middle of the middle east

We have just wrapped up our third week in the Middle East, and I have not been posting at all like I had planned. The combination of daily hikes beginning at sunrise, the sickness of "solomon's surprise" (which is still running through our group), the cold and rain, and falling asleep around 9:00 has moved writing out experiences and impressions to the bottom of the list. I'm still hoping to get more out there this last week, so stay tuned. Until then, here are a few images... and Salaam, Shalom, Peace.

Our class is officially called "Historical and Geographical Settings of the Bible." So just about every day we hike through the mountains and valleys of Israel and Palestine. Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful and worth it, but it kicks my butt and wears me out.

Most of the time we are hiking to some sort of ruins that are significant to the Biblical story. I'm standing with Lawson Stone in front of the remains of King David's palace complex in Jerusalem.

Tea and corn in what amounts to a cave across from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Arab farmers sell corn on the street corners fresh and boiling hot.

Sunset on the Mediterranean Sea.

In many, many ways much of the culture here has not changed in thousands of years. One of the most obvious is the Beduine shepherds who move their flocks through the wilderness and villages of the West Bank.

The hikes are brutal, but the vistas are worth the pain. This is near Nablus, Palestine.