Israel 2019

It's 8:30am (just after midnight in Coloado) and I am sitting on our deck drinking coffee, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is overcast but not raining (yet). Forecast says 100% rain for most of the day but a rainy day in Israel is better than most days anywhere else. Yesterday was rainy and foggy most of the day. We started our day with a beautiful breakfast on the deck, despite the chill and rain. We drove north to the Golan Heights Winery for a tour and wine tasting. They are one of the larger wineries in Israel and grow many varieties of wine with the varied temperatures along the Golan Heights. Most of their wines are "new" wines which take a short time to ready and should be consumed within a few years. Other wines are stored in oak barrels from France for several months to a year or two. We then drove to Tzvat which is a city steeped in the history and mysticism of the Jewish people. Tzvat is one of Judaism's four Holy Cities (the other ...

The street traffic this morning was almost non-existent as we left Tel Aviv early this Shabbat morning. We drove up the Mediterranean coast past Ceasarea in to the port of Haifa. We stopped briefly to show Ann the Bahai Gardens which are beautifully terraced gardens up the hillside. The reason why we drove through Haifa was to go to Tents of Mercy, a Messianic Jewish congregation started by Eitan Shishkoff. Eitan has spoken at Rocky Mountain Church and wrote the book, "What About Us?" which explains the purpose of the Gentiles as it relates to the Jews and Israel's restoration. Click here to read more about his book. It was a treat to see Dan Juster who was the guest speaker. He spoke about the Jewish roots of communion and then we all shared communion together. We also saw Eitan and AviShalom. wonderful worship Dan Juster who preached in English with a Hebrew translator Ann - Alison - AviShalom - Steve We drove up to Akko which is a crusader city but ...

Shabbat Shalom. It is Friday evening and the start of Shabbat. Most stores in Israel shut down on Friday afternoon and don't reopen until Saturday after sunset. With Tel Aviv being such a secular city, it is still busy. The first thing we did this morning was walk across the street and put our feet in the Mediterranean. It was cold but delightful. It was a lazy morning - waking up at 9:30 and spending most of the day in the old port city of Jaffa. Jaffa is the port where Jonah left from when he ran away from God. It's a short book in the Old Testament and worth the time to read it ... or for a bit of entertainment, listen to this little girl read it to you - here .       It is also where Peter raised Tabitha from the dead (Acts 29:40) and Simon the Tanner's house where Peter stayed (Acts 10:15). Saint Peters church is a Roman Catholic Church built over a 1,000 years ago.   Jaffa is known for its beautiful cobblestone streets and narrow alley...

Six years ago we left Israel and always knew we would return. It's almost hard to believe we are back in the land and we want to savor every moment. We want to balance our time between doing and being. I have an easy time with the 'doing' because I am such a planner - I have a harder time with the 'being'.  We want to be intentional about being in the Word and being aware of what God has planned for us while we are here. After a long flight we arrived in Israel yesterday afternoon. We had time to settle in, have dinner, and went to bed early to get a fresh start in the morning. First stop ... Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv translates to Ancient Hill of Spring. It's hard to believe that 110 years ago it was just sand dunes on the outskirts of the port of Old Jaffa purchased by Jewish immigrants. Today it is the second largest city in Israel with over 444,000 people. I almost left Tel Aviv off of our list of places to visit while planning our trip. Ther...

The first time we stepped foot in Israel it felt like we were coming home and every time we leave we think about the next time we will return. It's a hard feeling to explain if you've never been there. It is God's chosen place to dwell, where He led His chosen people to, the place where the Word of God turns from black and white into color. We were blessed to go with John and Arlene Stucki twice - once in 2011 and again in 2013. They were amazing tours packed with biblical and modern day history and archaeology. It has been said that going to Israel with the Stuckis is like a college course jammed in to 2 weeks. We have been praying since then about going back to Israel on our own, for a quieter time with God ... and 6 years later here we are, getting ready to leave, or should I say return. My mother was actually the catalyst for this trip. While she was alive, we told Ann (my mother's best friend, angel in disguise, and caregiver) that as a gift from my mother we w...