Mother of All Conferences

Friday, March 9 2012

            Whew!   I made it!  Tonight marked the end of the “Christ at the Check Point Conference.  This was the mother of all conferences.  I’ve been to three day conferences but five days is a new personal record.  One of the speakers said that he counted something like 35 speakers.  I believe it too.  Almost all of the speakers were very, very good including one Korean pastor today who told the story of his own country’s occupation and how his family lost their land and even each other.  It was heartbreaking and at one point this elderly Korean pastor began to cry when he said that hearing the stories of the Palestinian church made him re-live his own experiences.  That was a very moving moment and a reminder that many people around the world have suffered at great deal as a result of war and ethnic/religious struggles. 

            I knew something of what this conference was going to be about before I came but I don’t think I knew the half of it.  Here are a few more things I learned about it in these last days.  The “Christ at the Check Point Conference” had as its speakers leading Christian evangelicals from around the world.  I’m not really in touch with the “big names” but I found out that many if not most of them were at this conference.  The “Christ at the Check Point Conference” had 600 people in attendance from 30 countries around the world.  Finally, this conference has been very controversial especially in the western part of the globe.  Frankly, when we in the West hear the word “Palestinian” the very next word that comes into our minds is “terrorist”.  My guess is that this is true for many; I know it is for me.  But there’s this really cool little secret that has to get out – there is a Palestinian Christian church.  It’s a church that’s mostly been forgotten but these Christians are still in the land and really want to be prophetic about making peace and doing reconciliation.  It’s trite to say but it really is amazing.  I’m blown away by what I’ve seen and heard this week!  I look forward to thinking and writing more about it later!

            So I’m turning the page on the conference and moving on to the last leg of my own personal “amazing race”.  Tomorrow, we will do some sightseeing in the area before moving on to Jerusalem where we will spend a few days taking in the sights and hopefully learning some more!  One of the days we plan to go down to the Dead Sea and float.  I have my swimsuit along and plan to dive right in.  Odds are that I’ll chicken out about the “diving in” part but I’ll let you know.

            I’m thankful and surprised at how well I’ve felt on this trip – no sicknesses, really not very tired except for one night, and just feeling a lot of energy.  I think I’m still as charged today about the trip as the first day I left!  Again, thankful for life and the gift it is and especially thankful for those who have kept us in your prayers.  Blessings and more blessings as you head into the weekend!!!