Fourth of July is an incredible summer holiday that’s deep meaning gets forgotten about often. Fourth of July, or Independence day is about freedom. Not simply, the freedom to speak freely, have a voice in our government, live our lives the way we want but in religion. So many sacrificed so that we could follow Jesus Christ. When we follow Christ we also have independence or freedom from this world and the hurts it causes. With God all things are possible. THis is a day of freedoms. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from hurt.

God is straightforward. God is clear when it comes to what He is wanting our next move to be. If you are feeling confused on a decision that is the work of the devil. The devil plants doubt in our hearts and minds. If he successfully makes us doubt a decision we had already felt so clearly with Christ than he is winning the power over our hearts not Christ. Think about how you make your decisions and what you feel when making those decisions. God’s timing not mine.

A breakdown of easter sunday and what the resurrection meant. Resurrection sunday also has been described multiple times in four different ways. The resurrection of Christ has been explained multiple times, once in each gospel. The gospels are each pointing out an important life lesson and an important topic that was being pointed out in order to share to the followers of God. Also, I share a little on how my own personal Easter Sunday went.

What was your biggest “Ah- Ha!” moment while in Israel? Was there anything that until you went to the Holy land you were unable to understand completely until being there. These tours and time of prayer allowed me to grow deeply in my faith. There is so much we will never understand but I want to learn as much as possible. I am being as vulnerable as I know how to be to share that I did not know the significance of “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It is the day that Jesus rode a donkey into the city of Jerusalem. The people gathered in crowds and fanned Him with palm fronds. They would lay the palms, robes, and other plants down on the road to help the ease the steps for the donkey. The road being incredibly steep and uneven. They celebrated His arrival and less than a week later they will condemn Him to the cross.

One of my favorite places in all of Israel was the Garden of Gethsemane. I love how I could feel the presence of my God so powerfully. This was where Jesus wept over what was to come for him. This was where Jesus begged his father to save him and find away for this to happen differently. However, when his father didn’t have that option He accepted the plan with grace. I pray that I stay like this for Christ. I pray that the decisions that I make and the life I live whether it involves health problems or not. I remember praying for answers on whether I should have my surgery and I remember Christ telling me that he wasn’t done with me. It was a hard and painful decision and there are days that i feel like I made the wrong call but I listened to my God so I know I am doing what I was called to do.

Packing for any trip when you are chronically ill can be a daunting task in it of itself. However, packing for a trip that is across an ocean and a 13-14 hour flight is a whole other level of difficulty. My goal in this post is to help you understand what to pack and how to successfully pack so that you don’t over pack but you have what you need. Packing for Israel was difficult but together we can achieve anything. This is a post that should help explain all that and be honest about it all. I hope this helps and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

This is what our group did on our Israel familiarization tour. The reason I keep specifying that it was a familiarization tour is because of how much we did in such a short amount of time. However, that was the purpose of this trip. It was incredible. If you have any interest in going you need to read this israel Itinerary Blog. I will always say you need a guide. Not just any guide, but someone who is a local and knows the ins and outs of the country. It is tumultuous at times but it is the safest when you are with people who speak the language and know the area. THis is just an example of my trip and I would love to answer any questions!

There are people out there who struggle with how they present christianity. I think that a lot of the times it is because they are scared that they have to keep everyone doing the right thing and they take it too far. This is much like the pharisees back in Jesus’ day. It causes more hurt than it does help. My point is that all of us must trust God enough to let Him be in control of others and not us trying to make sure we keep people in the box of safety.