Israel Trip: 2020
Our Israel trip for 2020 is over and we just made it back before all the travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus. We were grateful we had no illnesses and no detainments. Our group was just about 45 people and as usual, we were able to do about 30-40% new events and places we had not done before. For example, we visited the Herodium (King Herod the Great’s burial grounds), which would have been active during the time of Christ. We were able to hike up to the treacherous bluffs of En Gedi and visited the caves thought to be similar to the encounter of King Saul and David (1 Sam 24). We enjoyed the fellowship of each other, we broke bread with the Nazareth Assembly, and picnicked on the Sea of Galilee after our boat ride! But, other than the adventure, why go to Israel? I asked myself the same question some 20 years ago when my dear friend, Jabe Nicholson, invited me. It took some convincing, but I finally agreed to go. I went to be a student and learn as much as I could. I have never regretted that decision and am in a great debt to my brother. It was about eight years later, I was asked to lead a tour. This is when I realized afresh the incredible value of visiting Israel. The Bible suddenly becomes like a children’s book with three dimensional “pop ups” from its pages. Your learning quotient takes off as you hear the Bible based upon location rather than timeline. You are exposed to all the events of a specific site, rather than looking at the chronological clock as the basis of historical events. It is akin to learning “in reverse” like Jeopardy where you have the answer and must cite with the question to get credit. On our tour we have the location and we ask, “what happened here in the Bible and how does it relate to God’s and and us?” In the will of the Lord, we will return next year from March 1-13, 2021. Our registration is through the Turkey Hill Ranch website (www.turkeyhillranch.com), under the events tab. Steve and Jimmy Allan who work at the camp make all the logistics happen. I owe them a great debt too! They handle all the travel plans and questions. So, I invite you to prayerfully consider our next trip for your edification, your teaching ministry, or just to have a fun time. Look forward to seeing you.
Note: Sorry about the audio quality we had trouble getting the recordings in a higher quality
