Whew! Today was a full day: A hot one with a lot of walking. But a great one too! Let me try to cover the highlights.

Today marked the start of our road for visiting the sites of the seven churches mentioned in the first three chapters of Revelation. First on the list: Laodicea.

We had our Sunday morning church service on the ruins of the Laodicean theater. A couple songs and a time of group prayer got things started, after which we read Revelation’s letter to Laodicea. It’s most famous for its image of lukewarm water, which Jesus said said was fit for nothing but spitting out. With the surrounding region clearly visible from our stone seats, we dug into Laodicea’s specific context to unearth some of what was being said in that brief letter. One key thought centered around the danger of self-sufficiency. Laodicea was rich. An important city of important people, they took great pride in their way of life. In fact, so wealthy was Laodicea that when a powerful earthquake rocked the entire region, they declined the emperor’s offer of money for reconstruction. So eager were they to display their independence and self-sufficiency. How does such an attitude affect God’s work in our lives? My guess: It doesn’t help it to happen. As Charles put it, Laodicea is the only church about which Jesus has nothing good to say. The irony of that is that they were the one church who claimed to be rich. Yet in reality, they were the poorest of all.

The rest of Laodicea provided us with a bit of walk, seeing the ruins of their baths, church, stadium, and water tower along the way.

Our next stop was a study in contrasts. Philadelphia has nearly no site at all compared to Laodicea’s major excavation. Biblically speaking, the contrast continues as Philadelphia’s congregation has next to nothing yet is one of only two churches that receives nothing but praise from their Lord. This stop was only about 10 minutes long, as the site here contains at present only some ruins of a 6th century Byzantine church. Impressive for what it is, but nothing compared to the other sites of the day.

Hierapolis, on the other hand, is an enormous site! We spent nearly 4 hours walking this area. Colossians 4:13 is the only NT reference to this grand city, but it sat mere miles away from both Laodicea and Colossae, which factor into the NT text more significantly. After the Biblical text’s pages though, history suggests that Philip (yes, the Philip from Acts) lived in Hierapolis evangelizing and was eventually martyred here for his efforts. The ruins of a martyrium bearing his name were among our stops today. Other highlights of Hierapolis include the largest necropolis (graveyard for rich people with major tombs) in the Middle Eastern world, a large bath, very impressive triple arched city gates, a Roman road through town, low aqueducts all over the place, and a baptistery dating back to the 500’s. As well, it was here that we saw one of the most amazing theaters I’ve ever seen. Really quite breath-taking to behold it in such amazing condition. We also quickly observed the ruins of a temple to Apollo. Our time here concluded with a barefoot walk through the wates of Pamukkale, a series of white stony pools that have formed over centuries as the minerals from the waters flowing from the earth have left their deposits behind. That place brings floods of tourists to the area: Speedos and bikinis were the fashion of choice, and no, not everyone wearing them should have been allowed to! Ah well, I guess they were on vacation too. ; )

A couple hours on the bus led us to Sardis, one more major site to behold. We walked yet another Roman road through the remains of the market place. We even came upon a shop that belonged to a Jewish merchant back in the day. How do we know that? A menorah was faintly carved into the stone walls of his shop. Other details pointed out included the drainage systems beneath typical Roman roads and the terracotta piping that they used to plumb water through their cities.

The highlight of Sardis was a stop in the Jewish synagogue that would have been the Jewish place of worship here. It was surprisingly large, suggesting a significant Jewish community within Sardis back in the first century and later. Sitting in the shady end of the structure, we listened as Charles taught from the letter that Jesus dictated to the congregation in Sardis. From our seats, we could see the agora (the high place) of the city. It was thought to be unconquerable. That thought gave Sardis a reputation of strength and power. Yet, twice in Sardis’ history, their so-easy-to-defend fortress was taken. Why? Because in times of over-confidence, they simply neglected to guard the one way in. For the city of Sardis, overconfidence and pride in past reputation blinded them to the simple facts that they weren’t all they were supposed to be. It’s no stretch to bring that message in some shape or form to most churches, and Charles was sure to do so with his usual blend of insight, wisdom, humility, and cheekiness. A treat, as usual.

