Israel Pastors Trip Blogs

Next week is have the opportunity to host a group of 14 major Christian leaders on their first visit to Israel.

Follow our adventures as these men and women of God experience the land of the Bible for the first time!

Our blog will be filled with great pics and special insights as we visit the various biblical and historical sites.  Hear about the beautiful hotels, fabulous restaurants, and special people we get to meet as well.

Read as our group discovers that once you visit Israel, You Will Never Be The Same!

On the Web: www.visittoisrael2010.com / Facebook: Israel Trip 2010

Reflecting on this tour, I must say that this was probably the most enjoyable of my 14 trips to Israel.

• The people in our group were all wonderful.  It is easy to see why God has raised them up to be significant leaders and pastors.
• The accommodations were absolutely delightful.
• All of the food was outstanding.  The beauty, the abundance, and the quality are beyond words.
• Our guide, Tsion Ben-David was amazing.  His knowledge, his energy, and his resilient spirit are remarkable.
• The itinerary was demanding – but the experience was well worth the long days and short nights.
• The presence of God among the group as we shared biblical experiences together was memorable.

Everyone in the group says the same thing:  Now that they have visited Israel, they will never be the same!  And they are all going back… Perhaps you will go with them.

If you do – You’ll never be the same!

First I want to apolgize for not blogging the last 2 days of the trip. Our next to the last day was so long (but wonderful) I just couldn’t make myself blog at 1 a.m., and Tuesday we went from dinner to the Airport so there was no time.
However, I do want to share a few thoughts about those days. Monday was some day. Praying at the western wall is an experence in humility. How many have cried there before me, we are a part of God’s plan, but a little part of a Big God with a Big plan. The Temple steps are an experience as well. This was the first place where we could really walk where Jesus walked. Mostly there is 20 ft of rubble on top of where He walked, but here these are the orginal steps of Herod’s temple going up to the main entrence. Jesus would have used these steps, as would have thousands of pilgrams who sang the Psalms of Assent. I tried to imagine how Jesus felt climbing those steps knowing that each lamb being sacrificed was a picture of him dying for my sins.
Accross the street is the city of David. Suddenly you are back another thousand years to David’s time; recent digs show the remains from His palace. Going through the tunnels from Hezekiah’s time was amazing. Much of the work in this area is on-going with new discoveries each day, and all of them confirming God’s Word.
The day ended for us at the Tower of David Museum for a remarkable sound and light show which is almost indescribable, along a 200 yd wall pictures were show set to music which told the history of Jerusalem from Abraham to present, all set to music. I thought it showed how important history is to this old but rather new again nation.
Our last day took your breath away and again. We met in the dungun under the house of the high priest where almost certainly Jesus was held as he awaited the mockery of his trails. I tried to imagine how He felt in that place, but was to great for my little mind. The western wall tunnels are an education worth the trip. I stood beneath the Holy of Holies, saw the largest cut rock in the world, stood of the street level of Jesus day and pondered how little I am compared to all that have gone before me whose story is told in the layers of rock and history around and above me. Oh little man, how can God love me, but He does. The Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher don’t do it for me; too much gold and candles and junked up stuff, but the Garden Tomb and Gordon’s Calvary made me feel God presence. If this is not the place of His death, bural and resurrection, it is surely the best place on earth to remember them. Communion there with my bride and our group was one of the high lights of my life. Barb and I has a precious prayer time there for our family and each of you as well.
I would be remiss if I didn’t end with a word about our group. 10 Pastor and their wives, most of whom didn’t know each other before the trip, but family by the end. I have never shared experinces with a greater group of friends. Thanks to each of you on the trip for accepting and loving Barb and me, and for being part of our memories of this great week. Each of you are great servants of the most high God. It is an honor to be in this group.
Finally a word to each of you who tracked with us through the week. I hope many of you can go with us some day to this special place. I would love for you to experence what Barb and I just have, prehaps next year in Jerusalem. Until then Shalom!