Dr. Susan Michael: Faith, Calling and Israel

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Hey friends and welcome back to her God story

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where you'll always hear an encouraging and inspiring

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story to strengthen you in your walk with the

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Lord I'm your host Jodie Chiricosta ministry leader

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at somebody cares American international author

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and traveler on this journey with Jesus And I

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am so glad you're joining me today One thing

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you'll hear again and again through the stories

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We share here is that those who stay grounded

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in God's Word are those who endure well and have

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fruitful lives In Romans 15 -4, the NIV version,

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the apostle Paul tells us that everything that

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is written in the past, speaking about the Bible,

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was written to teach us so that through the endurance

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taught in the scriptures and the encouragement

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they provide, we might have hope. I love that.

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Scripture doesn't just inform us, it encourages

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us, it builds endurance, and it gives us hope

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when life feels overwhelming. And Scripture actually

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invites us to go a step further, not just to

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read the Word, but to delight in it. Psalm 1

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paints that beautiful picture of the person who

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delights in the law of the Lord, who meditates

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on it day and night. She is like a tree planted

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by streams of water, steady, nourished, bearing

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fruit in every season. That's what the Word of

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God does in us. It roots us deeply so we can

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stand strong, even when circumstances are hard.

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Billy Graham once said Bible is God's voice speaking

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to us and that's exactly right every time you

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open scripture It's an invitation to sit with

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God to hear him to be led by him and to let him

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do what only he can do in our heart and When

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we let God's Word shape us it also shapes how

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we respond in the needs around us scriptures

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clear about God's heart for the vulnerable Especially

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widows and orphans. That's why somebody cares

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has the widow and orphan fund. So together we

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can bring real help and real hope to those who

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are hurting around the world. If you feel led,

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I want to invite you to join us with a gift today.

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Just go to hergodstory .org and help click now.

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Your generosity truly makes a difference. Today's

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story is a beautiful picture of what can happen

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when God's Word comes alive. Because it doesn't

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just change what we know, it changes where we

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go. I'm excited to introduce today's guest. I

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met Dr. Susan Michael through a mutual friend,

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and I was immediately drawn to her heart, not

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just for leadership and global ministry, but

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for the Word of God itself. Susan serves as the

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president of the U .S. branch of the International

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Christian Embassy Jerusalem, or ICEJ U .S., and

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she has spent decades helping believers understand

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the Bible in its historical, cultural, and spiritual

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depth, connecting Scripture to the land and people

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where it all unfolded. What I especially love

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about Susan is her deep love for God's Word.

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She doesn't approach Scripture as something distant

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or theoretical. She helps us experience it as

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alive and vibrant. That passion comes through

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in her phenomenal book, Encounter the 3D Bible,

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How to Read the Bible So It Comes to Life. It's

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an incredible resource for anyone who wants to

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move beyond surface -level reading and truly

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engage Scripture with heart and understanding.

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I'm also so thankful for the work Susan's doing

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through the International Christian Embassy in

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Jerusalem, and I'm thrilled to have her join

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us today to share part of her story. Welcome,

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Susan. Thanks, Jody. It's great to be with you

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today. Thanks. Susan, I mentioned one of your

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books a moment ago. You know, many people struggle

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when they read the Bible, which is such a critical

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part of our faith walk in the Lord. So before

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we dig into your story, I'd love for you to just

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explain a little about the concept of an encountering

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the 3D Bible and how it helps people experience

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scripture in a deeper and more meaningful way.

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Well, it's so much a part of my story. It's hard

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to divide the two. But when I first came to the

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Lord, I was a young teenager and I just wanted

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to read the Bible. discovered that as I spent

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time in the Bible I was spending time in fellowship

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with God and he would just use it to speak to

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my heart and you know as I would say words would

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just jump off the page into my heart and it was

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it was highlighted by the Holy Spirit of course

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he's the one that wrote those words to start

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with and he would highlight them to speak to

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me words of guidance help me to know how to live

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my life now that I was his daughter. And so then

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I decided when I went to university that I wanted

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to study the Bible because I just wanted to know

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more about it. So now I'm not just studying it

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every day as my spiritual guidebook. And I would

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say not studying it as much as just reading it.

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But now I'm studying it in university as a theology

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book, a literary book and how to read it, how

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to interpret it. And I loved it. I made straight

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A's in all my Bible classes. But it was when

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I went to Israel that the Bible took on what

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I call the 3D level, where it just came so alive

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because it wasn't just a spiritual guidebook

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and it wasn't just a theology book. It was actually

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a history book about real places, real people.

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I was looking at these places and I came to understand

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just how True the Bible is but also how accurate

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it is to the smallest little detail that these

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details are absolutely perfect to the The context,

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the geography, whatever it is, it's describing

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the details. It's so accurate. And when you realize

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how true and how accurate the Bible is, you understand

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how you can base your life on it and you can

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stand on it in faith. And so that's what I developed

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is what I call the the level of the reading the

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Bible, the 3D level. That's when the Bible really

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and truly comes to life. And I've heard it for

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just thousands and thousands of Christians when

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they make that trip to Israel and they have that

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experience of sitting on the hillside overlooking

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the Sea of Galilee and reading about the life

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of Jesus. It's life changing. But I understand

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not everyone's going to be able to make that

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trip. And so I wanted to write just a little

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guidebook to introduce the Bible to them in that

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way and to help it become more alive to the reader.

