After driving three hours into the burning desert of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, we arrived at our destination, Saint Catherine’s Monastery, officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai.

As we stepped out of our van, the same team was with us as before: the well-versed driver; the official police officer; the two very nervous American tourist, who still continued to speak ceaselessly of the nearby war; and our highly educated guide, Salaam, who thought it best to simply smile when the two very nervous American tourists would rant.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery was sanctioned by the orders of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, between 565-548 B.C.E. But, in the year 330 A.C.E., the Empress Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, built a church with massive granite blocks, believed to be on the site where God spoke to Moses through the burning bush.

We had to advance deep into the valley for there are many hermit cells and a shrine at the site of the Bush. The Bush is verdant to this day. This is the Bush of which I have spoken earlier, the one from which God in a flame of fire spoke to Moses. – Author unknown.

The first Byzantine Orthodox monks arrived approximately around year 330 A.C.E., and still live according to the traditions of the early Christian monastic order, based on the spirituality of the desert – Because life in the desert is cruel and harsh, but it is here where one may find God.

The monastery was eventually renamed after Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a saint in Europe’s Catholic Christology, during the Middle Ages, who was sentenced to death in her defense of other Christians. Her body was placed on a spiked breaking-wheel, but, at her touch, the wheel shattered to pieces. It was then ordered that she be beheaded. Centuries later her body was said to be found in a cave close to Mt. Sinai, and was taken to the monastery. The relics of Saint Catherine, which are kept inside the monastery today, continue to inspire pilgrimages from people throughout the world.

Controlled by the autonomous Church of Sinai, which is part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, Saint Catherine’s Monastery became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002 for its unique importance in the traditions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The site holds the world’s oldest continually operating library, along with rare works, such as the Codex Sinaiticus and the Syriac Sinaiticus, and, but still debated, the largest collection of early Christian icons. Also inside is the earliest known depiction of Jesus as Christ Pantocrator, which represents the dual nature of Christ, illustrating traits of both God and humankind.

Saint Catherine’s Monastery and the area consumed by Mount Sinai also remains sacred to the monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The climate was cool when our group stepped into the rooms of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, taking refuge from the staggering desert heat outside. The monastery was compact, almost like an ancient city with chambers, pathways and gardens, captured between four granite walls.

It was easy to find the purported Burning Bush, or the Bush which no longer burns, as we assume it is a remnant where most had disappeared into ashes long ago.

Soon, we spotted the Well of Moses, where Moses apparently met his future wife, Zipporah. The Well remains today as one of the monastery’s main sources of water. As I took a sip of water from its drinking fountain, I wanted to to believe it was all true.

We quietly walked into the main chapel with a strong sense of reverence, and were surprised by the small size of the worship room, which was clearly overburdened with many icons and relics. We noticed on the other side of a short, waist high, dividing wall that an elderly monk was deep in prayer, and wondered what he was praying for. The dividing wall made it clear that it served as a threshold that should never be crossed. And we also assumed that after the monk had finished his prayer, not a single word should ever be crossed. But the moment he saw us, he walked over to greet us and gave us a warm hello. He asked where we had traveled from, and we told him that we had traveled a long way from the United States, which he nodded was truly a long way. And then replied with a grin, You know, I have a cousin in the United States… who owns a restaurant in Philadelphia.

As we bid farewell, we promised that if we ever did return to Philadelphia, we would look his cousin up. But decided not to mention that the City of Brotherly Love, the birthplace of our republic, is often referred to as the City of Brotherly Shove.

The time was too brief for our tour, as the doors at Saint Catherine’s Monastery would soon be closed for tourists, but it was important for our group to realize the ritualized monastic life. Priests meet in the morning at 4:00 a.m. and pray in their cells until eight a.m., followed by a one-hour period of rest. And then, each monk begins their assigned task; working in the library, the garden, cleaning icons, etc.

The first meal is lunch at 1:00 p.m., where all monks eat in silence while a novice reads religious texts. From 1:30 to 5:00 p.m., there is another resting period, after which vesper service is held until 7:00 p.m., and the monks return to their cubicle. At 10 p.m. the lights are extinguished, but the monks are allowed to read in their monastery cells by candlelight.

