Sunday

Today was a very special day. We looked on the internet and typed in Evangelical Churches in Crete: We found two. So this morning we headed to the church in Herkelion. It said it was near the McDonald's Take Away. We found the McDonald's; but where to go from there? Many don't speak English so getting directions is difficult. Finally Rich went into McDonald's and he met a couple from Ireland who was looking for the same thing.

What a joy to meet other christians in a strange land and we headed down the street together. According to Greek custom, we were invited to lunch at someones home. Fun! Fun! Fun! Great message from a young man and we felt a kindred spirit with them all (However, first time we had wine with communion).

On an island with 500,000+ people, there are only a handful of christians. Most are connected with the Greek Orthodox Church, but have never heard of the Bible or a personal relationship with Christ.They asked us to tell others to pray for them.

Second Week

We decided to stay put in Crete for another week: We have a nice quiet secluded condo with maid service for a very reasonable price, and we reevaluated our island hopping ability. Last time we were in Greece we were 10 years younger and we are noticing the difference. We are eating a lot of greek yogurt with Cretian honey; greek salads which consist of tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and olive oil, and gyro's. We could get a meal plan at the condo, but eating locally is so much more fun. We've rented a car so can still drive around when we want to.

We've been in touch with a missionary in Athens. They are in the states now so we won't be about to connect with them, but they did say that there was a church plant in Crete so that will be our goal this week - to try to connect with them.

The island of Crete was first occupied by the Minoans from 2600BC to 1000BC; these are some of the ruins we say in Knossos. In 1450BC the volcanic eruption of Santorini destroyed much of that civilization with it's tidal waves. Crete entered its Greek period with the arrival of the Dorians around 1100BC and there was a progression towards the worship of the Greek pantheon. The Roman attacked the island in 71BC under Mark Anthony. Christianity developed and spread and many churches were built. The Arabs attacked in 824AD and occupied the island until the Venetians took the island in 1204AD who tried to dissolve the Orthodox Church. In 1669AD the Turks invaded and ruled for 200 years with unprecedented and annihilator oppression of the native inhabitants. The Greek revolt began in 1821 culminating in 1913 with unification with Greece. With the exchange of populations the last Moslem inhabitants left the island.

Because of its topography the mountainous areas were not effected by many of the invasions, leaving a tough, rugged people, who have learned to survive in the villages with small gardens, goats and sheep.

Today they cater to tourist, like us, driving through the villages selling honey, coffee and herbs. It's typical when driving through these villages to see older men sitting in the coffee shops or just sitting around. I wonder where the women are; probably worn out from doing all the work.

Also, one of their claim to fame is that Zeus was born on this island, so it must be special.

Crete

After two days in Athens we settled into our timeshare on the island of Crete.It's very nice, quiet, and relaxing. We rented a car so we have freedom to get away when we want to go exploring.

We are still trying to get acclemented to the time change. But since we have no reason to worry about it, we don't.

The island of Crete is situated between 3 continents. 100 kms from Europe, 175 kms from Asia Minor and 300 kms from Africa. It is the largest of the Greek islands at 260 kms long and 60 kms wide. With a population of 650,000 it is sparsely inhabited. With mountains rising to over 7000 feet and dropping down to the sea, it is limited in farmland yet is noted for its olives, goats and honey.

Yesterday we drove through the mountains and small villages to get to the south side of the island to find the port of Fair Haven. Acts 27 says this is where the apostle Paul landed on his journey to Rome. We soon found that no one, not even the Greek Orthodox church, knows of this event.  When I showed some of them the reference in Acts 27, it became clear they did not know what the Bible is, who the apostle Paul is nor that Paul had landed in Fair Haven. We looked at a place where it could have been. Then we stopped at a family restaurant in a small village for a Greek Salad and gyros.

Today we headed to Knossos which is where the Mineon Palace ruins are located. Dating back to the time of Abraham (2000 BC) it is evident they had a developed culture with large, 3 and 4 story buildings primarily made of Cyprus wood. The site's religious ruins reminded us that all cultures have sacrifices to appease their gods. As we watched the multitudes of tourists from the cruise ships docked a few miles away, we realized how few then or now have looked to the lamb of God, the one sacrifice that truly pays for our sins.

At night we took a drive to Agios Nicholas. It's a quaint marina town with narrow streets, sail boats and in July and August will be packed with people from the mainland. Glad we came in the off season.

As you can see from the pictures, NJ Blue Bear is having a great time, too.

Athens: A City Rich in History

Our second day in Athens allowed us to walk in the shadow of a combination of Athens in the height of its glory with the worlds leading philosophers, mathematicians, political figures as well as the remains of their works, the Acropolis with the Parthenon, the ruins of so many temples. We also walked in the shadow of the early church figures and saw the Agora where Paul preached as well as Mars Hills where he was summoned to explain his new teachings to the philosophers of his day.        

Finally we were able to walk in the shadow of modern Athens, a city attempting to deal with a host of financial problems and and unemployment rate of 25%. I kept telling Lynette I should bring my power washer! The streets are littered with actual garbage and walls covered with Graffiti. This reminds us that no culture has survived over time and that the best that man can produce returns to dust. It reminds us that our only hope is in Jesus Christ and someday we will be ruled by the Eternal One, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Athens

When the Apostle Paul entered into Athens, “his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld the city full of idols.” This is the Athens that we bumped into today, “a city full of idols.” As we walked the streets today, our heart was touched with a people who were trying to survive in an evil world.

But it didn’t take long and we felt at home and began to wander. Picking up the Red Tour Bus, we were able to hop on and hop off as we were able to pick and choose what we wanted to see. Of course, coffee and a greek salad were high on the list, ending up at Mars Hill where the Apostle Paul spoke to the philosopher of his day, proclaiming Jesus and the Unknown God that they were so curious about.

You can hear Rich's message by clicking on this link: tinysa.com/sermon/72706133711

Ready to Depart

We are packed and anxious to get on the road. Just a few housekeeping items to touch up. Last night we realized that our hot water tank has rusted out and therefore no hot water shower this morning. It was a disappointing setback, but then, that can wait until we get home.

Murphy said goodbye at the door and since he was not able to go with us, he talked his cousin NJ Blue Bear to tag along and remind us of home.

We take off at 4:25 p.m. and arrive in Athens at 9:25 a.m. (direct flight).

In the Shadow of Paul

At 7 p.m., on Wednesday nights, at Shawnee Baptist Church, Rich is teaching a class on The Acts of the Original Church.  When the Apostle Paul was called by God to take the Gospel to the known world at that time, he embarked on a series of three missionary journeys.

In 2006, Rich and I had the opportunity to spend 6 weeks in Greece/Turkey and explored some of the sites where Paul actually walked. On May 10 - June 2, we will once again embark on our own journey to discover more of that special place.

Join us as we blog about or experiences. Since this is meant to be a rest, we will not be posting every day, but if you check back a couple times a week we are hoping to keep you up to date.

Here is just a taste of what we will see.