine/hero of the previous book... hence, a full circle). 

Even though I've read this series many times, I'd forgotten the setting of book 5: Israel!

(it has a different cover on Amazon, but this is the cover I have)

Like I said, I'd completely forgotten about this book! But in addition to describing so many places I visited on my first trip to Israel, it reminded me of A Chosen People novels by Robert Whitlow and all I've been reading about the conflict and dynamics of Israel and Palestine. Like Hana in A Chosen People, the main character is a Christian Palestinian woman, and she has one of the most fascinating jobs (to me!) ever: a biblical archeologist!

For me, it's all so incredible to explore, but the dynamics of a Palastinian Christian biblical archeologist- WOW!

So if you've ever wanted to join to a dig (at the Temple Mount!) in the heart of Jerusalem (#goals), and have an incredible adventure, all while exploring the culture and issues and modern day Israel, this is definitely the book for you!

You can buy it here on Amazon (Oh, and while reading the whole series will give you the #fullcircleeffect, you don't necessarily have to read the other books in the series to read this one- although I do recommend them all... ESPECIALLY book 4. Don't get me started on that one!)!

Happy New Year! And the latest news from Israel!

Happy New Year!

We celebrated it by getting the all-clear from the vet for 7-month-old Annie to run and jump again, as she was spayed the week before Christmas. I'm not sure who is more relieved—her to be able to play freely, or us, who don't have to deal with her pent-up energy!

(this photo is from the day before her surgery, but it definitely captures her essence as #poodletough)

A lot happened in Israel in the last 2 weeks! First of all, they entered into their 3rd national lockdown of the year. This one is supposed to only last for 2 weeks, but could be extended to a month if the covid-19 rate doesn't lower enough.

But before that, they began vaccinations, and as of the writing of this, have vaccinated more people per capita than any other nation. They plan to start vaccinating the general population by this week, and Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel could be the first country to come out of the Covid-19 crisis. There is hope of herd immunity by Seder night (Passover) 2021.

One other HUGE thing has happened, pictured in the first news image above. The emergency coalition government formed in 2020 was unable to pass a budget at the end of the year, triggering their 4th election in 2 years, which will happen on March 23.

Wow! That's a lot. What do you think of this latest news? Let me know in the comments below!

The Constantine Codex by Paul L. Maier

The Constantine Codex, the 3rd book in Paul L. Maier's 3-part series, is my favorite of all.

Published in 2011, I feel like this book solves some of the 'problems' that I had with the other two (granted, it was likely only me, as they were both bestsellers!). The prose and the dialogue match the era much better, which is more accessible to the modern reader, and I didn't find the romance as distracting (there were fewer allusions to the first book, whereas I felt like the second book revisited almost every scene of their 'fairytale romance'). 

As with the other two, this book is fiction and its story needs to be taken with a grain of salt as far as the 'incredible archeological discovery and the global ramifications' depicted, but I didn't have a problem with that. 

In fact, I loved the story itself, probably because I love books so much, especially the Bible, and love anything having to do with Israeli and early church history. This book was fascinating! I'll likely read it alone more in the future, even if I don't read the others as often. That's another thing- while each of the novels in this series could stand alone, this one definitely stands out the best (even with it's references to the earlier ones).

Something fun that stood out to me as well was that I read this book a few days after finishing Nabeel Qureshi's Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. Part of the storyline of Maier's novel involve a debate between a Muslim leader and the main character, Jonathan Weber. Many of the same 'arguments' that Weber's character used line up exactly with Qureshi's story. I found this a happy connection (being that Maier's book is fiction, but Qureshi's is nonfiction), and showed the incredible depth of Maier's research and the extent of his masterful weaving of story while portraying truth.

I 100% recommend The Constantine Codex. You can find it here on Amazon if this book interests you! And please let me know what you think!

More than a Skeleton by Paul L. Maier

Like its prequel, the stakes in Paul L. Maier's More than a Skeleton are high.  

Published in 2003, this story takes place post-September 11, 2001, and is once again in Israel (and Rome). This time, instead of an archeological discovery, there's something else just as potentially world-changing: a mysterious man named Joshua, born in Bethlehem to a Miriam and Joseph, raised in Nazareth. He performs miracles (or does He?), heals the sick (hmm...), even raises a disciple from the dead (huh), claiming to be an intermediate coming of Jesus, sent by God to bolster the church in these turbulent times.

Hmm... I struggled with this premise and how Maier was going to get out of it. But around halfway through, I really began to appreciate the extent of his research and storytelling ability overall... it's a complicated book! And the modern setting with Joshua's  interlaced into the parallels of some of Jesus' Biblical ministry, were fun to explore.

