Month: February 2016

Shalom from Jerusalem,

We thought we would ‘mix things up a abit’ and I (Maddy) would do the video this week. How has life been for me with the 3 kids, Isabelle, Lucy and Reuben?  I could answer that question in so many ways; Exciting, Intense, Scary (at times), Over-whelming, fun!, Different….
To sum it up it has been hard but good 🙂

We have been busy settling in. Learning the ropes of taking the Light Rail and buses everywhere with 3 kids in tow, finding our way around the neighborhoods parks and shops and of course meeting new people and making friends. The girls now confidently belt out a “Shalom” (hello) to passerby’s and “Toda” (Thank you) to shop-keepers and taxi-drivers. So the language is slowly getting learnt too which is fun.

The reality of living in Jerusalem, a HOT-SPOT for spiritual warfare, has made me up my game on prayer! It is such an important part of what we are doing here, and when it comes to parenting 3 little ones we need all the help we can get right?!  We truly appreciate all of your prayers, they make such a difference.

I really love this verse in the Bible:

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The days that I take the time to Pray and commit my worries to God, whether its a quick prayer over James as he heads out the door to work, or a prayer for Help and extra patience with the kids as I wake tired from a restless night with Reuben, those days….feel DO-able! and more peaceful and organised.

Prayer is like the magic password into a better, happier day! Do it!

So yes, settling in has had its ups and downs but the one thing that has kept us going, kept us motivated and excited to be here in this Land, is knowing that we are on the path that God has set before us.  Matthew 7:14 says “ For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to LIFE, and there are few who find it.” I am feeling the pinch of the super narrow road at the moment, but it leads to life and that makes every tough step worth it!

Have a great week everyone and thanks for reading!

 

Shalom from Jerusalem,

There can be up to 70 staff serving with Bridges for Peace at one time here in Israel. Many of these service roles are administrative and office bound as they coordinate efforts in Israel and around the globe. Because of the office bound nature of some of these positions an effort is made to get volunteers on an outing once a month where they may serve the community. I (James) was honoured to be invited to join a mixed age group of men for a one night stay over in Galilee!

Watch the video!

 

Shalom from Jerusalem.

 

There is a saying here:

“There are no young Jews, every Jew is 3000 years old”

 

What does this mean? – Watch the video to find out!

 

The jewish people are extremely deliberate with their culture & faith education system. Their attendance to thoroughly and religiously observing biblical feasts, laws and commands is to be commended.

 

The way their faith is practiced in a family setting facilitates the learning of every generation in a household as a normal and enjoyable part of everyday life.

 

The Jewish people can be great storytellers. And storytelling is a fun family part of meal times, especially friday night shabbat.

 

As Christians we need to know that the stories they put some of the greatest emphasis on are those of their greatest persecutions.

 

To name a few;

1 Hayman in the book of Esther

2 The Spanish inquisition

4 The English crusades.

5. Hitler & the Holocaust

 

Jesus commands us to Love one another. As I have loved you so you MUST love one another…

 

If you tell a Jewish person you love them. You get this response “don’t tell me you love me, if you don’t know what causes me pain” – they are looking for a relationship, a real, true and meaningful love.

You see the unpleasant historical records that most christians have conveniently forgotten, or choose not to uncover or speak about, are the same stories strategically passed on to every jewish generation as a warning, a warning from previous experience.

 

Most of you will be well aware that Maddy and I have been lead by God, to Israel, for a season of volunteer service with the Bridges for Peace organisation.

 

Bridges for Peace is Christians serving Jewish people here in Israel. Through the food bank and the tonnes of food that is delivered each week to homes in need, through free home maintenance services, children support and free school supplies, to name a few. The jewish people that bridges for peace encounters experience genuine and impacting expressions of love, with no strings attached. What do we as christians get out of it? Through time and dedication, we hope to begin to heal the wounds left so tender and exposed by vivid memories of a horrific history of persecution.

 

 

 

Shalom from Jerusalem!

For those of you who aren’t video watchers, here is a brief summary of the content;
James took Izzy and Lucy to the Shuk (or market) on Sunday morning for a bit of a look around. We picked up some strawberries the size of small apples, Lucy was happiness filled.

 

A big thanks for your prayers and support, this really makes a difference! When you pray its like sustenance, like light to our path.

 

Trying to process thoughts and information down to a small bit of writing or video is really hard there is so much going on, and so much information we want to share.

 

Our goal has been to get this video out early week as we work on making it a regular post.

It is important to us that we hear and deliver on what God wants us to say. Trying to quieten the mind and hear what Gods saying is really challenging at present.
What stands out at present is a really cool part of Psalm 48. Verse 12 & 13 are a command to walk around Zion, that is Jerusalem, and consider her ramparts, view her citadels. That is consider her walls, and view her fortresses & towers. These walls have so many stories to go with them, where do you begin?

We begin, by starting a season of living here, Zion, and serving Gods people, the Jewish Nation. No doubt over the coming months we will discover more intimately some of the stories and perhaps even make some of our own.

Until next week…