An exploration of the gymnasium (amazing ruins!) and a nearby temple of Artemis and Diana concluded our Sardis time. Another hour on the bus brought us to our hotel in Izmir, in time for a 9:30 PM supper—yes, the days here are long. “Vacation” isn’t quite the right label. Fun? For sure. Educational? No doubt. Relaxing? Hmm, not sure. “Vacation”? Not in the traditional sense of the word. But you’ll never hear me complain.

Tomorrow is dedicated from morning to night to the site at Ephesus. In the first century, Ephesus was the third most important city in the entire Roman empire! In the twenty-first century, it is considered to be one the greatest archeological sites in the whole of Asia. This is a big one, and it will be our spot for all of tomorrow before sleeping the night in Kusadasi and enjoying the following day as a breather before heading to the island of Patmos.

I continue to keep well and to thoroughly enjoy my traveling companions. I am a touch red today from the scorching sun, and my sandal tan is full-blown. Tomorrow will definitely be a sunscreen day for me! Much love to those back home. Ephesus will mark the halfway point of our trip, so after tomorrow’s marathon, we’ll be counting down until Regina once again.

Good night from Izmir (ancient Smyrna). More to come…

We started our morning with a quick stop at the Archeological Museum in Konya. Our stop was brief as Charles knew exactly what he wanted to show us before we even arrived. They were some marble stones with inscriptions that contained the names of cities in this region from NT times. He used this as a time to show what archeological discoveries are able and unable to prove in terms of Scripture’s reliability and inspiration. He’s really a brilliant man, and I count the opportunity to study under him as a gift. He’s a man of integrity in what he says and does, and his very broad spectrum of knowledge, experience, and perspective on the work of God in the world have been significant to me during this time together. I am grateful.

A couple hours on the bus brought us to Pisidian Antioch. This is not to be confused with the Antioch we visited earlier, where the first Christians received that name. In fact, it was pointed out that the NT world had at least a dozen Antiochs. Why so many? Well, the name Antioch literally means “old city”, so any time a city was reconstructed, it wasn’t unusual to name the old portion Antioch. That said, today’s Antioch was the capital city of the region of Pisidia—hence, Pisidian Antioch. This was a significant city in its day. Paul’s visit is recorded in Acts 13. Despite some significant preaching here, trouble arose, and Paul and Barnabas left after shaking the dust from their feet. The site here is only partially excavated, but it is a large site that required an hour or more to walk around. An impressive theater, temple to the emperor, baths, a couple churches, and a Roman road surrounded by colonnades highlight the site. As well, a great aqueduct stands on a the hills a few miles from town. This aqueduct would have been part of the system in place to bring water from the mountains down to the city.

While there, we sat in the theater, while Charles gave a short presentation about Paul’s earliest missionary journey. Charles never ceases to put things together that I’ve never thought of. Being an historian, he’ll take a passing detail from Acts, a verse from Galatians, an inscription somewhere that he’s aware of, and a difficult-to-translate Greek word (or some such combination) and begin to raise interesting background questions that get you thinking and wondering about the lives of the first Christians. Some of these details aren’t “big deals”, but they spark one’s curiosity and stimulate your hunger to pay closer attention to the message of Scripture.

We enjoyed a quick lunch outside the site and headed to bus again for another couple hours of driving.

As sunset was beginning, we pulled off a very narrow off-the-main-trail highway. A hill beside the road was identified as Colossae. We ascended the tel (completely unexcavated as of today) and found a place atop it, where we read a section of Colossians together and discussed the early church that would have met in that small centre.

