In other (Geological) words

• cuesta, noun. A long, low ridge with a relatively steep face or escarpment on one side and a long, gentle slope on the other.
• escarpment, noun. A long, precipitous, clifflike ridge of land, rock, or the like, commonly formed by faulting or fracturing of the earth’s crust.
• gorge, noun. A narrow cleft with steep, rocky walls, especially one through which a stream runs; a small canyon.
• mesa, noun. A land formation, less extensive than a plateau, having steep walls and a relatively flat top and common in arid and semiarid parts of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico.
• salient, noun. Something (such as a promontory) that projects outward or upward from its surroundings.
• scarp, noun. A line of cliffs formed by the faulting or fracturing of the earth’s crust.
• wold, noun. (chiefly British) A piece of high, open, uncultivated land or moor; an area of high open land.

Geographical notes

•  Africa is the only continent that is in all four hemispheres: north, south, west, and east. 
• Samosir Island is an island in Lake Toba. Lake Toba is a lake on the island of Sumatra. Samosir Island is supposed to be the world’s largest island on an island.
• In the Philippines, there is an island in a lake on an island in a lake on an island. Vulcan Point is an island in Crater Lake on Volcano Island in Lake Taal on the island of Luzon. 
• Qatar is supposed to be one of the world’s safest places from natural disasters. It is protected from tropical cyclones, sheltered inside the Persian Gulf. It is far away from fault lines, reducing the likelihood of earthquakes or volcanoes . With barren plains and sand dunes instead of forests, raging forest fires are not a problem.
• Whether “Saint Patrick” chased all the snakes out of Ireland or there is some other reason, Ireland is one of a few countries that do not have any native snakes.
• Vatican City is the smallest country in the world.
• Alaska is both the westernmost and easternmost state in the United States of America.
• Russia is the largest country in the world. It has 11 different time zones.
• Big Diomede Island, owned by Russia, and Little Diomede Island, owned by the United States are only 2-4/10 miles apart. However, being on opposite sides of the International Date Line, they have a 21-hour time difference between them.
• Reno, Nevada is farther west than the city of Los Angeles, California – by about 86 miles.

Spiritualizing geographical Israel?

I am a friend of the nation of Israel as a chosen people of God and as an ally of the United States. Nevertheless, I think that there is a lot of false “spiritualizing” of the geography of Israel. This morning I heard a preacher on the radio claim that “a trip to Israel is a spiritual experience.” He made that statement in the context of promoting his ministry’s tours of Israel. If you go to Israel “you will invest in your spiritual walk” and “your Bible reading will never be the same.” The trip “enhances your entire biblical view and personal Christian perspective” and “will be a source of inspiration and spiritual growth.”

I will not criticize anyone for taking a trip to Israel, neither will I assert that a person going there will learn nothing. But, pardon me for thinking that this spiritualizing mumbo-jumbo sounds more like a sales pitch than sound theology based on God’s Bible!

If you have an opportunity to visit Israel and can afford to do so – go. Enjoy the vacation, see the sights, and learn all you can. Do not come back thinking you are a spiritual giant towering over the Lilliputians who can only afford to buy an imitation leather Bible and can only learn of Jesus and his ways by faithfully reading it, while praying and seeking God’s face and the leadership of his Spirit. 

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.