That time I stood where God sent down fire | Mount Carmel

Our first day in Israel, I was fighting the exhaustion of jet lag when my tour guide said: "Next, we are going to stop at the highest point of Mount Carmel. This is where the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal happened." (1 Kings 18)

It was the first of many times I was like 😮. It's one of my favorite OT stories. I almost lost my mind. Turning to my friend, I shrieked, "That's OLD TESTAMENT! OLD TESTAMENT!"

The view there was a 360 degree view, looking out over the Valley of Armageddon. Impossible to fully capture with a camera... as well as the feeling of standing in the very place where God sent down fire to consume the altars. Wow wow wow. #israel #apictureadayofIsrael

Palm Sunday Road | The Mount of Olives | Jerusalem

The view from Palm Sunday road, a steep, twisting, winding road descending from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. Jesus rode down it on a donkey, as thousands sang praises and covered the ground in palm leaves and their own cloaks.

The view was different, though. That gold dome is a Muslim mosque, built on the very site of the Jewish Temple. Jesus would have seen the Temple, as re-built by Herod, in all of its beauty.

Today, the Temple Mount is one of the most contested places in Jerusalem... and I believe, the world. And because it is believed that the Messiah will enter the city through the Eastern Gate, they sealed it (a little lower, to the right), and put a Muslim cemetery in front of it... because entering would be impossible - and violate Jewish law.

Today, I am praising a God who does impossible things, who fulfilled the Law so He could do away with it and cover His children in grace - the Messiah, who has come and will come again. #israel #apictureadayofIsrael

A Dream Come True

I've always loved history, especially history having to do with Israel.

As a Christian, I've spent my life studying the Bible. The more I read, the more I dreamed of one day going to Israel. More than anything else, I wanted to walk where Jesus walked, to see where He lived, died, and rose again.

Finally, in 2017, at the age of 33, I went on an 8-day Bible tour through Israel.

It was all I'd ever dreamed of—and so much more.

In the following posts, I'll share the places I explored and the things I learned. However, there's a twist.

See, I thought I'd return from Israel and need to find a new dream, something to take the place of what I'd longed for all my life.

Instead, I came back with a renewed desire to learn more, to keep going deeper in my knowledge of Israel and other biblical places.

Three years in, and I'm still learning—and hope I never stop!