Israel – Peter Gowesky

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You complain about WHAT???

May 15, 2012 1 Comment

While I was in Israel, one of my favorite places that we visited was the garden of Gethsemane. This is the recognized location where Jesus went to pray on the night that He was handed over to the authorities to be killed. There was something amazing and beautiful about this location. The garden was well taken care of, so that added to the beauty. But there was something even more beautiful that cannot be captured in an image.

It was incredible to think of what the Bible tells us happened here some 2000 years ago. The Church has placed a church on this location and inside of this church there are some incredible mosaics depicting the time that Jesus spent here that night. Can you even imagine what Jesus was thinking, and going through that evening?

Thomas a Kempis tries to help us think about what that would have been like for Jesus. What I appreciate most about this is that he tries to help us get a better baseline on our own condition too.

When Christ was in the world, He was despised by men; in the hour of need. He was forsaken by acquaintances and left by friends to the depths of scorn. He was willing to suffer and to be despised; do you dare to complain of anything?

~Thomas a Kempis – Imitations of Christ

I have been commuting 90 minutes each way for the last two months to get back and forth from home to Liquid’s office. It has definitely taken a toll on me. I loose three hours a day to my car. Let me tell you, this is not fun. I find that I can slip into periods of lengthy complaining and think nothing of it. I may grow agitated because I hit traffic on the way home, or the price of gas puts a death grip on my budget. Kempis provides a new baseline for me. Jesus was willing to suffer and die for me, and He did not complain. What basis do I have to complain about traffic being slow? It certainly puts things into perspective. My Lord was crushed so that I could be spared. It is time for me to pony up and quit complaining so much.

Okay, there you go. I spoke first. Your turn. What do you need to stop complaining about?

~Peter

bonus… Here are some pictures that I took at the Garden of Gethsemane and in the church.

[slideshow]

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Caves, Hideouts and Tree Forts

April 23, 2012 No Comments

A Psalm of David, while he was in hiding.

“Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord that to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Psalm 118:4-9

We traveled to Ein Gedi to see the land and all of the mountains around. We are traveling through an extremely arid climate where everything went from being lush and green to being sandy and dry. We pull into the park and we begin to hike up the mountain towards the source of a waterfall. Along the way we are looking all around us and are noticing the caves that dot the mountainsides. These are the same caves where David came to hide from Saul in 1 Samuel. King Saul is ticked off at David and he has come to hunt him down. He wants him dead. Where does David go? To Ein Gedi. He and his men are hiding in the caves there when all of a sudden Saul comes along. Saul enters the cave that David and his men are hiding in to “cover his feet”, or “use the facilities”. David cuts the corner of King Saul’s robe and lets him live.

These are the caves where David was hiding. This is the same location that it is thought that David wrote Psalm 118 from. It gives a new perspective to the thought “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in __________” Here is David hiding in these unbelievable caves and yet he cries out from the depths of his soul, it is better to take refuge in the Lord! Those rocks are so strong, and protective. That is why David was there after all. Yet, those rocks do not hold a candle to the strength, the power, nor the refuge that our God will provide for His children.

Here’s the crazy thing. Many of us turn towards our own caves, hideouts, tree forts or safe places when we enter into times of trouble. Can you say along with David, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in _____________”

I am learning to…

~Peter

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Food Poisoning, Hospitals, and Waiting

April 22, 2012 No Comments

You will have noticed by now that I have had to drop the day number from the title of each of these posts. I was afraid that this trip would become so overwhelming that it would make it nearly impossible for me to continue to keep a current blog diary of what is happening while we are traveling in the Holy Land. Unfortunately, this fear came true. We have had a very busy schedule these past 6 days. Each day we have been getting going early in the morning and often do not finish dinner till very late in the evening. This is wonderful, because there have been a lot of places that we have had an opportunity to stop and visit and spend some meaningful time processing through our thoughts there. I will attempt to have some follow up posts with pictures that allow for further explanation of some of the sights, and thoughts.

While we were traveling here in the Holy Land, somewhere in Nazareth, our group ate something that was not good. We ate something that was not only not good, but it wasn’t good for us! All but 3 of us got sick with food poisoning! That means, 20 people were sick. Crazy right? I got so sick, that it put me out of commission for a night and a day. I ended up having to go to the Israeli hospital to get med’s and also have some fluids pumped into me.

While I was laying on my side (going in and out of heat stroke) I sat there wondering why God? WHY is this happening to me now? At one point in time while I was on a ridiculously bumpy and curvy bus trip, I think that I even verbalized, “Why is this happening?” I have been looking forward to this trip for a period of 7 months now. The last thing I want to do is miss out on any of it because of illness. But there I lay. Waiting to feel any better. I was waiting for the pain to subside, and the nausea to pass. WHY…

Today I encountered a culture and a people group who are asking the same questions. Why God? When will the pain subside, and when will the pain pass. When will we wake up from this nauseous feeling? I spent some time with Arab Christians who are being persecuted. One of the statements that he shared with us I found quite profound. He said, “Suffering is part of the story.” How different my western mindset is than that, right? We work hard at eliminating suffering from our story.

I walked along the wall that divides Palestine and Israel, the wall that divides people from their homes and their lands. I listened to stories of people who long for peace but see a giant monument of oppression in front of them everyday. They wait. They wait. They wait some more.