The monks fast three days a week, followed by eating simple vegetables, all grown from well-maintained gardens. It was a stroke of genius or part of God’s Holy plan, that the monks had managed to create one in the rough landscape of unbearable heat and endless desert sand. There were also many citrus and olive trees, where the olive itself is often a symbol which defines Greek and Mediterranean life the best.

In the garden rests a small cemetery within the Chapel of St. Tryphon and the Charnel House. The sparsity of earth does not permit permanent graves, so the monks buried in the cemetery are later exhumed and their bones placed in the ossuary. One of the oldest remains is of the hermit, Stephanos, a 6th century monk, who is believed to have lived on Mount Sinai in a small dwelling, where he solemnly struggled on behalf of his own monasticism.

As the monastery’s clock ticked down to 1 p.m., we took a mad cap dash to the small gift store for postcards, gifts and souvenirs. To our surprise, the monk behind the counter turned out to be the one with a cousin in Philadelphia, with whom we had met earlier before. As we hurriedly piled our growing load of treasures onto the counter, I wondered if I should suggest that perhaps there should be a slight discount. But I assumed what the kind monk would smile and say, All profits go to God, who looks down upon us now. Back home, I wondered where the profits of a bible marketed by a former U.S. president would really go; for he too looks down upon us, but in a very despicable way.

When we left Saint Catherine’s Monastery, we hopped back into the van for the long ride back to Sharm El Sheikh. Thinking of the monk’s cousin, food was soon on our mind. So, halfway through our trek, Salaam suggested we should make a hard right turn to a local seafood restaurant on the Red Sea, where the very polite staff of Egyptian waiters presented a large platter of seafood, caught that very day. We were curious, and not sure why; Salaam, our driver and policeman chose to sit inside. Perhaps they needed a break, before realizing they probably needed a break from me.

After we made our selections, we realized the authenticity of a real seafood restaurant, unlike the rather faux ones at Sharm El Sheikh’s Four Season’s restaurants. Our meals had been enjoyable at Sharm El Sheikh, but this late lunch easily tipped the scales, serving the best meal during our entire three-weeks in Egypt.

Our balcony table was set just above the shore’s waters. It occurred to me that this was as close as we had ever been to the historical and biblical waters of the Red Sea, the waters which I had imagined I would dive into the moment after our immediate arrival to Sharm El Sheikh. But then I remembered that tomorrow would be a very different kind of day.

Red Sea Underwater Adventure

The following day after we left our resort property at Sharm El Sheikh, we really did tip our feet into the Red Sea. The holy act was the first act for a planned underwater adventure, which I refer to as a hybrid tourist vessel, where the lower body of the ship drops down below the water’s surface, while the top remains above.

After cruising out of the congested mooring, we shuffled down a flight of stairs to witness the Red Sea’s underwater eco-system, home to over 300 species of coral and 2,100 species of fish from the vantage point of two long observation windows. What I found more interesting was another kind of hybrid on the boat: Russian, Egyptian and North American tourists.

The Russian passengers were polite, and basically kept to themselves, but were enthusiastic and appreciated the underwater wonders on the other side of the hybrid boat’s windows. The women seemed fashion conscious, were well dressed in vibrant colors, many with trendy sun glasses. They paid great attention to their mobile phones, and were generally part of large groups or families. It was easy to see they were from landlocked areas in Russia, and this was a vacation of a lifetime.

Many of the Egyptian passengers were busy as workers on the vessel, but the others seemed open, and easy to please, and simply happy to be there.

As for the North Americans… well, we were North Americans, but also seemed pleased to be part of this fascinating hybrid experience.

One of the most colorful moments was a post-cruise lunch, where we saw an attractive-looking Russian woman, dressed in typical beach clothes and sandals, after speaking on her mobile phone. Seated at the next table, was an attractive Egyptian woman, dressed in a black burka and tennis shoes, after speaking on her mobile phone. Two divergent worlds, unbeknownst to each other, were sitting back-to-back at their tables. Did someone really say, Truth is stranger than fiction?

