At approximately 12:03 PM on Saturday, September 2nd, the Night Hawks made history when toe was put to leather, as Thomas kicked off the Nations’s only military transition football program.
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After a 4 hour layover in Istanbul and 18 hours from take off, we arrived in Israel.
After spending an easy day in Jaffa recovering from jet lag, our group set out for Caesarea.
Caesarea was the capital of Roman rule in the Judea. King Herod the great built it in honor of Caesar in Rome. The temple and complex are massive with an amphitheater, palace, hippodrome, pool, harbor and more.
The religious significance includes an artifact called the Pilate Stone. The Pilate Stone has an inscription referring to Pontius Pilate who was the governor of Judah during the time of Christ.
View from hotel in Jaffa
Shopping in Jaffa
Entrance to Caesarea
Caesarea complex
On Saturday, we sailed the Sea of Galilee. We saw an ancient boat that was from the time of Jesus, perhaps similar to one that He used to fish.
In Nazareth we visited the Church of Annunciation where the Angel appeared to Mary.
This is the synagogue built on top of the one Jesus would have visited.
Caesarea Philippi has been associated with a variety of religions and was known for the worship of Pan, the half man, half goat image of Greek and Roman mythology. There was also a shrine for both Zeus and Caesar. 
Here in Caesarea Philippi is where Jesus said to Peter ‘On this rock I will build my church”. This has important symbolism because the Gates of Hell were believed to be here (pictured below). Therefore, Jesus was indicating that through Him death is overcome.
In Tiberius, we found the ruins of a theatre built during the time of Jesus. A theatre like this could have been where Jesus gave his beatitudes sermon.
Dr. Beth Sheppard stands in the inner harbor of Caesarea Maritima (grassy area). This is the city where the Apostle Paul was imprisoned before being tried by Governors Felix and Festus. The arched rooms in the background were used as storage warehouses when the harbor was in use.
And when you travel with TU, you eat well!
Then, we are off to Qumran, the discovery site of the Dead Sea scrolls. We saw how Essenes, a Jewish sect, lived and visited Cave #4 where the first scrolls where found.
Finally, we stopped by the Dead Sea and took a dip. Well, kind of! It was fun to see everyone float!
We then walked down to the Garden of Gethsemane. There was truly a Holy and spiritual feeling here!
At the Israel Museum, they had a scale replica of the old Jerusalem. The big square in the forefront is the second temple.
The Church of the Nativity was amazing! The small doorway in the first picture below is the entrance.
You can descend down a stairway to see the place of Christ’s birth which is under the Church. The silver star supposedly marks the place of His birth.
Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt several times, so many streets are actually built above the old city streets. However, in a few places excavation allows us to actually walk on the where Jesus may have trod. This part has been excavated down to the streets of 2000 years ago.
Here’s a picture of our group sitting on the southern steps going into Jerusalem. At one time, there were gates in the wall, but they have been filled in. These steps date back 2000 years. Jesus may well have walked here!
Very thankful for Drs Beth and Riedel for helping us find true places where Jesus may have walked. At both locations, we were the only ones there as everyone was putting so much attention on the celebrated sites.
We also visited the Antonio Fortress. This was built by Herod the Great and named for Mark Antony. It’s chief function was to protect the Second Temple. This may have been were Pontius Pilot’s tried Jesus for high treason.
The Garden Tomb. They make a compelling case that Jesus ‘could have been’ buried here, but were also clear that no one really knows for sure where he was entombed.
Taking a trip like this one with TU has been amazing! We are learning not only about our Christianity, but other faiths as well. We are understanding why we believe the way we do. As I mentioned yesterday, having New Testament scholars as our guides adds so much, providing a rich history with compelling narratives.
This was our last day in Israel. Off to Turkey!
We also took a boat ride that allowed us to see the architectural differences between where Europe and Asia meet. The two differences can be seen on the opposite cost from each other. Istanbul has a population of more than 18 million people. Istanbul is important to Christianity because Constantine, the Roman Emperor, moved the capital of the Roman empire to Istanbul. With his conversion to Christianity, he helped spread the message world-wide.
On Sunday we visited an area that was once a Hippodrome. Roman horse and chariot racing took place here (think movie Ben Hur). The Hippodrome is a long oval using a little imagination you can see how the tree line on each side would be the outside with the obelisk in the center of the track. Many activities happened at hippodromes from races to community events, including public humiliation for conquered foes.
We visited a mosque that for many years was a church, then a museum. It is called the Hagia Sophia. It has recently been converted to a mosque and some of the important Christian mosaics on the upper level are no longer on display. This was quite disappointing to our group especially recognizing the important of the Byzantine Empire and it’s relation to Christianity.
We also visited a market for Turkish rugs and of course saw a demonstration of how they are made. It takes 6 months for a medium sized wool rug and 1-3 years, depending on the size, for those made of silk. The artist pictured has a true gift!
The Basilica Cistern is ‘off the chart’ amazing. It has been in James Bond movies and Dan Brown’s book movies. It has 336 columns, unbelievable square footage and incredible height and beauty. And it is just a cistern! The Basilica Cistern is the largest, ancient underground cistern in Istanbul. It was built by order from Emperor Justanian in 535 CE as a project of rebuilding the cistern after riots. Cisterns in general were spread everywhere around Istanbul during Byzantinian times and provided water for use of residents.
The ‘column of tears’ (above) is part of the cistern to recognize those that died during it’s construction.
So, with my final entry in this blog, I would like to share a quote from Dr. Griggs, one of our team members. “Meaningful memories are never about the places, but they are about relationships.” So yes, I visited incredible sites and history that was educational but I do agree with Dr. Griggs. The relationships formed through this experience will last a lifetime. We are taking about our next expedition. Join us and have your life changed!
Thomas University’s football coaches have scheduled a series of meetings near select military bases in Florida and Georgia to meet with veterans interested in playing football at TU.
Last year, TU launched a unique veterans’ transition program centered around football. The goal is to provide military personnel exiting the service with a supporting environment to earn their college degree while playing college football.
“We see it as a win-win situation for everybody,” said Stephen Ferguson, TU’s Vice President for Military and Corporate Relations. “We know that service members learn how to operate as a team. We’re going to use that training and apply it to football as a team sport. This is more than just football. This is about preparing veterans for the next phase in their lives and using football as the vehicle to do that. Meanwhile, these veterans will set an example for our other students about the importance of dedication and team work.”
In addition to mentoring from coaches, including prior-service staff, TU will integrate its outstanding, nationally recognized counseling program to provide both mental health and career counseling services. TU’s Clinical and Rehabilitation Counseling program is the only dually accredited program in Georgia and one of just 13 nationally with dual designation through the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
If you are interested in learning more, please select a location from the list below for additional information. All meetings will be from 6 to 7 p.m.
Jacksonville – April 14 & 28
Ft. Benning – April 21 & May 19
Robins AFB – April 21 & May 19
Ft. Gordon – May 5 & 12
Pensacola – May 5 & 12
Dr. Andy Sheppard, TU President, provided a presentation on the security challenges the US currently has with China on March 30, 2023.
“Dancing with the Dragon” outlined the history, geo-political dynamics and goal behind China’s recent actions and how the US can respond.
This presentation was sponsored by the Center for Military Life at Thomas University.
Orlando Mitjans, Jr. is no stranger to coaching university football teams, but his new position at Thomas University will be the first time he’s built a football team from the ground up. This is not just any football team. This is Thomas University’s one-of-a-kind military transition football team.
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