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Bridgeway Christian Church Presents:
September 8-19, 2017
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Hiding in caves
I stood under the rushing waterfall of Ein Gedi today and have never felt so refreshed in my entire life! You can only imagine after three days in the desert, and in the middle of a 110 degree heat blaze, that I wanted nothing more than to be drenched in the waters. In that moment, the Psalms came to life as I finally understood the intensity with which David wrote of the deer panting for the water, of thirsting for the Lord, of the Living Water refreshing the soul. I wish I could explain the feeling of becoming both physically refreshed and spiritually renewed by our great God!
Ein Gedi
En Gedi is the largest oasis along the western shore of the Dead Sea. The springs here have allowed nearly continuous inhabitation of the site since the Chalcolithic period. The area was allotted to the tribe of Judah, and was famous in the time of Solomon (Josh 15:62). Today the Israeli kibbutz of En Gedi sits along the southern bank of the Nahal Arugot.
The second site was the Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were recently discovered. Within this site was the archaeological find of the scribe room, the actual room where the scrolls were written. As a writer, a reader, a lover of language, and a believer in the power of the written word, I couldn’t believe that I was standing in the same room where these scrolls, these writings proving the infallibility of our sacred Bible, were scribed. I am overwhelmed even now as I remember that moment! The reality is that this trip is so much more than simply seeing the locations of the stories in the Bible. It is about encountering our God and experiencing in small moments such as these the power and the greatness of our Lord!
Written by Ashley Serin
David is hiding in a cave near the Springs of En Gedi, fleeing the murderous King Saul (1 Samuel 24). When Saul enters the very cave where David is hiding to "relieve himself," an amazing story unfolds. I love that story! I've read it so many times and I've heard it in plenty of sermons. I even remember some darn good flannel-board versions of the story from my Sunday School days.
But something surprising happened today when I saw real-life caves like those David hid in... and cooled my sandaled feet in the very Spring waters that he did. The story jumped off the pages of the Book and came alive like never before. I was stunned by the humility and faith that God's anointed one demonstrated. And God said, "Carlo, I am anointing you with Holy Spirit grace to face your own cave-like trials with the same patience and faith I gave to David."
Thanks, Lord! I especially needed to hear that today!
Written by Carlo Walth
Qumran
10 miles south of Jericho, Qumran was on a “dead-end street” and provided a perfect location for the isolationist sect of the Essenes to live.
The site was excavated by Catholic priest Roland deVaux from 1953-56. More recent excavations of the site have taken place under the direction of Hanan Eshel.
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