Since I first arrived at my current appointment, Morgan’s Chapel UMC, I knew that I wanted to journey with its people to the Holy Land. The folks at Morgan’s Chapel are a delightful gromp who love the Lord and want to learn more about what it means to live a discipled Christian life. In my experience, visiting the Holy Land is one way to grow in that discipleship.

In January, I led my third trip to Israel. Thirteen folks from Morgan’s Chapel and the surrounding area traveled together. We met up with other groups from Texas, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. The 35 of us toured the Galilee area (where Jesus spent most of his ministry), as well as several locations in Jerusalem, and sites in nearby Jericho, the Dead Sea, Masada, and others.

May I commend to you such a trip for yourself? Such an experience will profoundly enrich the way you read the Bible. Many people call it “reading the fifth Gospel” because it adds so much to your understanding of the Scriptures. While there, we met wonderful, hospitable people. We always felt safe. We made new friends on both sides of the Atlantic. Thinking about a similar opportunity? GO!

Standing in the surf of the Mediterranean. I am always drawn to the water.

Sue reading from the Sermon on the Mount at the Mount of Beatitudes.

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee. Our view each morning at breakfast.

Singing Christmas carols at the Church of the Nativity.

The chapel at the Shepherd’s Fields, where the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce Jesus’ birth.

Overlooking the city of Jerusalem.

The Western Wall: one of the holiest sites in the world.

When in Jericho, why not ride a camel like Cecil did?

The fallen walls of Jericho

The wilderness between Jerusalem and Jericho