Books

What books have you read that you have found helpful in your Christian walk?

I'll start with these:

Hinds Feet on High Places -- Hannah Hurnard
Saving Faith - Arthur Pink

Holidays

There are many holidays in Israel. Too many. And they're not evenly spread. In April there were Passover, Holocaust Memorial Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day (known as Disaster Day in some circles).

Along a street near us is a stone wall, (actually most streets are lined with stone walls, because of the terrain) and in that wall is built a placque to a fallen soldier. I noticed around Independence Day that someone had placed a wreath by it, and there were some candles burning by it. A nice thing to do. I was thinking of buying some of those little candles once, because I like candles. But then I noticed that some of these candles say "Soul Candle," and I realized and remembered that some people actually pray for the dead here.

They also say that if you say prayers by the grave of a Righteous One your prayers will have more merit.

"There is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus."

In May there will be Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks.

May

Then there's May. If it hasn't rained for three weeks, you can look back and say, "Summer began three weeks ago." Unless it rains today. Then summer begins tomorrow. Because surely that was the last rain of the winter. But the only way you know it was the last one is by waiting for the next one, and as long as the next one doesn't come, then it's summer.

April

Generally you don't think of Israel as having four seasons. It's just winter or summer. But you could say that April in Israel must be what's considered spring in some parts of the world. You feel like summer's coming, and you get your hopes up, but then there's more cold rain, and some hail, and you realize it isn't quite summer. But there are a few warm days interspersed, and certain flowers and trees bloom, and you know summer does have to come eventually.