Israel/Jordon 2008

My wife Marilyn & I are getting ready for a trip to Israel and Jordon during the last two weeks of May, 2008. We're part of a church group organized through an Anglican Church in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. A group from our Church in Toronto - the Anglican Church of the Resurrection - has joined in, including our Pastor, Duke and his wife Deborah. Marilyn & I had talked of wanting to go to Israel and when we had the opportunity to go with our own Pastor, that tipped the scales. Now when I challenge Duke on his sermons and teaching, I should be able to blubber away with more information and a new frame of reference.

This coming Tuesday, we'll finish a 5 week "course", preparing us for the trip. It's taught by Glen, an Old Testament prof from Wycliffe College in Toronto. He's spent a lot of time in Israel and coupled with his knowledge of the Old Testament, we're in good hands. We've gotten a grounding in geography, history and watched DVD's of the areas we'll be seeing. As well, we have reference material, maps and commentaries. I don't recall ever being this prepared for a trip and a good thing too as we'll be "drinking from a firehose" as we whisk around the country.

We're encouraged to keep a journal, so this gave me the encouragement to start my first blog. I'm looking forward to posting my reports, hoping to cover what I've seen, significant conversations and how this has affected my faith journey.