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

Saturday, July 19, 2008

My Spiritual Awakening On The Mount


It was a gorgeous day on The Mount Of Beatitudes. It was my second journey to The Holy Land and the skies were crystal clear blue, and the crowd of people I was with, a large group with Eagle Wings Tours, were anxiously awaiting Pastor Chuck Smith to give us his teaching for the day. And what a place and day it was to hear the word of God. It was such surreal experience just being on the Mount, as it has often been ascertained that it was the exact location where Jesus spoke to the multitudes with His Sermon On The Mount. The traditional location for the Mount of Beatitudes is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, between Capernaum and Gennesaret. The group quietly spoke amongst one another after Pastor Chuck finished his teaching and just enjoyed taking in the beauty around us. I had been noticing quite afar in the distance a young shepherd boy with his flock and wondering what it might have been like living back in biblical times. Gradually the shepherd boy led his flock in our direction. Quite a bit of time had lapsed and the young boy finally stopped with his flock yet still a bit of distance from us, and leaned over and lifted up a pure white baby lamb and walked towards our group. Now we must have been about 100-150 people strong, and we all just watched and wondered what this young man was going to do. As he got closer to the group of us , he walked straight towards me and with a huge smile and at about the age of 12 or 13, he lifted up the lamb to me and gently set him in my arms. I stood in silence holding this lovely creature and smiling back at this boy who didn't even speak English, and just wondered why, of all the huge crowd would he choose me to hand the lamb to. The chills ran up and down my spine, and I was rather dumbfounded about the whole experience. It was as though there was a message to be learned, being in the right place at the right time. I truly felt the power of the Lord during those moments. I so often think of this humbling experience and still often wonder why it happened to me, but those moments which I will treasure for the rest of my life have given me such a greater respect of my faith. After gently stroking this beautiful creature in my arms I leaned back down and handed the lamb back to the little shepherd boy. Again he looked back up at me with a precious smile, then turned away and walked back to his flock and slowly went about his business of tending to his sheep. I will never know the why's and wherefore's of that moving experience, but one thing I can attest to, is that it changed my life for the better, and it made me realize that we are all chosen for different purposes in this life, so when you see a pleasant opportunity come your way, savour the moments and cherish them in your hearts, because like life itself, these are just fleeting moments in time....and realize that those moments are gifts from God. Enjoy them while you can.
Peace

Patricia
Posted by Patti

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