There I was, having breakfast on the Giza Plateau, and just beyond our hotel was the Great Pyramid.

It was 2018 and we were in Egypt. We had landed in Cairo and had survived a rather harrowing ride on a highway that had six lanes that were only suggestions! We had found our room in the gorgeous hotel and had met our tour guide and the head of the operation, Dr. Zahi Hawass, said to be the most famous archaeologist in the world and the inspiration for “Indiana Jones”.

He gave us a talk between the feet of the Great Sphinx and we investigated the inside of the Great Pyramid, descending way down into a tunnel and then up the grand staircase into the king’s burial chamber through a tiny door. I also got to explore the Red Pyramid at Sacharra, and we visited the tombs of the pyramid builders.

Other sites in Cairo included the Papyrus Institute where we were shown how it is made, and selected a beautiful painting on one. At the Carpet Institute we saw gorgeous rugs and wall hangings that they teach kids off the streets how to manufacture. Their hands literally flew on the looms and it was a sight to see.

We were personally received into the home of Anwar Sadat, president of Egypt who had been assassinated years before. We visited the Mosque of Mohammed Ali (not that one!) and, of course the Egyptian Museum where we saw the marvelous articles from King Tut’s tomb and numerous mummies.

We then were flown to Luxor where we saw the Karnak temple, were treated to talks by Dr. Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Antiquities Department, and boarded our 5-star cruise ship for a wonderful 8-day cruise on the Nile River. We visited the Valley of the Kings and explored tombs there, including that of King Tut.

We stopped at a number of other temples along the way and went by smaller boat to a Nubian village and were entertained in a home there (they had pet crocodiles!). At Aswan we saw the phenomenal Abu Simbel Temple which had been moved piece by piece to a higher elevation to avoid being submerged by Lake Nasser. It was dedicated to Ramses II and his queen, Nefertiti.

We saw the Colossi of Memnon, Deir el-Medina, and the amazing Temple of Hatchepsut.

We had a fun Egyptian party on the ship and dressed for the occasion! Then we flew back to Cairo for more sights before departing for Munich, Germany, and on home. It was an amazing trip!

EPISODE 33

There I was, celebrating with the crowds in the streets on Jerusalem Day, 2017, the same day that President Trump was there!

It was a very special occasion, as it had been exactly 50 years since the 6-Day War and Israel’s victory. We had landed in Tel Aviv and we were immediately bussed down south to Beersheba. We were surrounded by camels and saw Abraham’s well, where a dropped rock took 6 seconds to hit the water! (over 200 feet)

We were here because of an invitation by our son, Scott who had married the daughter of an Old Testament professor at Dallas Theological Seminary who leads tours to Israel each year. It was like a “fire hose of Bible history”, and my favorite trip ever.

From there we went on up to the Dead Sea for a hotel stay and floating in the water. It was difficult to stand up after lying back, as your legs kept wanting to float up to the surface!

We next toured Massada, where Harod’s palace overlooks the sea, then on to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It was a dramatic moment when we rolled into Jerusalem. We had a nice hotel there and the next morning we toured the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and the Shrine of the Book, where those Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed.

We visited Jericho, the city of palms and saw Elisha’s spring and were greeted with the offer of delicious fresh dates. We went to the valley of Elah where David defeated Goliath, and I picked some smooth stones from that stream where David got his!

We were taken to the top of the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended and will return to. I rode a camel there before we went down to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock and El Aqsa Mosque. We visited the Western Wall and many sections of Jerusalem.

We stayed in Tiberius on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee and took a boat ride from there across to see the beautiful Mount of Beatitudes, Bethsaida. the Golan Heights, and Capernaum. Valo and I got baptized in the Jordan River (chilly!)

We went to Caesaria Phillipi (Banias) where the Greeks had worshipped the god pan, and where “The Gates of Hell” are! That was an enormous cavern where babies would be thrown down onto the rocks along the spring, and if blood was seen flowing out in the stream nearby the sacrifice had been accepted! This is also the site where Jesus’ followers first recognized him as the Messiah.

We went to Mt. Precipice just outside of Nazareth, where Jesus was about to be thrown off of the cliffs before walking away. That’s the location of the picture of me you see when you first open my web site. I am sitting on those rocks, and the Valley of Armageddon is behind me.

We visited Mt. Carmel where Elijah and his God defeated the prophets of Ba’al. Then on to Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s chariot cities, and to Cesarea Phillipi Maritima on the Mediterranean Sea. Here I stood in the amphitheater at the spot were Paul made his defense to King Agrippa and it’s where King Herod had a big swimming pool built out into the ocean.

In that area we stopped at the cave (Harod Spring) where Gideon tested his men. It is a beautiful location, with that clear water flowing out of the cave and along a small stream. We could see off in the distance where the Midianites had camped.

There was so much more that we saw, too much to tell about, but it was truly an incredible trip, and I hope that as many of you as possible can go there yourselves soon. On the other hand, Jerusalem will soon be the capitol of the world, as Jesus will be reigning from there. We should have plenty of time to check it out then!

EPISODE 34