Author Archives: gemhelen
I Will Notice…
I haven’t blogged for a few weeks. My computer was in the shop. I felt like one of my appendages was missing. I realized that I am very dependent on this big, black/silver rectangle. I uttered phrases like, “my whole life is in there.” It is true that I have come to rely on my [...]
Israel • Jordan River Baptism (behind the scenes)
This is a tongue in cheek post. I have to say that up front because I am laying my pride aside and showing you what really happened when I got baptized in the Jordan River. Alan and I look so pastoral and contemplative in the first two images… Then there was the dunk. Right about [...]
What Would Your “Ruins” Say About You?
I look forward to sharing more about Masada in a future post. It really is an amazing location and story. For now, I’d like to share a single image which looks like a mere pile of monotone rocks. Turns out this is the armory. The reason the archaeologists know that this is the armory is [...]
Jordan • Petra, Part 2
As promised, here is the second half of my Petra images. A while back, I posted a single image of our friend, Ray. I said that I would share more about him and now is the time. Once we got through The Siq, we had some choices to make about which hike we would take. [...]
Jordan • Petra, Part 1
When we traveled to Israel, we were able to spend about a day and half in Jordan, specifically to see Petra. It was a lot of driving and getting through check points, but it was worth it to see Petra. The rock formations are staggering. We walked The Siq to the Treasury (Petra’s most outstanding [...]
Inner Freedom
“When you are interiorly free you call others to freedom, whether you know it or not. Freedom attracts wherever it appears. A free man or a free woman creates a space where others feel safe and want to dwell. Our world is so full of conditions, demands, requirements, and obligations that we often wonder what [...]
You Are Special…A Lesson from “Tiny”
Meet “Tiny.” He’s a little snail on a stalk of wheat. This wheat just happens to be growing in the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath. As we were there, walking through the wheat field, this little guy caught my eye. As I look at this image now, the first thing that pops into [...]
Israel • Bethlehem
We spent a part of a day in Bethlehem. It was quite an adventure in that we had to switch buses and guides to do so. Bethlehem is in Palestinian territory and our Jewish bus driver and guide were unable to enter with us. We were able to visit the Shepherd’s Field and the Church [...]
Israel • Ancient Gamla
Ancient Gamla was known as The Masada of the North, another story of Jewish rebels holding out against the Romans, to a very sad end. Unfortunately, the sky was very hazy that day and we were unable to hike down to the ruins. However, the view was still staggering, even with the haze. I mostly [...]
Israel • Sea of Galilee
We began our trip in the Galilee area. It was so lush and unbelievably green. Mustard flowers were everywhere, along with a smattering of the Rose of Sharon. Our leader said that he had never seen it that green in all of the times he had been there. What a great gift to us to [...]