It’s a bit of an astounding moment when you see places like Lystra and Colossae. They’re small and insignificant—hardly more than villages. Yet it was through places like that the message of Jesus spread from life to life, growing and changing all who it touched. It forces us to fight the temptation to think that big and grand and important is the way that things get done. Rather, this kingdom that is illustrated in mustard seeds and yeast is fuelled by the power of God’s Spirit getting a hold of people, common people like any of us, and working mightily. If that doesn’t happen, then it won’t matter what else we attempt to do; it will be too weak to count for much. And so Paul visited and taught and wrote, because it mattered greatly that he gave whatever he had to give to encourage and build up such groups of believers. And that thought just makes me think: Such a call is on every one of us. We are to be serious about building each other up. Preacher or plumber, elder or entrepreneur, it makes no difference. Every body part needs to place priority on finding ways to use whatever they’ve been given to build up those around them into greater power and Christ-likeness. That’s the heart of being the church—anything less is not enough to guarantee that we will leave any kind of legacy behind us when we’re gone.

One final bus trip brought us to our hotel at Pamukkale. This is Laodicea-land, and that means we’re in mineral spring land. Our hotel tonight is likely the fanciest we’ve stayed at. It has a huge and beautiful swimming pool, along with a thermal pool with water pumping right out of the ground. It’s so full of minerals that it looks dirty. But we all soaked for a bit after supper, and it was a treat. As well, this hotel was hosting a wedding when we arrived. No kidding, it looked like a wedding out of a movie. The reception was all spread around the outdoor pool, a live band was blasting music for the dancing crowd, and the guests were dressed to the nines. Gratefully, the music has just stopped (it’s just after midnight), as we were fearing whether there’d be any sleep to be had when we first heard the band.

Tomorrow morning, we’re starting early as we fell behind schedule a bit today. We’ll start with the area right around our hotel (Pamukkale) before visiting Laodicea. That will mark the beginning of our visits to the sites of the seven churches addressed in Revelation 2-3. We’ve been told that the distances between our sites should be shorter for the rest of the trip, but we always seem to find ways to create new plans along the way or simply take longer than planned at the sites we take in, so none of us are holding our breaths. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Our group is great, our guides are great, and we’re ready to milk all we can out of our days here anyway.

For now, a shower is calling. The hotel is quiet, and my wake-up call will come early. All the best back home from the land of the hot, cold, and lukewarm waters.

Our early morning paid off this time!  We awoke to calm and beautiful weather.  We were taxied to our waiting balloon, and all 23 of us were fitted into one big basket.  It was broken into four compartments for 6 people each—one had to choose company carefully as those compartments were tight enough to get each group quite familiar with each other.

Cappadocia is described as one of the premier ballooning sites in the world—certainly it didn’t disappoint any of us.  The scenery is wild from on the ground; seeing it from the sky is an even more special way to witness this place’s beauty.  Honestly, I don’t know which adjective to choose in describing the ride.  If you’ve ever ballooned before, then you know what a wonderful experience it is—peaceful and smooth, soothing and calm.  It’s a beautiful ride anywhere—Shannon and I once had flew over little old Regina, and it was great—but new and unusual places become even better from a floating basket a thousand metres up.

After an hour-plus in the sky, we returned to our hotel for a quick breakfast before boarding the bus.  Destination: Lystra.

We’d been told that the ride would be 3 hours or more, so most of the group had come ready to nap after our two early mornings.  I fought through my Thessalonians reading for the day and then tackled a chapter or two in my Paul novel, but I was heavy-eyed the whole way.

Lystra—there’s nothing to see there.  That’s not exactly true—there’s a tel to see there.  What’s a tel?  It’s the kind of hill that’s seen all over the middle east.  It’s the sight of any ancient community that’s been built and destroyed and re-built and redestroyed over and over upon the same plot of land.  To the modern mind, it makes little sense, but this was common in the ancient world.  The locations of towns and cities were carefully chosen in relation to water sources or geographical factors or whatever—then those sites were used over and over again.  If a city were destroyed by war or disaster, it would be rebuilt upon itself with the second version being a bit higher up than the first.  Do that a number of times and add a couple thousand years, and a tel is born.  Lystra’s tel has hardly been excavated at all.  So to the untrained eye, our bus stopped this afternoon on a back road, while we climbed a grassy, overgrown hill.  We were actually revisiting Lystra, where Paul visited at least twice in the book of Acts.

While atop the tel, Charles and Rob shared some about Paul’s early missionary days as well as a few of the ideas that are floated around about what Paul did between his conversion on the Damascus road and his first missionary journey.

