BOOKS

"I cannot live without books."

- Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1815 -

"I guess I could live without books, but I sure hope I don't have to."

- Ruby, 2009 -

We always take books with us on our journeys. So now comes the question, what books shall I take with me? Of course, I'll take my favorite Bible to the Holy Land. It's been there several times before. I like to take it with me to the Biblical sites and write the date we were there on the page where the site is mentioned. Besides, I have notes written in it from front to back: sermon notes and quotes. I mark verses that inspire me at a particular time and I have sticky notes and handouts and Sunday's Worship folder in it, too. I'll take my most recent book of Sudoku puzzles, which is especially good for whiling away the time in the airport. But, I want to take another book with me to help us enjoy our trip. These past few days, I've stood at our bookcases checking out the titles, taking out one book and then another to leaf through the pages, hoping to find the perfect book. It was only this morning that I found it: H.V. Morton's "In the Steps of the Master", first published in 1934. Our friend, Vicki, who visited us when we were in Jerusalem on an earlier trip gave it to us. in the introduction, Morton writes, "The story I tell in this book is a simple one. It describes the adventures of a man who went to the Holy land to see the places associated with the life of Christ and to find out what new light the historian and the archaeologist have cast upon the world of the Gospels." Now, that's the perfect book! I'm putting it in the suitcase right now.

SHALOM Y'ALL

"Shalom" is Hebrew meaning "peace". As a greeting, it means "may the intense, confident peace that passes understanding be yours". Such a greeting was used by Jesus, "Peace to you," when He met with the disciples in a post-resurrection appearance (Luke 24:36). Of course, He probably said it in Aramaic not Hebrew. It is still used today throughout Israel.

This blog is about our current trip to Israel which starts next Tuesday. We have been six (Ruby) and five (me) times before but this will be the best yet. We rented a condominium in Jaffa and another in Jerusalem for the three months stay. Friends (three couples) from McIlwain Presbyterian PCA in Pensacola, Florida, and our nephew, Tommy, will each spend two weeks with us. We will revisit former favorites as well as new sites. The excitement will be seeing these with a fresh look through the eyes of our fellow travelers. There will be pictures and text so we hope you, too, will enjoy our journey.