Israel, pt. 1

I recently returned from an incredible ten days in the land of Israel!  I'm still processing all that I saw and experienced as well as sorting through the 700+ pictures that came home with me.  My journal is full of stories and reflections.  It was certainly a trip of a lifetime!

I flew with the Public Servants' Prayer team to the Holy Land on my birthday.  (It turned out to be the shortest birthday of my life to date!)  As our plane took off from the Chicago airport that afternoon, I asked the Lord to use this time away to refresh my weary soul.  That prayer was answered as the places I would soon see conjured up the biblical stories and characters I had loved and admired since a child and reminded me of the faith of all those who had gone before me - and challenged me to continue entrusting my life to the One who loved and died for his own.

Here are some pictures of the places we visited.  Seeing Mt. Carmel, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Jericho, the hills of Judea, Jerusalem, Gethsemane, the Mt. of Olives, the Garden of the Tomb, etc. - it truly is indescribable. If anything, I have come away from this trip never reading my Bible the same again.

 The Mediterranean Sea at Joppa and Caesarea 

Mr. Carmel and the Jezreel Valley where Elijah confronted the 450 prophets of Baal, and God rained down fire and brimstone from heaven.

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

The Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus taught the multitude (Matthew 5-7).

The Jordan River

The wall of Jericho

Jerusalem

The Dead Sea

The Mount of Olives

The Place of the Skull

The Garden of the Tomb

As I've been home and gone about my normal routines and responsibilities the last several days, the Holy Spirit continues to prompt me,  "Don't forget what you saw.   Let it challenge your faith and draw you to a deeper confidence and trust in God Almighty, in your Good Shepherd, in the One who gave his life for you."