Where Jesus calmed the storm

Hi friends! I am going to switch things up today and give you the daily play-by-play as we go through the play-by-play.

This morning, we started the day off with a devotional on the Sea of Galilee. Terry read to us from Mark 4:35, where Jesus calmed the storm and for the first time revealed his power over creation. While legends of rabbis conducting miracles found its way in Jewish scriptures, no one had ever witnessed someone with the power to control the wind and the waves.

Terry brought this story close to home. In the storm, the disciples were panicked as a great windstorm arose and the waves started breaking into the boat. Yet instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off, the disciples found Jesus asleep on a cushion in the stern of the ship. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” They asked. Or really more like, “WHAT THE FISH JESUS! WE ARE FREAKING OUT HERE AND YOU ARE ASLEEP!”

But in the calm, cool and collected manner that is Jesus, he woke up, rebuked the winds, and calmed the storm.

Terry brought up the question to us - when you are hit by the storms of life, do you find yourself panicking like the disciples, or trusting that Jesus has the power and care to calm the storm? In a way only the Terry Feix can do, he tied this story in beautifully to the theme of this week.

Do you trust Him? Like every other story we have studied this week, we can see that God is constantly and consistently calling us to trust in Him, no matter what the circumstance may be. Standing there, right by the sea where Jesus calmed the storm, this message really hit close to home.

After our devotional, we got to see an ancient boat from the time of Jesus that was discovered in what I believe was the 1980’s? (I’m basing this on the video we watched, where permed hair and high-waisted, acid-washed jeans were everywhere.)

We then got to take a ride on a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. Fun times had by all - there was a fishing demonstration, some Israeli folk dancing and some classic Christian worship tunes. It was such a beautiful experience to see what it was like for Jesus and the disciples to go about their lives as fishermen, and fishers of men!

Later, we visited an ancient city called Beth She’an, where a lot of history happened! Not only was this the location where Saul and Jonathan were killed by the Philistines, but this was also the location of a Greco-Roman city called Scythopolis. Here we got to see what it would have been like to be Jewish or an early Christian in the 2nd and 3rd Century AD. Terry brought up the theme of value transmission and we saw the contrast between the focus on family and God - and the Roman focus on materialism and commerce. No matter what century you are from, Christians constantly face the enticement of values outside of God.

Today was also the day we were able to be baptized at the Jordan River. As we walked into the area, written on the wall in all different languages from all over the world was Mark 1:9-11:

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." - Mark 1:9-11

What a special moment for those that decided to be baptized. We all grabbed our white smocks, entered the water, and Terry and Dan (the pastor of the group from Michigan) baptized each of us in the same river where Jesus himself was baptized.

Now, we are on our way to a fish dinner. Thank you all for taking the time to read the blog and I hope you enjoy your day!