On to Amman

Today I'm scheduled to leave for Jordan, going through Atlanta to New York and on from there leaving for Amman tonight. Pray for "traveling mercies," okay?

A bit of history: After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's two daughters--seeing no eligible men--got their father drunk, and afterward they gave birth to a son each. One was named Moab and the other Ben-Ammi (father of the Ammonites). Their descendants inhabited parts of present-day Jordan. Ruth was from Moab. And it shouldn't be difficult to figure out where the name "Amman" comes from. At one time the city of Amman was the city of Philadelphia, not to be confused with the one mentioned in the Book of Revelation (1:11; 3:7).

Our host for the trip is the Jordanian Board of Tourism, and I'm going with a group of journalists with the religion press. I've pre-written my blog posts for the next nine days in case I don't have access. That way you can follow my itinerary and hopefully remember to pray for me (and my family back home who will, no doubt, eat more pre-packaged food than usual).

It's amazing to think of being where Moses looked into the Promised Land, where Jesus was baptized, and the site of ancient Petra!