Day 6 & 7- Sardis, Priene, Apollo Temple

Sorry for no post yesterday...didn't have internet access. So here is post for today and tomorrow. 

Well, we are half way through our trip, finishing day seven of teaching.  The last two days have been a whirlwind of travel, hiking and teaching.  We have had two amazing hikes up mountains that would from the bottom seem as though they could not be climbed.  Nevertheless, as a community we were able to climb them, and without huge difficulty.  I have been amazed and proud to be a part of this group as they are willing to do things that seem impossible and we have always found honey.  Yesterday we journeyed through a town by the name of Sardis, learning how amazing John was, not only with his text, but with how he was able to use the Text to speak specifically into the lives of the people who lived there.  Those who understood the Text would have seen a rich canvas of scriptures pointing to the Hebrew Text, and those who did not know the Text would still have seen an amazing picture of how their life could be changed by a relationship with G-d.  Sardis had a huge necropolis of over a million graves in its city, and we looked at the letter to the church of Sardis in Revelations, “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”  Amazing, was John’s ability to shape his letters for each city according to Text and culture.  See if you can find the Scriptures from the Hebrew Text in the letter, there are more than a few.   Here are some pictures of the city, the mountain, and our crew in the triumph of our climb.

Back by demand from his fan club, Mark is working hard at looking like he is working hard.

Here is the whole group on top of the acropolis in Priene, it was a long drop behind.

Okay i don't know how to order them so here they are, this is the hike up from the Kibbala temple to the acropolis of Sardis

This is looking down from the top of Sardis, the zoom is on.

Will and Cindy are doing great, and really getting a lot out of the trip.  This is the top of Priene, look at the mountain behind, why couldn't we hike it?

Dwight pondering deeply the thing of his life.

Brooke and Joanie overcoming the heights

Josh seems to think he is samson, which would be okay if he wasn't telling everyone.

Today we went to Priene, a city near the island of Patmos.  We were able to see an early house synagogue and did some role-playing of putting our selves into the situation that the first century Christians faced.  Once they became Christian, which was not a legal religion, they would struggle with deciding what of there culture was acceptable and what was not.  All the things made in the market would be dedicated to the gods of the city, was it okay to buy food that had been dedicated to Zeus?   Was it okay to have pottery made and dedicated to Athena?  They were not able to sell goods that hadn’t been dedicated, so how could they still sell in the market?  These were very real decisions that they faced by choosing to follow The Way.  They would lose their social status, there ability to buy and sell goods, they could not be in the government, or participate in the feasts of their city.  What would make them want to make this decision?  Why would someone with every worldly thing to lose give it all up?  Are we willing to do the same?

Today is a very special day, at the top of the acropolis of Priene, which took a couple of hours to get to, I prayed for a very special girl and her family.  Today is Katelynd’s birthday, so I would like to wish her a very happy birthday.  We are praying for you, that G-d will bring special blessing into your life as you have been a special blessing in ours.  We miss you and your family and I can’t wait to get home, for I have many stories to tell.  Know that G-d has created you perfectly for the purpose he has for you.  In these temples that were built each stone was built especially for its place, G-d does the same with us.  You have an amazing place in G-d’s story, and his love for you will endure forever.

May G-d be with all of you as he has been with us,

Tben

PS Yes I love You Twimp!

From Brooke:

            Ben really expressed the beauty of our community. We have had two really hard hikes these past two days. I will be honest, I was a little concerned that we weren’t going to make it….but WE DID…only with G-d’s help. The group we are with are simply amazing. We have a couple people on the trip who are over 70 years of age and they are trucking up the hills like champs. I am so blessed by their hard work and perserverance. Yesterday during our hike in Sardis, I unfortunately left my bible on the top of the mountain. I didn’t realize I have left it until we were on the bus back to our hotel. I was devastated when I figured it out. This was the bible I had used for the last five years….the one that had all of notes from my last Israel trip and all of the study I have done over these past few years. It was so sad, but I am certain that G-d wants to teach me a lesson in this. It really does make you realize how important the text is and how disarming it feels to loose it. Perhaps this is G-d’s call for me to begin to memorize more text, so I am never without his word. Perhaps this is a chance for me to really delve into the text and create new notes and discover new insights. Regardless, I know that G-d has a plan.

            Today we also talked about insula and house churches. WOW!! These groups of people were able to do some amazing things through their love of and service to their community. I was reminded today of how blessed I am to have such an amazing acacia group. I prayed for you each today. You guys truly are the heart of G-d and I am honored to be serving in the kingdom with you. Ben and I miss you a lot and are excited to see you soon!

Spouse Report

Jack: Joanie is so brave. She has tackled some really tough mountains and come through with flying colors. It was so sweet to see Josh helping Joanie up the mountain today when she was scared. As Robert put it…she carried you, now you are carrying her.  

Linda: Randy has a servant’s heart. He put aside his own concerns over his knee today to help another lady on our trip who was struggling. He held her hand and pulled her up the mountain the whole way. You would be so proud of him J

Courtney: Brian also has the heart of a servant. He helped Joanie up the first part of the mountain and was so encouraging for her. He saw her scripture cards and asked her what Matthew 7:21 was…it is the scripture about Jesus yoke. It was beautiful. He is doing great.  

Bill: Lee is a trooper. She too is overcoming many of her fears, particularly her fear of heights. She is doing a great job with her scripture memorization as well.  I know that she is wrestling with some tough stuff at the same time.

Beth: Jeff continues to ask terrific questions and really engage the text and the context. He is usually at the front of the line on our hikes, but stops to help those in need. It has been a blessing to get to know him more.

Tana: James is doing great. He also asks great questions and engages RVL in some good conversation. He said today that this trip was more than he could have ever expected.

Cathi: Scott is doing great. He carried three packs up the mountain today…he is like a pack camel or something. So don’t let him ever tell you he can’t carry Ethan, the diaper bag, fold up the stroller, throw the football to Ryan, and dance with Emily at the same time….he totally can. He misses you of course. He told me yesterday he was missing his wing man J

Jenni: Robert and Caleb are doing awesome. They are both doing a great job with their scripture memorization. RVL even gave Caleb a fist pound for his memorization today. This was a huge complement. They miss you and the girls of course.