Ridding our lives entirely of suffering will never lead us to a place of perfection. In fact it is through the suffering that our lives are hammered, shaped, and refined. My Arab brother was right. Suffering is part of the story. It should be.

I am ashamed at how poorly I handle myself when I go through the mildest form of suffering. God works richly in times of deep suffering. Do not turn up your nose at those opportunities that lie ahead of you in your story. I am not seeking out suffering… (It’s like praying for patience right?) However, I want to be found as faithful and steadfast as my friend in the midst of it.

There are too many emotions right now to even put words to. Below are some of the pictures that I took while we walked along the wall today.

~Peter

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Walking in the dust…

April 17, 2012 2 Comments

When I think about the Gospel’s I can not help but think about Jesus walking with his disciples. I think about how Jesus walked from one location to another. I think about how Jesus sent His disciples out to travel to nearby cities to proclaim the good news. I think about how Jesus walked along the sea of Galilee and got in and out of boats to travel around the region. It is inevitable. It is found all throughout the Gospels. Jesus moved, He wasn’t static and stationary. This required an incredible amount of travel.

Today, I began to understand a bit of what that could have been like. We hiked from Nazareth to Zippori, and from Zippori to Cana. It was about a 10 mile hike. First off, I would tell you that I was whooped up on after hiking out of Nazareth. Nazareth is situated on the hillside and we went up about 400 steps to get to the top, and then we climbed some more. Then started the descent, which was equally if not more challenging then the ascent.

We hiked this path all day. We stopped in Zippori national park and checked out the ancient ruins and had lunch there. But we walked and talked. There were times when we walked and didn’t talk. Not on purpose, but simply because we were lost in thoughts. One of our group members mentioned tonight that the hike to Cana was like having church with one another. We were sharing life together. We were laughing, talking, sharing, and processing together. It was a communal approach.

I couldn’t help but think about what it would have been like to have been covered in the dust of the trail and sharing life with Jesus. At the end of the day my shoes were dusty. And I don’t mean a little North American dust. I mean the full monty. They were pretty dirty. There is a part of me that doesn’t want to clean them. I would love for them to remain symbolic of my time walking on the Jesus Trail.

I found myself being drawn into the scriptures in new and fresh ways simply because of what I was seeing. There were wheat fields all around us. There were olive groves, and fig trees. There were gated vineyards and there were mountains that surrounded us on all sides. I walked on a roman road which dates to the days of Jesus and I couldn’t help but touch the stones with my hands and wonder if my Lord too knelt there to lace a sandal, or talk to a shop keeper. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was in the same space 2000 years later.

I walked through the day wondering… Wondering who am I living life with, and sharing the communal aspects of life with? Are there people I am missing out on simply because I don’t value them, or their input in my life? I learned this lesson through the power of the wine press, the olive press, and the cistern. Too much to share in this post, but my concept of community is being radically rocked. My concept of loving your neighbor is being challenged in big ways. My concept of what Jesus was actually saying to these men who walked this same path is being shaped by my time here in the land.

I will have to save my thoughts on my time in the Church of the Annunciation for later. Time has slipped away from me, and I must get to bed. But that too was a deeply stirring moment in my day. I praise God for coming especially near to me this morning in the grotto of that church.

Who are you walking with in life? What parts of your life are lived in direct purposeful intersection with those around you?

~Peter

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Israel/Palestine Day 1

April 16, 2012 No Comments

Today was our first full day here in Israel. We spent the night in Nazareth last night and we were treated with incredible hospitality by the Rosary Sisters. It was an unbelievable breakfast. I could get used to breakfasts like that one.

After breakfast we set out on our day. We started out by going to the a place called The Nazareth Village, or Old City Nazareth. It is a recreation of what Nazareth could have looked like in Jesus day. It was absolutely fascinating to catch a glimpse into the world of Jesus. It absolutely made the parables that Jesus told come alive. After looking at hundreds of olive trees, and a wine press, a sheep pen, a threshing floor, an empty tomb, and a synagogue, I have a greater appreciation for what Jesus was saying. These are the things that books, and seminary can not teach you!

I found the imagery of the olive as being very incredible. I enjoy olives. In fact I love olives. I have had olives at every meal so far while I have been here in Israel. The process of turning olives into olive oil is an incredible process. I would love to look more into the symbolism behind that. Our guide was telling us about how they go through a 3 step process of crushing and at the very end there is nothing left to give. She mentioned how Jesus was in the garden of gethsemane, (likely an olive grove) and how he went away and prayed three times and then was arrested, and gave everything that He had on the cross. I could go on for a long time about insights from the Old City.

We hit the road after eating lunch in the Old City and ended up at several sites where they believe some of Jesus’ miracles occurred. This put us along the sea of Galilee, which was absolutely beautiful. We found our way to the Mount of Olives, where Jesus gave His famous sermon on the mount. I was reflecting through the beatitudes while I was there and I was challenged yet again by the words of our Lord. Blessed are those… Blessed are those… Wow.

One of the other sites we went to was Capernaum. This was the ancient ruins that date back to the 4th century. This town was right along the sea of galilee and while we were there, the winds kicked up and the waves began to roll in on the sea… Remind you of anything? Man… It was in your face and real.

It has been an incredible journey, and we are only into the first day. I am excited for what lies ahead. I am also incredibly exhausted right now. So off to bed I go. Tomorrow is 10 miles on the Jesus trail. We will end our time in Cana.

What significant thing happened in Cana?

~Peter