The Cup of Salvation

One of our stops was to the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. We visited the tomb, and then held a communion service nearby. We each received identical olive wood cups during the course of the service. The door to the tomb is to the right of my pinkie finger.

The Cup of Salvation Originally uploaded by whatnext.

Promised Land

One of my favorites. This picture could represent what Moses might have seen in Deuteronomy 34:1-8: "Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the

The Promised Land Originally uploaded by whatnext.

plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over."

Talented

This Syrian camel driver knows how to do it. While laying down on the top of the camel, he smokes a cigarette and talks on his mobile phone. That's what I call talent. This was taken in Palmyra, Syria.

Talented Originally uploaded by whatnext.

Yes, I Was Away...

...And I'm still recovering from a 17-day excursion to the Middle East. I joined several of my classmates and others for a trek through Syria, Jordan, and Israel. I made over 1,000 photographs during the trip, and it will take awhile to sort through them all. I have a few favorites posted over on Flickr. Over the next several days I will also publish them here with more extensive commentary.

The big takeaway from this trip was the imagery. I will not be able to read the Bible in the same fashion as before. The Sea of Galilee is now permanently etched into my mind's eye. Scripture readings about places now take on the textures, smells, and colors that were previously unavailable to my imagination. What a wonderful trip.