Spirituality on the Streets

A walk  on the streets of downtown Jerusalem quickly reveals the diversity of religious and cultural differences.  So where better a place to come on a spiritual quest.  Lisa from LA a gal with Jewish roots came to explore the Holy Land and find some way of tangibly connecting her faith teachings with her every day life. Why she picked us I don't know, but she asked to interview us on camera for a documentary on spirituality.  The conversation was an opportunity to talk about our faith roots in Christianity and how we experience God in daily life. She shared her experience at the Eastern Wall overlooking the Mount of Olives, where she discovered a cemetary blocking the outside of the sealed Gate into the City. The Muslims were told that the Jewish Messiah would enter through the Eastern Gate preceded by Elijah and to prevent this they sealed the gate and then built the cemetary to fully block the entrance (teachings said He could not come through a cemetary).  There is much evidence of the religious tensions that have existed for thousands of years and still exist today, not just between Muslims and Jews, but even within each of these groups.  We have never been to a place where religious identity is so-in-your-face public - coming from a society that works at just the opposite.  Spirituality here, is not a Sunday affair. It is lived in an extreme and bold 'this is who I am and what I believe' sort of way.  For Lisa and us, the journey has landed us in a place where we share a common goal, to experience the visible and tangible history of Scripture coming alive and speaking to us of a God who was and is.
On a lighter note - here's a unique way to skin a turkey - it's called a Shwarma and it is layers of meat and fat skewered layer by layer (this is the preparation, I know it looks gross), then it is roasted on a rotisserie, sliced off and served with vegies in a warm fresh baked laffa (naan type wrap).  A local favourite.