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You know, Susan, you didn't always have a love

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for scripture or really even history. It's been

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a journey for you. Take us back and share about

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your early days and how you first came to know

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and follow Jesus and really how that changed

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you. Well, I was raised in a very small town

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in rural America and in a Presbyterian church,

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which half of the church was my extended family

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and relatives and very small church and I really

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didn't get a lot of spiritual food from that

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church. It didn't really preach the gospel. It

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didn't tell me about my salvation through Jesus

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and his death on the cross for me and but some

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things began to happen when I was 16 that I won't

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go into, but the Lord just began to get my attention

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and I began to get curious. So I went to the

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pastor of the Presbyterian Church and I said,

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you know, I would like to read the Bible, but

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is there a more modern translation of the Bible?

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And he said, yes, it was called Good News for

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the Modern Man. I think it was only the New Testament.

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but in an easy to read English. And so I bought

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that Bible. And about a few days later, a good

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friend of mine called me up. She said, you know,

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I'm going on vacation for two weeks. Do you mind

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filling in for me at my summer job, which was

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at the local Y and her job was to man the gymnasium

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so that when people came in to use the gymnasium

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that she was there to make sure they used the

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equipment correctly and it's a small Y in a small

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town so there weren't a lot of people coming

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in and I told her yeah I'll do it so for two

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weeks I sat there with not much to do at all

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so I started bringing that New Testament to work

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and I began to read it and at the end of the

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two weeks I read it from beginning to end. I

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will tell you that at the end of that two weeks

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there just was a power at work in my life that

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hadn't been there before and it's because I spent

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two weeks in the Word of God in fellowship with

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the Holy Spirit and it gave me the personal resolve

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that I needed to make a change in my life and

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and so within Couple of weeks. I made a decision

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that I wanted to follow the Lord and Couple weeks

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after that. I was at a church service. Not my

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church another one in town and Went forward and

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gave my life to the Lord and just left there

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a different person never looked back and I'm

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so grateful because you know a lot of times we

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as we come to the Lord We are starting from scratch

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for me I'd spent two weeks reading the Bible

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and I think I was at a point of strength and

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and it just sealed within me a love for the Bible

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and I began to spend time in it every day just

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to as I said just to hear from the Lord what

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I was to do that day or the decision I was facing

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how I was to live my life and I'm so grateful

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that I began my walk with the Lord in the Bible.

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Yeah, well that is so critical because so many

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people come to know the Lord and don't really

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get grounded in the Word of God. They don't understand

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that it's a primary way He speaks to us. Not

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the only way, of course, but it's certainly the

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primary way. And without that constant communication

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with the Lord, we can so easily go astray. And

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I know you just said you were so hungry to know

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the Bible and the Lord opened the door for you

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to attend ORU, or Oral Roberts University, and

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then study abroad in Israel, of all places. Looking

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back, how did that season begin to shape your

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love for God's word even more and even the direction

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of your life and your calling. Well being there

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at ORU of course it took me out of my small town

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and I'm now 12 hours away from home there in

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Tulsa Oklahoma and studying with people from

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all over the nation. That's how I found out I

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had a strong southern accent. I didn't even know

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it until I got there and people would say where

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are you from? And so it was really eye -opening

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for me. And I heard some students talking about

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studying abroad during the summer. And I thought,

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hey, that's a good idea. I can earn credit and

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have fun all at the same time. And so I wasn't

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very spiritual -minded in it. Just thought it

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sounded like a great idea. I never had been out

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of the country. I actually never thought I ever

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would leave the country. So I go to one of my

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professors in the school of theology there and

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I asked him, I said, because here I am a Bible

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major. So if I'm going to study abroad, where

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would I go? When I thought, well, the land of

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the Bible, I knew nothing about it. I don't think

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I didn't know that it hadn't been there for 2000

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years. I didn't know anything about the Middle

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East current events. Nothing. I just go to my

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professor and I said, I'm thinking about studying

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in Israel. do you know of a study program there?

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And I had picked the one professor in the whole

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school that had a relationship with a small Christian

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school, an American Christian school there in

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Jerusalem. And he told me, he said, yes, and

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go if at all possible because it will change

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your life. He knew what he was talking about.

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And so I signed up and how my parents allowed

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me to get on that big airplane at the age of

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19 and go over to Israel by myself, because the

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group that I went to study with was from California.

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It was a summer program there in Jerusalem, but

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all the students were from the same school in

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California, and they said I could go on that

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study program with them. And so I flew to New

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York. I think maybe I met him at the airport

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in New York and we flew over on the same flight.

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But honestly, how my parents ever let me do it,

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I do not know, but I'm so grateful that they

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did. Because it truly, truly, totally changed

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my life. First, as I've already described, the

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Bible came alive to me like it just doesn't in

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the classroom or even sitting and reading it

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on your own. Secondly, the world came alive to

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me and I took a second course on modern Israeli

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society and that was my first introduction to

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Judaism, the Jewish roots of the Christian faith

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and the Jewish roots of modern Israeli society.

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It was fascinating. I mean it was so fascinating

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to me and then being there in Jerusalem every

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day you read the Jerusalem Post and you're reading

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about things going on around the world that the

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people of Israel are very world aware and very

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always analyzing what's happening around the

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world and how does it affect Israel or how does

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it affect the local Jewish community in that

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country and so the whole world opened up to me

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and it just was totally life -changing. I can't

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say enough about what a life -changing experience

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that was. It was so life -changing that after

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you graduated from ORU, you decided to go back

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and get a master's degree there? Yeah, I wanted

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more of that experience. I just wanted more.

