Pilgrims walk with Christ

Our time in Turkey continues to amaze and fascinate the collective pilgrim group.  Today was another full day, and admittedly even just ONE of the places we visited is a full day of things to consider, both in history and scripture.  We like to do things up right, so after discussing our theme and text for the day (Philippians 1:27-30), we set out as a pilgrims to be persistent in our learning and demonstration of how we live our lives in community.

Our day began at Hierapolis - an area that has settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age - the natural terraces make for a very appealing landscape and natural fortification.  Hierapolis thrived as a Roman city and the ruins that exist today are from that time, as the city was eventually destroyed by two earthquakes in the 5th century.  In addition to being a city that is undergoing an incredible restoration, the history and significance of Hierapolis has an important role to this pilgrim group.

Our next visit was to Laodicea (for those of you keeping count, Laodicea is the 6th of the 7 churches of the Revelation that we have visited thus far).  This was the wealthiest of the 7 churches in terms of trade.  John addressed this church in Rev 3:14-22, admonishing them for being "lukewarm" in their faith - neither hot nor cold.  In context, this message makes sense to the people of this time, for they were positioned between two cities - one known for hot water and the other for its icy waters.  Being lukewarm in this writing, of course, refers to the lack of zeal or enthusiasm that this church demonstrated for their Christianity.

We wrapped the day at St. John's Basilica.  Built in the 6th century, this church came to be known in the Middle Ages as the "Church of the Cross", and a popular pilgrimage site, due largely to the belief that John the Apostle is buried here.  The foundations, some of the walls and entryways are well preserved and provide an insightful view to how the early churches were built and why.

Now in Kusadasi, we the pilgrims are enjoying our hotel right on the Aegean Sea and the cooler air bestowed upon a seaside town.  Tomorrow will be a full day at Ephesus, so be sure to check back and see what we have seen and learned.

Looking for more?  Check out our pictures HERE, they are of course entertaining!

Pilgrims live faithfully

Today was an opportunity to get to 3 more of the 7 churches of the Revelation…bringing us to a total of 5 already (and so early in the pilgrimage, too!)  Our focus today was on Philippians 1:21-26, with Paul’s realization that faithfulness is being able to rejoice in what God is doing in others.

The first church, Thyatira, (in modern-day city Akhisar) was addressed in Rev 2:18-29.  John implores this church to clean up their act, as it were, and maintain their Christian distinctiveness, for it is in our faith and authentic life/culture that distinction is found!  Little of the physical church may remain through the ruins, but the message of living for something greater than us certainly is!

Sardis receives its message from John in Rev 3:1-6; persist in faith and all promises will be kept to you. Focus on faith and move forward – anything else is a distraction.  The success of this well-fortified city can be seen in the extensive restoration that has been done in modern-times, preserving many of the such as a gymnasium and synagogue.  It was fascinating to see and learn about this community that was still thriving and bustling through about the 3^rd century.

Our final visit of the day was to Philadelphia – yep the city of brotherly love – only we are not talking about PA, USA.  This Philadelphia in Asia Minor (today it is known as Alasehir, Turkey) was originally a military outpost that evolved into a city, thanks to Alexander the Great and the many vineyards that come so naturally to the region.  There isn’t much left today of the entire city, but the message in Rev 3:7-13 to the church of Philadelphia (sometimes referred to as “New Jerusalem” or “second coming”)  makes it clear that hope for a new beginning can be had by maintaining faith when everything in the world seems to be falling apart.  Messages that transcend time, geography and cultures – we are a hopeful, faithful group indeed.

As this is being typed, the pilgrims are enjoying an evening at Pamukkale, a region in Turkey noted for its healing waters.  The adventures, insights, learnings and fun never stop, but it is nice sometimes to take an evening to let it all soak in, and if there are thermal pools to help aid in that soaking…well…we say, bring it on!.

We naturally took lots of great photos, check them HERE and don’t forget to go to our page on Facebook for even more shots of the group.

Pilgrims are proud witnesses

We are at last a complete group of 23!  The second group of pilgrims joined us in Izmir just before midnight last night, and were up again for breakfast and out the door by 8:30 am this morning.  The pilgrimage is officially underway!  Our reflection and theme for the day comes from Philippians 1:12-20...valuing the witness of the gospel over our ourselves.  We set out in the city to think about - and act - according to the word and NOT for selfish ambition.

