Wednesday, 16 May 2012 07:30 Written by Jim Denison

Janet taught our sons to "live a life God can bless."  That lesson was reinforced for me today as I read the fascinating Numbers 14 account of the Jews at the edge of the Promised Land.

The picture in this blog post shows the beauty of Israel's Promised Land.  When the people came to its edge, Moses sent 12 of them as spies into the land.  They came back with glowing reports about its beauty and provision, but 10 were frightened of the giants they encountered.  The people began wailing and complaining, threatening to stone their leaders and return to Egypt.

Monday, 14 May 2012 12:02 Written by Jim Denison

Josh Hamilton's four-home-run bat is headed for the Hall of Fame.  I took this picture of a dead tree while hiking recently.  What do the two have in common?

They're both made of wood, of course.  And they're both flawed from within.  Josh used one bat to hit eight home runs over the last week, but it cracked in the seventh inning of Sunday night's game as he stroked an RBI single.  "She died a hero," he told reporters after the game while smiling.  "She was tired, she was getting a little weak."  So he's sent the bat to Cooperstown, where it will be displayed in baseball's Hall of Fame.  Its crack is tiny, but it was enough to render the bat useless for baseball and turn it into a museum trophy.

Tuesday, 08 May 2012 09:51 Written by Jim Denison

Are you in need of an encouraging word today?  It's a gray, cloudy day in Dallas.  Our oldest son is still recovering from the effects of radiation, with nearly two months to wait for the CAT scan that will tell us if all the cancer is gone.  I've been traveling a great deal lately and am a little tired.  You probably know the feeling.

Today's essay by Oswald Chambers was just what I needed: "Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love.  You cannot see him just now, you cannot understand what he is doing, but you know him.  Shipwreck occurs where there is not that mental poise which comes from being established on the eternal truth that God is holy love.  Faith is the heroic effort of your life, you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God."

Thursday, 26 April 2012 11:20 Written by Jim Denison

The Garden of Gethsemane is always for me the most powerful place we visit in Israel.  On our just-completed spring pilgrimage, our group spent an hour one morning in this sacred place.

From this vantage point we could see the Eastern Gate, built by Suleiman in 1537 at the spot where the gate stood in Jesus' day.  The soldiers who came to arrest Jesus marched through this city gate, torches clear in the night.  They traveled down the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives, a journey which must have taken 30-45 minutes.  All the while, Jesus stood at the one place where he knew Judas could find him and the soldiers could arrest him.  If he had fled into the Garden and returned to Galilee, he could have escaped their reach and lived a natural life.  Instead, he waited for all that he knew would come.

Tuesday, 24 April 2012 06:30 Written by Jim Denison

I have spent the last several days in Israel, leading a study tour of the Holy Land.  Near the end of our study tour, we had an experience I will never forget.

Our group assembled in the Upper Room, a 12^th-century Crusader structure located near the spot where many historians believe Jesus' disciples gathered for the Last Supper (Luke 22:7-13) and later for Pentecost (Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4).  One of the most interesting discoveries in this building is the pelican sculpture atop a medieval column in the room.  The pelican is one of the first symbols for the Lord's Supper.  Why?