I've exchanged a couple e-mails with another board member about my trip to Israel. Thought others might be interested, too. We had a fantastic time, the weather was beautiful, and we didn't have any terrorist related problems. We had extremely knowledgeable guides that gave me a lot to think about. The official money is sheckels, but everybody we dealt with took US dollars, too. I even usually got change back in dollars.

Theological items:

Everybody knows the Dead Sea is 1300' below sea level, but I didn't realize the Sea of Galilee is almost 700' below sea level. As one lecturer told us, Kings and rulers look to mountain tops and high places to rule from, but Jesus went to just about the lowest place on earth for his ministry.

One place we went was the Church of Peter's Primacy. This is where Jesus appeared to the disciples while they were fishing and told them to put the nets on the other side of the boat. (Book of John.) Jesus invited them to bring their fish and eat breakfast with him. He forgave Peter for denying him. Our guide wondered if Judas hadn't committed suicide, would he have eventually been forgiven? Makes one think.

The distance between the place of crucifixion and the burial tomb is less than 150'. It was surprising that the places were that close together.

Less theological, but ballsy:

We went to Masada, the mountain top fortress that was the Jews last stand against the Romans about AD 70 or so. It takes a certain chutzpah to come up against an 1150' high rock with a fortress on top of it, and instead of waiting them out, start piling up rocks to make a ramp to the top.

It was a great pilgrimage and I would recommend it to anybody.

Rod M