At the beginning of every training session, most budoka will have a time of silence known as mokusou (黙想). The purpose of this silence varies from dojo to dojo, but at its heart mokusou is about silencing the distractions and thoughts that crowd our minds and keep us from making good decisions. Most of what is asked… Read More »
Attacks that Never Come
High above a pass in the Golan Heights sits Qala’at al Subeiba – “the castle on the cliff”. It was built by the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Aziz Uthman, the nephew of Salah ad-din, in the late 12th century. His successors then expanded the fortress in the early 13th century as part of an effort to repel the… Read More »
Flowing Water
Psalm 42 pictures the world of the Banias River, one of the three sources of the Jordan River. The Banias rises in the Golan Heights, near the site of ancient Caesarea Philippi, and flows through what is now a National Reserve. It is possibly the most beautiful spot in Israel. The Banias has several beautiful cascades… Read More »
Kings and Mountains
According to the historian Flavius Josephus, when Herod the Great defeated the Parthians in 40 BCE, he decided to build a great citadel to memorialize his victory. He quite literally removed the top portion of one mountain and used it to construct an artificial cone on another. Inside the cone, he built a massive palace… Read More »
Moments of Peace
Sunsets in Galilee are amazing. Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) is 600 ft below sea level and the lowest freshwater lake on earth. It is 64 square miles of freshwater surrounded by verdant hills on all sides. To put it simply, Galilee is a peaceful place. This was not always the case. Before the 1967… Read More »
Restraint or Enabling?
Without the integrity of the game, what do you have? A bunch of big, strong, angry men who have reached their breaking point. Jackie MacMullan, ESPN Boston Last night, the Patriots lost to the Ravens. Make no mistake – the Patriots lost that game. They had a couple crucial errors in pass coverage that allowed… Read More »
Lame Men at the Table of the King
Last night, we read 2 Samuel 9 with our daughter. It is the account of King David taking his predecessor’s grandson Mephibosheth into his care. It is a beautifully composed story that transcends times and cultures. Here is David, king by divine appointment and public acclamation. He has successfully defeated or pacified all competitors. He has… Read More »
Learning Exercises (ugh!)
One of the key reasons I don’t do conferences is that inevitably someone wants you to do some kind of “learning exercise.” I am a high-brain, verbal learner which means that I learn best by taking in information and teaching others, and most “learning exercises” do nothing for me. At the Biblical Imagination Conference we… Read More »
Childlike Wonder
I wouldn’t trade being the father of a little girl for anything in the world. My sister has five sons (ages 11-1), and I have a couple of friends with lots of boys. I wouldn’t mind having a boy as well, but Ariel is a tremendous joy. Her friend Paige comes over a couple times… Read More »
"To Be With God"
Heaven.
That place where you go when you die. First, you stroll through the pearly gates and meet St. Peter, then you get a crown and a mansion and can eat all you want. There’s a temple and lots of holy people around, angels singing from the clouds. You get a harp. It’s great.
Of course, that image is entirely wrong. Oh, some of it is in the Scriptures, but the way we perceive it and the way it will truly be are two different things.
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