The next day we departed from the Sharm El Sheikh Four Seasons Resort. As we passed its gates, the Icon of Peace was standing as it was before. The above image was used in an earlier installment, but it never can be seen too often as the world struggles to seek international peace.

A few hours later we were on a plane and gone.

Related Articles:

• Egypt: A personal interpretation of its land, people and antiquities, Part 1
• Egypt, Part II: The Sinai Peninsula

The post Egypt, Part III: Saint Catherine’s Monastery appeared first on Traveling Archive.

By Ed Boitano, photographs by Deb Roskamp noted in the text.

After our UNIWORLD Nile riverboat arrived in Luxor, we flew back to Cairo and then to Sharm El Sheikh International Airport on the Asian side of Egypt. To say we were sleep deprived and weary was an understatement; we were overwhelmed by all the knowledge which we had enjoyed and absorbed, but the daily 5 a.m. wake up calls on the Nile riverboat had clearly taken its toll.

As our van arrived in Sharm El Sheikh, we were weary no more. For we were greeted with something which we found to be profound and very much more; the Icon of Peace, the symbol which serves to remind us that someday the world will no longer live with senseless wars. The Icon of Peace is the tallest and largest peace icon in the world, which stands at 113 feet. It consists of three parts; the middle has Welcome, written in many languages, the right bears a map of Sharm El-Sheikh, while the left displays a map of the nation, in which we currently stood.

After we checked into our suite at the Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheik we were impressed with its spaciousness, amenities and tasteful design. Our balcony garden seemed more like an open-air room for a Saudi prince, complete with fire pit, lounge chairs and couches, and large colorful pillows. But, we had had an unrealistic vision of what our time at a real Sharm El Sheikh luxury resort would really be like; imagining that we could simply jump from the balcony of our suite and charge into the Red Sea with snorkeling gear and towels.

The Red Sea was in the distance, and we were able to catch a few glimpses from the shore, though we weren’t actually sure where it parted for the prophet Moses who escaped the wrath of the pharaoh’s soldiers. Some believe the date is in the 13th century B.C.E., and the pharaoh was Ramesses II, who is often regarded by Egyptologist as the greatest, most celebrated and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom of Egypt. After ruling Egypt for 66 years, he left a legacy of new cities, temples and monuments, along with the slaves and bounty he had collected from other empires. The warrior pharaoh had also been busy, winning 15 military campaigns, but not too busy to father over 100 children and have 200 concubines and wives, which included his favorite, Queen Nefertari, still regarded as the most beautiful woman throughout Egypt today.

And now back to the man we call Moses and his crossing of the Red Sea, which is defined in the Book of Exodus as the liberation of the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery. And it was God’s plan for Moses to find the Promised Land; a name often used as a metaphor, for the promise of better things still yet to come.

A few things we learned

But the Israelites failed to obey God, almost immediately breaking commandments by indulging in idolatry. Because of their lack of loyalty to the God who had just liberated them from tyranny, he punished them with 40 years of wandering through desert wilderness before being able to enter the Promised Land. – Attributed to Bible Tools.

It took Moses 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil – Attributed to Golda Meir, fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974.

After upacking, we took comfort in our suite at the Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheik, we were surprised that walking to the beach, or going to restaurant, required a pickup by a golf cart driven by a polite member of the staff. We had no choice but to embrace this new world of luxury and golf carts, driven over intricately designed cobblestone paths. We were clearly outside of our element, but it became something we struggled to endure. And by the mention of a restaurant, our well-versed driver would not hesitate to drive us there.

We were awestruck by the themes of the many restaurants, which ranged from Lebanese, Japanese and Mediterranean to morning breakfasts and starlight feasts, all on the edge of the Red Sea. We noticed one was named, Waha, believed to mean mouth in English, or, in my case, a rather loud one.

