A fifteenth century map of the world which is housed in the Vatican shows Jerusalem as the center of the world, and from this place radiate lines to the various continents and major cities of the world.  When I first saw that map, I smiled, but as I grew in understanding of how significant Jerusalem is to our world, no longer do my lips crease in amusement.  The ancient cartographer who drew that map also knew something of the theological importance of Jerusalem.

“Life has no waiting rooms” Ann Voskamp blogged.  “Life only has labor and delivery rooms.”  If you’ve ever gone through labor or even been anywhere near a woman in labor, you know that labor is not a comfortable state to be in.  Quite bluntly:  it hurts.  A lot.  A woman in labor, who was previously overjoyed at the thought of welcoming a new little life into the world, may decide she’s changed her mind.  “Forget this baby idea—just get me out of this insanely painful place,” she may think.

As the darkness that shrouded Russia under Communism began to lift, thousands of people began to search for their spiritual roots.  The following letter was sent to a fellow Christian broadcaster: "I do not know how to address you, that is, I do not know your name; but I do not think that is important. The fact is that I want to know definitely whether there is a God or are you just deceiving the people. If you are as certain about God's existence as you preach and sing about Him, then I straightway would want to believe in Him the same way as you do." The listener then begged for a Bible so he could read the record for himself.

Only those who have been through very difficult, hard times can understand the reality of knowing that God had his hand on their lives, that He is the One who sustained and preserved them. That realization, of course, is humbling because when you have been through the fire and you made it, you know it wasn't your cleverness or your strength that brought you through. It had to be God.

"What I believe about God," said A. W. Tozer, "is the most important thing about me."  He was right, but the problem is that most of us aren't really sure what we believe about Him.  Most of our knowledge and images of God are second-hand leftovers from our parents, or bad experiences that we conclude are reflections of God.

In 1904 a massive, bronze statue of Christ with his arms outstretched to the harbor of Buenos Aires was erected.  Known as the "Christ of the Andes," standing at an altitude of 13,000 feet, it towers over the whole area. Christ's left hand holds a cross. His right hand is extended in blessing.  On the base of the great statue is a quotation from Paul's letter to the Ephesians which reads, "He is our peace who has made both one."

When God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and say, "Let my people go!" he was disheartened.  Anyone who has ever walked through the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and has seen the gold and the magnificence which decorated the courts of the pharaohs can imagine in a small way how this 80-year-old man, who for the last 40 years had been a shepherd with loneliness for a companion, would feel, striding into the palace asking that some two million slaves be allowed to take a hike out of the empire.

Frank Mihalic tells the story.  An old monastery fell on hard times.  Few young men joined the monks, whose primary tasks were to chant scriptures and to spend their days in prayer.  Whereas the chapel was once filled with the praising of God ringing in their midst, only a few men blended their voices in prayer and praise.

Our life journeys take us to mountaintops and yes--through the bottoms of deep, dry valleys. In Bible times, pilgrims journeyed by foot or mule over dusty roads and paths to Jerusalem, the city set on a hill, to worship at the temple. If you’ve ever had the chance to visit that part of the world, or been in a desert, you know how critical water is. Blazing sun above, parched ground below.

The lovely Galilee in Israel is approximately fifteen miles in length and averages some five to seven miles across.  The entire Jordan valley is cradled in what was once a geographic or seismic rift that runs from the slopes of Mt. Hermon in the north to the Dead Sea some 1300 feet below sea level in the south. Galilee, however, is located about in the middle of that fault--about 700 feet below sea level.