Shalom from Jerusalem!

We are in Jerusalem! I don't care where you're from, but once you're here, your heart beats just a little faster. Last night, we had the opportunity to walk in the Old City with some friends who had studied here several years ago. They were worthy guides indeed and entered through the Jaffa Gate, got to experience the Suq of the Old City, and ended up at the Western Wall. To see people desiring to serve God with such intensity still hits a spot very deep in my heart.

Speaking of that intensity, before we came to Jerusalem, we visited a site near the Northwest corner of the Dead Sea called Qumran ("koom-rahn"). It is very likely that the people who occupied Qumran from about 150BC until about AD 67/68 were Essenes and were fiercely committed to following hard after the ways of God. They weren't perfect, of course, but I want that kind of intensity in my life. More stories about the Essenes when we get back. For now, it's back to the Old City with friends! See you in a few days!