THE TWELVE DAYS TO JERUSALEM BOOK

Excerpt

Speaking of rest, I am tired. I decide to sit and enjoy the view overlooking Jerusalem. A movement to my left draws my attention. An unnoticed door opens from the corner of the wall.

A priest walks through and sits at the organ tucked in the corner. He smiles to the few sitting and motions with his hands, implying, “Would you like for me to play and you sing?” He speaks no English, and we certainly do not speak whatever it is he speaks. His motions and ours agree. The organ resounds the notes of Amazing Grace as we sing,

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
was blind, but now I see.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”

The glorious finish engulfs the walls, the ceiling, every crevice of time, and gently hugs each of us. We applaud the priest and thank him. He applauds and thanks us. He turns and steps back through the wall. The door closes. None of us speak. We bask in the moment. I pray with thanksgiving as God weaves his intricate patterns.

Chapters

On the Wings of Angels
Chapter One: Darkness
Chapter Two: The Emptied Vessel
Chapter Three: Prayers to God
Chapter Four: Israel
Chapter Five: The First Angel and the Voice
Chapter Six: Father Chacour and the children of Galilee
Chapter Seven: The Second Angel at the Well
Chapter Eight: The Third Angel
Chapter Nine: Masada and the Silence
Chapter Ten: Mary’s Angel at Christ’s Tomb
Chapter Eleven: The Blood of Jesus

What others say

“I love what you wrote in Twelve Days to Jerusalem, ‘If you knew where the treasure hides, would you enjoy the journey?’ I find that God’s surprises are always better than I can ever imagine. However, at times I get very impatient.”

“As I read Twelve Days to Jerusalem, I was amazed at the way God guided you through experiences which you knew could only have been His leading. I am so happy that you shared these experiences in a book that will inspire others to allow the Holy Spirit to lead them.”

“Twelve Days to Jerusalem has inspired me to return to the Holy Land. I have never been to Jacob’s Well and you have really made me want to go, maybe because I have often felt like the Samaritan woman needing forgiveness and so unworthy.”

“I enjoyed the story of the ‘Mount of Jumpfication’ in Twelve Days to Jerusalem. In fact, as I was reading this on the plane, I started laughing out loud. Another passenger looked at me like, ‘Wow, that must have been a good one.’ I could hardly stop laughing.”

“In Twelve Days to Jerusalem when you are thinking about your angel and addressing God, you did exactly what I would have done, ‘Okay, Lord, you’ve taken care of everyone else, now how about me? Did you forget me?’”

“I was reading Twelve Days to Jerusalem in the hotel by a fireplace and I had a couple ask me what I was reading—before I knew it I was witnessing to them and sharing about the children of Galilee.”

The author

Mary McAliley writes, designs, and creates opportunities to encourage the expansion of world peace and understanding. She has worked with two United States Presidents and served on the Advisory Board of World Peace through Reverence for Life. Mary pioneered a higher education program that brings simultaneous learning across the internet for students in different countries. Mary is trained in advertising, marketing, technology, design, writing, neurolinguistics, and psychological testing. Mary won Telly Awards for her work and is listed in 2000 Notable Women.

Mary is a native Georgian and lives in Atlanta. She is married to a minister and has two children and three step-children. Mary currently holds the position of Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Emory University. (more)