Holiness

“If God were always visible, humans could not exist at all. “No one can see Me and live,” says God. “If we continue to hear the voice of God, we will die,” say the Israelites at Sinai. But if God is always invisible, hidden, imperceptible, then what difference does His existence make? It will always be as if He were not there. The answer to this dilemma is holiness. Holiness represents those points in space and time where God becomes vivid, tangible, a felt presence. Holiness is a break in the self-sufficiency of the material world, where infinity enters space and eternity enters time. In relation to time, it is Shabbat. In relation to space, it is the Tabernacle. These, in the Torah, are the epicentres of the sacred. We can now understand what makes them holy. Shabbat is the time when humans cease, for a day, to be creators and become conscious of themselves as creations. The Tabernacle is the space in which humans cease to be masters – “fill the earth and subdue it” – and become servants. Just as God had to practise self-restraint to make space for the finite, so human beings have to practise self-restraint to make space for the infinite. The holy, in short, is where human beings renounce their independence and self-sufficiency, the very things that are the mark of their humanity, and for a moment acknowledge their utter dependence on He who spoke and brought the universe into being. The universe is the space God makes for man. The holy is the space man makes for God. The secular is the emptiness created by God to be filled by a finite universe. The holy is the emptiness in time and space vacated by humans so that it can be filled by the infinite presence of God.”

― Jonathan Sacks, Leviticus:The Book of Holiness

An Eagle Project you can help with

Hi: my oldest grandson is collecting items for the Food and Care Coalition in Provo for part of his Eagle Project (yes, the next generation of Eagle projects have begun!). 

The Coalition helps the poor, the homeless, the lost. If you have a few extra dollars (even $5 helps) and want to support this, click on the link below for an easy way to support them.

" Hello! I'm doing an Eagle Project on behalf of the people supported by the Food and Care Coalition in Utah--we need sleeping bags, blankets, winter gloves, etc,. Click here for a list:
https://www.walmart.com/lists/view-wish-list-items…
Just buy and item on the list, and if you live near us in Utah, call us up at (385) 269-0516 and we'll pick it up for you.
If you're further away just send it to a store near 84042 or have it sent directly to us at 43W 450N Lindon.
Thanks!
Aidan Stay"

Travel Study in Israel this summer

4 years ago I traveled for 3 weeks in Israel.  It was life-changing.  It connected me to Jesus in unexpected ways and tender moments.  Traveling there helped me to understand both the Old and New Testaments much better.

Stephen and Gayle Halversen  were our guides.  I highly recommend them if you are interested in an INTENSIVE study experience in Israel.  
They lived in Israel twice and worked with the students at the BYU Jerusalem Center.  They are now offering their services through a new (to them and to me) organization who will coordinate the travel.

If you are interested in reading more, email me at rebeccahstay@gmail.com and I will forward to you these three documents (they are pdfs and cannot be loaded to this blog.)

• A copy of the Itinerary planned for the first Intensive Explorations of the Holy Land offered by EquityLife Institute in the Galilee
• The application for this program with instructions for reservations
• I also included a brief bio on the faculty for this program  (Stephen and Gayle, with their extensive travel and teaching are some of the best we could have chosen to direct and instruct on this program to explore the Holy Land).

The application may be downloaded, filled out, copied or scanned, and sent back to apply@equity.life via email.  We will process it and prepare the materials for your intensive explorations of the Holy Land to begin August 28.  Before that time orientation materials and instructions will be sent to you.  

Here is a little information about the EquityLife Institute in Galilee Foundation:

The EquityLife Institute in Galilee is part of the EquityServe Foundation which are non-profit educational 501(c)(3) charitable corporations  established to provide educational opportunities for individuals and families of all ages.  The EquityLife Institute in Galilee also was established this last January to  offer individuals throughout the world opportunities to build an understanding of the principles of equity through intensive “on-site” study programs and, working with other Equity programs, provide educational and humanitarian offerings for the peoples of the Near East.  More specifically, through academic and cultural experiences, the Institute is to provide:

• Curricula designed to enhance an understanding of their own religious and cultural heritage while gaining a knowledge of the peoples, places, and organizations indigenous to the region;
• The development of scholarship in all areas of Near Eastern studies, reinforced by unique opportunities of residence and travel in the various lands of the region;
• A cultural experience through personal contact and interaction with the peoples of the Near East, their way of life, their hopes, their ambitions and aspirations;
• Initiate service opportunities for students to discover the value of true charity; and,
• Provide community and educational programs that will enhance and improve the lives of the peoples in the region of the Near East. 

Among the EquityLife Institute in Galilee programs offered in the 2017-2018 year are the following:

• SUMMER TERM – The first year of operations is 2018 with two Summer Terms offered – Summer Term 1 and Summer Term 2. These nine-week university accredited student programs provide an intensive study experience and adventure in the Near East.  Nine credit hours that include Religious Studies (Old & New Testament, and comparative religions), ancient and contemporary Near Eastern Studies (geography, archaeology, history, and political science,) are required of each participant.  Extensive field study travel in Israel, the Palestinian Authority Territories, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and engaging with the local cultures is a hallmark of this program 

The Program you have chosen:

• INTENSIVE EXPLORATIONS IN THE HOLY LAND – Students and non-students of all ages are offered a 21-day educational and intensive educational travel program that is not a typical tour of the Holy Land; but, following the many field study trips on the summer term programs, participants will have an in-depth experience studying the manners, customs, and peoples of the Holy Land through on-site learning adventures.  Optional travel experiences to Jordan and Egypt are offered as wells as three university level credit hours are available to participants.

• TRANS-CULTURAL HUMANITARIAN AND HOLISTIC NURSING INTERNSHIP – This program offers nurses and health professionals an opportunity to provide relief and life-saving humanitarian work while meeting the ANA and AHNA continuing education certification requirements in trans-cultural nursing and other core four-year BSN graduation requirements.


• HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS IN THE HOLY LAND – Individuals of all ages have the opportunity to provide humanitarian relief and development projects for the many refugees, orphans, youth, and elderly in the Holy Land (Israel and the Palestinian Authority Territories). Optional travel experiences to Jordan and Egypt are offered as wells as three university level credit hours are available to participants.

We are excite for you as you have chosen a very unique opportunity (only one in the world with this offering) to study and explore the lands of the scriptures

Shalom,

Dann Hone