Wayne Stiles's Blog, page 25
March 25, 2019
How Jesus’ Powerful Personal Hope Can Lift You Up
The movement of the Ark of the Covenant from Kiriath Jearim mirrors our hope.
Do you know what one, primary, personal hope drove Jesus’ life? What He looked forward to the most? It’s important we do know, because the same hope should drive our lives.
(Photo: Kiriath Jearim church statue of Mary standing on Ark of the Covenant. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
As we read the gospels, we see Jesus’ goal was not merely the cross. And even as great as the resurrection was, Jesus...
March 20, 2019
What I Saw in the Brazen Face of Pharaoh’s Mummy
Seeing the Faces of Ancient Egypt in the Cairo Museum
I saw many amazing sites and new faces on my recent trip to Egypt. But none were as moving as when I looked into the mummified faces of the pharaohs who looked into the face of Moses. The Cairo Museum offered such a look.
(Photo: At the Cairo Museum with my cameraman, Scott Wilson)
The Royal Mummies Hall in the Cairo Museum contains glass cases with ten mummies of pharaohs from the New Kingdom. Such kings include Ramses I, Seti I, Ramses t...
March 18, 2019
A Lesson from Anathoth: Why Our Best Efforts Don’t Hold Water
Jeremiah reminds us we never outgrow God
It’s tough to work hard at something, only to see your efforts eventually leak out through life’s cracks. Sometimes, however, that frustration can turn into a surprising blessing.
(Photo: Anathoth looking east toward the wilderness. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Standing in his hometown of Anathoth on a wet, wintry day, the Prophet Jeremiah could look east and see grain fields lush with life. But just beyond those fields stretched t...
March 11, 2019
The King’s Garden in Jerusalem: A Lesson in Futility
Solomon’s experience shows us how not to waste our lives.
Some folks love gardening. For them, nothing compares to the joy of creating and appreciating beautiful landscapes and gardens. It provides them hours of relaxation and satisfaction. Me, not so much.
(Photo: The King’s Garden began in the Kidron Valley beside the City of David. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
I guess it’s because working with plants requires continual maintenance. Mowing, pulling, watering, trimming—t...
March 4, 2019
The Golan Heights—Are You Sure Your Contentment is in the Right Place?
A lesson from the Golan Heights' bastions, burials, battles, and borders.
In a way, contentment isn’t always a good thing. The Golan Heights illustrate why. A long plateau rises east of the Sea of Galilee, high above the surrounding basins. As the highland stretches north, basalt cones penetrate the landscape, betraying extinct volcanoes below the surface.
(Photo: Nimrod’s Fortress in the Golan Heights. Courtesy of Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
For thousands of years, the Golan Heights in...
February 25, 2019
Tel Dan—Worshipping at the Altar of Convenience
In the end, we'll find God far more satisfying.
The spiritual life often asks a lot of us. But Tel Dan offered an alternative. Shady walkways. Cool breezes. Abundant streams. Luxuriant foliage. Tel Dan had everything you could ever want. Except God.
(Photo: Headwaters of Jordan River at Tel Dan. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
In natural beauty, Tel Dan has few rivals in Israel. For the ancients, it had everything necessary for abundant living.
While the Hebrews in the south...
February 18, 2019
Finding Hope in Surprising Places around You
The Judean Wilderness illustrates the greener grass we envy.
Why does the grass often look greener in the lawn of those who don’t walk with God? Finding hope to look away from envy’s pull on our emotions requires help. Thankfully, God gives it in surprising places.
(Photo: Grass in the Judean Wilderness. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
By pointing to the land around him, David offers us the secret of finding hope for those seasons when we envy the wicked. The Judean Wilderne...
February 13, 2019
How to Follow God’s Will in the Chaos of Your Life
Jesus’ example in the Garden of Gethsemane shows us how.
Finding and following God’s will for our lives often feels like a game of chance. But if we know God’s methods of revealing His will, we will see it—even when life feels full of chaos.
(Photo: Garden of Gethsemane olive tree. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
Jesus modeled a life that followed God’s will without hiccups. His example at many points reveals how to stay on course.
His night in the Garden of Gethsemane shows...
February 11, 2019
Learning to Trust God in a New Way
The Central Benjamin Plateau gives us a lesson about who owns our hearts.
Have you noticed? We have no problem choosing to trust God with the things for which we already trust Him. But then another situation shows up. And suddenly, it’s like starting over.
(Photo: Central Benjamin Plateau. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
In those times, we’re a lot like Asa, one of the few godly kings of Judah. He once trusted the Lord in a battle in the Shephelah of Judah and defeated an Et...
February 4, 2019
Jesus Shows How to See Yourself through 3 Amazing Truths
The Lord’s Words on the Temple Mount Urge Us to Keep it Real
As Jesus made His way toward Jerusalem for His final Passover, He repeated a principle to His disciples several times. The repetition for them ought to echo in our own minds as well.
(Photo: Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
What did Jesus say? Very simply:
The last shall be first, and the first last. —Matt. 19:30; 20:16, 27
The principle rubs against our grain because we want equity with ot...
