Israel Day 4 – Drowned in fierce emotions

This day is packed with visits to the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached His famous ‘Sermon of the Mount’. As I walk through the extraordinary places where Jesus performed His miracles, I yearn and search, with a substantial, voracious thirst, for His touch.

The greatest event of all is being baptized in the Jordan River! This is not just another baptism. As I am submerged into the cool water, the heaviness of the world loosens and my worldly dreams, one by one are discharged into the cleansing stream. The ultimate peace of God and the overwhelming emotion of gratitude envelop me as I hug my roommate, Sheryl. The sweetness of God’s mercy spreads in my heart and stomach.

That night, on Mount Carmel, Kim Clement hosts a sunset concert. This is the place where God answered by fire as Elijah stood against the false prophets of Baal. Kim’s prophetic worship wins over the spiritual battle against the false gods – a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Israel Day 3 – Painter of Time

We wait in line as we watch a tower of Christians in front of us talk with breathless enthusiasm about The Call. This event is unforgettable – Messianic Jews praying for the Fire of the Holy Spirit to reign over Israel, Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians praying together on stage, blessing each other, the Messianic Jews ask for forgiveness from God for not believing in Jesus! God is the Master Painter of time, space and miracles.

A heavy burden spreads over me when the subject of abortion is dramatically announced by a Christian man name Jaeson Ma. Almost 27 years prior, his mother was about to take his life when she found out she was pregnant. Her boyfriend at the time did not want the baby and called it an accident. By the grace of God, a Christian doctor persuaded her to keep the child. Now, that child, Jaeson Ma, is an instrument for Christ, bringing thousands of souls to Christ with his story. There are 2 million abortions out of 7.5 million people in Israel. The enemy is trying his best to keep God’s people down. The Call is fighting along side God to pull down the gates of hell, leaving us with an attack of optimism –that life can be truly beautiful without all the spiritual warfare.

We sit and worship God from morning until night, waiting for the Holy Spirit to permeate patiently around us and within us.

Israel Day 2 – Clumsy meets Charmed

Some visit Israel to tour the history, to tantalize their intellect, but I find that the true appeal lies in its pure beauty – God’s beauty. Our souls long to revel in all things beautiful, historical and provocative. Jerusalem is an environment of faith, a magical moment of suspended belief. Here, we find an opportunity to apply it, to make a difference.

Walking the Via Dolorosa is a reminder of God’s beauty. His heart is so full of love for us that He willingly took the cross to carry our burdens, our sin, our hatred so that we may live. As I walk through every checkpoint, I cannot help but realize that every breath I take is a stolen breath, every day is a stolen day, every taste.... then at the end where we see the place He was crucified, I am reminded that Jesus died on the cross because He wanted to. He gave up His life because He wanted to. He bought me with His blood because His love is so deep and so wide that He was willing to be humiliated, stripped of His flesh, endured the excruciating pain as they nailed Him on the cross, bled and hung for dead so that I, Miss Clumsy, may be made Charmed.
The exact spot where the soldiers during Jesus' time gambled for His belongings.

I took my shoes off to touch the ground Jesus once walked.



















The stone was where they prepared Jesus for the crucifixcion.



















The rock in the glass case is told to be where the Cross stood.















The candles were burnt around the tomb where they said Jesus was buried.

Israel Day 1 – Kissed by God

There may be no place more heavily blessed with tales than Israel. The Bible stories and places are inextricable that traveling through Jerusalem by foot, taxi or bus as we weaved through road between terraced hills, left us as if in a dazed walk into the Bible as we explore the Holy city. This city of buried history comes alive in yellowish-pink stone along with the overwhelming peace of God and the deep sense that He is risen. To travel is to cross time as well as space. This trip is to enter the Bible stories, traverse time and land on a page that will mark a moment in history for transformation.

Standing on top of the Mount of Olives, I drink in the beautiful scenery, the excitement and the Bible in 3-dimension. Almost 1,800 Christians gather at the tip, over looking the old city of Jerusalem – worshipping God. There are over 33 Nations gathered by GodTV to bless this Holy Land.

