The wise men came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh when they came to see Jesus for the first time. Why were these gifts of significance? Gifts were typically given to kings when people came to see them; therefore, gold and expensive oils would have been of significance especially when…
Israel
Jesus grew up in Nazareth which is very close to Zippori, some call it Sepphoris. This was the town that was being re-built by Herod Antipas in the time of Jesus’ life and was a major hub in the region of the Galilee. Herod Antipas was one of the sons of…
Brian and I were in Israel last November and I saw many of the places where Jesus was when He was on this earth. I saw where He was born, where He grew up in Nazareth, where He helped Peter on the Sea of Galilee. “He was here” is what…
We are still on day two of our Israel Trip: Nazareth. Yes, I’m really just writing about day two! Seriously, this trip was a trip of a lifetime and one that I’m still trying to process 9 months later. Please be patient with me. As a reminder, Nazareth was the village…
Day two of our Israel trip took us to the town of Nazareth. I was excited on many different levels. One, I belong to the Church of the Nazarene denomination and this is why we are called such: Jesus the Nazarene. Two, it was where Jesus grew up after Mary…
This is the saying of my kids and husband: “ever since Israel”. They are referring to the fact that things have not been the same for me since my return home. I’m not quite as uptight as I used to be. Things I once thought so important are not nearly…
It seems too good to be true. This Jesus story seems inexplicable. How could a baby be born to a virgin? How could a man of that day, Joseph, still accept Mary, a pregnant girl, who was carrying a child who didn’t belong to him? How could the Savior of…
Did you know The Shepherd’s Field, where the shepherds were keeping their flocks so long ago, is located just outside of the city of Bethlehem? In my mind, I imagined the shepherds would have a while to travel and I often wondered what happened to the sheep they were supposed…
Our trip to Israel started with a long trip via plane and bus to arrive at our destination in Tiberias. If you are unaware, as I was before this trip, Tiberias is on the Sea of Galilee. I’ll be writing more about the Sea of Galilee in later posts. While…
We studied the Christmas story this morning at church. It was discussed why the angels would come to the shepherds and not to someone else a bit more important. These were lowly men who were far from being distinguished.They went about their everyday lives and everyday jobs. I dare say…