God’s message is everywhere. From the beginning of time, God has spoken through and in the land of Israel. The land speaks of God and His majesty, His love, and His grace. God is not finished with Israel & the amazing thing is we get to be a part of what He is doing there!

People say, What’s your highlight? The whole trip from morning to afternoon to evening was so full of God, so full of His wonderful land.

It was all the highlight. Now I can see that the land, the wilderness used properly can bless abundantly. The dates that grow in California might produce 40 kilos, but in the wilderness in Israel the same trees can produce 400 kilos. On the Sea of Galilee it was exposed to me that there was good in the wilderness and we are in a wilderness experience right now with a granddaughter. But there is good in the wilderness because God is there. He will bless it abundantly.

To say that my trips to Israel with the Father’s House Education Foundation have only somewhat impacted my teachings from the pulpit would be the understatement of the year! Those unforgettable journeys have absolutely changed my life and greatly strengthened my ability to share God’s Word with others. After my first trip, I think my congregation got tired of hearing at the start of my messages, “one thing I saw while I was in Israel was…”, but they always listened graciously and then usually ended up commenting about how they better understood the passage because I had been able to tell of my experiences.

I was on the 2011 / 2012 Holiday trip to Israel. I want to thank Byron, Tammy and Fathers House for making it possible for me to go on this life changing trip. Hardly a day goes by that I do not think about some aspect of our trip, what I learned or what I experienced. It truly is a life changing experience. I firmly believe that every Pastor should go to Israel either while in seminary or in the first few years of ministry. Moshe has so much knowledge of historical importance, Biblical understanding, and archeological perspective of Israel that I was captivated by his lessons and explanations. Each day was something new, exciting, educational and edifying regarding new discoveries, history, archaeology, current events, biblical history, biblical truth and application. A short time ago, my wife was anxious to make plans for our next get away and she asked me, If you go anywhere right now, where would you like to go? My answer came quick and without hesitation; Israel. We hope go to Israel sometime in the next few years this time together.

You and the Fathers House Foundation have been a mighty instrument in the Lords hand to change my life forever. Scott and I have dreamed for years of going to Israel and often times would say to one another “someday!” you made that “someday” a reality in our lives. When Scott first told me of the opportunity I was thrilled for him to get to do it. He wanted me to get to go too but I knew without going into debt we couldn’t do it and honestly I was fine with that. However, when my mother got wind of it she was not okay with me not going and offered to take care of all my expenses and come stay with the kids while we were gone. Thank you, Jesus! Now that I have been I have since told Scott, “you can’t ever go without me!” Now that I know what an amazing and life changing encounter it is I want to go back again and again. Unlike other vacations ( I realize this was anything but a vacation but it was in the sense that we were away from responsibilities from church and home) this one didn’t leave me with a longing to get back to my home in Burleson but it left me with a bit of a realization that I was home. I was grieved when the day came to get on board that plane and head back to Texas. I truly understood why Moshe greeted us upon arrival by saying, “welcome home!” That land is my home, it is where all the roots of my faith are, where all my spiritual fathers and mothers lived and loved and grew to know and love our God and Father, God and Son and God and Spirit. Our first Sunday back we took some time to share about some things we saw and did and how it impacted us. I told them it was like going to the place where your grandparents were raised after hearing them describe and tell stories of it for years and years. I told them I truly felt as though I was home and that I wanted to go back again and take all of them with me. Although we don’t have a date yet we are looking to do just that sometime next year. I have already started a “Back to Israel Fund.” God is so good and so worthy of our Highest Praise. He has blessed us in so many ways none of which we in any way deserve yet he was pleased to just shower good gifts on us just because we’re his kids. Thank you for being a vessel of honor for service in his house to all of us who went. May you be blessed in every way as you continue to seek to fulfill Gods plan in your lives. You are dearly loved and highly esteemed.

This trip far expanded my understanding of the Bible. Moshe and John carefully wove the Bible, Hebrew language, and history and culture into one package. To walk with the Holy Spirit in the same places as Adam and Eve, Abraham, Rachel, David, Jesus, Paul and many others is beyond explanation to anyone who has never been there. At times, my heart, my head and emotions were in conflict with one another but in the end God won. Now, when I read the Bible, the Word is richer and comes to life in a new way.

Phenomenal! I have traveled anywhere I wanted to go over the years because my mother owned a travel agency. I’ve never been on a trip like this one. To get to walk where Christ walked – just phenomenal.

I know that I will never be the same and can’t wait to go again. I truly believe that this trip was more than information it was impartation which added such a deeper diminution to the experience. In my particular situation the hand of God literally snatched me out of my world and dropped me into another world completely out of my control and comfort zone. I also think that I was more than surprised of how much I retained from this trip (since I gave up on note taking about the third day) but to my surprise the Holy Spirit was etching some truths into my soul that went far beyond Israel facts and history alone they where personal life lessons. I also had a eye adjustment while there in Israel by the Holy Spirit that has helped me to see my world from a better perspective more filled with hope, more Kingdom fight and better than all that to take the sour things in this life, and with God’s help make lemonade ever time we have opportunity that can sweeten and enrich our lives and those around us. God gave me a fresh grace not to see the wilderness as my enemy anymore and to ask everyday what lessons are there to learn in the wilderness and if God put me in a wilderness place He can speak to me and show me the way, plus the quicker I learn the lessons of the wilderness the quicker I can get into my next season of milk and honey. Several of my parishioners came up to me and asked what has happened to me (IN A GOOD WAY) since returning from this trip and I’m not sure if I can point to any one thing but I do know that God started a fresh work in my heart filled with new hope and a eye for the future. God has used me to help some of my pastor friends that have been burning up in the desert with despair and hopelessness to look for God to speak to them in their wilderness. Thanks so much for being that vehicle that the Holy Spirit could use to light up a worn out soldier of the cross and give him (ME) a fresh wind to fight the good fight another day. As for Your FATHER’S HOUSE team all of you are a God send and a real tool in the hand of God so please keep up the hard but good work and know your labor is not in vain.

I want you all to know that I had a great trip and would certainly go again and recommend it to anyone. There is not a day goes by that I do not think about the trip and apply something to my life or study, although my head’s still spinning from all the information! Thanks to everyone of you who had a part in it.