Izmir (known as Smyrna in the ancient world) is a lively, bustling city, located at the edge of the Agean Sea.  We set about to investigate, first to the Polycarp Church, the oldest church in Izmir and has quite a history over the centuries.

Next stop...the Agora - or at least what remains of it, as the ruins are under restoration.  At one point a bustling marketplace, flourishing under Roman rule, Smyrna was warned that it would be a church that would suffer persecution.

We enjoyed the trip out to Pergamum, a citadel located about 1000 feet above the valley it overlooks.  The ancient city had 4 distinct levels that have been excavated, leaving some impressive remains, including a Hellenistic theater with 10,000 seats.  We trekked up the theater steps and through to see the different areas, altars and remains, not to mention the breathtaking views of the entire valley below.  We listened to a reading from Revelation 2:12-17, where John makes it clear to the church at Pergamum that they need to prevail in the midst of their oppression (commonly known as Roman rule), demonstrating a commitment to live for Christ, regardless of anything that might be going on in the world.

While the lessons and words of the day were significant and cause for a good deal of reflection, do not by any means be fooled into believing that we are at all times serious and without any levity.  Oh no, there is plenty of that going on too, as we are pilgrims who know (and enjoy) having a good time.  Check out a few of our photos HERE and tune in tomorrow for the next installment in our incredible journey.

Pilgrims finish their journey

While at first glance it might seem odd to speak of finishing our journey just as it is beginning, there is a "begin with the end in mind" approach that we as pilgrims have been challenged with today.  After studying Philippians 1:1-11, we recognize that our journey is not so much a movement in geographical space, but rather a movement IN us as our individual destination/purpose emerges for each of us along the way.

Half of the group started the day off with a 5:10 am pick up for a morning in the skies above Cappadocia...in a hot air balloon.  Stunning, amazing, awe-inspiring, fantastic, exhilarating...these adjectives do little to really capture the beauty and excitement of the adventure.  It was truly a blessing to watch the sun rise while hanging as part of a sky dotted with over 100 hot air balloons, all rising and falling slowly to greet the day.  We took, literally, hundreds of pictures and while some are very good (click HERE to see all of the shots of the day), they don't capture the peace and beauty of the time over the region of Cappadocia.

We took the morning (after the hot air ballooners were back, of course), to visit a couple of sites before leaving for the airport.  The first stop was Uchisar, a natural citadel that was established back in the 4th century to help protect the people in the region by serving as a lookout to spot would-be-invaders or other hostile visitors.  It offered a spectacular view of the Cappadocia region and rewarded all who took the hike to the top with a breathtaking, 360 perspective of the countryside below.

Avenos pottery was our final stop in town - admittedly not one of the more hallowed spiritual destinations on the tour, but an interesting demonstration on how the regional pottery of the area (4 generations of family members have and continue to make these unique pieces) is thrown, dried, fired, painted and glazed.

Our travels for the day ended in our current location - Izmir.  In addition to now being in a completely different part of Turkey (now very metropolitan), we are in eager anticipation of the rest of our pilgrim group,  scheduled to arrive tonight and rumored to be somewhere over Croatia as we type this blog.

When next you hear from us, we will be a complete group of 23 and our journey to follow in the footsteps of Paul will be officially underway!

Pilgrims act with compassion

Today's scripture and theme comes from Philemon 17-25 and what a great day we as pilgrims had in the opportunity to learn about - and demonstrate - compassion.

The day began at Goreme Open-air Museum, filled with stunning caves, rock-cut churches and amazing frescoes, all settled in the 4th century.  It is noted that St. Basil the Great helped to established the Christian community on this site and it is here that Orthodox Christianity was born.

After a nice, filling lunch we ventured over to the Kaymakli Underground City, where most of us folded ourselves in half to walk down a total of 4-stories in tunnels that were in some places no more than 3-feet tall  and 2-feet across.  Claustrophobic pilgrims need not apply! (those who recognized that these conditions were not for them enjoyed sipping some fresh orange juice whilst the rest of us sweated it out 40 feet underground)

Delighted with our journeys (and compassion shared/observed thus far), we made our final stop for the day at Ucretsiz Park - really just a wide spot in the road - but a SPECTACULAR area to view the Cappadocian landscape.  We shared in communion, a hike and some ice cream to wrap up a very full and fantastic day in our pilgrimage.

Everything has been captured in full digital splendor.  Click HERE to see a few of the best shots of the day.

We the pilgrims are truly enjoying our journey thus far and have plenty more planned for tomorrow.  Rumor has it that some of us will be participating in an activity that will have us soaring over the Cappadocian landscape...tune in tomorrow to find out where our journeys - and our learnings - will take us next!

