Layers

     The best way to look at Israel is to peel back its layers. This photo is from Megiddo or its more famous Greek name Armageddon. Megiddo is said to be the place where humanity will make it's final stand during the end of days. I am skeptical about the durability of these ruins during an onslaught of hell fire, but that is not why I chose this picture. This is not a post about the end of days, but more about living each day. The reason I picked this photo is to demonstrate how things change over time. This particular site has been built upon 25 times creating 26 layers of history with a story in each layer. The layers of this once proud city fortress tell a story of a land changing over time. Each layer gets peeled back revealing what life was like during that time period through pottery, tools, bones, and shells. Looking at these items tells you what happened in each one.

    I have seen many different layers in my trip through Israel and have come to appreciate the simpler time periods. The layers tell a  story of a land full of life and death, peace and conflict. There is so much life in this land where families are big, religion is strong, and conflict is real.The sacred land has brought glory to many groups and devastation to others. Each time a layer is created telling how the land was used by different groups and civilizations. There are winners and losers in each layer along with histories created or destroyed. The one constant is the people and their connections to these layers of land that create the ground we stand on today.

•   Israel is beautiful, mesmerizing, and powerful to see up close. The layers I have been peeling back while on this trip have given me insight into the land and people of Israel. They are complicated and diverse yet in the middle there is something special about the humanity of this land. The layers are seen in the people and each person has a story to tell. The lessons I am learning from this will stay with me for a lifetime and have changed me for the better. I just want people to understand the layers of a person, a culture, or a landscape tell a story of happiness, pain, and change. We are now creating a layer to tell our strory. What do you want that story to show people in the future? We can show a time of peace or destruction.