we are home.

Tel Aviv, Israel

05.10.08

We are going on our third day here in the holy land and so far its been nothing short of divine. Ever since the wheels of our plane screeched against the tarmac, we have had the sense that we are home. Its the craziest feeling and very hard to articulate at times..but even in the midst of the nonstop conflict and strife that clouds this tiny strip of land in the middle east, there is something completely soothing about being here to my spirit.

God’s favor is here and He is completely accessible when you call to Him. That is one of the most incredible things I noticed during my first trip here back in October 2007. Whenever we would enter into worship together and simply call out to Him…its like His Presence invaded immediately and without delay! I think I could get used to that! I’m not even sure if it was just because we were worshipping in such epic places as the Mount of Olives (where His feet will touch down and the Mountain will split in two before He busts through the Eastern gate on that day) or on top of Mount Carmel (where Elijah called down the fire with the prophets of baal)…but I think its just cause God so longs to visit this land again with power!!

This is my first of three trips here in the next month and has really set the tone with a fresh outlook on what life is really like here in Israel. God has divinely hooked Kate and I up with the most amazing place to stay during these past few days which I could have never possibly orchestrated myself (similar to the last 18 months of my life!). We are living with a Yemen Jewish family who recently lost their son to a suicide bombing outside of Tel Aviv. Its a wild story how we came to be here and I wont go into it all because of time…but we are hearing the stories and living together with these wonderful people. Last night we experienced out first Shabbat meal together with Israeli Jews and it was a beautiful time of eating the best world in the world while talking, sharing, and laughing together until the early hours of the morning! They told us stories about their life, their beloved son who died and their hope for the future while we listened and heaped the love and kindness of Yeshua upon them!

It is a very sobering experience to hear and see all we have the past few days…but I feel so much more in tune with the daily struggles that blind the eyes of God’s people and complicate the simplicity of what Jesus came to give. I will never forget this experience and am soaking it in this last day before we head up to Carmel and Galilee.

Yesterday we “ascended the hill” into Jerusalem and spent some good time walking the streets of the old city with The Call crew. It was Kate’s first time so she was as wide eyed and blown away as can be…it was all so overwhelming to her. I spent some good time connecting with Lou and Jesse Engle as we shared our hearts about what God is doing with BURN 24-7 and The Call and how we cant wait to come together in DC this August for a catalytic explosion! Its going to be epic and monumental!

The One Thing Jerusalem has been going solid as young people from all over the nation have come to worship and cry out to God together. Its an amazing site to see Jews and Arabs worshipping the one true God side by side. Its surprising how many people I know in this country even through I’ve only been here one time. People talk about how small the world is out this way and I’m beginning to believe them! Tomorrow is what everyone has been building up to as we gather together in Jerusalem for a solemn assembly of contending in fasting and prayer on behalf of the nation during The Call. Its going to be an incredible gathering and we are expecting big things to happen and for a shift in the Spirit to take place across the land. Please join with us in prayer all over the world! This land needs a great awakening and fresh touch of Yeshua. I feel the longing in the heart of God more than I ever have for this place as a direct result of where we’ve been living. God longs and won’t stop until He wins the hearts of these people. Only He can come and heal the deep wounds and bring lasting peace again.

I’ll leave you with the verse I was singing all day yesterday as we walked around the gorgeous city of Jerusalem.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.

Psalm 125:1-2

come Lord…

_sean