Today we sailed across and then drove around the Sea of Galilee, the region Jesus established as his ministry headquarters next to the strategic Via Maris (Way by the Sea) 'superhighway' that connected Egypt and Mesopotamia. Our skipper Daniel is a Messianic Jew and a gifted singer. Stopping in the middle of the lake we meditated on Mark 6:45-56, the text that describes the disciples struggling and straining at the oars in the darkness for six hours as Je...

We departed Jerusalem on the Sabbath, heading north on a two hour drive to the fortress city of Megiddo, situated on the ancient Via Maris. This highway was once the economic expressway between Egypt, Damascus and Babylon. Megiddo was conquered by Joshua and later became one of King Solomon's chariot cities (1 Kings 9:15-19). Fields of wheat (the city's bread basket) stretch out in front of the fortress, the paddocks lined with the golden yellow of mustard plants...

Walking around the walls of Old Jerusalem to begin our exploration of Jesus' trial, crucifixion and resurrection, we came to the Sheep Gate, later known as Stephen's Gate and, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman, the Lion's Gate. Stephen was led out through this gate to his death. The city is still crammed with Passover pilgrims, including Ethiopian Jews wearing flowing white garments, their heads covered in vividly colored scarfs. For 4th and 5th century Byz...

'As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.' (Psalm 125:2) We are in the 3000 year old capital of Israel. After viewing the city panorama from the Mount of Olives we descended down the Bethany Hallel road towards Jerusalem. Below us lay the Kidron Valley; on its upper slopes sits the Golden Gate which was sealed by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to prevent the Jewish Messiah returning. A cem...

We left Amman at 745am for a one and three quarter hour drive to Jordan's northern border with Israel. Australian eucalyptus trees line the roads through the mountains of Moab. Eucalypts were planted in Galilee in the 1930's and served to eradicate the scourge of malaria by soaking up the swamps in which mosquitoes once multiplied. The Al Baqa Valley, which holds the largest Palestinian refugee camp of almost 400 000 people, stretched out to our right. Palestin...