Author: Shannon

Shannon Blosser is the pastor of Mount Olivet and Benwood-McMechen UMC in the Wheeling, W.Va. area. He is an ordained elder in the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He is particularly focused on how the witness of faith creates inclusion and acceptance of those with disabilities within the church. Before entering ministry, Shannon wrote professionally as a sports and news writer for West Virginia and North Carolina newspapers and policy organizations. He lives in McMechen, W.Va., with his wife, Abbi, sons, Noah and Tad, and their cat, George. He is an alum of West Virginia University and Asbury Theological Seminary. In his spare time, you can find him watching WVU athletics, studying presidential history, cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals baseball, or attempting to play golf.
Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Life, Uncategorized

Israel Travel Blog Day 4: By Land and By Sea

Our second full day of touring was a challenging day. Well, at least that is for me.

Since we landed in Tel Aviv on Monday evening I’ve been dealing with a swollen foot. It comes with the territory when flying for 11-hours and, as well, when you have a right foot that easily swells and sprains. Yesterday’s touring just made it worse, which led to me visiting an Israeli drug store to purchase an Ace bandage.

That seemed to help today, but for most of the morning I was in a lot of pain trying to walk around. The trip to the Holy Land is an experienced filled with walking, so to be down a foot has been difficult. Walking to our boat to tour the Sea of Galilee was an exercise in hopping more than walking. The same goes for our tours of the church that honors Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 and the one that honors Jesus’ third appearance to the disciples following his resurrection.

One of the things that I committed myself to doing was not stopping. This is an once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I was not going to let a bum foot keep me from enjoying the day.

I’m glad I had that perspective, because today was a wonderful day of holy encounters meeting the presence of God in these sites. Continue reading “Israel Travel Blog Day 4: By Land and By Sea”

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Israel Travel Blog Day 3: An Amazing Journey Begins

Breathtaking. Amazing. Wow.

Those were the words that often expressed my sentiments at the various sites we visited on this our first day of touring in Israel. The amount of Scripture and history we covered in just a few short hours is enough for a lifetime. That we have seven more days to go is just unbelievable.

We began the day by visiting the Gospel Trail. This is a former Roman Road that Jesus would have walked during his journeys in Upper Galilee. It is known as the Gospel Trail, today, because it connects Capernaum, Cana, and Nazareth together. The whole purpose of this trip was to walk where Jesus walked and to gain that experience firsthand. On the Gospel Trail we literally walked where Jesus walked.

That began to put the day into a holy context from the start. The rest of the day would build on that moment. Continue reading “Israel Travel Blog Day 3: An Amazing Journey Begins”

Christianity, Culture, Life, Uncategorized

Israel Travel Blog Day 2: What Day is This?

We have arrived in Israel. Physically that is. I am so exhausted from the day-long journey from Lexington to Tel Aviv with an extended bus ride to our hotel to know that I am clearly travel weary. I’m exhausted enough that I left behind my reading materials for my next Residency meeting on the plane.

Oops.

Other than forgetting an important book on the plane, the trip to Tel Aviv was fairly uneventful. There were few moments where it seemed like we were on a roller coaster over Europe, but that and not being able to sleep more than about 90 minutes were about the biggest enjoyments of the flight. Continue reading “Israel Travel Blog Day 2: What Day is This?”

Christianity, Culture, Life, Uncategorized

Israel Travel Blog Day 1: Onward to Israel

Today the journey begins. I, along with several others from the Kentucky Annual Conference, will head to Israel for a 10-day pilgrimage. This is an annual excursion for our annual conference and for many it will be a return trip to the Holy Land.

This will be my first time in Israel. For that matter, it will be my first time leaving the United States since 1996.

While I am in Israel, I will offer daily thoughts and observations in this space. I recognize that for many the idea of going to the Holy Land is an “impossible dream,” so I want to share as much as I can about the trip in order for others to experience it for themselves.israel-flag

Today is about traveling and getting ready. Our flight leaves from Lexington this afternoon and, then, from Newark later tonight. We hope to arrive in Tel Aviv sometime around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday (or 9:30 a.m. EST). Since most of the day will be about surviving an 11-hour flight, I thought I would respond to a few of the questions I have received since deciding to go on the trip last year. Continue reading “Israel Travel Blog Day 1: Onward to Israel”

Christian Leadership, Christianity, Culture, Devotion, Encouragement, Faith, Life, Sermon

Christmas Eve Message: Ordinary Day and Extraordinary Hope

It was just an ordinary day in the City of Bethlehem.

The population, in those days, was around 1,000 people. That is a little more than double the latest Census estimate for Salvisa. All of those 1,000 people and more were gathered in Bethlehem on that day. The people were under the authority of the Roman Empire, which had no problem throwing its weight around. On that particular day, the people under Rome’s authority were required to return to their hometown in order to be counted. This was an ordinary occurrence for the people in Bethlehem, because Rome made it a habit of doing things to reminded people of their authority and power.

It was also an ordinary day for those outside of Bethlehem. Residing around the hillsides outside of Bethlehem were a group of shepherds. The shepherds were doing their job. They were keeping watch of their sheep to make sure they stayed safe from intruders. Shepherds were not the most beloved group of people. Some tolerated them as those who performed a needed task in society, but the people had little use for them. Others viewed them as thieves, because they would do what was needed in order to survive even if it meant taking from others. On that day they were just trying to live and survive. Continue reading “Christmas Eve Message: Ordinary Day and Extraordinary Hope”