Side note: As I type this (9:45 PM), the day’s final prayer call is sounding from the minarets in town.  Today was Friday, the Muslim day of prayer.  I think the call sounding now is marking the end of that designated time.

Second side note: A recurring theme at some of the Muslim sites that we’ve visited has been an exploration into the similarities between Islam and the traditions and practices of the Eastern (Orthodox) churches.  While most of us view there being a very thick line between Islam and Christianity, Charles has repeatedly pointed out that there are a tonne of historic connections between some of Islam’s tenets and the Eastern expressions of Christianity.  Don’t misunderstand me: He’s not saying they’re the same in their beliefs—obviously that’s not so.  But take something like marked prayer times during the day.  We typically view that as Muslim.  Charles would say that they took it from the early Christians, who likely took it from the Jews.  Take monastic approaches to faith.  Islam has some of this (I’ll speak about one in a moment), but these ways of life were birthed in the Eastern churches (in Syria, Egypt, and Cappadocia).  Even more accurately, one would likely go back to Judaism and characters like the Essenes and some of the prophets who show us the earliest demonstrations of “desert spirituality”.  Charles’ point?  Some of what makes Islam intriguing to Westerners who are disillusioned with Christianity actually originated… wait for it… in Christianity!  Building on that, it’s not a stretch to say that much of what passes for Western Christianity is lacking.  It’s a diluted version of faith that highlights the holding of some doctrines in one’s head instead of the passionate giving of oneself to the pursuit of God above all else.  That’s nothing new to most of us; just a new frame for such thoughts.

Back to Lystra.  Paul was stoned there.  In fact, the people were so certain that they’d killed him that they dragged his body outside the town.  The tel of Lystra today is not that big.  Within a couple hundred metres of where we sat this morning, Paul the apostle was almost murdered two thousand years ago.  That made me shake my head as we sat and visited together.  Barnabas was there too, and prior to the stoning, it was he who was mistaken for Zeus while Paul was thought to be Hermes.  They fought off the crowds and their desires to sacrifice bulls to them… right where we sat today.  Also under that soil today were the remains of a house where Timothy grew up.  He went on to become perhaps Paul’s most significant disciple.  He was the half-Jewish boy who wouldn’t likely have been give much of a shot within the Jewish community because half-Jewish isn’t Jewish enough.  Yet Paul saw in him a force for Christ’s Kingdom, just waiting to be shaped and encouraged and released.  And it happened at Lystra.

That’s a crazy tel to sit upon for an hour!

Another hour or so on the bus brought us to Konya for lunch before a visit to a museum. It was the memorial site of a Sufi holy man (Mevlama Rumi) from the 1200’s.  He was viewed as something of a “rabbi” or “master” after whom some Muslims followed.  If you heard most of his teachings (expressed often is his famous poetry) in English today, you’d likely be drawn to him too.  He emphasized humility and love and the pursuit of a pure heart.  He was tolerant of those different from him but intense about seeking God.  Many of his words sound just like words out of the Christian monastic movements I’m familiar with.  We saw artifacts from his time, along with his tomb and the tombs of some of his finest disciples.

The very unique thing that this movement was known for was a nickname that they received: The Whirling Dervishes.  As a kid, I recall hearing that phrase—I never knew it had a story behind it.  Indeed it does.

Though we failed to really find out the details of how this practice developed, the disciples of Mevlama became known for a unique expression of worship—a twirling, trance-like dance.  It is a spinning motion with hands spread out and head tilted sideways, and it was utilized as a physical expression and act towards union with God.  In a sense, it was an act of worship associated with a state of ecstasy with God.  You might say it was Islam’s equivalent to Christianity’s Shaker movement.

Strange?  Yeah, by most of my standards.  Interesting?  Sure, by most of  my standards too.

By the time we finished at Mevlama’s shrine, the Archeological Museum was already closing, so we checked into our hotel by 5 PM.  I enjoyed a pre-supper walk with one of the pastor couples (Dave & Kathy) from Calgary), a delicious meal, and then a post-supper mall exploration with one of the students from Ambrose (Erin also from Calgary) before getting a bit of internet time before bed.