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And so I arrived in August of 1980 to start a

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two years master's program at that same little

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school, little Christian school. It's right on

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Mount Zion, right outside of the old city walls.

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So my address was P .O. Box 1276, Mount Zion.

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Wow. And I thought I might put that on my tombstone,

00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:24.480
you know, forwarding address, Mount Zion. But

00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:28.620
so I lived there for the two years. This little

00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:31.179
school only had three degree programs. One was

00:15:31.179 --> 00:15:35.240
in Hebrew. I was not a linguist. One was in archaeology.

00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:38.820
I was not interested. The third one was they

00:15:38.820 --> 00:15:41.279
called Judeo -Christian studies and it was the

00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:45.659
history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,

00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:48.320
and the modern history of the Middle East. So

00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:51.120
it was a very, very broad general study and it

00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:53.919
was perfect for me because I was starting from

00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:58.080
zero. I really knew nothing about the history

00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:02.240
of the religions, the history of my own faith,

00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:06.679
and it was a fascinating study and just perfect

00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:10.399
for me. And God connected you with some pretty

00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:15.480
historic things during that time. Share a little

00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:19.240
bit about that. Well, I had no idea. And it's

00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:22.600
almost like you'd look at it as a fluke of history

00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.299
of the dates. I had just graduated from college,

00:16:25.299 --> 00:16:28.159
so it's time to go start the master's program.

00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:31.340
But what I didn't realize is I was stepping into

00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:34.480
a moment in history and what had been happening

00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:37.580
that summer there in Jerusalem. So there were

00:16:37.580 --> 00:16:39.840
a group of Christian leaders living there in

00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.720
Jerusalem for various reasons, but they got together

00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:46.679
regularly and they prayed for Israel. And they

00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:51.299
were feeling a stirring by the Holy Spirit and

00:16:51.299 --> 00:16:55.080
to do two different things. One was there was

00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:58.620
a part of the group that felt that they really

00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:01.899
needed to start celebrating the biblical feast

00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:05.930
of Tabernacles. because that is the one feast

00:17:05.930 --> 00:17:09.069
in the Bible that it's actually prophesied that

00:17:09.069 --> 00:17:11.769
one day all the nations will celebrate it. And

00:17:11.769 --> 00:17:14.589
they said churches don't even know what it is

00:17:14.589 --> 00:17:18.509
so we need to start bringing awareness of it.

00:17:18.809 --> 00:17:23.470
And so they had organized the very first international

00:17:23.470 --> 00:17:26.789
Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles

00:17:26.789 --> 00:17:30.069
that was taking place one month after I arrived.

00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:34.039
But the other idea that had been percolating

00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.579
in this prayer group was to start a Christian

00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:40.740
organization in support of Israel. Because in

00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:44.220
the late 70s when this was happening, there were

00:17:44.220 --> 00:17:47.960
no organizations in support of Israel. I understand

00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.640
today there's all kinds of ministries, all kinds

00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:55.119
of organizations, but there were none. Israel

00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:59.420
was only 32 years old and there had been some

00:17:59.420 --> 00:18:02.930
key Christian individuals that had gotten involved

00:18:02.930 --> 00:18:06.450
in the birthing of Israel, but there were no

00:18:06.450 --> 00:18:09.769
organizations and What happened is during the

00:18:09.769 --> 00:18:13.089
summer of 1980 then leading up to that very first

00:18:13.089 --> 00:18:17.009
feast to tabernacles The Israeli government passed

00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:20.849
the Jerusalem bill and they put into law that

00:18:20.849 --> 00:18:25.309
all of Jerusalem East and West was to be the

00:18:25.309 --> 00:18:28.509
eternal and undivided capital of the state of

00:18:28.509 --> 00:18:31.519
Israel Now Jerusalem had always been the capital

00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.660
of Israel but this was putting it in law and

00:18:34.660 --> 00:18:37.640
this was saying it will never be divided again

00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:41.700
and so there was tremendous international uproar

00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:45.259
against it. All the countries that had embassies

00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:47.599
in Jerusalem packed them up and moved them out

00:18:47.599 --> 00:18:51.380
of the city and here come these Christians to

00:18:51.380 --> 00:18:55.240
celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and so at

00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:57.700
that gathering they had about a thousand Christians

00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:01.480
they announced we do not support what our governments

00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:03.960
have just done and therefore we are starting

00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:08.259
an international Christian embassy in Jerusalem

00:19:08.259 --> 00:19:11.220
that represents the millions of Bible -based

00:19:11.220 --> 00:19:14.400
Christians around the world who understand the

00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:17.400
significance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people

00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:21.700
and stand with Israel at this moment. There I

00:19:21.700 --> 00:19:24.400
am I've only been there a month and I'm at that

00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:28.940
very first feast when they launched the International

00:19:28.940 --> 00:19:31.859
Christian Embassy I was standing there that day

00:19:31.859 --> 00:19:34.819
I in the front yard of this empty apartment where

00:19:34.819 --> 00:19:37.779
they launched it from Was in and out of there

00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:40.900
just a part of the staff family during my time.

