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Israel Study Tour with Dr. Tim Keiper and Pastor Paul Petersen
June 18-29, 2016
Led by Paul Petersen, Tim Keiper
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Trip Blog Posts
Study Tour Wrap Up
posted on Sunday July 03 2016 at 4:00 am UTC
Now that our study tour is complete hopefully you'll be able to talk to one of us in person about what we saw, heard, learned, and experienced! Below is a wrap up video that serves as a nice summary of the trip and a reminder of all that we did. Leave us a comment below or head over and like GTI...
The gift of remembrance
posted on Tuesday June 28 2016 at 9:20 pm UTC
We began the final day of our pilgrimage in the Holy City of Jerusalem with a visit to the Pool of Bethesda. The site where Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. The site of the pool is on the grounds of St. Anne's Church, so after we had taken in the pools our Rabbi Tim led us into the church. There we...
Overlooking the city of Jerusalem
posted on Tuesday June 28 2016 at 12:32 am UTC
Here's a list of some of the places and topics we covered today: Overlooking the city of Jerusalem. - getting our bearings Mt. of Olives/ Garden of Gethsemane - "geth" means olive "shemeni" means press Jesus went to the place of the olive press and there He was pressed. Time - the eternal...
Life-changing Questions
posted on Sunday June 26 2016 at 11:53 pm UTC
Today we visited the Coastal Plain of Israel stopping at a quarry between Nazareth and Sepphoris looking at Jesus' years as a "tekton." Also Megiddo where we asked, "Who is like the Lord?" and "What does the Lord require of you?"—Micah 6:8. At Caesarea we examined our own pursuits, answering...
How we love each other
posted on Saturday June 25 2016 at 8:04 pm UTC
The day started with visit to the Beth Shean tell. The Romans built there a very sophisticated city. Jewish culture of the time had built a beautiful templein Jerusalem. In Tim’s message, given while overlooking the ruins of the city, God wants us to be living stones chiseled to fit into the temple...
The highest point in Israel
posted on Friday June 24 2016 at 7:59 pm UTC
Golan Heights- We traveled north into the Golan Heights to an area where the Zealots were attacked by the Romans. This area is known as the “Camel Back” or “Gomla”. We walked among the ruins of one of the oldest first century synagogues where Jesus may have visited. We drove near the Israel...
Pilgrims, not tourists
posted on Friday June 24 2016 at 12:42 am UTC
My prayer for our team has been that we would see and experience this trip as pilgrims and not as tourists. Today I felt we entered fully into that "Jesus centered" focus as true pilgrims. We began the morning on a beautiful part of the rolling hillside of the Sea of Galilee. The area is where tradition...
Judean Wilderness
posted on Thursday June 23 2016 at 12:33 am UTC
Sites we visited today: Ein Gedi, Masada, Bedouin Camp/Camel ride, Arad, Qumran Finding connections to Jesus. We started at Ein Gedi, a spring that flows into the Dead Sea. Living water flowing. Tim told us about a David connection to Ein Gedi. David was hiding from Saul--it wasn't yet time for the...
An easier route
posted on Wednesday June 22 2016 at 12:37 am UTC
Sites visited today: Wadi Kelt, Jericho and Seeds of Hope, Salt Sea (Dead Sea) swim East of Jerusalem, the rugged Judean wilderness drops steeply toward the Dead Sea. It's striking in its beauty, but it is also dusty, dry, and hot. It makes you resolve never to take fresh water for granted, ever. Like...
Prepared with Skill and Confidence
posted on Monday June 20 2016 at 8:38 pm UTC
Today we visited Tel Azekah looking out over the valley of Elah. Somewhere nearby in this valley David stood in the name of the living God and brought down the mighty Goliath with a mere slingshot and a stone. God had prepared David with the skill and with great confidence in the living God. We were...
Gezer
posted on Sunday June 19 2016 at 6:00 pm UTC
Okay. Picture this. You have arrived disheveled and sleep deprived but still smiling and ready for the adventure. There you are sitting in an out of the way place in the country. You walk down a country dirt road, along a field of olive trees and bushwack up a hill. You begin picking your way through...
Preparing for Israel
posted on Wednesday June 01 2016 at 12:35 am UTC
Our trip to Israel will be here before you know it! Once we're on the ground in Israel, we'll post periodic updates and photos. Check back often or get update notifications using the subscribe options on this page. We'll be sharing our travel experiences online with you, our friends and family,...