I am using the new Twenty Ten theme but I added a custom header image. I cropped the header from a photo I took while flying out of Homer, Alaska in 2006.

I’ve also rewritten the tag line at the top. Enjoy.

The seven springs that emerged at Tabgha (today only six have been discovered) produced water warmer than that of the Sea of Galilee. This warmer water helped the production of algae, which in turn attracted the fish. Fishermen thus have frequented this area for thousands of years.

Tabgha is the traditional location for the calling of the disciples.  It is believed that here Jesus walked along the shore and called out to Simon Peter and Andrew who were casting their nets into the lake.   Walking along, Jesus saw two other brothers, James and John who were preparing their nets with their father Zebedee. Jesus called all of these men to follow him.

The church is the traditional site of the feeding of the 5000. Byzantine church was errected here circa 480 AD. Like most churches, it was destroyed by the Persians in 614 AD. The current structure was restored in the 1980′s. It was built on the original walls and foundations discovered in 1932 by two German archeologists.

Inside many mosaics were restored.

The rock at the front is where it is believed Jesus stood as he blessed the fish and the loaves.

Our reading was from Matthew 14: 13-21.

Next we traveled north to Chorazin. It is an excavated ruin today, with most of the work having been completed in the 1960′s and the 1980′s.

It was an unfortified town with no walls or central plan. The construction used basalt which was a convenient material to acquire. Unfortunately it is a very hard stone which makes it difficult to carve.

The synagogue dates to 135 AD. It is believed Hellenized Jews lived here, in the Roman culture with a more liberal view of things. Below is the reconstructed front gable resting in the outer court of the synagogue.

The Teaching Seat from the synagogue also survived.

For more photos you can visit my gallery. Next we travel farther north to Tel Dan.

It is believed that Jesus was baptized here by John. Others claim Jesus was baptized farther south near Jericho. I’ll have to ask Jesus to settle the argument when I see Him.

Here we had a baptismal remembrance worship service. I can’t remember my baptism since as a Presbyterian I was baptized as an infant. I guess it doesn’t matter, since infant baptisms really only benefit the parents and other worshipers. I would argue that infant baptisms are more of a dedication than a baptism, but I’m no theologian.

Appropriately our reading was from Mark 1:1-11. Our hymn was “Be Thou My Vision”. Below Allen and Al provide the litany.

In addition to our group there was a group from Africa that was conducting full immersion baptisms.

After our service many of us collected some water in bottles to take home. Just in case some emergency baptisms are required.

Thankfully our bottle survived airport security and the baggage handlers.

This concludes our first day of touring Israel…and I slept great that night.

Our reading was from Matthew 14:22-36. This is where Jesus walks on water and calms the storms. The Sea of Galilee is about 700 feet below sea level and surrounded by mountains. This bowl like structure allows for nasty storms to blow in very quickly.

Shortly afterward our host raised a US Flag and played our national anthem. How great is that?

We also heard the Israeli national anthem while their flag was raised.

It wasn’t long before we arrived in Tiberias.

Near the coast some fishermen were plying their craft.

The boats and equipment have come a long way since the first century.

The museum houses a fishing boat discovered in 1986 by two brothers, Moshe and Yuval Lufan. It dates back to the 1st century and is a great example of boats from that era.

The story of its recovery and preservation is a great one. You can read about it here.

The Sea of Galilee contains about 20 types of edible fish. So it was appropriate we got the fish for lunch.

Now this is not my first time at the rodeo so I was one of the few who got shawarmas. I did manage to get a tasty Maccabee beer.

These are the first ancient ruins I’ve ever seen and it was quite impressive. The Corinthian capitols are amazing considering the tools of the day.

The white synagogue was built in the 4th century on top of a synagogue that dates to the time of Jesus. Here Jesus said I am the bread of life. He also healed many here. Our reading was from Matthew 8:5-17.

The entrance for the synagogue is on the south side and believers would have prayed towards Jerusalem. Keep in mind you still had to travel to Jerusalem to sacrifice for your sins. That was not done at the local synagogues. Local synagogues were not only for worship but also for discussing the day’s events and the education of young boys.

Peter’s house is a very short walk from the synagogue. You have to get up close to see it because the Catholics built a church over top of it.

The Catholic Church sure loves Peter. Notice the fish at his foot, then go read the end of Matthew chapter 17.

Capernaum was destroyed in 614 AD by the Persians at the end of the Byzantine era. But there is enough left to get an idea of how life was way back when.

As you can imagine olives and wine were very important. This olive press shows us how they made olive oil. First they placed the olives in sacks and placed them in the press. Next they added weights to a bar that pressed down on the olives squeezing out the oil. This would be done multiple times, adding weight to each press. The first press yielded the best oil and was used for religious purposes. The oil from the second press was used for cooking. The third press yielded oil for their lamps. The oil from the fourth and final press was used to make soap.

More photos from Capernaum can be found in the photo gallery.

Our reading is from John 21:1-19. Here Jesus appears to His disciples for the third time after His resurrection. This is in the area known as Tabgha, which is a corruption of the the word Heptapegon, which means seven springs. Here these warm springs feed the Sea of Galilee which creates an area of great fishing. Funny how these fisherman couldn’t catch anything in these abundant fishing waters until Jesus told them to simply throw their nets on the right side of the boat.

The interior of the church is refreshingly plain. Most churches we’ll encounter later are quite ornate, to the point of garishness.

The rough rock you see in front of the altar is believed to be where Jesus fed His disciples the fish breakfast recorded in John 21:9.

This was our first chance to get up close to the Sea of Galilee. Many took the opportunity to touch the water.

It’s not a beach where you would lay out a blanket and catch a few rays. As you can tell it is quite rocky.

More photos can be found in the Photo Gallery.

This is the traditional site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As with most of the sites we’ll visit, the Catholics (among others) built churches on top of these sites. Our reading was from Matthew 5:3-48.

Here we are at The Church of the Beatitudes which was built by the Franciscans in the 1930s.

January is the rainy season in Israel and this makes walking a challenge. Beautiful mosaics and rain do not a good mix make.

The interior of the church was equally impressive.

You can see more photos in the Photo Gallery.

Look, they’ve been fighting for thousands of years. They ought to be tired by now.

We set off January 16 for Tel Aviv. The total flight time was around 14 hours. Layovers and bus rides put our door-to-door travel time right at 24 hours. Good thing I can sleep anywhere.

Our tour was planned by Alpha Christian Tours. In 10 days we experienced:

• Tiberias
• Sea of Galilee
• Capernaum
• The Mount of Beatitudes
• Peter’s Primacy
• The River Jordan Baptism Site
• Tabgah
• The Hermon River Springs
• Korizim
• Kursi
• Tel Dan
• Beth She’an
• Cana
• Meggido
• Nazareth
• Caesarea
• Haifa
• Mount Carmel
• The Mediterranean Sea
• Jerusalem
• David’s Tomb
• Jerusalem Archeological Park
• The Teaching Steps
• The Via Dolorosa
• THe Church of the Holy Sepulchre
• The Western Wall
• The Dead Sea
• Masada
• Qumran
• Camel Rides
• The Church of All Nations
• The Church of Tears
• The Mount of Olives
• The Palace of Caiaphus
• Bethlehem
• The Church of the Nativity
• The Garden Tomb
• Golgotha
• The Shepherd’s Field
• En Karem

I met Gorby in 2001 and we became fast friends. We enjoyed sharing cigars on the porch and cooking big chickens.

I am grateful for the 8 years we got to share. He will be sorely missed.