00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:45.940
So that's one of those things I Had no idea what

00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:49.140
I was stepping into but it was God's perfect

00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:53.309
timing Yeah, and just a little bit more, if you

00:19:53.309 --> 00:19:55.450
would share, you know, a lot of people don't

00:19:55.450 --> 00:19:58.910
know what the Feast of Tabernacles is. What is

00:19:58.910 --> 00:20:03.529
it and what is its significance? Well, the study

00:20:03.529 --> 00:20:07.390
of the feast is so exciting, and there are three

00:20:07.390 --> 00:20:11.109
major feasts of the Lord. They're not Jewish

00:20:11.109 --> 00:20:13.190
feasts. They're not feasts of Israel. Actually,

00:20:13.230 --> 00:20:16.750
they're called the Feast of the Lord in the Old

00:20:16.750 --> 00:20:21.920
Testament. the Spring Feast, primarily the Feast

00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:26.740
of Passover, then the early Summer Feast of Shabuwa,

00:20:26.819 --> 00:20:30.059
which we know is Pentecost, and the third one

00:20:30.059 --> 00:20:33.599
is the Feast of Tabernacles. Those are the three

00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:37.680
great feasts of the Lord. And if you study them,

00:20:38.019 --> 00:20:42.720
you see almost an overview of the history of

00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:47.400
salvation in that the Feast of Passover, which

00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:51.279
symbolizes the death of Christ as our Passover

00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:55.200
lamb and our forgiveness of sins and our being

00:20:55.200 --> 00:20:58.819
set free from our bondage and our slavery to

00:20:58.819 --> 00:21:03.799
sin. And then Shavuot is celebrating where the

00:21:03.799 --> 00:21:06.880
outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the empowering

00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:11.099
of the church is. And then you have this feast

00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:14.259
of tabernacles. And actually, there's other minor

00:21:14.259 --> 00:21:17.849
feasts around at the fall feast. And they really

00:21:17.849 --> 00:21:21.150
have not had their fulfillment yet. We have the

00:21:21.150 --> 00:21:25.450
Christian fulfillment of Passover and of Pentecost,

00:21:25.509 --> 00:21:29.529
but we do not yet have the fulfillment of Tabernacles.

00:21:29.609 --> 00:21:31.970
And for that reason, many churches didn't even

00:21:31.970 --> 00:21:35.049
know what it was about. But the Feast of Tabernacles

00:21:35.049 --> 00:21:38.309
is really a forward -looking prophetic feast,

00:21:38.869 --> 00:21:42.410
and it is celebrating the coming of the Kingdom

00:21:42.410 --> 00:21:47.289
of God to Earth. And it's a very exciting feast.

00:21:47.930 --> 00:21:50.569
And so we have been celebrating it every year

00:21:50.569 --> 00:21:53.650
in Jerusalem since 1980. That means this year

00:21:53.650 --> 00:21:59.569
will be, I think, the 47th one. And it's a time

00:21:59.569 --> 00:22:02.250
of great celebration. The Feast of Tabernacles

00:22:02.250 --> 00:22:06.390
in the Bible is to be an eight -day feast. And

00:22:06.390 --> 00:22:09.569
the children of Israel were commanded to rejoice.

00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:13.099
during the Feast of Tabernacles. So it's a feast

00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:16.819
of great joy and of celebration of God's provision,

00:22:17.539 --> 00:22:21.039
of God's promises, and of the coming kingdom

00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:25.160
when He comes to tabernacle with man. That's

00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:27.319
really what it's all about. You kind of got connected

00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:30.019
with that group. And as your time was coming

00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:33.039
to an end in Israel after two years, you start

00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:35.799
asking the Lord what was next. as we all would,

00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:39.299
and he answered you in a very clear and unforgettable

00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:42.880
way. Can you share how God spoke to you and then

00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:45.220
what assignment he began to unfold in your life?

00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:50.519
Well, I would go over to the embassy once a week,

00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.400
early in the morning on a Thursday morning, and

00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:56.579
three of us would pray together. One was the

00:22:56.579 --> 00:22:58.980
financial director of the embassy and myself

00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:02.029
and another student, a good friend of mine. The

00:23:02.029 --> 00:23:04.470
three of us would just pray about things going

00:23:04.470 --> 00:23:07.789
on, decisions they needed to make that some of

00:23:07.789 --> 00:23:10.150
them, even the staff, didn't know about. We were

00:23:10.150 --> 00:23:13.109
just like a confidential prayer group to pray

00:23:13.109 --> 00:23:18.150
from the birthing of this organization, from

00:23:18.150 --> 00:23:22.329
an administrative end, not the vision end. But

00:23:22.329 --> 00:23:27.109
during a prayer time, we were told one week that

00:23:27.109 --> 00:23:29.750
a man was coming from the United States to talk

00:23:29.750 --> 00:23:32.529
to them about starting the U .S. branch of this

00:23:32.529 --> 00:23:36.289
organization and that they felt the head office

00:23:36.289 --> 00:23:39.589
needed to be in Washington D .C. but that they

00:23:39.589 --> 00:23:42.069
would be discussing it with him and that was

00:23:42.069 --> 00:23:45.390
the prayer request. So okay we go to prayer and

00:23:45.390 --> 00:23:48.900
we're praying about this. And I remember it as

00:23:48.900 --> 00:23:51.200
clear as day and the only way I know to describe

00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:54.619
it is as though a brick fell out of heaven and

00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:57.079
hit me in the forehead and it had printed on

00:23:57.079 --> 00:24:00.900
there, Washington DC. You have to understand,

00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:03.660
I had never ever thought of Washington DC in

00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:07.099
my life. I didn't know the first person there.

