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Through the Word

Read the Bible, understand it, apply it, and make it a habit… together.

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Hello from Israel!
Pastor Kris here, sending you greetings from the Holy Land. Well, I was there a couple days ago anyway. I’m actually en route back home and waiting in an airport at the moment. Finally a chance to stop and share a few pictures! After our summit with Bible Societies from all over the world in Athens, we found tickets to Israel for just $57. That was a deal we couldn’t pass up! Joining me for the trip were TTW’s Executive Director, Ryan McCarter, and our Social Media Director (and my beautiful wife of 22 years), Andrea Langham. For Andrea and I, it was our first trip to Israel, and what a trip! We could only stay three days, so we packed in quite a trip! Here’s a few pics from our adventures. I have so many more! I’ll try to post some more and tell more stories soon. Hope you enjoy!
 – Pastor Kris

Arriving in Tel Aviv! That’s me on the left, then Andrea and Ryan.
Ready for adventure!
And adventure found us! This is the doorway to Bread of Life Church
in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, just two blocks from the church of the Nativity.
That’s right – West Bank. We got to know the pastor and his amazing family
 – Palestinian Christians living in one of the most challenging places you can imagine,
and shining a light for God for Palestinians and Israelites alike.
The Palestinian situation is quite complex, and I believe most Christians in America
judge the situation without really understanding either the history or the present situation
here. For starters, many of those Palestinian people are Christians. Their hospitality
to us was amazing, and they send greetings to believers all over the world.
Ryan and I outside the caves at Qumran,
where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
I don’t remember why I made that face,
but I do remember it was hot!
At the Jordan River – at the place where they say Jesus was baptized.
Is it the exact location? Hard to say. In Israel, you have to get over the
desire to know precise locations where every last thing happened.
 The Jordan river runs from Galilee to the Dead Sea, and the Bible doesn’t
give an exact location – for this and many other events.
This is the the remains of a 1st century synagogue in Magdala,
just steps from the Sea of Galilee. Jesus almost certainly would
have opened the Torah scrolls here and preached the good news!
Inside the castle of Herod the Great in Jerusalem – Ryan, Andrea,
and our intrepid guide, Pastor Fadi. 
Saw this fellow walking the Via Dolorosa. This was a surprisingly
clear spot. Much of the path that (they say) Jesus walked is both packed with
tourists and lined with souvenir vendors.
This olive grove is on the Mount of Olives at the Garden of
Gethsemane – just across the Kirdon Valley from Jerusalem.
 This was one of my favorite places to visit.
This boat took us across the Sea of Galilee. More the size of a lake –
 it was much more beautiful than I expected.
Something about this sign just struck me as funny. I love explaining!
It was posted outside the chapel built on the shore of Galilee
at the place where they say Jesus met the disciples in John 21 –
after His resurrection – where He called Peter to “Feed my sheep.”

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. How breathtaking… to walk where Jesus walked, to see these places from the Word! Thanks so much for sharing these pics. I really want to go to these places and sing praises to the Lord there in song! I can't imagine the feeling I would have… I pray I *will* have!
    God bless you and all at TTW, Pastor Kris. What a glorious thing to offer the Lord with this amazing app! Using the Internet for such good in these times is extra-awesome!!
    Safe travels, and thanks a million for all your 'splainin!
    Peace and love in Christ Jesus,
    Kate Russo Thompson

  4. I am going to Isreal in Dec. what type of clothing should I pack. i understand there Dec weather is not like ours is the US

  5. Thank you for sharing.. Perhaps one day my family and I will be able to get there, can't afford that right now. Anyway, awesome pics, my mom went last year with people from her church, saw alot of pics from her too, God bless! Take care.

  6. Thanks for sharing, awesome. God bless. I really enjoy your studies Through the Word. Perhaps one day my family and I will be able to go there to Israel, we just can't afford it right now. Anyway, take care and God bless.

  7. My first day using TTW. How wonderful to see these pics and be given such a good explanation of what I am seeing. Thank you and God Bless.

  12. Thank you for sharing your experience with us listeners! Looks like it was an amazing trip! I'm so thankful for the connections y'all got to make in getting the app going in other languages. God is so awesome! I prayed and continue to pray for each of you every day. I am so blessed listening to your teachings of the Word daily. I appreciate all the hard work all of you do to keep the app going, your teachings, etc… So, thank you so much. And thank you for the Through the Word sticker I received! It's on my laptop. Keep up the great work! God bless you all!

  17. My sign for you — Please Explain! Thanks for sharing. And yes, you’re a good explainer! From Norman, OK!

  18. Thanks for sharing with us.I've seen some of those places and I have so many pictures. Unfortunately for me I didn't label them because I had an old school camera with rolls of film. Lol. But of it all, the Garden of Gethsemane was my favorite place. Glad you went and enjoyed. Many blessings.

  20. So thankful to have found TTW and your pictures from the Holy Land. I hope to go myself some day and get baptized in the Jordan River!

  21. Thank you for posting pics from the Holy Land. I hope to go one day myself and get baptized in the Jordan River. I just recently discovered TTW and enjoy it daily.

  22. I'm so Blessed with the TTW I listen every morning. Thanks for sharing these photos too and some infos.

  23. I'm so Blessed with the TTW I listen every morning. Thanks for sharing these photos too and some infos.

  24. I'm so Blessed with the TTW I listen every morning. Thanks for sharing these photos too and some infos.

  25. Thank you pastor Kris for shearing your wonderful experience in the holy Land I wish to be with you some day Peter ogwuche Nigeria

  26. Thank you pastor Kris for sharing your experience in the holy Land may God bless you and your family i wish to be with you some day Peter ogwuche Nigeria

  27. Thanks Mr Kris for the good work you are doing may God continue to lead you through in Jesus name Peter ogwuche Nigeria

  28. Thanks Mr Kris for the good work you are doing may God continue to lead you through in Jesus name Peter ogwuche Nigeria

  31. Thank you for sharing! Some close friends just spent a month over there and we spent an afternoon looking at all thier pictures and explainations.. so awesome!

  33. Found your app after going through a devotional on uversion. So glad I found your app. You are truly a blessing. Thanks for taking us along on your trip to the holyland.

  37. What a blessing!! Can't say I'm not a little jealous😁 Thank you and the TTW team for the great work y'all are sharing/doing!!

  41. So happy for you that you were able to go. Love TTW, I forward each lesson with my son daily. Keep up the great teaching it’s a great gift from God. ..Laurie from Las Vegas

  42. Great pictures thanks for taking the time and explaining the places must go sometime have a safe trip home.
    Colin, Compass Braille

  46. Thanks for sharing pics from your amazing trip what a blessing it would be to be in the holy land. I am so grateful I discovered the ttw .thanks again. Hope you guys have a amazing 4th and I am so hungry for the word now since I have started doing bible studies on the. It's absolutely amazing best one I have found

  48. Pastor Kris, wonderful to see these historical sights in Israel! I’m so happy to have found TTW, and can’t start my day without it!

  49. Love the pictures! Thanks, Pastor Kris. And love TTW! Keep on explaining ;). You're one of the best 'explainers' I know!