Q & A About My Trip

A number of folks have asked different questions about the trip, so here goes:

Q: Why Israel?
A: There's only one Holy Land. Much as I love both Wisconsin and New Zealand, they aint it!
A: I've always wanted to walk where Jesus walked (especially ON the Sea of Galilee) and skim pebbles from the part of the lakeshore where Peter and Andrew had such success. (Speaking of seas, for more on my motivation, you might want to scroll down to my very first post on the Oconomowoc oceanographer.)

Q: What do you hope to bring back?
A: At least one of the pebbles that slew Goliath (but not his head if it is still in the vicinity of the pebbles).
A: A greater love for God, His Word and His land--so I can love God more and minister better.
A: A better understanding of Israel, the modern nation.

Q: Is this on the church dime and time?
A: Nope. This trip is out of my pocket and using vacation time.

Q: Is Doreen going with you?
A: Sadly, no. But she gets the next best thing: driving me to the airport at 4:30am. What a great lady! But we're hoping she can come in March 2012.

Q: What's happening in March 2012?
A: I'm planning on leading a 10-day tour to the Holy Land, Lord willing, with up to 20 folks from LakeView. Maybe you'll be one of them. We will connect in-country with a seasoned guide who has been through the rigorous two-year course with the Israeli Dept of Tourism, and who will take us on a life-changing discovery of biblical sites. (Wow, I just read that last sentence and think I might have a future career in writing tourist brochures.)

Q: Who's travelling with you this time?
A: I'll be meeting up with 15 other pastors in Newark ("does anything good come out of Newark?" Oh, I think that was Nazareth). We are all doing this tour together as a special "Pastors' Familiarization Trip." I understand it has been subsidized, in part, by El Al airlines and the Israeli Dept of Tourism.

Q: What are your dates?
A: Well, my birthday is May 17 and my anniversary is December 18. But I fly to Newark Monday morning a week from today, i.e. the17 January, and from Newark to Tel Aviv Tuesday 18th at 1:15pm. Will be back in Madison 11:30pm Tuesday 25th.

Q: Why are you writing all this stuff now, before you've even left?
A: That's exactly what my wife asked me, with a laugh. And then she said, "This is your Facebook without Facebook." (I'm still holding out against Facebook for moral reasons: unfriending someone is not very pastoral.)
A: I guess the bottom line is I'm kind of excited, and want to take whoever wants to come along for the ride on the journey with me.