00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:10.119
I didn't know any organizations there. It had

00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:15.079
never been on my radar. but that was such a vivid

00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:18.240
experience during the prayer time. And at the

00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:21.059
end of it, I just looked up with these big eyes

00:24:21.059 --> 00:24:23.920
and the financial director looked at me and he

00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:26.539
said, yes, you need to meet with this man when

00:24:26.539 --> 00:24:31.099
he's here. So I said, okay. So I did, I met with

00:24:31.099 --> 00:24:34.119
him and it wasn't, we didn't really connect.

00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:38.579
And in the end, he did not start the branch in

00:24:38.579 --> 00:24:44.710
Washington, DC, but I was finishing my studies

00:24:44.710 --> 00:24:46.930
and one of the leaders of the embassy came to

00:24:46.930 --> 00:24:49.390
me one day. He said, what are you going to do

00:24:49.390 --> 00:24:52.029
now that you're finishing your degree? And I

00:24:52.029 --> 00:24:55.329
said, I don't know, but I kind of feel like I'm

00:24:55.329 --> 00:24:59.309
supposed to go to Washington DC. And he got so

00:24:59.309 --> 00:25:01.630
excited and he threw his arms up in the air.

00:25:01.789 --> 00:25:05.170
He said, you must go to Washington DC. He said,

00:25:05.230 --> 00:25:09.900
we were just in Washington DC. And we met with

00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:12.579
the head of one of the major organizations there

00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:14.740
and he said, you must go. And he went running

00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:18.799
off to the director of the embassy, the Christian

00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:22.220
embassy. They wrote a letter to this organization

00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:26.079
and opened the door for me then to go to DC.

00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:31.480
Now, the thing is my father who had always kind

00:25:31.480 --> 00:25:34.019
of loved politics, but he wasn't a politician,

00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:38.490
but he often had to go to DC. He would testify

00:25:38.490 --> 00:25:41.890
before Congress on matters like soil conservation

00:25:41.890 --> 00:25:47.490
and things for farmers in America. And so he

00:25:47.490 --> 00:25:50.670
had to go to D .C. So we actually planned my

00:25:50.670 --> 00:25:53.670
move around when he needed to be there and he

00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:56.809
helped. We packed up my car and we drove to D

00:25:56.809 --> 00:26:01.210
.C. together when we moved there. And he went

00:26:01.210 --> 00:26:03.930
into this organization I was going to be working

00:26:03.930 --> 00:26:08.690
with and he saw the offices. and he went back

00:26:08.690 --> 00:26:12.269
home and they announced that the congressman

00:26:12.269 --> 00:26:15.609
for our district what was uh and now this was

00:26:15.609 --> 00:26:17.710
for the kentucky state legislature it wasn't

00:26:17.710 --> 00:26:24.170
for the uh the federal government but the kentucky

00:26:24.170 --> 00:26:27.750
legislature the representative for our district

00:26:27.750 --> 00:26:31.009
was stepping down to take another position and

00:26:31.009 --> 00:26:33.930
so my dad called me and he said i was so enthused

00:26:33.930 --> 00:26:37.910
moving you to dc i'm gonna run He ran and he

00:26:37.910 --> 00:26:40.970
won and he served the state of Kentucky was served

00:26:40.970 --> 00:26:44.029
our district there for 13 years and it was the

00:26:44.029 --> 00:26:48.390
highlight of his life and He was so proud to

00:26:48.390 --> 00:26:51.289
have me there in DC and I ended up living in

00:26:51.289 --> 00:26:55.609
DC for 30 years and I'm now going back every

00:26:55.609 --> 00:26:57.809
month to be that there's so much going on in

00:26:57.809 --> 00:27:01.750
DC and I'm so grateful that the Lord spoke to

00:27:01.750 --> 00:27:04.670
me that day because it was certainly his plan

00:27:04.670 --> 00:27:07.750
for my life. Well, you started at a different

00:27:07.750 --> 00:27:11.750
organization, but eventually you were asked to

00:27:11.750 --> 00:27:16.170
actually move that branch of the International

00:27:16.170 --> 00:27:20.490
Christian Embassy Jerusalem to D .C. and get

00:27:20.490 --> 00:27:23.990
it going. Yes, the organization that I went there

00:27:23.990 --> 00:27:27.569
to work for, it was only for a six -month internship.

00:27:27.690 --> 00:27:30.269
It was a Jewish organization that worked in support

00:27:30.269 --> 00:27:33.769
of Israel. But the agreement was that this would

00:27:33.769 --> 00:27:36.930
allow the two organizations to get to know each

00:27:36.930 --> 00:27:39.190
other. And then when we were ready to start the

00:27:39.190 --> 00:27:42.930
office in DC, that this would be just a great

00:27:42.930 --> 00:27:47.509
introduction for us. And it was. And so at the

00:27:47.509 --> 00:27:51.880
end of the six months, It took a few years. I

00:27:51.880 --> 00:27:55.599
mean, I was very young, keep in mind. Yeah. And

00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:58.140
so it took a few years, but eventually we opened

00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:00.880
a full time office there and it became the head

00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:03.740
office for the United States. And I ended up

00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:06.380
building the branch, the U .S. branch for the

00:28:06.380 --> 00:28:10.099
organization. You're right. Well, Susan, in those

00:28:10.099 --> 00:28:16.099
times in D .C. and previously in Jerusalem. It

00:28:16.099 --> 00:28:18.279
was kind of lonely. I mean, you had a few connections,

00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:21.420
but you didn't have family, not tons of friends.