My journey starts here in the land of my Father. I will make the laborious climbs and search between every corner to find an understanding suddenly spread out before me, as if kissed by God. My God is an awesome God!

Fact:
~ 3.4 shekels to every dollar
~ 7.3 million people in Israel, half of the population in New York City
~ A Sabbath day journey is equivalent to ¾ of a mile
~ A ride on a camel will cost two dollars to get on and five dollars of get off
~ Jerusalem must be built out of stone. They use limestone from the Mount of Judea



The view of Old Jerusalem from the Mountain of Olives. The gold dome is the Muslum temple on the other side of the East Wall.













1,800 Christians gathering for worship.

















The $7 camel ride. (really, it's only $2)

Dream of Me - Moby

Babe, Oh dream about me
Lie, on the phone to me
Tell me no truth, If it is bad
There’s enough in my life, to make me so sad
Just dream about color fills our lives
Just dream about someone else tonight

Babe, Oh dream about me
On the phone, talking quietly
I wanna be yours, I want you to be mine
Against red skies for all time

So dream about us, when you’re alone
Just dream about how I will let go
Hand. Hand.

Babe, Oh dream about me
Lie, on the phone to me
Tell me no truth, If it is bad
There’s enough in my life, to make me so sad
Just dream about color fills our lives
Just dream about someone else tonight
Just dream about color fills our song
Just dream about how I will let go

Daughters of God

Our job as His daughters is to offer a calm, sincere drink of an enriched heart, a tranquil confidence and an ability to gently influence those around us –to pass on our very best.

This however isn’t always the case. We are also humans. We have flaws and we tend to compare ourselves to the next beautiful Christian woman who catches our crush’s eyes. Yes, the green-eye-devil lurks in the mist and causes us to stumble, to fall, to envy.

We must understand that the bedrock methodology for spiritual warfare is to confess our sins. Unconfessed sins give the enemy legal ground in our lives. Of course, the enemy can’t physically hurt us because we are children of God, but he can still get to us through jealousy. The spirit of jealousy is very powerful. It can harm us because we are making an agreement with the enemy whether it was intentional or not.

When we are jealous of an innocent person or when a person is jealous of us, even when we are walking in righteousness and authority, the devil can still flow through us (or the individual) to bring harm. When we are jealous of someone, we are agreeing that that individual does not deserve the blessings God has for her. We become the channel through which the enemy can pump deadly force into the individual’s life.

The best way to not be jealous is to find our identity in Christ. One secret that a friend of mine told me is to “believe that you are God’s favorite. Don’t look at anyone else. Just look at God and know that you are His favorite daughter.” This will keep you from comparing yourself with others. Knowing God’s love is more than enough to sustain your security in who you are. If someone is jealous of you, protect yourself by praying to God; renounce, reject and command the spirit to jealousy to leave you permanently. Then cover yourself with the Blood of the Lamb. And Thank God for all His blessings and protection.

One last thing, don't forget to meditate on what's good and righteous. Remember, you are a princess of God, so act like one.

The Big Weekend (TBW)

God, in His infinite ways, is good. He never leaves us where He found us. There is a future for us in Christ. (Jeremiah 29:11) The Big Weekend made me think: What legacy will I leave behind if my last day is tomorrow? The most I could pray is that I left moments of laughter, moments of love, moments of acceptance so intense that my moments of weakness are inconsequential in comparison. The certainty is that they are not. Yet, I am reminded that God uses broken people, but we have to be open and obedient to Him. Struggling between obedience and self is a hard battle, but Jesus already won the war.

Our motives will determine our ambition and how much we will accomplish for God. The Big Weekend filled my cup of dream to want more as a daughter of Christ. I want to leave a reputation where my Father God will say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” I wish to leave a legacy which God used to transform the temporary into the eternal. God placed this desire in my heart.

The Holy Spirit fell more on me and in me during TBW. My heart longs to pursue God with a new passion to seek His will, an eagerness to listen for His voice, a craving to be at His feet. My body weeps knowing that chasing Him and finding Him is the greatest joy. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Reign, reign, reign of the Spirit, fall on us now!