And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write....Rev. 3:7.
As most Americans know, the name Philadelphia means "brotherly love." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has become called, therefore, the City of Brotherly Love. I'm not sure how the ancient city of Philadelphia received its name, but the Turkish people who live there now still exhibit this characteristic.
I have visited the ancient site of Philadelphia twice. It is located in the modern city of Alashehir. I have never been in a place that more warmly receives strangers. The first time we visited I was not feeling well. So I was walking down the street on market day, noticing my surroundings, but not wanting to talk or be involved with people.
Suddenly a man rushed toward me from behind a vegetable stand. Unable to speak English, he pointed to my camera and then himself and his vegetable stand. He wanted me to take a picture. I was used to this Middle Eastern drill--or so I thought. "You take picture--I take baksheesh." In other words, the privilege of taking his picture would relieve me of some of my dollars. In a bad mood to begin with, I was not interested in a picture of his vegetable stand. But for some reason I went along, expecting to get fleeced.
When I finished taking the picture, an amazing thing happened. He motioned for me to wait, pulled out a paper bag and filled it with vegetables from his stand, then handed them to me and said, "Welcome!" With a smile and a wave he sent me on my way. I was truly humbled and somewhat ashamed of my attitude. It dawned on me at that moment that here was a great example of the brotherly love that lay behind the ancient name of the place.
A little later my family and three students found a place to eat. It was a little restaurant a few hundred meters from the market square. Their specialty was Turkish cheese bread and salad. As we were vegetarians, that sounded like the perfect meal for a traveler. We watched, fascinated, as the baker laid out long strips of bread, filled a tiny trench with local cheese, and then put the results in a brick over with an open fire. The food was delicious and cost the eight of us only US$5! I was so moved by the experience that I left a 25 percent tip in gratitude. Since the children were sometimes slow, we left ahead of the students to head for the bus.
The students arrived 15 minutes later with another whole meal of cheese bread. The man had been so moved by my tip that he refused to let the students go until he had prepared a second meal for all of us as a gift! It deeply touched me. Brotherly love is a wonderful thing that brings profound joy to both the giver and the receiver. I will never forget my Turkish friends!
Lord, I want to show Your love today by giving of myself to others. May You exhibit the meaning of Your love through me.
As most Americans know, the name Philadelphia means "brotherly love." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has become called, therefore, the City of Brotherly Love. I'm not sure how the ancient city of Philadelphia received its name, but the Turkish people who live there now still exhibit this characteristic.
I have visited the ancient site of Philadelphia twice. It is located in the modern city of Alashehir. I have never been in a place that more warmly receives strangers. The first time we visited I was not feeling well. So I was walking down the street on market day, noticing my surroundings, but not wanting to talk or be involved with people.
Suddenly a man rushed toward me from behind a vegetable stand. Unable to speak English, he pointed to my camera and then himself and his vegetable stand. He wanted me to take a picture. I was used to this Middle Eastern drill--or so I thought. "You take picture--I take baksheesh." In other words, the privilege of taking his picture would relieve me of some of my dollars. In a bad mood to begin with, I was not interested in a picture of his vegetable stand. But for some reason I went along, expecting to get fleeced.
When I finished taking the picture, an amazing thing happened. He motioned for me to wait, pulled out a paper bag and filled it with vegetables from his stand, then handed them to me and said, "Welcome!" With a smile and a wave he sent me on my way. I was truly humbled and somewhat ashamed of my attitude. It dawned on me at that moment that here was a great example of the brotherly love that lay behind the ancient name of the place.
A little later my family and three students found a place to eat. It was a little restaurant a few hundred meters from the market square. Their specialty was Turkish cheese bread and salad. As we were vegetarians, that sounded like the perfect meal for a traveler. We watched, fascinated, as the baker laid out long strips of bread, filled a tiny trench with local cheese, and then put the results in a brick over with an open fire. The food was delicious and cost the eight of us only US$5! I was so moved by the experience that I left a 25 percent tip in gratitude. Since the children were sometimes slow, we left ahead of the students to head for the bus.
The students arrived 15 minutes later with another whole meal of cheese bread. The man had been so moved by my tip that he refused to let the students go until he had prepared a second meal for all of us as a gift! It deeply touched me. Brotherly love is a wonderful thing that brings profound joy to both the giver and the receiver. I will never forget my Turkish friends!
Lord, I want to show Your love today by giving of myself to others. May You exhibit the meaning of Your love through me.
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