"Israel was holy to the Lord." Jeremiah 2:3 It's been a while since I posted on this blog, but as I'm sure you know, I'm still working on a novel that I began last November. I have wanted to do something here that gives all of us an uplifting few minutes during our week. This time I'm going to summarize each chapter of the second devotional book by F. LaGard Smith called Meeting God in Holy Places: A Devotional Journey, so that it's easier to understand. LaGard made several visits to the Holy Land, and the sites and sounds of those trips are shared with us through this devotional book. Once again, I'll be summarizing the chapters for you, as I did over a long period of time with Meeting God in Quiet Places: The Cotswold Parables. I'm partial to these two devotional books, and I feel close to all of you as I'm sharing them here. I hope you feel the same way.
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The first picture on here is of the Mount of Beatitudes in the Spring. It is one of the places which we read about in the Bible, and one of the places that LaGard visited. He says: "Stand on the Mount of Beatitudes on a lovely spring day, and you're surrounded on every side by the 'lilies of the field' and 'birds of the air' of which Jesus spoke. Why, indeed, should we worry? Are you not much more valuable than they?"
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Today I just want to give you the introduction and a few words about this book. It takes time to read and summarize, but it's just these kind of spiritual thoughts that I want to share with you. I usually take two blogs for each lesson because they are long and have so many gems of encouragement in them. I'll be hoping to put on a chapter a week, but that may get sidetracked until I finish the novel!
Mount of Beatitudes with view of Plain of Genesseret
~ On the inside cover, there is a description which lets you know what is in the contents of the book:
Mount of Beatitudes with view of Plain of Genesseret
~"Imagine walking through the Holy Land, the people and places of Scripture coming vividly to life. Touch the stories in the valley where the boy David defeated the mighty Goliath. Visit the pool of Bethesda and ponder the healing power of Christ. Come closer to Jesus as He prays in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. As these meditative parables lead you gently into the land of God's great promises, you'll discover a deep peace that comes from walking in a place like no other--a place that Jesus called home."
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I find the Table of Contents very interesting, as it contains such topics as Bethlehem, The Holy Sepulchre, the Valley of Gehenna, The Wailing Wall, The Dead Sea, The Ossuary, the Pool of Bethesda, Masada, Mount Carmel, Passover, Gethsemane, Mount of Olives, Judean Desert, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Mount of Beatitudes, Dome of the Rock, and the Bell Caves, along with a few others. If you love the Bible and places where its history took place, this is a way of connecting to those sites in a way that also moves your heart. We can meet God in holy places without actually making the trip!
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From Jerusalem, the City of David, to places of biblical events, such as the pools of Siloam and Bethesda where Jesus performed at least two of his many miracles of healing, to the Way of Sorrows, where Jesus walked to his crucifixion, and on to the tomb where He is believed to have lain. And there are also the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. And who wouldn't want to visit the city where Jesus was born? The city where "God came into our world so that we might enter into his." And, in fact, the Holy Land is the place where God chose to reveal himself to us. It is a breathtaking pilgrimage through history--God's and ours.
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I find the Table of Contents very interesting, as it contains such topics as Bethlehem, The Holy Sepulchre, the Valley of Gehenna, The Wailing Wall, The Dead Sea, The Ossuary, the Pool of Bethesda, Masada, Mount Carmel, Passover, Gethsemane, Mount of Olives, Judean Desert, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Mount of Beatitudes, Dome of the Rock, and the Bell Caves, along with a few others. If you love the Bible and places where its history took place, this is a way of connecting to those sites in a way that also moves your heart. We can meet God in holy places without actually making the trip!
~
From Jerusalem, the City of David, to places of biblical events, such as the pools of Siloam and Bethesda where Jesus performed at least two of his many miracles of healing, to the Way of Sorrows, where Jesus walked to his crucifixion, and on to the tomb where He is believed to have lain. And there are also the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. And who wouldn't want to visit the city where Jesus was born? The city where "God came into our world so that we might enter into his." And, in fact, the Holy Land is the place where God chose to reveal himself to us. It is a breathtaking pilgrimage through history--God's and ours.
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If any of this sounds interesting to you, stay tuned. I'll get the first lesson on here for you to read very soon. In the meantime, keep God in your hearts and minds as you make this walk on earth!
Blessings...Mimi
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