Renee Booe Photography

While I was busy taking pictures of all the sites in Israel I tried to make an effort to shoot art prints. These are just prints that I may perhaps use as art in my house one day. That is my definition of “art prints” any way. So here is my attempted to be creative. 

Grave stone in the Jewish cemetery on the Mt. of Olives. 

Below is my friend Paul praying over Armageddon Valley. This is the possible site of the last battle. It was a very powerful view. 

This is my dear friend April. We loved the flower like decor over the door.

It was five o’clock in the morning and I quietly snuck out of bed and headed for the door with my camera in hand. I was on a mission to find the perfect spot! So I walked around until I found a staircase that lead to a rock ledge. I found it strange that the stairs suddenly ended about 10 feet above the water, but I was not going to give up. So I climb off the stairs to the ledge below. Then I carefully walked along this 5 inch ledge until I got to a place when I could climb down the rocks easily. Finally I had made it to the edge of the Sea of Galilee. In my pajamas I set on a large rock and was able to place my feet into the water. Looking out over that large lake surround by mountains I kept hearing the words, “be still and know that I am God.” The setting was perfect! The message was even better. 

The Sea of Galilee at sunrise was breath taking! It was calm and peaceful. But I know from the Bible that this body of water is not always that way. One night long ago a group of men became terrified by the waves and wind on this same sea. They were frighten for their lives and you know what they did? They cried out to Jesus. They looked to Him when things got bad and He answered them!                    He said, “peace be, still.”

God still answers us when we are in the middle of a storm. When life seems so rocky that we are fearful God still hears our cries for help. He can calm any storm in your life, no matter how large it is. We just have to cry out to him and then trust that He will take care of us. These sunrise images remind me of this. They remind me of the morning I sat by the sea and heard God say to me, “be still.”             They remind me that God is in control and that He is bigger than the largest storm. I pray that today I can remember these truths and live them out. I pray that we all do.

God bless.

This is me, to prove I was actually there. Please excuse my appearance, it was very early.

So funny story. Right after I took this picture I slide into the water by accident. The rock had moss on it and before I knew it I was waist deep in the sea. I couldn’t stop from sliding so I just held my camera over my head and embraced the journey! 

I hope you are not bored yet with my Israel posts. I do have a few more and I think you will enjoy them. Today’s post is all about the Sea of Galilee. Galilee is one of my favorite areas in Israel. It is so beautiful. It is green and covered with plants with colorful flowers. The sea itself is beautiful and surrounded by mountains. When swimming in the Sea of Galilee I couldn’t stop saying,” I am swimming in the water Jesus walked on!” That thought ran through my mind over and over again. It was a surreal experience. 

While in Galilee we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, just like the disciplines did 2000 + years ago! The captain of our boat played worship music and we sang praises to God while we were on the water. This moment was amazing and if I close my eyes I can still see the waves and hear the sound of the wind. It was a memorable day!

 

A crew member casting out fishing nets just like the disciplines.

We are called to fishers of men. Cast our your nets again! 

I loved this part of Jerusalem so very much because when I was there it felt like I was walking back in time. I felt like I was standing below the Temple Mount 2000 years ago when it was in it’s prime, when the streets were filled with people from all over the nation who traveled from a far to visit the Temple. They walked for months and months to get to this place, to be in the presence of God Almighty. I felt like one of those people. I was walking on the same streets that they walked on. I was standing on the same steps that they stood on when they were about to enter this holy site. I felt like I could feel their excitement and anticipation as I was standing there. In my mind as I stood on those steps I saw Jesus and his disciples walk right pass me and enter the temple gates. I felt overwhelming joy and gladness. Even looking at these pictures now I still get the sense of being there in Jesus’ day.

Let me walk you through this amazing city image by image and I pray that perhaps you too could feel what I felt!

 

 First off, let me teach you about the Temple Mount. The 2nd Temple was built by king Herod on Mt. Mariah. The Romans tore the temple down in 70 A.D and all that remains of this area from that time is the Western Wall and the ruins from the South Gate, which you will see in this post. 

In this picture you can see our tour guide Mickey showing us what Mt. Mariah used to look like before the Temple Mount was built. 

Then kind Herod had a huge platform built on this mountain, which you can see in the picture below.  The old city is to the right of the platform and the current Dome of the Rock is on top of the platform. This is the way the city near the Temple mouth looks currently. 

 

This area that we were in is considered a holy site, so the dress code was pretty strict. They gave all the guys in our group paper hats to wear on their heads. I thought it was funny.

Below is a model of what the Temple Mount looked like in the days of Jesus. 

In the top picture do you see the bridge that goes into the Temple area? This bridge was destroyed and when it fell it left huge holes in the ground that you can still see today. Later in this post you will see pictures of that area. This gives you an idea of the location of that image. 

The image below is the Southern Gate area that is currently being excavated. 

The arrow shows you where the bridge we saw before used to be. 

This is the street below the bridge that was damaged when it fell. 

This area is where most everyone who traveled to the Temple Mount would have come to exchange money and buy their sacrifices for the Temple. It is just to the left of where the bridge fell. This was a hopping place back in the day! Can you picture these streets crowed with people?

We were so in awe of this location that we had to record the fact that we walked on these streets too!

The words in this rock are from the days of Jesus. This fell from the Temple Mount when it was destroyed. I believe it says something about the trumpeter who would have stood at the outer parts of the Mount to sound his horn when danger approached. This was his station.

 

Below is one of the many mikvahs(ritual bath of purification) where all Temple visitors would have to use before entering the gates. Once they exchanged their money, bought their sacrafice, and purified themselves in one of these mikvahs they would head to the Southern Gates to enter the Temple Mount. 

Let’s head there now! 

These are the steps that people use to walk up to get in to the Temple Mount. Behind me you can actually see the gates that have been filled in. Isn’t this place just amazing! 

Here is our team on the original steps. 

 We were pretty excited to be there. 

This place just gave me an amazing feeling that I really can’t explain. I wish I was better with words, but that is not my gift. So I am hoping that this next picture can express some of the emotion we all felt being at the Southern Gates of the Temple Mount.

“I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart.”