Woke up this morning to the sound of pigeons discussing the rain. I saw the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake Kinnaret) out of our hotel window. It was a pretty amazing way to start the day.  Finished up the week in Jerusalem. I have limited internet access for the next few days, but…

Bill arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday afternoon, and after a meal and a short nap, we visited a local congregation with one of the Caspari workers. When we arrived, she said, “Oh! I forgot this is a Hebrew-language service!” After a bit of scrambling, an interpreter was pressed into service for us and one or…

Some have asked how this week’s news about Osama bin Laden has impacted life in Israel. It has been front-page news, but there is so much happening here that the event doesn’t have the same impact that I’m sure it’s having in the U.S. The Caspari team has kept me busy this week doing office-type…

I’ve been here in Jerusalem for 24 hours or so, and here’s what I’ve experienced so far: I didn’t take this picture, but this is pretty much the scene that greeted me. – An angry mob of about 80-100 ultra-Orthodox Jews standing at an intersection about a half a block from the guest house where…

You’re probably aware that Oprah is broadcasting the final few shows of her program’s last season. The ABC affiliate in Chicago rebroadcasts her show at 11:05 p.m. each night, and because of my ongoing midlife sleep battles, I have seen some of the programs of this final season. She’s a fascinating personality, and though I…

The disciples experienced all kinds of amazing weeks with Jesus, but none of them were anything like the week they headed into Jerusalem just before Passover. The crowds up north, in Galilee, clamored to get near Jesus because they hoping to see a miracle, or they were enthralled by his teachings. The people of Jerusalem…