My journey into this realm of exploring our Jewish roots began about 15 years ago after I had taken a trip to Israel with my husband, Dave. I had been mildly interested in the things of the “Holy Land” simply because I had studied the Bible most of my life and had taught Sunday school classes and Bible studies for years. I love to study, so it seemed like a natural progression to finally get to see the place that I’d read about for so long. On that first trip I found my faith profoundly challenged. It was one thing to talk about Jesus and the stories in the Bible, but now I was looking at the places and they were no longer just an image that I’d concocted. I found myself looking at the Sea of Galilee and thinking – “Jesus walked here?” It is a real lake with real water and now I had to ask myself “Do I still believe it?” It became a moment of testing my faith and a transition from infancy to maturity. I remember looking out over the water at sunrise and seeing what I could imagine Jesus seeing and I listened to the sounds of the morning, realizing that I was taking a new step in becoming the disciple that I knew He wanted me to become. I am impacted by the society and culture that I’m in and I care deeply for the pain I see all around us. As a nurse, too, I am probably more keenly aware of pain at every level and I often jest that as a mother, a pastor’s wife and a nurse if I can’t heal you one way, I have at least two other ways to try! I’ll either feed you, pray for you or get the drugs! Jesus saw a hurting world, too, and I know that His heart was just as broken for hurting people as mine can be – more actually!

I want to share one of my first insights into this new world. It is very familiar passage to those of us who call ourselves believers in Jesus. It is Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is talking to his disciples and giving them a serious talk about life as a disciple. When He said we are the “salt of the earth” I didn’t realize that for Jewish ears, they knew exactly what He was saying. You see, every Sabbath table had a little dish of salt on it to represent the salt covenant mentioned in Leviticus 2:13. Salt was a covenant that actually was saying to them “If you have a pure heart of love for the Lord, you will become like salt, preserving and protecting the world, but if you have a wrong spirit or heart, you will also become like salt, corroding and corrupting the world.” Flash! – New picture! And how true. As Christians, we also have that same impact on the world. A pure heart to preserve and protect or an impure heart, corroding and destroying!  Now, what do you think about this?

Don’t go to Washington D.C. in July if you hate hot weather. And not just high temperatures but an overwhelming, nearly unbearable heat that rises from the sidewalks, radiating from the endless stone buildings that, without a breeze, wraps itself around you like an electric blanket set to high. Add to that the humidity and... Whew! Don’t go to D.C. in July if you hate feeling wet and sticky from head to toe. Please, do not go to Washington D.C. in July… unless you love Israel. Don’t make the trip unless you want to make a real difference, not only in your own heart, but with your family and friends, within your church and with your state representatives. Don’t go to Washington D.C. in July unless you want to do your part to change the world. I want to change the world! This past July, we attended the summit called Christians United for Israel. We joined over 5,000 Christians and Jews from across the country in Washington D.C. to learn more about Israel, to pray for Israel and to show our support of the Jewish people. How did we do this? As a massive grass roots organization, we spent a day visiting the offices of each state representative and telling them the truth. Israel is our ally and we must support her, not only for biblical reasons, but for the safety and welfare of our own country. As I’m sure you already know, we support Israel because God tells us to. We support Israel because God blesses those who bless the Jews, His chosen people. And we support Israel because when Jews and Christians work together, there is no force on earth that can stop us. Next year, we hope to once again attend and show our support for the Jewish people and the land of
Israel. I can tell you that the heat won’t stop you and the humid temperatures will not keep you down when you are with thousands of Christians and Jews joining together for this cause. When you stand up for Israel and for God’s People, the Jews, you will understand the tremendous effect you can have on the world. So if you can… please join us in Washington D.C. next July for CUFI. Bring your camera, bring your deodorant, and bring a fan, and together we’ll stand on Capitol Hill for God and for Israel.