Arabesque served unique Egypt dishes, many of which were unknown to us. And our palates were not disappointed when we sampled many of the new recipes; Warm Rahe, made with charred aubergine caviar, red capsicum, lemon confit, aged homemade pomegranate molasses, roasted walnuts, and pomegranate kernels; Muhammara, which includes mild spiced red capsicum, breadcrumbs, garlic, chili paste and nuts; as well as Zitounia‘s, onions, sweet capsicum, Roma tomatoes, marinated crushed olives, pomegranate, almonds, pine nuts and lemon dressing.

In one early morning, as I returned to our patio table after one too many trips to its buffet breakfast bar, it was easy to marvel at the tranquil surroundings of well-manicured vegetation and palm trees, set in traditional Egyptian décor. With a fragrant soft breeze gently blowing from the Red Sea, we felt as if we were in an Arabian fairy tale. But then realized, that this could pass for a fairytale setting at many other five-star resorts – like the one in Tahiti, where we once paddled and swam, or in South Beach, Florida, or at the beaches in Ecuador – before the realization struck me that I should simply seize the moment, where deep contemplation should be ignored, and continued to bask in the restaurant patio’s new found world of luxurious galore.

Sharm El Sheikh (Bay of the Senior) is also known as the City of Peace, due to the many International Peace Conferences that have been held within its boarders, which has included the U.S. Commander-and-Chief, the very active and never sleepy, President Joe Biden. Apparently, it’s still yet to be determined if America’s last and final emperor’s invitation was lost in the mail.

As one of the Egypt’s important Asian cities, Sharm El Sheikh is a vastly growing one with international five-star resorts on southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, along the Red Sea.

It was easy to notice many Russian tourists in its coastal towns, which I had assumed were primarily from landlocked Russian states, where it is considered a good deal for a two-week vacation without a visa at $1500 U.S., or with something less than palatial, for $500. As for our own lodging at the Four Seasons Resort, my photographer gently informed me, it seemed a little bit more than we thought.

Outside of the resorts, Sharm El Sheik pulsated with nightclubs, light shows, golf courses, world-class shopping and handicraft stands. In a sense, Sharm El Sheik defined consumer consumption, with tourist who were more than ready to hand out their money. This we understood, for statistics indicate that a tourist’s favorite past time while on vacation, is simply doing that.

The city fathers have devoted time to conservation where the southernmost tip of the peninsula has been designated as a national park, protecting the area’s wildlife, natural landscape, shoreline and coral reefs.

Sharm El Sheik also serves as an important component for tourism outside the resorts – tourism is Egypt’s third largest industry – with treks to St. Catherine’s Monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai, and considered the world’s oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery.

But Who Are The Bedouin?

I and my brother are against my cousin, I and my cousin are against the stranger. – A widely quoted Bedouin apothegm.

As we continued our trek deep into the Sinai Peninsula’s endless desert sand, I noticed the remnants of many Bedouin camps.

But exactly who are the proud people in this waterless desert land? Our all knowing guide, Salaam, replied, “The Bedouin originated in the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and soon spread across the rest of the Arab world, primarily in West Asia and North Africa due to the advent of Islam. They consist of nomadic Arab tribes who live in the desert regions. Bedouin means desert dweller, and they are traditionally divided into tribes or clans, sharing a common culture of herding camels, sheep and goats. And also adhering to a culture of poetry recitation, music, religious festivals and sword fighting rituals. There is a Bedouin expression, a knife is never just a knife; for it serves as a symbol for their love of country, home and lineage. Unlike Western civilizations, courage is not defined just by prowess in battle, but also in patience, suffering and dedication to the sacred rules of one’s own tribe.” It occurred to me that the tribe of the January 6th rioters at the U.S. Capitol might have overlooked that sacred memo.

Camels, regarded as a gift from God, serve as a main form of transportation and are often eaten when wounded or close to death due to age. The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. Mansal is considered the Bedouin’s most famous dish, made with goat or lamb cooked in a soup, which consists of Jameed (a dehydrated salted Labneh made with goat’s milk), but is generally only served for celebrations. Their daily diet is a simple one, primarily of beans and vegetables, grown in al-sidda, between two hills, in the open air, and watered by rainfall.

