For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16





Welcome To My Christian Blog: The Upper Room


As I departed from the plane and walked down the steps of the aircraft to the tarmac, I experienced a "rush" unlike any feeling I have ever had in my life. I knew that I was in a very special place, but little did I know that this experience would change my life forever. It was Tel Aviv, Israel in 1989, and I was beginning to embark on an adventure that I would hold near and dear to me for the rest of my life. Destination Jerusalem!

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: THEY SHALL PROSPER THAT LOVE THEE. Psalms 122:6

I will endeavor to share many reflections and highlights of my journeys to the Holy Land in the 1980's and 1990's on this Blog while at the same time, sharing and conveying some inspirational stories, quotes, biblical verses, and insights from my Christian vantage point. I am a Born Again Christian, although I do not espouse to, or embrace any one particular Christian denomination, nor do I oppose any particlular Christian denomination. I believe in The Father, The Son, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit, and have always accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I recognize the Jewishness of Jesus (Yeshua, the Jewish name for Jesus), and as a Christian I cherish my Jewish heritage. I pray that others will be blessed by reading this Christian Blog, and with the hopes that many will come to accept Yeshua as their personal Lord and Savior.

What Is The Upper Room Exactly?


Traditionally Cenacle (from Latin cenaculum) is the term for the Upper Room, or the site of The Last Supper. This word is a derivative of the Latin word "cena," which means dinner. Some Christians believe it lies in the second floor of a building on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, just outside the Dormition Church behind the Franciscan house on Sion, and south of the Zion Gate in the Old City walls. In the basement of the building is what is supposed by Jewish leaders as King David's Tomb, although the Bible says David was buried in the city of David, which is south of Mount Moriah. In Christian tradition, this was the site where the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost. The building was spared during the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus (AD 70) and became the site of the first Christian church. It was later destroyed by Persian invaders and rebuilt by a monk called Modestus. During the Crusades, the building was razed to the ground by Muslims and replaced by the Crusaders with a basilica. Franciscan monks cared for the Cenacle from 1333 to 1552 when the Turks captured Jerusalem and banished all Christians. After the Franciscan friars' eviction, this room was transformed into a mosque, as evidenced by the mihrab in the direction of Mecca and an Arabic inscription prohibiting public prayer at the site. Christians were not allowed to return until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

I have decided to call this Blog "The Upper Room", as my personal and spiritual experiences and enlightenments in Jerusalem's Upper Room have inspired me to finally commence writing a Christian Blog. I hope and pray that you will find some peace and solice here.

Peace To All Who Enter The Upper Room

Patricia

The Upper Room In Jerusalem

The Upper Room In Jerusalem

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Unfolding The Rose


A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in the garden one day and feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was inquiring of the older preacher. The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals.

The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his ministry. Because of his high respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to try to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact.....it wasn't long before he realized how impossible it was to do so.

Noticing the younger preacher's inability to unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older preacher began to recite the following poem...

UNFOLDING THE ROSE

It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I. GOD opens this flower so sweetly, when in my hands they fade and die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud, this flower of God's design, then how can I think I have wisdom to unfold this life of mine?
So I'll trust in Him for His leading each moment of every day. I will look to him for His guidance, each step of the pilgrim way.
The pathway that lies before me, only my Heavenly Father knows. I'll trust Him to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose.

~ © Bryan T. Burgess


Peace

Patricia

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