Tomorrow morning, we’re to visit the Archeological Museum briefly before leaving town.  Konya (formerly Iconium) was visited by Paul in the book of Acts, but Charles tells us that there are no significant sites to be seen within the city here biblically-speaking.  Tomorrow we’ll head out, continuing to follow much of Paul’s first missionary journey in reverse.

For now, I’m feeling ready for a shower and tooth-brushing.  All the best from Konya to those I love at home.  More from me tomorrow…

We awoke just prior to sunrise.  Vans arrived and took us to the launch site.  Numerous companies start to show up—balloons and baskets were unloaded.  Large fans were set up.  Positions were taken, and men went to work.  We’d heard that the winds were causing some debate among the pilots but things were happening in front of our eyes, so we enjoyed the coffee and snacks, while snapping some photos and visiting.

Long story made short: The winds picked up, and the whole thing was called off—every company, every balloon.  We heard that as many as 1000 passengers ride balloons here each morning, so this is big bucks and significant loss when winds keep you grounded.  Most of our group have never done this before, so there was a certain disappointment.  For others, they simply felt “insulted” that they’d got up so early “for nothing”!  For now, we’ve been rescheduled to tomorrow.  That’s our last day in Cappadocia, so it’s all or nothing when we awake tomorrow… again… at 4:45 AM!

After breakfast and a couple hours free time, we hit the road around 9:00 AM for one more day of soaking in the Cappadocian culture and landscape.

We began with a climb to top of CASTLE, which appeared to be an example of the opposite to the underground city that we saw yesterday.  The view from the peak provided some great photos and a beautiful view of the whole area.  It feels as though we’ve snapped a lot of shots of the Cappadocian landscapes.  At some point, it all looks a bit the same.  However, when you stop and look again, it is quite a shocking place—certainly unlike anywhere else I’ve seen.  So the snapping of the shutters continue!

In an effort to explore the landscape by foot—every traveler knows is the best way to explore—we left the bus behind and trekked our way through Love Valley and Zelve.  Love Valley contains some of the oddest rock structures of the area.  They look like, in the words of our Turkish guide, “the male organ”.  No, we’re not talking musical instruments here!  Dell (our Turkish guide) told us that years ago this area was trying to encourage visitors to come.  They chose the name “Love Valley” and spread the idea that visiting this site would help couples conceive children.  And the visitors started to come!  Isn’t it amazing what some masculine rocks can do for the economy?!

Zelve is nicknamed “Flintstone City”.  Minus the dinosaurs-cars and Fred, it does resemble Bedrock a bit.  This spot was sort of enclosed by the lay of the land, so we were set free for an hour to hike and explore.  That felt good, as most of our tour times are very tightly grouped times, during which roaming and wandering are not encouraged.  That’s the reality of group travel, but it’s nice to get to stretch your legs every so often for sure!

We enjoyed lunch right outside the Zelve gate and headed off to visit a cave house.  Now, we’ve seen these all over the region, but this house was actually lived in right now.  The couple hosted us for 15 minutes or so, showed us around, answered all sorts of questions.  What are the benefits and challenges of living in a cave house?  What type of maintenance is involved?  How do you heat it?  How did you come to live in this house?  Their answers were interesting and provided a peek into a very different way of life—and that’s one thing that travel is all about.

Our afternoon wrapped up with two brief stops.  One was a jewelry shop, where they specialize in turquoise, Turkey’s most precious stone.  The second was a winery where they allow you to sample Cappadocian wines and purchase either wines made right her or specialized bottles that are shaped like some of the land forms of the area.

We returned to the hotel by 5:00 PM, which is the earliest we’ve been home any day so far.  In fact, the past couple days have been light after a fast and furious beginning to the trip.  Many of us are grateful for that and now ready to hit the road hard again tomorrow, when we set off on many of Paul’s past roads.  Tomorrow will lead us through Lystra and on to Iconium (modern-day Konya).

In 30 minutes, we’re having a second group time to share with each other before supper and a time to wind down the evening.  Tomorrow, we’ll take our final shot at a balloon ride bright and early, and hit the road after breakfast.

