“Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”      Matthew 13:22

Living in Israel can sometimes be very challenging. Example: Car registration.
     It is required by the government to have your car inspected each year. They check for worn tires, burnt out lights,  conduct a pollution test, and even check to see if the paint on the license plate is faded enough to be replaced.  All good.  But the process to get to the inspection can turn into quite an ordeal.
     The vehicle registration office of Jerusalem is located in an industrial area called Talpiot, where roads are too narrow. It is always jam-packed with a tangle of traffic, and parking is a nightmare.  As you make your way inside the building, through security and into the waiting room, your heart drops when you discover it is filled with people who got there just before you did. Taking the little paper number tab from the machine, you sit and wait.  When your number eventually comes up, with a sigh of relief, you rush to the window only to find the person on the other side of the glass isn’t at all happy you are there (a common reception in the registration process). In Hebrew you are told that the papers are wrong, you have to go to the other side of town to get a paper signed and bring it back.