Feelings of Re-entry From The Holy Land

Re-entry has been a bit rough. I love my life and the people in it and the places I get to live it - it’s just when your heart has had a major jolt - your life is changed on the inside but on the outside, everything looks the same.

I’m never sure what to do with re-entry feelings and this time it seems a bit more dramatic. It may be that there were many new heart connections made and we all came home together with the same jolt, and now the process begins of how to use it before we lose it.

It would be sad to have major heart surgery and go back to sitting on the same couch and eating donuts.

My prayer is that God uses the heart changes -the jolt- to bring changes to the outside that match the feelings on the inside.

The inside feelings are not feelings of wanting a better religion with more rules but a better understanding of who God is; to live in a closer relationship with Him and His body as we all fit together. I pray we live with greater LOVE and FREEDOM with power and purpose!

Jesus Confronts Our Fears and Our Rules. Lessons From A Jewish Teacher

Jesus always confronts our fears and our rules. He is interested in our hearts, not our performance. A heart that loves God is a life that lives for Him. Jesus often went to the dangerous places that people feared, and he touched the unclean people that were avoided, and he did it in lawbreaking times. When God gave the law, it was given to guide us to love, trust and to live our lives for Him; it became about trusting and following the law rather than trusting and following the law-giver. Why do we like law so much better than LOVE? Why do we like performance better than relationship? Why do we trust letters on stone more than a love letter written on hearts? What if we fought for love as passionately as we fight for laws? God’s love has no boundaries, no laws and no fear to rule over Him. Jesus was the human embodiment of God on earth to show us WHO LOVE IS, and where He goes, what He does, and when He does it. May love rule our hearts that we may go without fear to all the places,
people, and times that God calls us.... HERE I AM LORD.

One Country - One Heart *Lessons In Israel From a Jewish Teacher*

God is so much bigger and greater than I ever knew. I can’t wrap my mind around one piece of who He is. I feel like I got a glimpse, a flash, that showed me something I never saw before and as quick as I saw it the lights went out again, it was too much to handle all at once so I will spend a long time just remembering and trying to make sense of what I saw in the flash. I’m in complete awe of God and I feel so small. I have seen a little more of who He is, and the only thing I know for sure is He is so much bigger and I’m so much smaller. I also see how God does so much with so little. Isreal is tiny and yet everything we have read about since the beginning of time happened right there in that tiny, but vital, part of the world. Life changing, world-changing, eternity-changing things happened right in that little amazing piece of land and sea. It blows my mind the closeness of the wilderness to the promise land, The Dead Sea (lowest place on earth) to The Temple Mount (the Highest Place, in Biblical terms.)
Maybe Israel and all that has happened throughout history shows the heart of God, and maybe Isreal is like the heart of the world, and maybe God can take a small country or heart and do big things and change the world and eternity with one country or one heart that is all His!

Marvel To Murder In One Conversation - Lessons from Our Jewish Teacher

Charlie read Scripture, Luke 4:16-30, as we stood on the brow of this hill and looked over the Jezreel Valley. It’s a short walk from this hill to Nazareth, the town where Jesus grew up. We talked about the people of Nazareth and how they had heard of the things Jesus had done, the miracles he had performed and they knew him from the time he was a boy. Jesus came (home) to Nazareth to read Scripture in his local synagogue, and when he read, the people could feel the importance of what they had heard and witnessed, they marveled at His words, it was a holy moment and they could all feel it. The people spoke well of him. Somehow the good feeling and conversation quickly turned from marvel and speaking well of Jesus to familiarity and disappointment. The people knew Jesus; they liked his fame and his reputation until he didn’t do what they expected him to do for them. It quickly turned from a beautiful moment where the people marveled at his gracious words to drive him to the edge of town, to a cliff where they wanted to throw him down. How in the world did they turn from marvel to murder in one conversation? Familiarity and expectation are killers!!! The minute we get familiar and take listening and learning from Scripture lightly, turning holy moments into an expectation of performance, we are bored and disappointed. Help us Jesus to marvel at your Word, help us to always speak well of you. Draw us close to know You and experience your holiness, keep us from the familiar expectations.

Digging - Remembering - Learning In Israel.