00:28:22.700 --> 00:28:25.819
What did the Lord teach you about trusting Him

00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:27.559
when you really couldn't see the full picture

00:28:27.559 --> 00:28:31.599
yet? Well, you know, the work of the International

00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:34.500
Christian Embassy Jerusalem that God has called

00:28:34.500 --> 00:28:39.460
me to is a pioneering work. It was the first

00:28:39.710 --> 00:28:42.710
Organization global organization and support

00:28:42.710 --> 00:28:45.230
of Israel and we have really had to pioneer.

00:28:45.230 --> 00:28:50.650
What does that mean? How do churches relate to

00:28:50.650 --> 00:28:55.390
a political nation state of Israel? How do churches

00:28:55.390 --> 00:28:59.349
relate to the Jewish people and we pioneered

00:28:59.349 --> 00:29:02.029
a whole new level of relationship between Jews

00:29:02.029 --> 00:29:05.130
and Christians But also an understanding of what

00:29:05.130 --> 00:29:07.670
God is doing in Israel and how churches relate

00:29:07.670 --> 00:29:12.240
to it. So I have been called to that work because

00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:16.519
I think personality wise, I fit well in a pioneering

00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:22.500
work. I'm independent and I don't need a lot

00:29:22.500 --> 00:29:29.440
of support. I'm kind of comfortable with that

00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:32.900
independent pioneering kind of work, but it can

00:29:32.900 --> 00:29:37.940
be lonely. And especially a pioneering ministry

00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:41.180
and a pioneering call, sometimes you're easily

00:29:41.180 --> 00:29:46.220
misunderstood because you're something new. And

00:29:46.220 --> 00:29:49.400
people don't always like things that are new.

00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:51.920
It's like they like their boxes, right? They

00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:55.839
like the way it's always been done. But it was

00:29:55.839 --> 00:30:00.539
time for the church to begin to relate to what

00:30:00.539 --> 00:30:03.839
God was doing. in the Jewish people and the return

00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:06.059
of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland

00:30:06.059 --> 00:30:09.339
and so we have helped pioneer that and you're

00:30:09.339 --> 00:30:12.940
right it can be lonely but it's also been such

00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:16.019
a privilege to be on the cutting edge of what

00:30:16.019 --> 00:30:20.039
God is doing. He's fulfilling prophecy all around

00:30:20.039 --> 00:30:23.640
us. And it's been a real privilege to be a part

00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:27.099
of this. Well, clearly God has given you such

00:30:27.099 --> 00:30:30.220
a deep love for not only His Word, but also for

00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:35.980
Israel. But you knew that God's heart works for

00:30:35.980 --> 00:30:38.559
all people, including the Arab people. So you

00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:42.059
asked God to give you His love for them. Share

00:30:42.059 --> 00:30:44.539
what happened next and how God began to change

00:30:44.539 --> 00:30:48.480
your heart. Yeah, so it was coming to the end

00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:51.319
of my six months at that Jewish organization

00:30:51.319 --> 00:30:56.059
in DC and Then I really was praying about what

00:30:56.059 --> 00:30:58.920
was the next step? What was I supposed to do?

00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:02.160
We didn't have an office there and what was I

00:31:02.160 --> 00:31:05.359
supposed to do? So I fasted one day over lunchtime

00:31:05.970 --> 00:31:09.490
And I don't know why I prayed this prayer. Obviously,

00:31:09.509 --> 00:31:11.789
I'd been a part of a conversation. I just don't

00:31:11.789 --> 00:31:14.130
remember what that conversation was. But over

00:31:14.130 --> 00:31:17.230
lunchtime, I sat there by this beautiful fountain

00:31:17.230 --> 00:31:19.569
that's still there today, looks over the Capitol.

00:31:20.190 --> 00:31:24.710
And I prayed. I said, Lord, I know that I do

00:31:24.710 --> 00:31:27.130
not have the same love for the Arabs that I do

00:31:27.130 --> 00:31:29.730
for the Jews. And I know you love all men the

00:31:29.730 --> 00:31:35.359
same. So I ask you to change my heart. And over

00:31:35.359 --> 00:31:40.180
the next, within six months, I was on a trip

00:31:40.180 --> 00:31:43.099
through the Middle East that I had no idea I

00:31:43.099 --> 00:31:46.720
was going to go on. Went through Turkey, Syria,

00:31:47.059 --> 00:31:51.279
and Jordan, and then back into Israel. I met

00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:54.819
with Christians in all three countries. I met

00:31:54.819 --> 00:31:58.420
with Orthodox Christians who are of evangelical

00:31:58.420 --> 00:32:01.880
faith, but they're Orthodox Christians in Turkey.

00:32:02.250 --> 00:32:07.470
I met with a Catholic order of nuns in Damascus

00:32:07.470 --> 00:32:14.410
that were a delight. Then in Jordan, we met with

00:32:14.410 --> 00:32:16.910
evangelical Christians, Bible -based Christians

00:32:16.910 --> 00:32:21.289
there that had a prayer group. To hear from the

00:32:21.289 --> 00:32:28.349
three of them and to get a heart of God for particularly

00:32:28.910 --> 00:32:32.150
the Arab Christians or the Middle Eastern Christians,

00:32:32.170 --> 00:32:36.490
I should call them, and the variety of them.

