Christian Worldview Reading...

The Christian faith is not true because it works. It works because it is true.

Genuine understanding generates genuine faith, and genuine faith in turn generates genuine experience. Without genuine faith, experience can easily be counterfeited by emotionalism. Without genuine understanding, what passes for faith can be a counterfeit confidence of purely human origins (such as the power of positive thinking). So understanding is integral to faith, just as faith and understanding are both integral to experience.
- Os Guinness, God in the Dark

Does your worship inform your theology or does your theology inform your worship?
-Dr. Greg Behle

Overheard...

I was walking to class yesterday when I overheard this conversation:

Tim: Where are you going?
Adam: The IBEX office. [I pretend not to hear this as Adam waves his application in the air] Are you going to Israel?
Tim: No, I don’t have time.
Adam: Ahh, you always have time for Israel!! You don’t know how long it’s going to be there!

Hehe, Shabbat Shalom!


Tank museum, Latrun, Israel

Upon a star...

I wish people would stop dropping IBEX because of financial reasons (as responsible as that may be).

I wish my IBEX e-mail would answer itself (hehe).

I wish I got to mail stuff everyday (I think it's fun).
hmmm-hh-hmmm

I wish I could throw away a lot of stuff in my office (or at least recycle it).

I wish I got paid a little more and that my job required a few more hours.

I wish I could work and talk to friends at the same time; not always easy.

I wish I knew why people weren't signing up for next semester.
I wish I could have this job beyond the spring, but I also want to graduate and move on to something even better! :)

Ben-Gurion and I are buddies...

professor, mentor, friend

So Todd is coming out to California! It is awesome how much this man has had an impact on so many students.
For one reason I think it is because ibex is so different from any other college experience. You get to live in the Middle East and you get to see the professors and their families all the time. You definitely get to know them better than you get to know most of the other California professors.
Also, since ibex brings up so many good memories, many of these memories are automatically linked to the professors.
Third, Todd genuinely cares about his students. He cares not just about their intellectual lives, but even more he cares about their spiritual lives. It is very important to him that his students stay close to God and live genuine, non-hypocritical lives before Him.
Also, Todd has a great personality. He is a funny, intelligent, sarcastic guy.
Yea for Todd! I haven't seen him in 2 years.

Well, we finally got internet at our apartment. Yea for more distractions!

How ironic...

Wouldn't you know that the day I decide to wear both my "Palestine" shirt and my "אילת" (Ayelet) necklace, I would meet a Jewish guy named David working at Panera Bread? He asked what my necklace said and I told him "Ayelet."
"What does that mean?"
"It means female deer; it's Hebrew."
"I know, I'm Jewish, too, but I don't know Hebrew."
I thought of telling him, "Oh, I'm not Jewish and I don't know Hebrew either, but really, I'm on Israel's side!" But someone was behind me in line and I figured it would be long and kind of complicated to explain it. Oh well; I guess I'll just eat my blueberry muffin...

Viola Sighting #110

Viola has been in hibernation; good thing she missed the fires. She has joined Plant Ops as part of their pest control patrol. Keep those gophers away!

Israel, recounted...

I had a great time in Israel! I completed most of my goals, except for going to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at night. So I went to the Mount of Olives, YMCA, Church of the Redeemer, etc. :) It was a great time! I went to Jerusalem 6 times; 4 times in the day, 2 times at night. I also went to Tel Aviv with the Modern Israel field trip (thank you, Randy!). I also went on the Temple Mount. As I sent my bag through the scanner, the security guards asked me if I had a knife. I told him no, what was he asking about. Is this your bag? Yes! You don't know what's in it? I put stuff in this morning, I don't remember everything. Oh, you have a knife, but it's okay. No, I don't! No you have a knife, but it's okay! No, I don't! We finally figured out it was my carabiner. It's kind of scary to think about what other things people have up there. All in all, it was a very fun week! I will have to write more later.

Yea, I'm in Israel!

I'm not sure how this car got down here...

Masada at Masada! I almost threw up on the way to the top.

Zaatar in the Muslim Quarter.

A beautiful flower in the New City, near Mea Shearim.

Back in time

If I could go back in time, I would want to meet this guy.

Richard Halliburton, world traveler

Ahhhh...

I am sitting in Nevada City in a little cafe/bistro, using free wireless internet on my new computer! Yes, after 3 months of hassles, many miles of driving back and forth, and many phone calls, I finally got a new computer. I had to pay a little bit for it, but I am very happy with my Compaq.
Any way, I am in a cafe in the liberal little hippy-town of Nevada City. Folk music is playing, there are white half-melted candles on the window sill, and the open window is letting in the breeze (we won't talk about the flies that are buzzing around, even with the screens on the windows). I can see cars driving by and think to myself "tourists!" There is a crepe myrtle outside, and the patio is surrounded by a white picket fence. There are metal tables and chairs with green umbrellas. Across the street is a tall pine tree and the Ghidotti Building. Half the buildings in downtown are brick and half are Victorian style. I think this will be my new favorite place to study when I am home. I love Nevada City. :)

Sad...and Happy!!

It is sad that it has been 2 weeks since I last posted...
But it is happy that Israel is only 2 weeks away!!!!!

"Make you banana pancakes..."

So I had a Jack Johnson morning...Yep, I made banana pancakes. They were good, too (not counting the burnt ones; oops.)