Gospel Musings

I realize that I have been back from Turkey for almost two weeks now, but I wanted to share some last thoughts. For my Old Testament class I was required to write a reflection paper, I figured, if I put that much work into something then I might as well milk it for what it's worth. So here it is: Overlooking the Agean Sea, Paul walked a lonely road from Troas to Assos,.Acts tells us that here he met his companions before traveling to Mitylene. As I sat overlooking the Southwest, where we believe the harbor would have been I couldn’t help but wonder what Paul must have felt here towards the end of another missionary journey. The song, ‘A Poor Wayfaring Man’ came to my mind as I tried to relate the emotions of this devoted disciple who would soon be tried, charged and killed for his work preaching the gospel. I was drawn to the final verse where the author is reunited with the Savior who speaks these words: “Of me thou hast not been ashamed. These deeds shall thy memorial be; f...

Time is going back way to fast here. I have had complaints from some of the readers (mainly family, but let's be honest, I know that you're the ones who are mainly reading this) that I don't post often enough and that I don't post enough pictures. Well, let's just say I'm living up the experience! But, to satisfy the mob, this post is all pictures and they are mainly from my favorite place in Turkey: Ephesus. I will put captions. This is St. John's Basilica on the outside of the main town of Ephesus. It is Christian tradition that this is the burial place of John, LDS tradition believes otherwise, but there was a special peace about this area. Most scholars beleive that this is where the Gospel of John and perhaps one of his epistles was crafted. We also know that Mary was in John's care after the Savior's death, and it is believed that she died somewhere around here.  This is a baptismal font from the Byzantine period (when the Church was...

Thanksgiving came early this year and I realize that there is much to be thankful. Now, you might be scratching your head thinking, he's a good 6 months early for that. Not So! This week I am in the beautiful land of Turkey. After arriving we explored our neighborhood, which is across from one of 4,000 beautiful Mosques. Then, we had a kabob dinner and tried to get some rest for the adventures that awaited us in the city the next day. Bright and early we woke up and walked past Istanbul University and through the main streets of the city until we arrived at the site of the ancient Hippodrome. It was originally built by the Byzantine empire and then expanded by the Romans to hold, what has been said to be 100,000 people. The horseshoe shaped track was lined in the center by different monuments, often as prizes from the conquests of the empire. One of the monuments that still stands is the Obelisk of Thutmosis the 3rd (see below).During the Nika (Nike) revolt Justi...

Shabot Shalom! Peaceful Sabbath to you all. This beautiful Sabbath we journeyed from the Jerusalem Center to the Garden Tomb and it was a beautiful experience! The first picture is me standing outside of the walls of the Garden Tomb.  Below is a picture of Golgotha. This is proposed to be the place of the crucifixion of Christ because it is outside the city walls and if you look you can see the skull (which is what Golgotha means). It's interesting to note that there is some debate as to whether he was crucified at the top of the hill or at the bottom (Roman tradition was that you would crucify prisoners on the side of the road so they could be seen. But, as I am continuing to learn, it's not as much the exact location of where it happened as much as what happened.  This sign marks the tomb where our Savior rest for a short time until he rose again on the third day. His rising provides resurrection to all, breaking the bands of death set in place by the f...

Our first field trip consisted of traveling to a variety of sites overlooking the Old City. One of the first places we went was the Augusta Victoria church and tower. This Lutheran Church built by Wilhelm the Second was named after his wife, Augusta Victoria. It is a beautiful church with a conglomoration of styles ranging from Byzantium to Mamulak... unfortunately the lighting isn't the best, so all my pictures are really dark, but here is one, just so you can kind of get a feel. My other favorite stop on this trip was our overlook of the hills of Bethlehelm. As we sat upon these hills we read the verses in Luke 2 about the heavenly messengers. I couldn't help but think about the joy and wonder of that night. As I've participated in Savior of the World the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to be in the angel chorus that welcomes in the good news of the birth of the Savior. That same joy was now filled  with a new peace, awe and respect realizing that...

The title, Shalom Aleichem, literally peace to you. On fast Sabbath we had a beautiful meeting overlooking the old city. It was spiritually rich to see this beautiful background as we listened to testimony from fellow followers of Christ. One visitor from Finland  who is blind, stood up and shared with us his powerful testimony of the power of this place. He said, "I do not need to see Him, to know that He lives and that he was here." I reminded me of the apostle Thomas and his journey to apostleship after uttering the words 'except I shall see Him, I shall not believe.' After a Sabbath meetings a group of us treked towards the Mount of Olives. As we climbed the mount we came to Dominus Flevit meaning the Lord Wept. This church built in the shape of a tear represents the scripture in Matthew 23: 37-39 that says "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets..." This may be the view that Christ had as he overlooked the city. As we descend...

In just a couple of hours I will leave for the airport and still there is so much to be done. But I find myself drawn to my computer to take a small moment to express how I am feeling about my upcoming adventures. To be honest, I'm not completely sure what style this blog will end up being. It may be factual and educational at times and at other times it may be like reading a personal journal. Regardless, the single underlying purpose of the blog is to share my experiences in a small way. I will be diligent about sensitive to the cultural issues related to my adventures, so if you feel inclined to comment on my posts I ask that you do the same. I am also presently aware of the limitation of my ability to fully share with you through writing what I hope will be something that you someday are able to experience in someway. Nevertheless, I hope you will overlook my weaknesses and find some level of interest in what is being shared. I feel a great peace and yet great anticipation ...