by Greg | Jan 8, 2010 | Blog Posts
I have two words for you – hummus bar. It is just that delicious and so I am thinking about adding a new food selection for Wednesday night dinners. I will ask Rodger Murchison what his opinion is when I get back. Speaking of food, several of us went out to make a falafel run but all the vendors had closed their stands, so I came back to the lobby to work on this blog. To my surprise and delight a DJ had set up a turntable and along with a partner began crooning to us some strange version of Hebrew disco. You just don’t see that every day in Augusta! Friday morning began with a wake up call at 6, breakfast at 7 and on the bus for Cana at 8. Cana is a rather congested town dedicated in part to celebrate the first miracle of Jesus – turning water into wine at a wedding. The village of Cana is only mentioned in the Gospel of John. The problem is that scholars do not agree as to whether this is the exact location of the original Cana. The Romans destroyed the original Cana during the great Jewish revolt around 66 AD. The Cana we visted today was one of three probable locations. Nonetheless it serves as an important place to reflect on the extravagance of God through this first miracle as well as the reach of God through the healing of the royal official’s son. We toured through the Church of the Wedding commemorating this first miracle. We boarded the bus and traveled 15 minutes to the...
by Greg | Jan 7, 2010 | Blog Posts
This is our first “full” day in the Holy Land. We arrived close to three yesterday afternoon and after a rather uneventful walk through customs we were warmly greeted by our tour guide welcoming us to Israel. Outside of sleep depravation and travel wearies all of us are well. We boarded a bus that took us to our hotel (which was more than a two hour winding drive) situated on the coast of the Sea of Galillee. By the time we arrived it was dark and so all we could really appreciate was the clean conditions of our room. Following a delightful meal of various salads, humus, and grilled meats, and a brief meeting (can you believe I actually have brief meetings?) we all stumbled to our rooms. While I cannot speak for the others, I slept soundly until our wake-up call at 6am. I do know that a few among our group have not quite adjusted to the travel and spent a good portion of the night watching reality TV shows in Hebrew. What a view – my room overlooks the Sea, which is surrounded by gently rolling hills. The Sea itself is dotted by fisherman plying their trade according to 21st century methods! Speaking of the Sea of Galilee, it is not really a sea at all, but a large fresh water lake about 750 feet below sea level. The weather here is absolutely outstanding – temperatures in the 70s and bright sunshine. Breakfast included a variety of yogurts, cheeses, eggs, breads and fish. Since most places are kosher, the dietary restrictions prevent serving dairy products with...
by Greg | Jan 4, 2010 | Blog Posts
Having finished packing my luggage only hours before departure, one of my last things to do is to sit down and write this article. From January 5th to January 14th I will be touring the “Holy Land” along with 41 others members and friends of First Baptist Church of Augusta. This will be my second tour of Israel but for most in our group it will be their first. For all of us it will be an opportunity to experience the land where the Bible comes alive as we tour such notable places as Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee and of course Jerusalem. Sacred places. One does not need to travel to the other side of the world, however, to experience sacred places. While it is quite moving to visit the places where Jesus walked and taught and served, places made sacred are not exclusively reserved for the footsteps of Jesus. For Henry David Thoreau, it was a small cabin on the edge of Walden. For the relatively small number of Creek Indians it was a rock formation in the shape of an eagle in middle Georgia. For the new parents it is the sterile enclosure of a delivery room where they saw their newborn for the first time. Sacred space. We do not always name our memorable points as sacred, but that is what they are – sacred, holy. It may be your grandmother’s kitchen thick with the smell of biscuits out of the oven and coffee whisping in the air. It may be a favorite oak tree from the family home place where you once...
by Greg | Dec 10, 2009 | Blog Posts
There was a little boy I met last Tuesday morning and I forgot to ask his name. As is my normal practice, I walked down from my study to the Activities Building on our church campus to have prayer with a special group of volunteers. Every Tuesday morning we assist families with their various needs including groceries, helping with utilities, rent and providing financial counseling. On Tuesday evenings one of our attorneys volunteers his time to provide free legal counseling. This particular morning the building was already crowded with volunteers and clients for our Benevolence ministry. There a little boy at the front door greeted me. He was quite friendly and polite and said, “Excuse me sir, how do I get to the playground?” Evidently he was someone’s child who came to our church for help. I explained that during this time the playground was reserved for our preschool but I hoped he would come back sometime and play. I learned he was in the fourth grade and that he was looking forward to the Christmas holiday because – and he said this with a big, toothy smile – his birthday was December 26 and he would be ten years old. I did not know why he was there or who was with him. I do not know what he will get for Christmas let alone his birthday. I do not even know his name. I do know that even though he did not ask me to feel sorry for him I did all the same. He really does not need me to feel sorry for him. Anyone with...
by Greg | Dec 8, 2009 | Blog Posts
Do any of you remember the “old days” when recipes were written on pieces of paper? Nowadays when you want a recipe you just open up the laptop and surf the internet and comb through list after list of variations of almost any dish. In fact, looking for a recipe is now as easy as searching on a cell phone. Last week Amy and I were searching through one of our recipe books looking for directions on how to make some particular dish – for the sake of the story let’s call it possum fritters (I do not spell possum as “opossum” since I do not call those marsupials “oh-possums”). This recipe book is the kind where you write in your own recipes as well as containing pockets for recipes clipped from magazines, newspapers, etc. Like any good recipe book it was dusty with old flour and stained with oil, icing smudges, and gritty remnants of sugar. It was a wedding gift over 21 years ago. Looking over the recipe book is like a culinary journal of our marriage. The earliest entries were typical of a couple still in college and living on meager resources. Most of them included ingredients that involved opening cans and heating in the microwave. Over the years our recipes grew somewhat in complexity and variety. Thumbing over the pages we were reminded of old friends, whom we need call; church members from previous pastorates, many who have passed on; and cherished family members who shared their specialties. Many of recipes are for food that tastes like home, and we have been blessed with many...
Recent Comments