Israel - Day 1

We made our flight to Philadelphia with no problems. Since we have a few hours in Philadelphia before we jump on our plane to Israel, I thought I'd write about what's on my mind. First, Philly cheese steaks are delicious, even in airports. On a more spiritual note though, Heidi and I are incredibly excited about going to Israel to (among other things) walk where Jesus walked. Today in church our pastor, David Daniels, spent a few minutes talking about what it meant to be a disciple. He talked about how the disciples of a rabbi would sleep in the same room as the rabbi, wake up when the rabbi awoke, eat when the rabbi ate, and do what the rabbi did. While we aren't able to completely identify with the disciples, because that was Israel 2000 years ago and not today, we hope that our trip to Israel will give us a better glimpse of the context of the Scriptures. Our hope is that many insights will arise as we travel throughout Israel and follow in the footsteps of Jesus and observe the locations and meditate on the Scriptures that connect our trip with the events of the Bible. Are you following the footsteps of Christ? Not literally! This is a once in a lifetime (if that) opportunity for most people. But just because you're living 2000 years after Christ and in a different location doesn't mean you're exempt from following in the figurative footsteps of the rabbi, Jesus Christ. Are you committing your life to be a disciple of Christ? Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 (among other places) that anyone who wants to be his disciples, "must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me(Jesus)." How are you lining up with the footsteps of Christ? The best way to make this happen is by radically giving your life over to Christ and being a fully devoted follower, but sometimes the best way to make that happen is to start taking one step closer to Christ. We'd love for you all to be following the figurative footsteps of Christ as we follow His literal footsteps.