Israel Pastors Trip Blogs

Today we began our walking tour by visiting the Western Wall Tunnels.  These tunnels are far below current street level – at the street level during the time of Christ.  There we saw the base of the Temple Mount and walked northwards along the Temple Mount Wall and emerged at the north end of the Temple Mount.

We turned right and headed toward the Loins Gate (or St. Stephen’s Gate) but stopped just before to visit the Pools of Bethesda and St Anne’s Church.  In the church I lined all of out group up like a choir and we sang How Great Thou Art in the marvelous acoustics of the sanctuary. A Doctor of Music who is on sabbatical from her university post in London happened to be in the church while we were there and captured us singing and we kind enough to send us a recording.  She asked if we were a choral group! Not bad for an impromptu song.  Singing at St. Annes Church

At the Pools of Bethesda Bishop James Dixon shared from the Bible.  It was here Jesus healed the lame man.

We then walked the Via Dolorosa and discussed all 14 Stations of the Cross.  We started at the Antonia Fortress with a devotion by Ralph Sigler.  We ended at the Church of the Holy Seplucher.  While we all recognize the historic significance of this structure, it did not resonate with our group of Evangelical leaders.

We walked through the Old City to the Jaffa Gate and boarded our bus which took us to Ben Yehuda Street for lunch and a short time of shopping.  No trip to Israel would be complete without a little shopping time.

Then we drove to the Garden Tomb, located near the Damascus Gate to the Old City.  Our guide told us the story of the Garden and the reasons why they believe this might be the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again.

After visiting the empty tomb, I led the group in a short devotional time pulling together all we had experienced together during the past 6 days and we shared communion.

Afterwards, I invited everyone just to spend some time in the Graden before we left.  We had the opportunity to meet Christian people from other parts of the world. It was a very special time.

As we ended this very full day, we headed back to our hotel for our final dinner together.  As we sat around the table we were all filled with mixed feelings – happy to be there, but sad it was coming to an end.

After dinner we headed to the airport.  Even though we received VIP treatment, the security at Ben Gurion Airport is very high and very strict (probably why Israel is one of the safest places on earth). It took a little while to clear security (6 separate checkpoints), but we all made it through without incident and settled into our seats on the plane for our twelve hour flight home.

Wow! It’s not every day that you get to have communion in the Garden Tomb . . . the place that Christians most generally believe to be the place of Jesus’ resurrection.

Exact place? Who knows and it doesn’t really matter . . . the right Person . . . that matters . . . that makes the difference . . . that makes all the difference!

But what a rush . . . to know that you are literally within feet or yards of where the stone was rolled away . . . where Jesus walked out . . . and where the angels announced He is not here!

In a few hours I won’t be here any longer either . . . the good Lord willing I will return again to this amazing land . . . without a doubt Jesus will! Everything else He predicted has come true and so will this. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

I can’t believe that our trip of a lifetime is coming to a close! It has been a very fast paced trip, very full days but lots of supernatural energy thanks to all of your prayer support! We are so grateful . We have felt God’s favor every step of the trip . Everyone has been healthy and we have been able to move around Israel very quickly with not many crowds at all. Today we had the greatest crowd to wait for at the Church of the Holy Sepluchre, but not bad.
We lifted our voices to worship in the beautiful St. Anne’s Cathedral, named for Mary’s mother. We sang Aleluia , and had it videoed by a stranger, who asked if we were a chorale group! She will send it to us!
Israel has been a life changing experience for both of us and we will never be the same since being here! We hope to be back bringing many of you with us!! Must get to another delicious Mediterranean dinner. They know the meaning of delectable food!
See you all very soon…. Pray for our flight!

Today is our last day and probably will be one of the most emotionally draining as we visit the place where Jesus was scourged . . . walk the Via Dolorosa . . . and finally share communion with our new friends in the garden tomb, the site of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

I first came here when I was 17 years old and barely remember anything. It will be different this time! I’m not saying one is too young to come at that age . . . I just had different reasons and was distracted. I won’t take time to go into that. But this time the sites, sounds, smells, tears, and memories will last for a life time. This is the first time here with my wife, but not the last.

It would be hard to come here and not have God do something in your life . . . if you open your heart to Him. I pray that the changes He has been making in my life will be lasting change. I’m a fallible, very fallible, human being . . . but God is working and changing me. And just as when I was 18 I believed He used my first trip here to birth some things in my life, so will He birth new things this time, too.

It’s going to be hard saying good bye to our new friends and should we not see one another again on this earth, we will join together once more, with our Lord, and not just where He walked on earth one time, but forever in our new eternal home.

Come quickly Lord Jesus, come quickly!

well, its hard to believe that this is our last day.  coming to israel is like coming home and im already a bit homesick but can hardly wait to come back.  the last couple of days since my last post have been spent in jeruslam.  the first 3 days of our trip were concentrated on a lot of ot sites.  the last 3 have been concentrated on new testament sites.  

we have covered alot of jerusalem.  my mind and heart are full.  sitting int he garden of gethsemane was quite moving as i thot about this place where jesus wept over the city as he looked.  i thot about does my heart weep for the things God weeps for?  sometimes it does, others it doesnt but i need to be broken more for the things of GOd.  yesterday, i was sitting in the most likely cave where the son of God was born.  thats hard to imagine that you could stand in that manger area.  

the old city is like no other.  your heart and spirit are just drawn here.  people live inside it and pay quite a bit to do so.  we have walked tunnels dug in the cananite ere as well as water tunnels that hezekiah has built.  

i walked the same temple steps yesterday as jesus did.  the original steps.  unreal.  walking the same steps as jesus wouldve to the temple to worship.  its amazing to me how much people sacrificed just to get to jerusalem to worship.  they would walk and recite the song of steps in ps. 121 as they walked up them.  it was a time of preparation.  how does my heart prepare for worship each week.  i have been reminded again that althouh america has becomd civilized we have lost some of the best out of civilization from the past that would do our spiritual pilgrimages some good.  

we thank you for your prayers.  our bodies have adjusted well this whole time and were getting ready to board a plane tonight for home.  we miss home but feel like weve been home.  as i sit on the balcony of my hotel, i look over a city that all the world will want and that someday the antichrist will set up his home in.  its hard to belive that all roads point to jerusalem.  this has been a great history lesson to me.  its put many disconnected things into place.  

i can hardly wait to teach about israel.  but since weve run hard for 7 stragiht days, i have lots of refflectin to do.  

we end our last day having communion in the garden tomb.  it will be a moving day.  some days have been physcially exhausting some days emotionally.  we will walk jesus final path today, im sure were up for another emotional day.  thanks for your prayers.  we cant wait to see and share with you.