Here are my thoughts-written for our church newsletter-way on back there in 2006:
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
-1 Corinthians 10:31
Israel left me speechless. Almost a month since we have returned, I am still trying to find the words to express how deeply my soul was touched by this place.
I’m not by nature an emotional person. My husband and children lovingly refer to me as the “ice queen”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I am without feelings, I am just very rarely moved to tears. So as I continue to filter through my thoughts and experiences of Israel I find myself in unchartered territory. You see, everything I witnessed in Israel had something deeply emotional and intensely spiritual lying just under the surface. I experienced this as I walked around the Sea of Galilee and saw the parables of Jesus come alive before my eyes and encountered it again as I beheld the beauty and majesty of the city of Jerusalem from afar, for the first time. But by far the most life changing experience for me was learned not from the land itself but from one that makes his home there; our guide.
His name is Ilan Barkay. His skin is suntanned from the many hours he spends in the desert and he wears hiking boots and a crocodile Dundee hat like a mantra. He holds degrees in geography and Israeli history and is so skilled at his craft that he made every stone, stick and leaf we came across, utterly fascinating. I have to admit that I was so mesmerized with his knowledge that I found myself chasing him all over Israel; literally running some places so that I wouldn’t miss anything he had to say. I guess it was pretty noticeable, because on the last day as we were standing around waiting for the rest of group to catch up, he said to me with a smile, “This is a walking tour across Israel… you have ran the whole way.”
We found ourselves on that last day having dinner at a kibbutz run by Messianic Jews. As we listened to a dear Jewish brother tell of their ministry to the Jewish people, I was struck by how few Jewish believers there are in Israel. Here in a place where even the land bears witness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! My mom must have been thinking the same thing I was because she turned and asked Ilan, “Are you Messianic?” “I am a reformed Jew.” was his quiet reply. With all his wealth of knowledge, all the fulfilled prophecies, parables and revelations he pointed out to us along the way, he did not fully know Jesus. In that moment, I grieved in my spirit for him and determined to pray for him.
As Chuck and I took in those final moments overlooking Jerusalem, I resolved to change this same thing in my own life. I don’t want to be full of knowledge and void of truth. My hearts desire is to be so overwhelmed with our incomparable awesome God that my life cannot help but bring Him glory!
-The First Union Church Spark 2006
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