While the style of the novel is more modern, which I enjoy, this being the 3rd book of Maier's I've read recently, I feel like his strength lies in his prose and his storytelling abilities overall. I honestly struggle with his dialogue, as characters speak like academics in the 1940s (truthfully, they are academics. It's just that the style of the dialogue is incongruent with the era of the novel). I felt it fit better in the first book, where the style matched the dialogue better, if that makes sense, because it all was older. And, because of my struggle with the romance in the first book, I am a little biased against the couple in this book as well—but that's my problem, not anyone else's. It's not that I don't root for them, but the constant allusions to their 'fairytale romance' are too many, and I still don't find it believable that they got together in the first place. 

That being said, if you love fiction that makes you think, More than a Skeleton definitely fits this category. Click here to get it on Amazon! And come back next week for the next book in this trilogy (I haven't read it yet, but I am looking forward to it!).

The scariest book I've ever read

In 1998, I was 14 years old and visiting my best friend for 3 weeks where she lived in Germany, and randomly picked a book over her family's shelves. It looked interesting because it had to do with history, archeology, and Israel. 

It was the scariest book I've ever read.

The book was A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul L. Maier, and while I knew it was fiction, its ramifications were terrifying. It wasn't paranormal or horror (although I felt sick with horror, and it did involve a skeleton); it was regular Christian fiction. I remember staying up until 2am to finish it because I had to know. The sinking pit in my stomach, my racing heart (and mind), wouldn't let me go to sleep until I reach the end and verified that even in this fiction.

Without giving away what the book is about, the reader follows a Biblical scholar/professor and archeologist after they make an "impossible" find in a tomb in Israel. Over the course of this year-long journey, its implications rattle the faith of millions around the world and have far-reaching impact—shaking economies and religious followers the world over. 

I recently re-read this book, which is why I'm reviewing it here. While written in an older style, I loved "revisiting" Israel in this book, as the hero travels from Galilee to Masada, to Jerusalem, Jordan, Egypt, the Vatican, the UK, the US, and back again. While I did enjoy that, the romance that builds throughout those visits is distracting, as well as unrealistic (even though stereotypical). To me, it detracts from the story. As for the story itself, I also (because I knew how it ended, haha) was better able to deal with the story from an objective perspective, letting me fully grasp the breadth of this narrative. It really is incredible - and best of all, while fiction, still supports what I know to be true with every fiber of my being. 

You can purchase this book here on Amazon! And come back next week, where we'll talk about it's sequel!

Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier

Here's another one for fans of Biblical fiction or anything having to do with ancient Rome! 

Pontius Pilate by Paul L. Maier is an older novel, published in 1968, and is a thorough exploration of the governance and career of Pontius Pilate, starting from his first appointment to Judea, his 10 years there, and his return to Rome. 

Being that he lived during one of the most fascinating times in Rome's turbulent history, it's an interesting story anyway. But throw in his key role during Jesus' trial, and it makes for an interesting read for any lover of history, especially Roman or Biblical. Obviously, this book is fiction, but it's so well researched that it gives great insight into a piece of what was going on during that time. I also love that it was written from Pilate's perspective, as it is a unique one we haven't explored before.

Because this book is from 1968, it is written in an older style and is a bit of a slower read—but that doesn't take away from its subject. You can find it here on Amazon!

Tea with Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis

When I first heard about Tea with Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis, I was fascinated by the idea. From the very first line, I was hooked.

The premise of the book is that in 2009, author Ted Dekker and his friend and international expert in Arab-American and Muslim-Christian relations, author Carl Medearis, flew to the Middle East with one purpose: to meet with Islamic leaders, drink tea, and ask them what they think about Jesus' parable of the Great Samaritan, a famous teaching on loving your neighbors.

Can you tell why I was hooked immediately?

The first thing I noticed, and honestly, it is definitely a small point I want to make, is that I didn't realize how funny Ted Dekker is. I've read many of his books, which fall in the genre of "Christian thriller". I've enjoyed them, but many were also 'above me' because of his sheer brilliance. I've enjoyed his books; but I've never known that he is just plain funny. It made this book so enjoyable to journey with him and Carl throughout the Middle East.

That aside, this book is incredible. The depth of detail and insight the authors used in their journeys kept me entranced, as I learned about people and places I've never seen, been, or met before. There was so much for me to take away as a student of people and culture, including basic practices and values of Islam that I didn't previously know.