The days continue to be wonderful, and I continue to be blessed by both what I’m seeing and learning as well as by the people I’m traveling with.

All the best to you back at home.

Cappadocia is known throughout the world for its other-worldly landscapes.  The rock formations and caves can look like the surface of a foreign planet.  In fact, one of the earlier Star Trek movies apparently shot some of its scenes right here in the region.

Throughout this trip, one of the recurring themes has been that of desert spirituality—typically associated with images of monks and communes and asceticism and such.  Church history buffs, even casual ones, may know of the Cappadocian fathers (Basil, Gregory, and Gregory) from the 4th century.  They were key figures in the early ecumenical councils of Christianity, where the details of doctrine were debated and discussed and determined in regards to God’s triune nature, Christ’s mysterious nature of both divine and human, and more.  They were also the core of a monastic movement that continues to impact the world of Christian spirituality.

I tell you all that so that it will mean something when I say that we spent the morning at Goreme, which is where these communities lived.  Carved into the rocks and caves are living spaces, churches, kitchens, and more.  It is a place that could be wandered for days, I’m sure.  We gave it a couple hours.

After a quick lunch in a Turkish market (I had some sort of meat pizza for 5 TL), we headed to Kaymakli.  This is an underground city that reaches down to 45 meters beneath the ground.  It contains 8 stories and was built as the “Helm’s Deep” of Cappadocia—that description will be lost on those who are “Lord of the Rings” fans.  Translation: In times of danger or invasion, Kaymakli was the place to hide or fall back.  Walking through its tunnels reveal spaces set aside for living spaces, bathrooms, kitchens, stables, and churches.  There are also spaces for storing and grinding grains, and pressing olives and making wines—it is mind-blowing!  There is  much question over just how old these sites are.  They were certainly used between the 6th and 11th centuries when Islam was spreading across this land, though some speculate that they may have been used in the ancient Hittite kingdoms, dating back as far as 4000 years.  Seriously, those numbers never stop making me shake my head!

The rest of our day focused on some Cappadocian art.  We visited a carpet-making business.  These are handmade carpets that would be similar to what people are talking about when they speak of “Persian carpets”.  Honestly, if I’d been invited to browse a rug room at this store, I’d have been done in 2 minutes.  Who cares?!  But they walked us through the loom room, showing us how these are made.  They gave us a demonstration of how the harvest their silk for the silk carpets.  They trained us with some basics on how you determine the different values of carpets beside one another.  After an hour so of that, they started to display their wares.  Now, I know they were hoping for sales (and they got a few), but I found this just fascinating!  And as they rolled out carpet after carpet—they said they had 50 000 hand-made carpets in stock—a roomful of Canadians got down on hands and knees to “pet” them and stripped off sandals to get the barefoot experience.  I loved it.  There, I said it: I loved the carpet store!  Who’d have known?  I chatted with Shannon on Skype last night, and I could hear her giggling at my “carpet crush”.  I don’t know what to tell you.  I was smitten by Persion rugs.  And now I’m moving on…

Second art stop: A pottery business.  Following a demonstration in which a potter changed a blob of clay into a beautifully shaped bottle right in front of us in 5 minutes, we were sent shopping again.  Now Shannon loves pottery and ceramics, so I thought I might have found my “gift spot” for her… until I saw a price tag.  Most pieces were hundreds of dollars—thousands were easy to spend if you needed to off-load some cash.  Beautiful?  No question!  Tempting?  Not so much.

Upon returning to the hotel, we received a quick briefing on tomorrow’s hot-air balloon ride and had a chance to do some group sharing about what had led each of us to sign up for this trip.  That time of sharing was great.  I’ve already come to really appreciate the people I’m traveling with, but it’s amazing what can be revealed in just a couple minutes each when people are eager and willing to show a bit more of themselves.  I know that this is just a brief trip in the span of a lifetime but you bond with people when you travel, and I feel blessed to have opportunity to bond with this group.

For now, I close.  Our “balloon bus” will pick us up at 5:15 AM, so bed is beckoning.

More tomorrow…