Our culture always looks ahead, moves forward. It’s very Western / American thinking to emphasize moving on, moving forward in order to be successful, to make a difference. The Jewish culture is always looking back. Always “digging” up the past and thinking and teaching about times and places in history. Remembering. What if the best way to move forward is to look back. Looking back and remembering the goodness of God, remember mistakes and forgiveness, remember droughts and provision by the mighty hand of God. We spend a lot of time trying to forget the past, forget hardships and hurt, and maybe the best way to heal and move on, is to look back and remember. Maybe the best way to not repeat the same sins, the same mistakes is to remember. Remember the things that have happened and then stand in His “presence” and move forward in faith with all the memories of how we got to this place and this time. We often look at remembering as being stuck in the past and maybe if we were courageous enough to remember we could move forward in faith with wisdom. Lot’s wife looked back and turned to a pillar of salt, I think it matters how we look back.... if we look back longing for the times and the things we had before God saved us, we will be bitter and of no use, but if we remember the goodness of God and how He brought us out of sin we can move forward. When Elijah had a contest with Baal worshippers he first “repaired the altar of the Lord” which means “remembered.” He didn’t start something new he remembered and everything Elijah did that day was in remembrance and represented the things God had done. It matters how we look back, not only what we remember but how we remember it. Do we look back like Lot’s wife and long for things and places that aren’t good for us or do we remember how God worked in our lives to move us out of places, away from things that would destroy us if He didn’t intervene and save us.

Israeli Friends Forever!

This has been a crazy year of transition for our family. Charlie is still in Oregon, working most of the time and me and the kids are in Billings, MT. We have only met a few people outside of family, here in Billings. This trip has been an awesome way to meet and connect with some treasures that we feel bonded to and blessed to know. It was as if God hand picked each person for this trip. It was a beautiful variety of ages and walks of life. Every single person has their own story and for 12 days our stories all came together in a very unique and special way. God loves His children and He loves to see them love one another and that is exactly what we did. As we were leaving the airport, there were a lot of teary good-byes and lots of hugging. It felt like when I was a kid and I would leave Church camp. You feel like you just had a life-changing experience and you will be forever bonded to the people that shared in that experience. I’m happy to be home with all my peeps and I’m thankful for the people and the experience we shared together.

 I wish I had a picture with everyone!!! I love them all!!

We Are Found, and Had a Holy Blast!

We have had a few people say to us that they hoped we find what we are looking for on this trip. Honestly, we weren’t looking for anything different than Who we seek to know better every day. God gave us life and loved us enough to pursue and find US. He is with us now and for eternity. For all who know Him, know that all our whole lives are in search of more of Him. We visited the Holy Lands, the land where Jesus lived while He was on earth, we went to the land that many stories in the Bible talk about. We learned about Jesus’ culture and his life while he was walking on this earth in a body of flesh. If we were looking for anything, it would be a closer relationship and a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. We did find that. We found a renewed love and thrill for the Scriptures. The Old Testament and The New Testament have so much more meaning to me now that I understand and can visualize better who and where this TRUTH

was taught.

 You don’t have to travel to the Holy Lands to find anything, God is with us everyday no matter where we are, but it sure makes the Bible we read come alive in a whole new way!

Plus! 

 We had a holy BLAST!

One Selfish Season Steals, Kills, and Destroys A Loyal Friend - Lessons From Israel

We sat on the steps where King David built his palace in the City of David. We talked about the story of King David and Bathsheba. What hit me afresh in this story, was the fact that Uriah had been with David while hiding in the Caves of Adullam and also on top of the world in a palace. 

 It took just one season of David choosing to live in comfort, ease, and safety; over going to battle beside his mighty men before death and destruction took place.

  David chose a season of selfish self-indulgence, ahead of going to battle with his friends, including his loyal friend Uriah, for him to take his wife and eventually murder his loyal friend.

 These men had been through so much together. God had been with King David and his mighty men and spared their lives and helped them win many battles together. It took one selfish, self-indulging season of choosing comfort and ease over going to battle and fighting for the Kingdom, to cause sin and death.  The sin would eventually be forgiven, but still caused unbelievable, unrepairable damage to all the people around. 

God help us not to choose comfort and ease and safety over putting on our armor, going to the places you send us and fighting for the Kingdom, alongside the people you have put in our lives.

There Should Be A Warning Label With This Trip To Israel.

We sat in the spot where Peter would have given the sermon in Acts 2 where over 3000 people were baptized in one day. 

Peter had knowledge of the Scripture from the time he was a boy, he had the relationship with Jesus as he followed Him as his Rabbi for 3 1/2 year, and He was equipped by God with the power of the Holy Spirit.  He delivered this message he knew so well about Jesus who he loved so dearly, with power from God, in a place with over 30 mikvahs (baptismal pools) right on sight.

 It all came together in that moment, and he shared what he knew and experience he had, who talked about who he loved, all in the power of the Holy Spirit.

 The people were cut to the heart.... they asked what shall we do?

 Peter told them to repent and be baptized. 

3000 people received the word and were baptized that day.

This is what Peter did with the gift and knowledge and experience he was given.

 I feel like this trip has been such a gift and should have come with a serious 

warning label!!

The warning label should say:  Once you 

GO you won't be the same, and you can't keep it to yourself.

 I feel compelled and responsible to share this gift.

This day and this place are very representative of our faith in Jesus.  

