An update and a very full brain

Our final question on our exam with Jerusalem University College went something like this: "How has experiencing and learning about the geographical history of the Bible been formational to your faith and theology? How will you explain the importance of seeing this land to people back home?" Answer: Being here changes perspectives drastically. By actually sitting on the hill overlooking where David fought Goliath, or floating in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, or seeing what Jesus saw as he taught from the Temple steps, the Bible comes to life. So much of the Old Testament makes sense now, after putting the stories into their cultural context and getting into the mindset of the people in the story. My mind has been stretched, forcing me to reevaluate the Western lens through which we view the Bible. Come, see, experience, and you too can understand.

The purpose of our Jerusalem University College (JUC) program was to put the Biblical stories into geographical and cultural context. We did this by traveling to Biblical sites all across Israel, learning about the trade routes and political forces of the "Land Between", and evaluating the Biblical stories in the context of where it was written. I have so many new thoughts which are difficult to capture in a short blog post, but believe me when I say these past two weeks have been formational.

I am now at the forefront of a new adventure: free travel! Joe, Tim and I have a rough plan of our week, which involves hiking/camping/backpacking along the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee and into the Golan Heights. Our plans are subject to change, which is the perfect recipe for fantastic stories!

Take the last 24 hours as an example: after waiting several hours for the bus station to open, we took a bus from Jerusalem to Tim's uncle's house, who has lived in Israel for the past 17 years. I couldn't even begin to describe him and his family in a way that you would understand... he's basically an insane 60-year-old genius who talks constantly and verbosely about tangental subjects ranging from politics and theology to lightswitches and traffic jams. His ex-wife is an Israeli Jew, and we are staying at her house which he built. They have two sons aged 19 and 25: the older is a brilliant self-taught scientist and the younger is currently in the military. My brain is so full of conflicting thoughts--staying with Palestinian and Israeli host families in a several-week period will do that to you.

Let the adventure begin!
-James