We are now in the Galilee or Galil in Hebrew. This was our first day where we had typical rainy season weather. In Israel, rain is a blessing.

We started with a beautiful, but muddy overlook atop Mt Arbel. We don’t know exactly which mountain Jesus went to when we read phrases such as, "Jesus went to a mountain to pray." I like to imagine Him coming here, especially when I read Mark 6 and the walking on water narrative. From Arbel He would have had a full view of His Disciples as they struggled in the Storm before he walked upon the water. The first photo is a view from the top and the second is a view from the lake (Arbel is the prominent peak). Notice how the disciples would never know He was watching, but conversely,He knew exactly where they were, and never took His eyes off them. What a great picture for us as we go through our storms!

We then went to possibly buy favorite place in all of Israel, Tabgha. Although it is not mentioned by name in the Bible, strong tradition holds that several events took place here, including the calling of the disciples and both miraculous catches of fish. L but why it is so special to me is because it is where Jesus restored Peter. Peter had just infamously denied Jesus three times the night of His arrest. I’m sure Peter was ashamed and broken because he was the one who boasted he would never deny. We imagine them, not knowing what to do, they returned to their old things and old ways, Jesus then shows up. After breakfast, Jesus pulls Peter aside. I am Magine in this brief moment, Peter, thinking, "oh, boy am I going to get it now." But of course, that’s not how Jesus works. What follows is Jesus restoring and recommissioning a broken Peter. It is beyond coincidence that there are three affirmations, one for each of Peter’s previous denials. Why this beach is so special to me is exactly what Rich said during the teaching, "when you mess up, God is not done with you."

Unfortunately, after we left, it started to rain harder. We visited the archaeological site of Chorazin, but it was difficult to study given the weather. We did learn about the concept of 1st century family and community and how, perhaps, these are concepts we have lost in our culture. It was also here that I discovered my new jacket was not entirely waterproof.

We then visited Kfar Nahum, better known as Capernaum. This is where Jesus had His ministry home base and was the setting for many miracles. As I was here, my attention was drawn to Matthew, who was also the recipient of a miracle we don’t often think about. It’s the same miracle Jesus did for you and me when He called us.

We were not able to attend the Mount of Beatitudes because of the weather, but we learned all about the local illusions that were included in the sermon on the mount.

We finished the day with a look at the first century fishing boat that was discovered by accident in 1986. Of course we do not know if Jesus ever used this boat, but it is the type of fishing boat they would have used. We then went for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we had quiet time for reflection on all the events that happened right in front of us. The teaching from Rich (a different Rich) introduced the concept of storm gods in the ancient culture. The message ended with Mark 4:41. After Jesus calmed the storm the disciples asked the question we should be asking. "Who then is this?"