I also appreciated how the authors published their interviews as they were spoken, not re-written from the ears and perspectives of the author, but literally transcribed to see the meanings and intention of the subjects, who were:

• Abdul Fadeel Al Kusi of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt
• the Bin Laden brothers in Saudi Arabia
• Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah  in Lebanon
• Bedouin Prince in Lebanon
• Hezbollah Sheik Nabil Qaouk in Lebanon
• Mufti Abdul Fattah Al Bizem of Damascus, Syria
• Mufti Sheik Ekrima Sa'id Sabril of Jerusalem, Israel
• A leader in non-violence in Bethlehem, Israel
• A top leader of Hamas in the West Bank
• A leader of one of the 700 remaining Samaritans in Israel
• and many more, including taxi drivers and random people.

This is why I was so fascinated, because Jesus is known in Islam as being a great prophet - not the greatest prophet (who is Mohammed), but a good teacher. Many of His teachings are in the Quoran. This is why the story of the Good Samaritan is known throughout all of these groups. To read the views, thoughts, and perspectives of these Muslim leaders on a well-known teaching of Christ was fascinating. I'm not going to try to summarize it, because I can't.

Tea with Hezbollah gave me so much to think about, and I am thankful to have read it! Click on the link or the picture above to purchase it on Amazon - I highly recommend it!

Historic Peace Treaty between Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain

 Did you hear the news?!

On September 11, 2020, the Kingdom of Bahrain agreed to normalize relations with Israel, joining the United Arab Emirates with their own historic peace deal. THIS IS SO BIG! As the Times of Israel pointed out: "For Israel, after 2 peace treaties in 72 years, there have now been 2 in a month."

That's not all!

• Eastern European country Kosovo, a Muslim majority country, announced a normalization of diplomatic ties with Israel, and will establish an embassy in Jerusalem. Its neighbor, Serbia, is also moving its embassy to Jerusalem.
• Malawi will become the first African nation to place its embassy to Jerusalem.
• Israel is in talks with Central Africa country Chad about possibly opening an embassy in Jerusalem.

WOW! Even though I knew the Bahrain deal was coming, I still am so amazed! What an historic time to be living in! 

What do you think about these latest events in the Middle East? Please let me know in a comment below!

Historic Peace Treaty between Israel and the UAE

Back in June, I talked about how Israel was supposed to annex Gaza and the West Bank on July 1. As time passed, I wondered what happened; why I wasn't reading stories saying "it happened". Then, last week, this incredible news was announced:

WOW!

The United Arab Emirates has become the 3rd Arab nation to strike a peace deal with Israel, the first being Egypt in 1967 and Jordan in 1994.

According to Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel, "Israel and the UAE have been working together in developing new methods to more efficiently combat COVID-19. As part of this new partnership, the two countries will share in trade, travel, tourism, and even technology." Behold Israel notes that while Palestine, Iran, and Turkey are against this peace deal, other Arab states support it (and might even follow with their own). In fact, one report I heard said that OMan will sign one in the next 2 weeks and Bahrain will follow (Bahrain has already picked out a building for an Israeli embassy!), Morocco, and then maybe even Saudi Arabia. Already Saudi Arabia is allowing Israeli flights to cross their airspace to get to the UAE. 

For more of the implications of this peace deal, you can watch Amir Tsarfati's update here:

What do you think of this historic event?

Acts of Faith Series

Continuing with the theme of the Early Church, I want to share about this really cool series I read a few years ago. The Acts of Faith series is fiction, set in the time of the crucifixion and right after. It follows characters like a Roman-centurion-turned-Christian, the disciples, Stephen and so many more.

Essentially, it's a fictional retelling of the beginning of the book of Acts.

What I love about this series is how the authors brought that world to life. Suddenly, the reader is immersed in the culture and issues of the day. What does it mean for the Roman centurion who now is a follower of the Way? What is it like to be a Jew and suddenly also be a Christian—in a very Jewish culture? How does it feel to be "figuring Christianity out" in this world?

The scene that hit me the most in this series is with Ananias and Sapphira. The reader is right there, seeing Ananias bring his offering, lie, and drop dead, and then the same happening with Sapphira. To us, it's a retelling of a story we know—no big deal. But to the early church... wow. Can you imagine being there that day and seeing what happened? Or hearing about it after? What would your first thought have been after? Would you have been afraid? 

Obviously, the seriousness of what it meant to become a follower of Christ isn't lost on them, as so many were witnesses to Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. But, the "stakes" don't stop there, as now they are trying to figure out what it means to be the Church... and it's not in a bubble, but right in the heart of the Roman Empire, where followers of Jesus are actively being persecuted and killed. 

