Vacationing in Orlando

After the Advanced Writers and Speaker's Association conference and the Golden Scroll banquet, Hal and I enjoyed a few days in Orlando. We visited the Universal Resorts theme park and had a great time riding the rides for two days! Including getting totally drenched in Jurassic Park.

Then we spent a day at the Holy Land Experience, which was just plain awesome. If you ever get to Orlando, I hope you'll go. Here are some highlights:



Worship center before the Temple.

Worship starts every day here in front of the Temple. If you know me at all, you know that my passion is studying the Holy Temple, so it was fantastic for me to sit before this replica of it. I'm hoping to write what I've learned about the Temple, and there are some possibilities for doing so on the horizon which I am very excited about.

Me and Hal with a replica of the Jesus Boat at the Holy Land Experience.

Here is me and Hal, with Magnificent Hope, in front of a life-sized replica of the Jesus Boat. It was fun to see this since I recently wrote an article about this very Jesus Boat for www.FindingGodDaily.com.





Replica of first century Jerusalem with Herod's Temple

Here is a replica of Jerusalem just after the time of Christ. Of course front and center is the Temple where Jesus often visited, known at Herod's Temple. Of course it wasn't to worship Herod at all, but was so called because Herod the Great built it. Herod added greatly to the grounds. I'm sure you know the Temple is no longer standing, destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., but the western wall is still there. One day this Temple will be rebuilt, according to Bible prophecies.

One place I couldn't photograph was the Scriptorium. If you visit the Holy Land Experience, you truly must take the hour tour of the Scriptorium. It is a museum of Bibles and their history. Most impactful for me was the Matthew's Bible with the brown stain smeared across it, which is the blood of the owner who was martyred simply for owning it.

It was a great trip and a fun place to visit. I hope you'll make the trip to the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida, some time soon.