Salaam contradicted the quoted Bedouin apothegm about strangers, and explained, that the Bedouin People are renowned for their hospitality, to the point of having three-day-long feasts for complete strangers without even knowing their name. I asked him, what about this stranger who is currently speaking with you now? He smiled, You’re not a stranger, Ed… and by the look of you, it appears you’ve never missed a meal in your life. I forced a smile back to our guide, who had patiently explained many things to me which I should have already known.

He continued with his narration, Bedouins remain Muslims, who observe the “Call to Prayer,” and will face Mecca from the desert. But with the scarcity or complete absence of water, they still manage to obey the Muslin traditions of cleanliness and respect, and will cleanse themselves with sand.

Since the mid-1980s, the Bedouins have no land rights of their own coastal properties as they were sold by the Egyptian government to hotel operators, such as our own five-star lodging at Sharm El Sheikh.

As our van continued its route to Saint Catherine’s Monastery, I could see camps with empty homes of concrete and stone made by the Egyptian Government for the Bedouins to live for free. And Salaam explained, “The Bedouin People are humble and frugal, and not comfortable with handouts and a life on the government dole, preferring the comfort of liberty, living in open-air traditional shelters of yarn, palm fronds and mangrove poles, constructed by themselves.” Amazing, I thought, how very different than my own nation’s billionaire clans, who always appeared to be so fond of receiving handouts from select government clans.

But where are all the people?

Salaam replied with a shrug, They are in a world without time.

And finally, at last, we took our first look at the handsome Bedouin People, whose life still remains a mystery to us. They were at the gates of Saint Catherine’s Monastery to greet us, with an offer for a slight fee, to take escorted camel rides to Sinai’s mountain top. But the cheapscape inside of me, realized that cost of admission to enter the monastery, included the treasures inside, which seemed more important than an authentic Bedouin camel ride.

And, with apologizes to the gallant Bedouin People, who were simply trying to earn an honest dollar in order to survive in the cruel and unforgiving desert land, which the world calls the Peninsula of Sinai.

Related Articles:

• Part Three: Saint Catherine’s Monastery, more Russians, Bedouins and camels, a redefining seafood meal on the Red Sea, Back to Sharm El Sheikh for an undersea adventure in the Red Sea.
• Egypt: A personal interpretation of its land, people and antiquities, Part 1

The post Egypt, Part II: The Sinai Peninsula appeared first on Traveling Archive.

‘Tis the Season

I’m back home in Los Angeles. Appreciate all your kind words and prayers for my family in light of my Dad’s passing. It’s time to move on with life.

I’m still feeling jetlagged and I sleep during the weirdest hours of the day. I missed my wife so much I actually went shopping with her. Early on in our marriage we decided she would shop on her own because she took hours to decide things. I actually enjoyed sitting in the mall with the other waiting Dads and watched people zooming past with their Christmas haul.

After staying in Iligan City (an industrial town in the Southern part of the Philippines) for 3 weeks, I could really appreciate the simple things we Americans take for granted. Things like clean beautiful architecture, cemented roads, clean air, reliable internet access, free movie channels, reliable phone service, etc. We’re really spoiled here in the U.S.. The demonstrators who cry for more don’t realize how entitled they already are. Reminds me of the Jews who complained for 40 years in the desert — they took the free food called manna, the pillar of cloud to guide them by day and the pillar of fire to guide them by night but instead of praising God they wanted more, more, more.

What do you want for Christmas? Me? I don’t really want anything for Christmas. When I look around, I already have what I want. Being home is the best Christmas present ever.

TGIF people!

Raoul

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.”
— Exodus 13:21

Joke of the Week

Parting Shots

The post Darth Vader’s Christmas Power appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Battle of the Stars

WARNING: Heavy stuff.

Have you HEARD the in-DEPP rumors of Johnny and Amber? As Sean Connery would say: “He shed, she shed the biggest bullSHED.” Surprisingly there’s a lot of interest in the lives of this Hollywood couple.