BTDubs...we are taking pictures like C-R-A-Z-Y.  There are more on our Facebook page.  You can access them by going to our page called Turkey, Greece & Rome Pilgrimage 2012 (or just click on the hyperlink that we have created here for you)

Pilgrims seek freedom & justice

Today we enjoyed our first full day of touring, filling our day with some sights of Ankara and the subsequent journey covering the 150 or so miles over to Cappadocia.

First things first - breakfast!  Ah, the Mediterranean breakfast options are delicious and we did not suffer for lack of CHEESE and other tasty items.

Our theme today, in scripture and reflection was seeking freedom and justice (Philemon 10-16 if you want to read the actual passage).  We had the opportunity to learn a lot about Turkey's early history, first with a visit to the Anatolian Civilisations Museum, where we saw art and items dating from 6500 - 700 BC.  Hittite history is alive and well in these neolithic displays.

A bit of a ride on our tour bus took us over to the Mausoleum of ATATÜRK, providing us some perspective and insight to the history of the formation of modern Turkey - a country that fought for all 4 of their borders...freedom and justice were indeed discussed at length on many levels in both of these locations. 

We of course have captured the day's festivities in glorious, living color, check them out now!

We the pilgrims have wrapped up our day and are resting up for a full day of exploring in Cappadocia.  You will have to tune in tomorrow to see the amazing sights and sounds that we get to experience!

Pilgrims Arrive – part 1

It took a bus, a plane, another plane and another bus and about 24 hours to accomplish, but group 1 of the SOTH pilgrimage have arrived!  We are now in Ankara, the capital of Turkey and while we haven’t had the opportunity to actually SEE or DO much, we are pleased to report that all have arrived safe and sound and are ready to engage in all that the fine country of Turkey has to offer.

The trip thus far has been very smooth and enjoyable, our friends at Lufthansa do a remarkable job in keeping everything moving quickly and on-time.  The food on the flights was tasty and plentiful too! 

We pilgrims will get about 6 hours of sleep before the first wake-up call comes through (there are two wake-up calls, strategically planned just in case we have any residual sluggishness from the long trip over), then it is breakfast together and onto the bus, where our adventure will begin for the day.

Stay tuned, there is plenty of good stuff to come.  In the meantime, let us entertain you with a few of the travel action shots that we took at the airport. (click on the link/highlighted text)

The Time is Now

For those of us going on the Pre-Tour - the time is now.  We head to the airport today to start our journey.  A personal journey for each of us as we spend time following the footsteps of Paul.  This time includes not only seeing the sights, but truly opening ourselves up for the journey God has planned for us.  A time to truly reflect on how God is working through us and developing us to be his disciples in the world.  Our Love and Blessings to all at home holding down the fort and prayers to all for an amazing journey that only our Lord and God can provide.  We love you!

Connection

We take our journeys - and our communication of them - seriously.  In addition to this blog, you may (should you opt to do so) also follow us throughout Turkey, Greece, and Rome by liking our page on Facebook named, appropriately enough, Turkey, Greece & Rome Pilgrimage 2012.  Pastor Craig will also be doing a blog, it is called RevCraig's Blog and you can click on the name to be instantly transported!

You will never be able to say that we were not a communicative group.  Looking forward to the great journey to begin...two more days until our pre-tour group leaves, bound for Cappadocia.

Preparation

As we the pilgrims plan and prepare for our epic trip, it is comforting to know that our family and friends prepare too - offering good travel advice, insight to some of the locations that we will be visiting, encouragement to pack smart so that we can keep those suitcases at or under 44 pounds...preparation is an important part of the journey!

For those of you holding the fort down at home, thanks for taking the time to lift this group up in prayer and support and thanks for tracking us on this blog!  It is our intention to post each day from wherever in the world we might be, starting with the first group to arrive for the Cappadocia pre-tour.  Between the time change (about 10 hours between California and Turkey/Greece, 9 hours for Rome) and travel time (almost 24 hours start to finish!), you can expect the first entry to be late in the day on Saturday, September 15th.  If we can post something earlier, great, but no promises until we get on the ground and know the lay of the land!

You can opt to sign up to follow this blog if you like.  Becoming a "follower" means that you will receive notifications every time that we post or someone leaves a comment.  However you choose to engage and interact with this blog, we thank you for your support and are very excited to share our adventures with you!