How did I get interested in this Israel stuff? Why is this such a big deal to me?
This tale goes back about ten years to when I was introduced to the teachings of Ray VanderLaan. I heard him speak at church a few times and then watched his video series. He is a high school Bible teacher, but is better known for the trips he leads to Israel and Turkey. I was fascinated by his teachings of the history and culture of what is happening in the setting of the Bible.
Then in the summer of 2003 I was blessed with the opportunity to go to Turkey with Ray, which shifted the direction of my life. The Bible came to life for me in ways I couldn’t imagine. I hadn’t realized it before, but the Bible hadn’t felt fully real to me before that. I compare it to the setting of Star Wars (or pick your favorite fictional setting). I can read about the Bible lands or Star Wars. I can see pictures or watch videos. However, they both are not my life. I can’t feel or touch them. Then I went to Turkey and walked on the roads that the Gospel was carried on. These were real places! Real people lived in them! The Bible is full of people like you and me. We are separated by time and culture, but when you get right down to it, they’re like you and me.
Finishing my Turkish expedition, I thought, “If Turkey is this amazing, then I need to get to Israel because much more of the Bible happened there!” With that resolution, two years later I journeyed to Israel, further opening my eyes to the world of the Bible.
Although I’ve waited to walk the Holy Land again, I went on a tour to Turkey and Greece in 2010. I had a good review of some beloved sites and had the enjoyment of seeing many new ones.
History comes alive when you visit where it happened. Whether it’s seeing ruins like the Parthenon in Athens (see above) and witnessing the glory of ancient Greece or recognizing that it was in places like that in which the early followers of Jesus took the message of salvation, visiting these places bring history to life.