One week to Atlanta, then on to Israel!

PILGRIMS,
Well it won't be long now! I pray that the Lord will begin to prepare your heart over the next several days. Pray for your fellow pilgrims. Pray for John and me as we facilitate and lead the journey. Give thanks for the Cousins Family Foundation for their generosity and the heart they have for pastors. Begin to unplug. Let renewal begin now. I know it is hard to fathom, but your church/ministry will be just fine without you for a couple of weeks.

In 10 days at about 6:00 p.m. (Israel time) we will come over a ridge and will descend into the region known as the Galilee. For many of you it will be your first time to see the Sea of Galilee. It's a special experience, a sacred moment of sorts, because we know our Lord walked along the lake and sailed on her waters. He fished, healed the sick, taught and did His thing. And now all these years later, here we are, all of us--doing His thing.

A few minutes later we will get checked into the Scots Hotel in Tiberius, have dinner and share the Eucharist together later that evening. The next day we will visit the home of Jesus, Capernaum. You will be able to look down upon the house where friends lowered their buddy down through the roof for Jesus to behold and do his work.

Enough for now. It only gets better when you literally walk in the foot steps of Jesus and get to know some of the "living stones" of the Holy Land.

I look forward to this sacred time with you. We will experience it together. We will be friends for eternity.

Grace and Peace,

Tom