CBH: Christians Broadcasting Hope -

ViewPoint - Spring 2013

The water gently lapping against the wooden keel of the boat matches the soft blue of the sky above as your eyes scan the shoreline. The steep hills that surround you at every turn stand in stark relief against that same blue sky, sweeping your eyes heavenward. The afternoon is fading, although the sunlight dances as it hits the water. There will still be enough day left once the boat returns to its dock, but for a moment you are overcome with the wonder, the beauty, and the sense of the place. It’s so quiet you think you can hear him whisper. You imagine what it must have been like in those days: the nets, the crowds, the fish, the fields ablaze with wildflowers draping the sloping landscape just ahead. Drinking it all in, you know that it is today as it was then. The lake. The hills. The cool breeze that rolls down across the face of the mountains to the west. You are on the Sea of Galilee. It is the stage upon which Jesus walked—and yes, he walked literally across this inland fresh-water sea, eight miles long and seven miles wide.

As the shoreline comes now closer, your mind runs ahead. Next stop: the river Jordan, where the team will have a baptismal service, a few hundred yards from where the river flows out of the Galilee, at one of the two places that tradition suggests that John the Baptist drew crowds and where Jesus himself was baptized.

Come with us. Sail across the Sea of Galilee, stand on the banks of the Jordan, wander the ancient streets of Capernaum, and marvel at the ancient walled city of Jerusalem. Gethsemane. Golgotha. The Mount of Olives. Bethany. Mount Zion. The valley of the brook Kidron. Caesarea Philippi. And, yes, the City of David, Bethlehem. These are more than just place names in Bible stories. They are real places, still living and breathing today.

CBH-ViewPoint will take you there in January 2014, one year from now. Travel with us. Discover with us. In the footsteps of Jesus and where God walked into this world. The Scriptures were born here. The Word became flesh here. It's like no other place on earth.

This will be CBH’s third expedition to Israel and Jordan. This will be a trip like no other in that we will provide more teaching—and more free time for the team to explore, once we have the lay of the land in view. You will celebrate Christmas Eve in Bethlehem on January 6 (observed by Eastern Orthodox Christians who follow the ancient Julian calendar). You will find a fresh new frame with which to understand the Bible as you see how history and experience find their center in Christ. I’m signed up; wouldn’t miss it.

Reservations are now open. Bring a friend. Bring your family. Talk it up at church. Everywhere. Just visit our website, www.cbhviewpoint.org, for all the specs. And in the meantime, stay tuned. CBH-ViewPoint is, fifty-two weeks a year, working to help you see your world from Heaven’s view.