What a Story!
Lisa and I are back on American soil and grateful for all your prayers that sustained us during our recent 12 day excursion to Israel. What an incredible blessing it was to immerse ourselves in the Greatest (True) Story that ever played out. A story where a mouse (Israel) prevails despite all the big cats (Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, etc ...) and our King gains his throne by means of a cross. Along the way we revisited parts of the story in wilderness of Sinai, the strongholds of En Gedi, the towns along the Via Maris, the regions around the Sea of Galilee, culminating outside of Jerusalem's old city walls with a cross, and a tomb.
What is amazing among all the ancient ruins and modern reconstruction of Israel is that while you find evidence of the story played out in broken down stones of temples, synagogues, fortresses, and palaces, God is still erecting a lasting monument to King Jesus by means of "Living Stones", including you and me ( cf. I Peter 2:4,5). Herod the Great was truly incredible in putting Judea on the Roman map, but his accomplishments lie in ruins, while the kingdom of King Jesus is growing to this day awaiting its final consummation!
We look forward to sharing more with you as occasion arises. This Sunday we will be jumping back into the story in I Samuel 16. Now that the people's king, Saul, has been rejected, it is time for God's king, David to be anointed. I look forward to diving into it with you again.