Also, God is really working on the hearts and minds of some of the students here....it is very cool to see.
This past Shabbat, I went with some people here at JUC to a Messianic Synagogue in the morning....turned out to be very Rabbinical in basically everything. Had i of not known before that they claimed to be Messianic, I would have never of guessed that they were had it not of been for the fact that they read out of Romans during the readings....least to say, it wasn't cool, considering i had just spent a few hours the night before discussing with someone here on campus the differences between what I believe about Christianity/Judaism/ the traditions of the fathers. So the next morning I say, lets go to a Messianic Synagogue to find out it was Orthodox...I had a lot to explain to him after words...
but then that evening I went to visit my friend Amanda who is living here in Jerusalem. We met some of her friends and went to another Messianic Synagogue that night.....turned out, it was great. We walked in the door as they where playing "Ancient Gates".....I realized right then and there that there is seriously no congregation in the world quite like Sar Shalom. I miss it.
Any who,this was strange. One of the acquaintances of my friend turned out to be Stacie Orrico....the famous Christian singer. Bizarre. I was totally thinking..."I got your autograph when I was like 10 at a concert." I didn't say anything though...cos' how strange is that? What the heck do you even do in a situation like that???
After all of that, we ate dinner with some people from the congregation..I met this Canadian-Jew. She was nice. She was volunteering with the Israeli Army and was actually stationed down in Gaza for awhile. I asked her what she thought of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict....(because I had just posted my last blog)....all she said was "I support Israel 1,000%".
Interesting....I am still torn over all of that whole topic.
Anywho, on my way back to school from all of that,there was a huge concert going on outside of my school.
Get this: When I arrived last week, there were people in the Hinnom valley setting up a stage...all week people had been sound checking during classes and such, making it very hard to hear.
We have all been wondering what the heck was going on and when this concert was going to take place....well, after a week of setting this huge stage up...turned out the concert was Saturday night...
and it turned out is was the final concert for "Israeli Idol" (Technically it is called A Star Is Born Or "Kokhav Nolad" in Hebrew).....the Israeli version of "American Idol".
So I listened to the music...turned out to be very, very good music. I love Israeli/Mediterranean Music....they use scales that people in America don't even know exist..plus the drumming is awesome cos' its got this great Latin/African style to it. However, most of the music in this concert was typical westernized pop/rock music....oh well, was still good.
Here is a video of the announcement of who won...note how freaking catchy the songs are...it's really ridiculous...cos' I have no idea who sings them or how to find them...all I know is that the girl who won is 18 and named Diana Golby:
-Few comments: the concert is taking place right outside of my window at JUC.
-It happened in the bottom of the valley of Hinnom....or Gehenna in Hebrew....
-The valley of Hinnom is where the New Testament gets its english word for "Hell".
Funny: I watched a rock concert take place in hell.
Post Script: I should have another blog up very soon on something that happened tonight...keep your eyes open.
Post Post Script: Few blogs ago I mentioned I was going to start a "song of the day"....scratch that. It is now "song of this particular blog"
Post Post Post Script: Song of this Particular Blog: "Oh Praise Him" by David Crowder. Note: I like the Scripture that whoever made this video added to the song....it is very fitting with the music and overall ideology of Israel. Watch it Here!
3 comments:
Hey James this is Jared Barker. Glad to hear you are doing well man. For the first time I looked in your "My Story" section, and I have to disagree with you on something. You say that Jews and Christians worship the same God, but that isn't true. God has been revealed to us as Triune, but any Jew will tell you that is blasphemy. Jews may claim to worship God, but if they are not worshiping God as Trinity then they are not in fact worshiping God. I am not saying the law is obsolete, but in fact very beautiful as it points to Christ. From that last point then I think because now Christ has been revealed as Messiah in the flesh we should devote all of ourselves in becoming more satisfied in Him. James, you're a good man and when you get back we will for real get together and talk. God bless you!
Jared....I will not debate on this all I will say is this:
Do you believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
Adonai is His name.
If so...then you believe the same God as the Jews.
And His Son is Yeshua.
Oh by the way barker...
Thanks!
You have been a great person to talk with over these past few years about this stuff...you really make me think and search to understand better whatever it is to understand.
So thanks.
God has a special place for you.
Shalom (May your life be lived the way God intended it to be lived: under His Gaze in His Garden of Eden)
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