The wise men say that the best way to understand another person is to walk a mile in their shoes.  Well, what if the men we want to understand better are men such as Joshua, King David, Jeremiah, Jesus, and Paul?  What if we are familiar with their stories, but are having trouble really connecting to them?  Intellectually, we know that the Bible is not just another book; but, sometimes, reading the words from a classroom or a church pew or even on a mountaintop, we can feel that there is a depth to them that we are just plain missing.  So how do we enrich our lives by truly connecting to these men and their teachings?

 

The answer is actually quite simple.  All of these people, and all of the most important men and women in the Bible all have one thing in common: they lived in the Land of Israel.  And while me may no longer be able to walk in their shoes, we can certainly walk in their footsteps. 

 

What did King David see when he said, “Jerusalem, mountains surround her”?  What did the psalmist envision when he implored G-d to return his people to their land like “riverbeds in the Negev desert”?  Where did Jesus spend his last days, and what did he see as he gazed on Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives?  And what was Paul’s last vision of the Holy Land like as he set foot on a ship, sailing away from the harbor in Caesarea?

 

We will walk in these places, and much more.  Using the Bible as our guide, we will explore the Holy Land.  Along the way we will meet and discuss Biblical and historical figures, sites, and landscapes, delve into biblical and historical texts, visit numerous archaeological sites, meet fascinating people, experience the Sabbath as it originally was meant, crawl through caves, climb mountains, and learn the Bible in a way not possible anywhere else in the world: with our feet. 

 

This experience is not about shopping, partying, or taking as many selfies as possible.  If that’s what you are looking for, check out one of the dozens of other Christian “Pilgrimages” out there.  That’s not to say that we don’t know how to have a good time or eat great food.  We do.  And you will.  But this experience is meant for those who seek something deeper, and it comes with only one guarantee: you will never read the Bible in the same way again. 

 

I invite you to come and join me.