We have been given the Scriptures to learn, and the opportunity to follow Jesus and enjoy a relationship with Him.  We are promised power when all those things come together; we repent (turn from our way to His way) and are baptized (washed clean and made new) in the name of Jesus Christ. 

 We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit (power) to share that gift. 

Where is the place that it will all come together and what will we do with the gift given to us? It wasn’t a matter of “work” or duty for Peter, he was compelled and equipped with knowledge and power to share

 GOOD NEWS!

People Turn From God For Bread and Circus. - Israel Lessons

2 things have jumped out at me the last couple of days: 

Many of the stories we are reading go like this:

God gave them this place or did that for them and it ended in disaster.

www. what went wrong? 

They didn’t conquer the land, the land conquered their hearts.

 How do we conquer the land in New Testament times?

 We must give alllllllll, surrender allllll to King Jesus.

Our lives / our hearts must be conquered by His Kingdom.

 If His Kingdom, His Way of Life does not conquer the entire territory of our lives, we will be captured and conquered by the things of this world. 

Your kingdom come your will be done in and thru me!

The second thing is this:

The Roman’s only had to do a few things to distract God’s chosen people from Him while living in The Promise Land that He gave them. 

They only had to win them over one little piece at a time to forget their God and their way of life. 

All they had to do was bring food and entertainment.

 People will abandon God and His way of life for 

bread and circus.

 Oh Lord help us!!!! Nothing new under the sun.

Our Jewish Teacher From Israel Says We Are Ready For Jerusalem

We started in the garden and wandered thru the desert and visited mountains and caves. We gathered and listened to The Sermon on the Mount and we got in a boat and went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. We have been on a journey, learning and seeing new things from a long time ago that affect us every single day of our lives since the beginning of time and for eternity. 

Our Jewish teacher from Israel (tour guide) says we are now ready, we are now prepared to enter Jerusalem.

New Gift of (In)sight From Israel.

We took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee at sunset. Several times we have paused in a Biblical sight to reflect and pray and think for a moment. Each time I find myself alone to reflect, I naturally close my eyes.

 I keep hearing in my heart

Open your eyes and look at where you are.

Take this moment in, with your eyes and heart open to see and feel and know your mighty God better.

 I’m grateful for this trip, this opportunity, this moment, and I pray my eyes and heart are wide open. When I go home and close my eyes may I see in my mind’s eye and feel in my heart, the things I saw and felt, here in this place where my eyes were opened in a whole new way.

 I pray I can use this gift of new (in)sight to share what my eyes and heart have seen and felt.

Jesus Heals The Unclean

Jesus' healings were often done as he was traveling to  “unclean” places reaching out and touching the “unclean”. The “unclean” places and people in that time and culture were the places and people that were the outcast, feared, hidden, avoided. 

People did not want to go to these unclean places or to touch these unclean people. 

These unclean places and unclean people is where Jesus went, and who Jesus touched to bring miracles and healing. 

What and where and who are we afraid of? 

What is “unclean” (fears) in us? 

Jesus purposes to GO to the places we fear the most, touch the parts that are holding us back; the places and parts of us that are causing us to be “unclean” (afraid) and bring us out of hiding and heal us and change us.

 May we be the one that will be healed and changed right where we are, that we may share our personal space in 

His-story

 and be a part of the change in many.

Lessons I Learned In Israel.

Yesterday we sat on Mt. Arbel which is where Jesus prayed as he could look down and see his disciples struggling in a severe storm all night. We sat and prayed and could look down at the Sea of Galilee and imagined what that must have been like for Jesus to sit up there and know what is going on and yet not be in a hurry to finish His time alone with His Father. The thing that hit me was that Jesus didn’t go down and solve their problem or help them until he had prayed and connected and spent time with His Father. May we spend time praying and connecting with our Father before we go and solve any problems or help anyone struggling. We have to keep our connection with God first priority even in the storms of life.

Things I Leaned from a Jewish Teacher in Israel.

We went to Chorazin and learned the ways of the ancient Jewish people. We learned how they lived and how they worked and taught their children. We learned how the brightest and best students were the disciples chosen ones, to follow and learn from the Rabbi. Sometimes the Rabbi chose which disciples to teach and sometimes the disciples chose which Rabbi to learn from. Then we went to Tabgha which is where Jesus picked his first disciples.

 He picked them, not the traditional way, and not the easy way.

 Then, when Jesus came back to this same shore after His death and burial and Resurrection, and He found His disciples in the same place out fishing again, back in that same area doing the same thing they had known before they followed Him.

 It was a powerful and sobering message to me.... when Jesus has called us to be His disciples, and things get hard and we feel defeated, do we go back to what we knew before He called us, back to what is comfortable and familiar, or do we continue in the calling He gave us?