Unfortunately, this series ends WAY too soon. I was SO EXCITED to get to Paul's story and his journeys, but it stops abruptly. It's still a wonderful read; I just hope that one day I can read the re-telling of the rest of the Acts story through this series!

Reading the Bible in Color

In Bishop T.D. Jakes' panel discussion with Christine Caine, Judah Smith, Carl Lentz, Dr. Caroline Leaf, and Ron Carpenter that I shared last week, Bishop Jakes recommended the following book:
Is Christianity the White Man's Religion by Antipas L. Harris. I was so intrigued that I ordered it last week and read it.

I highly recommend this book, as it gives an in-depth, Biblical and historical exploration of how the myth of Christianity being the white man's religion came about—and how centuries of this impacts us today. 

But what stood out to me was Part II, titled "Have we been taught to misread the Bible?". This section, and specifically Chapter 6: "The Color of the Bible" specifically reminded me of the chapter on race and ethnicity in the Bible in Misreading Scriptures with Western Eyes, which I discussed here. In fact... as I re-read this chapter in order to review it on this blog, I just realized that Harris quotes Randolph and O'Brien on this very topic!

Harris points out on page 82 that "... very few people in the Bible had white skin. In fact, most of the central figures in the Bible were people of color and were born in difficult circumstances, including many of the biblical patriarchs and prophets stretching from Abraham to David and, yes, Jesus.... Additionally, most of the authors of the books of the Bible were people of color. In the New Testament, the author of the Gospel of Mark was a Jew from Cyrene, which is located in the modern northeast region of Libya. Most scholars believe that the book of Mark was the first of the Gospel writings, and that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke use Mark as a guide for their outline. This would mean that the author of the first synoptic Gospel was an African Jew" (pages 82 and 83). He goes on to point out, that Apollos, was an Egyptian Jew from Alexandria, and he is believed by some to be the author of Hebrews.

Ultimately, "the Bible features members from a kaleidoscope of ethnicities. From Israelites to Kushites, Egyptians to Babylonians, Romans to Jews, and North Africans to Greeks, the Bible contains rich ethnic threads with accompanying ideological influences" (pages 83-84).

However, it's so easy to miss this as a modern Western reader, partially because some of the clues given don't translate to us (for instance, in the sentence above, a reader might have to look up Kush to know that it was in Africa. The other part (and a big part) is the history of how Christianity became Eurocentric, which Harris describes clearly in pages 85-94. "From Genesis to Revelation, the majority of the Bible in the Bible are from an Afro-Asiatic context with a range of brown skin, thick and thin lips, broad and slender noses, tall and fat structures, and so on. There are indeed people of a European descent in the New Testament, but they have a much less prominent presence than Hollywood would have us believe" (page 97).

I highly recommend Is Christianity the White Man's Religion? because I think it asks a lot of important questions and is a biblically-based exploration of what the modern, Western Church has missed. It's given me so much to think, pray over, and consider as I continue to study God's Word and live for Him. 

In this review, I'm only focusing on one small part because it connects with the topic of both modern-day and ancient Israel, mainly that I encourage every Christian to slow down as they are reading a story or text in the Bible and instead of reading "Apollos from Alexandria" or "the Ethiopian Eunuch" and moving on quickly to the action, to reading the Bible in color.

I'm convinced this will add so much more context and understanding to our comprehension and exposition of the Scripture. Harris is as well, as he calls for more theologians of color (and women), for he states, "We must not continue to trick ourselves into thinking that people's experiences are not important when interpreting Scripture. Of course, we must be faithful to the text, but human experience is as a significant part of interpreting the Word of God in Scripture" (page 73). This is because we all read through the lenses of our own experiences. For instance, as a woman, I might have more questions about stories of women and mentions of women that men might have, an immigrant living in foreign country would read passages about foreigners differently, a single will read differently than a married person or a widow, a child might have a different view than an adult, etc. "Indeed, life experiences inform the questions we bring to the biblical text. Scripture invites all of God's children to the theological task of connecting the narrative of the biblical text with the reader's lived experience" (page 77).

I also wanted to take this time to highlight a friend of mine who is doing this beautifully. Her name is Jennifer Lucy Tyler, and she is passionate about theology and Bible literacy (as well as an author, entrepreneur, and the founder of Soul Circles). I first met her years ago, and in addition to loving her as my sister and friend, have great respect for her walk with God and her calling. She is a leading voice in our generation as a woman who loves the Word, and I hope you check her site out! Click here or on the photo below to learn more about her ministry!

I'm going to end this post with questions to consider, and would love to know what you think in the comments below: Do you read the Bible in color? If you do, how has that impacted your reading of it? How has your life experiences inform how you read it?