00:32:37.210 --> 00:32:40.250
And then I come back to Washington, D .C., and

00:32:40.250 --> 00:32:45.130
then the Lord really very, very supernaturally

00:32:45.130 --> 00:32:49.410
opened a door for me to teach Sunday School at

00:32:49.410 --> 00:32:52.670
the Arabic Baptist Church, which is in the heart

00:32:52.670 --> 00:32:57.009
of D .C. on Massachusetts Avenue. And of course,

00:32:57.049 --> 00:32:59.230
the Sunday school was in English. I didn't know

00:32:59.230 --> 00:33:02.809
any Arabic. And I ended up a part of that church

00:33:02.809 --> 00:33:06.430
for five years. And so what that did is that

00:33:06.430 --> 00:33:09.829
because with the Arab -Israeli conflict, it's

00:33:09.829 --> 00:33:15.609
easy to see people as objects. And you lose the

00:33:15.609 --> 00:33:18.809
perspective of the human price that's paid on

00:33:18.809 --> 00:33:24.019
both sides of this conflict. And as I began to

00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:27.220
know, particularly these Middle Eastern Christians,

00:33:27.940 --> 00:33:30.660
we prayed together. We worshiped together. We

00:33:30.660 --> 00:33:33.119
disagreed on things and we were different in

00:33:33.119 --> 00:33:39.640
certain ways. But it opened up the human element

00:33:39.640 --> 00:33:43.759
of this. They were friends. And that was such

00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:47.619
a healthy thing for me. Of course, I also met

00:33:47.619 --> 00:33:51.940
the man that became my husband. from Egypt an

00:33:51.940 --> 00:33:54.680
Egyptian Christian who had just arrived in the

00:33:54.680 --> 00:33:57.440
United States and we met there in the DC area

00:33:57.440 --> 00:34:02.799
and He's been such a blessing to my life a real

00:34:02.799 --> 00:34:06.220
expert on the Middle East all things Middle East

00:34:06.220 --> 00:34:11.139
But a man that of faith and who knows the Bible

00:34:11.139 --> 00:34:15.880
and has a biblical worldview like I do and he

00:34:15.880 --> 00:34:19.980
has strengthened me so much and has been such

00:34:19.980 --> 00:34:24.079
a blessing to me personally, of course, but also

00:34:24.079 --> 00:34:27.320
my calling. Marrying across cultures can be beautiful,

00:34:27.539 --> 00:34:30.260
but I'm sure stretching a little bit too. So

00:34:30.260 --> 00:34:32.539
as you and George began your life together, what

00:34:32.539 --> 00:34:34.900
did God teach you as you grew together as a couple?

00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:38.780
Well, you know, I always say that... me being

00:34:38.780 --> 00:34:42.619
from a small town in Kentucky, if I had married

00:34:42.619 --> 00:34:44.980
someone from New York, it would have been a cross

00:34:44.980 --> 00:34:49.480
cultural marriage, right? Oh, yeah. I married

00:34:49.480 --> 00:34:55.079
someone from the New York area. So yes. Oh, so

00:34:55.079 --> 00:34:59.119
marrying George, yes, there was a cultural element

00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:05.380
to a cultural difference. But we agreed in our

00:35:05.380 --> 00:35:11.019
faith completely. And we agreed in certain things

00:35:11.019 --> 00:35:14.239
like, you know, financial management and this

00:35:14.239 --> 00:35:17.280
kind of thing where most of your disagreements

00:35:17.280 --> 00:35:22.179
come from. And overcoming the cultural difference,

00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:29.599
it was definitely an element to it. But we met

00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:32.260
kind of in the middle. Yes, I was American and

00:35:32.260 --> 00:35:34.820
yes, he was Middle Eastern, but we were so similar

00:35:34.820 --> 00:35:37.860
because of our biblical faith. that made all

00:35:37.860 --> 00:35:40.780
the difference. Well, God gave you such a clear

00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:43.900
calling to build bridges between the United States

00:35:43.900 --> 00:35:47.940
and Israel. But the obedience, as you've mentioned,

00:35:48.139 --> 00:35:50.460
it's not always easy. I mean, being a pioneer

00:35:50.460 --> 00:35:54.579
isn't easy. So as the organization has grown

00:35:54.579 --> 00:35:57.900
over the years, what are a few of the challenges

00:35:57.900 --> 00:36:00.059
you've faced along the way? And how have you

00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:03.659
seen God miraculously meet you, sustain you,

00:36:04.280 --> 00:36:08.250
open doors? Well, I will... Say some of the challenges

00:36:08.250 --> 00:36:13.349
have been, number one, what we already talked

00:36:13.349 --> 00:36:18.789
about, that this is a pioneering ministry. But

00:36:18.789 --> 00:36:22.650
secondly, this is a global organization. So we

00:36:22.650 --> 00:36:25.949
are headquartered out of Jerusalem. We are not

00:36:25.949 --> 00:36:29.349
an American organization. So that means there's

00:36:29.349 --> 00:36:35.329
even cross -cultural differences within our organization.