HOLLYWEIRD

It defies logic why anyone would want to become an actor. It’s a profession of pretensions. With a little makeup you are called to pretend to be someone you’re not. You pretend to be handsome or beautiful on stage and you need to keep appearances with wigs and plastic surgery off stage. To be true to your image, you pretend to be rich and successful so you buy into this extravagant lifestyle and feed the parasites around you. Because you are in a position of influence, you give endorsements and opinions about topics you know nothing about. Who cares what Bill Nye thinks about global warming? He’s not a real scientist. Who cares if celebrities threaten to leave for Canada if their candidate doesn’t win? And talk about privacy! — paparazzi stalk you in your most private moments. You are no longer a person but a property that can be exploited. Hollywood is a breeding ground for narcissists.

Such is the sad case with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard who parade their dirty laundry from the gossip columns and YouTube podcasts to your living room. Instead of settling their squabbles in private, their egos force a public showdown — a drama better than any fictitious telenovela.

A MIRROR OF SOCIETY

What is more interesting to me is the reaction of their fans. Most people I know have already made up their minds as to who is the bigger creep. With celebrity trials like this, the best actor with the best sound bites usually wins. (“If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit!”). The minute they decided to go to court, they essentially kissed their careers goodbye. Who would want to work with such prima donas? Who would want to work with a narcissist?

I am not saying I have all the answers nor that I am above all of this. Hey, who doesn’t want to peer inside the silly, useless lives of the rich and famous? I’m just saying we should watch ourselves — for the standards we pose on them (if fairly applied) should be the standard that we impose on ourselves. Are we better than them or is the log in our eyes bigger than the speck in their eyes?

More than any time in history, I believe we live in a society of narcissists. Narcissism is a learned behavior. It’s not genetic. It’s good that you are aware of this toxic personality disorder so you can protect yourself from the frustration of dealing with the narcissists around you. They will push you down into believing you are worthless. And most of all, don’t turn into one yourself. Many cannot change because they do not see the need for change to begin with. Can we see the narcissist that is inside us? Unfortunately, true narcissists never realize they are one. (If you need help in this matter, I know some people who can help.) How do you know if you are one? I found this definition of a narcissist:

“Narcissists can never be wrong. Their opinions are facts. Their feelings are valid. Their views are always right. This does not apply to others. Everything others think, feel or say is wrong. Point out a hole in the narcissists illogical thinking and you’ve just started a never-ending war. Narcissists will slander you behind your back because to them their lies are the only truth.”

CONCLUSION

Whatever the outcome of this trial, unless humility, grace and forgiveness is offered, they both lose. We all lose. And the fans will miss out on a golden opportunity to learn an important lesson and the great divide of opinions in our society will continue to isolate us.

“There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” — 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

But this is just me.

TGIF people!

Raoul

LEARN MORE ABOUT NARCISSISM
Dr. Ramani is not a Christian Psychologist but most of her studies about narcissists do not conflict with my beliefs. Here is a video about how to spot the narcissist.

And here is a link to her channel. CLICK HERE.

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA

Videos of the week

ENTERTAINING: Tinikling is a traditional Filipino dance with bamboo. My Mom was good at this. The Filipino students in Georgia Tech jazzed it up a bit.Thanks to Manolette of Canada for sharing.

FUNNY: Art of Sierra Madre shared this video about a bulldog and 2 cats.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Rodney of Manitoba, B.C.

Thanks to Lee of Bakersfield, CA

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to John of Connecticut

The post The Itch appeared first on Traveling Archive.

All the Pretty Followers

A few months ago, I got a huge compliment from one of my subscribers who thanked me for my insight regarding the wandering Jews who wasted 40 years in the wilderness because of their lack of faith in God. God said “GO! and take the land of Canaan” but the majority of the cowardly Israelites didn’t think God was serious. The majority said “the reason for the size of these humongous grapes and crops we stole was because they feed humongous mouths! We are nothing but ants!!” [paraphrased].

