I love the land of Israel. I do everything I can to visit as often as possible. If you have never experienced the Holy Land, I urge you to start planning to make the trip as soon as you can—because I am sure that once you have been there, you will be forever changed by the experience!

Without question, seeing Israel for yourself is the experience of a lifetime. Every time I go, the Lord touches my heart in new ways. The Scriptures come alive when the sights and sounds you have only read about become something you touch, taste and encounter. There is something truly inspiring about walking on the ground where Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and Yeshua (Jesus) walked, seeing and experiencing the land of milk and honey as they did.

When I go to Israel these days, I often go with a group of believers so that we can explore the most important and meaningful biblical sites together. These tours often include breaks for in-depth teaching and times of worship at locations like the pool of Bethesda, the Mount of Olives, or a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee. You would be welcome to join us on one of our upcoming tours, if you wish. You can find the details for our next trip on our website.

Someday, if you have opportunity to spend enough time in Israel, I believe you will find that the Jewish people are far more like us in their faith than you may have imagined. A great deal of the misunderstandings between Jews and Christians over the centuries come down to terminology and understanding semantics. What salvation means in a Jewish context is far different from what salvation is in a Gentile Christian context—we start from two different places.

There are thirteen foundational beliefs of Judaism, and one of them is the belief in the Messiah. It is simply wrong to say that Jews do not believe in the Messiah. They believe in salvation. They believe in resurrection. What Jews believe about these things may seem different from what we believe, but as we understand the Word of God, we will begin to see our oneness. First Corinthians 13 says that when we see through a glass darkly, the best thing to do is walk in love.

We go to Israel to learn, to broaden our understanding, to refresh ourselves spiritually, and to create relationships with the Jewish people. We discover that from the days of Abraham, Moses and David, it has not been the land itself that truly provided for God’s people; what provided for them, and still does today is God’s presence. And He will provide for us as well.