Troy/Troas

I had a chance to visit what many people believe is the site of Troas, where Paul received the call to go to Macedonia...and possibly the setting or inspiration for the city of Troy from Greek Mythology (Homer's Illiad, the Trpojan Horse. There are some ancient ruins that have been found that show that at least seven cities existed on the site. You can see the seven layers of buildings as you walk around. Also, Herodotus says that the Lydians had an ancient fortress and town in this area that was destroyed by the Medes when they overthrew the Lydians.

Istanbul

Istanbul was awesome! Did you know that Istanbul is the only city in the world to sit on two continents? It sits on Asia and Europe. To stand beside the Bosphorus River, the river that divides the city and two continents and to think of the history of the city was awesome. Istanbul, known previously as Constantinople and Byzantium, has been the capital of three amazing empires: the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman empire. When Turkey become a country in 1923, Ankara became its capital, but Istanbul is still its leading city.

I found it ironic how a country that has so many biblical sites (Turkey) is 99% Muslim. Yet, while there, I discovered that Islam and Christianity have much in common. More on that later.

Back

I am back from an 11 day trip to two amazing countries: Turkey and Greece. More to follow...

A Million MIles in a Thousand Years

I recently started to read this book by Donald Miller. I previously had read "Blue Like Jazz" and enjoyed it. I am finding this book to be fun to read. If you read it, it might even bring a tear to your eyes. Miller's style is choppy, but engaging. The premise is that Miller describes the experience of looking at his life as he works with others in developing a movie based on his life. The result is a bit distressing for him, but the lessons from the screen-writing experience have some wonderful applications in real life

Stay tuned for more...later.