Do you know what happened in the 40 years that followed? The population of unbelievers died off and their children grew up — essentially replacing their parents.  Moses had just passed away and Joshua picked up the leadership baton. One of the first things he decided to do was owe his full allegiance to God: “I don’t know about you guys, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Joshua’s real strength was his unwavering loyalty and discipline to follow God to the minutest detail. Joshua only had one defeat and it was not because of what he did but what a guy named Achan did. God instructed the people to demolish their enemy completely — including all the spoils of war. Achan, decided to pilfer some of those goodies and hid it in his tent. “It’s just a small thing … God wouldn’t mind,” Achan thought. Because of this selfish deed, the Israelites lost their next battle. Joshua eventually figured out what happened and Achan was stoned to death. [Hey! That’s how they did it then]. After purging the impurity in the camp, it was one victory after another. Long story short, within 5 years Joshua led the Israelite army to conquer the land of the “humongous” giants. In retrospect, they could have been standing on the same land 35 years earlier.

Now here’s the deal, The God of Moses, the God of Abraham, the God who created the universe…  is the same unchanging God we have the opportunity to worship today. Let that sink in.
Sure God loves us and promises us an undeserved contract of blessings. But there is a fine line in the contract. The fine line is what Joshua and his family signed: “… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

How are things in your household? Do you believe in God? If you do, are you serving Him or yourself? Achan thought he could get away with a “little indiscretion.” What’s your indiscretion?

Don’t believe in God? Whether you believe Him or not, doesn’t change the truth. You may not believe in gravity but let’s face it, you’re stuck on earth like the rest of us.

The Bible offers a beautiful intertwining of history, spiritual truths and the character of God … such as the story of Joshua.. If you’ve never read it, you’re missing a lot, Dude. Of course, this is just me … at least this is what I believe.

TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Peter Paul of S Pasadena, CA for sharing this joke.

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Funny Short Video

The Silly Welder (It Pays to Think Ahead)

Shared by Jackie of Whittier, CA

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, BC who shared this:

The post Two Responses appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Miracle Amnesia

I think my hernia is growing. It seems to hurt every time I try to get up now. Last week I asked people to pray for a miracle of healing. That got me thinking.

Do we really believe in miracles? Or are we just parroting someone else’s belief? Do YOU believe in miracles?

I was going through the story of Moses in the book of Exodus — you know —- that episode of the movie, The Ten Commandments, where Moses raises his cane and the red sea parts and allows the Israelites to walk on dry land to safety? Now that’s what you call a MIRACLE — an MGM type of miracle … complete with orchestral music and CG effects.

If you were one of those Israelites walking between two raging masses of water, you’d think that vision … that memory would be forever etched in your mind, right? Sadly (except for Moses, Caleb and Joshua) millions of Israelites had a case of Miracle Amnesia.They couldn’t trust God to help them conquer the promised land. They blew it! Instead of faith in God (who already proved Himself) their logical mind took over. They only saw how big and fortified the enemy was and chickened out of the miracle. Because of their unbelief they wandered in the desert for 40 years until they all died off. It was their children led by Caleb and Joshua who entered and took over the land of Canaan.

Again I ask, do you believe in miracles? Some say the parting of the Red Sea never really happened. Some say the Bible isn’t really an accurate historical book. Some say God was different then. So many excuses. So little faith.

I believe the parting of the Red Sea did happen. I believe there are  chariots and armor still buried underneath the Red Sea. I believe that the same God responsible for that miracle then is the same God that will allow a miracle today. So God will heal my hernia? Don’t be silly! I’m not saying He definitely WILL. I’m saying, it’s up to Him. I can only request. He’s not a genie in a bottle who grants my every wish.

You got major problems? Pray! He’s got a lot of  miracles up His sleeve.

But this is just me. TGIF people!

“The smaller your God, the bigger your problem. The bigger your God, the smaller your problem.”
— Anonymous

Joke of the Week

Thanks to Dennis of Riverside, CA for sending this joke.

Video of the Week

Musical Colonoscopy
Sent by Tom of Pasadena,CA

I think I shared this a long time ago. Because of my upcoming surgery this song is closer to my heart … I mean my stomach.

WATCH VIDEO

Don’s Puns

From Don’s collection of puns

Heavy Thought of the Week

Sent by Ernie of New Jersey

Parting Shot

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C. who shared this.

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