00:36:36.680 --> 00:36:40.440
And I've seen other organizations start up here

00:36:40.440 --> 00:36:43.619
in the United States, and they're based here,

00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:46.440
all their staff is here, their fundraising is

00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:51.940
here, and they're able to grow in certain ways

00:36:51.940 --> 00:36:56.059
that for us, we were here to actually build the

00:36:56.059 --> 00:36:58.780
organization in Jerusalem. We were not here to

00:36:58.780 --> 00:37:03.980
build a large American organization. And so that

00:37:03.980 --> 00:37:08.300
has been a little bit of a challenge of we do

00:37:08.300 --> 00:37:10.659
a lot of fundraising and it's for projects in

00:37:10.659 --> 00:37:13.659
Israel and it's for the headquarters in Israel.

00:37:14.880 --> 00:37:18.380
But the Lord has really helped us even recently.

00:37:18.980 --> 00:37:22.659
We've built such a solid foundation over the

00:37:22.659 --> 00:37:28.300
years of stability and of reliability. And now

00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:36.079
we're seeing growth in certain ways. But it's

00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:39.159
a little bit of a different approach. And I think

00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:42.519
the third challenge for me has been as a woman

00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:50.739
in leadership. The Christian church is a hard

00:37:50.739 --> 00:37:56.000
place for women to be in leadership. And I love

00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:59.280
the local church. I honor it. I honor pastors.

00:37:59.820 --> 00:38:03.639
I would never want to be a pastor. It's a hard

00:38:03.639 --> 00:38:08.659
calling and and I really honor them but sometimes

00:38:08.659 --> 00:38:12.420
because most of Christian leaders are men they

00:38:12.420 --> 00:38:14.840
don't know how to relate to the woman leader

00:38:14.840 --> 00:38:18.320
that's in their midst and so they tend to kind

00:38:18.320 --> 00:38:21.440
of go over you or around you because they're

00:38:21.440 --> 00:38:23.719
just not comfortable they're comfortable to women

00:38:23.719 --> 00:38:26.920
as their mother or their daughter or their sister

00:38:28.059 --> 00:38:30.380
But they don't know how to relate to a woman

00:38:30.380 --> 00:38:36.480
as a peer, as another leader. And they're much

00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:38.760
more comfortable working with other men. And

00:38:38.760 --> 00:38:43.719
so that has been a challenge. But over time,

00:38:43.860 --> 00:38:47.619
I believe that I've compensated for that, overcome

00:38:47.619 --> 00:38:52.719
that. But it has taken probably longer for me

00:38:52.719 --> 00:38:55.800
as a woman leader to reach that point than it

00:38:55.800 --> 00:38:58.800
would have been if I was a man. I think I would

00:38:58.800 --> 00:39:07.599
have attained a position of recognition quicker.

00:39:09.139 --> 00:39:14.519
Did God give you any direction or strategy as

00:39:14.519 --> 00:39:18.539
a woman building your organization that might

00:39:18.539 --> 00:39:22.400
be different than an approach a man might have

00:39:22.400 --> 00:39:24.960
taken? Yes, more than likely. There was a study

00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:29.969
done about women leaders And they said that organizations

00:39:29.969 --> 00:39:34.489
that were built by women tended to grow slower,

00:39:34.489 --> 00:39:41.110
but they were longer lasting. And I think that's

00:39:41.110 --> 00:39:44.150
definitely what we're seeing happen with this

00:39:44.150 --> 00:39:48.469
organization. And probably a lot of that is because

00:39:48.469 --> 00:39:51.670
of my own personality and approach to things.

00:39:51.989 --> 00:39:54.650
It's a little bit methodical, step -on -step,

00:39:55.150 --> 00:39:58.590
not taking a lot of risk. but will take some

00:39:58.590 --> 00:40:06.909
risk. And so, yes, definitely. Well, God always

00:40:06.909 --> 00:40:10.369
prepares us for the seasons ahead. In what ways

00:40:10.369 --> 00:40:12.909
have you seen that He's prepared you really for

00:40:12.909 --> 00:40:15.110
the rapid expansion you're experiencing now as

00:40:15.110 --> 00:40:17.409
an organization? Because you started slow, but

00:40:17.409 --> 00:40:20.389
you've really seen a trajectory of growth now

00:40:20.389 --> 00:40:26.320
that is exceeding what you expected. You know,

00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:32.059
when I was young, even before I went off to college,

00:40:33.360 --> 00:40:39.199
I was a good teacher. And so I minored in education

00:40:39.199 --> 00:40:41.599
along with my biblical studies because I did

00:40:41.599 --> 00:40:45.460
like it. But then I ended up with this organization

00:40:45.460 --> 00:40:48.639
and it's more about management and putting on

00:40:48.639 --> 00:40:52.780
events and fundraising and all of this. But about

00:40:52.780 --> 00:40:56.440
10 years ago, the Lord began to open doors for

00:40:56.440 --> 00:41:00.880
me to speak and to teach. And while the response

00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:04.940
I had to it, and I recognized that I did have

00:41:04.940 --> 00:41:08.099
a gift, I had kind of set it aside for a while

00:41:08.099 --> 00:41:11.179
as I served others, as they were doing the teaching,

00:41:11.360 --> 00:41:14.199
they were doing the speaking. But now it was

00:41:14.199 --> 00:41:19.679
time for me to begin using that gift. And I also,

00:41:19.820 --> 00:41:23.360
at the same time, recognized the world was changing

00:41:23.360 --> 00:41:26.619
so quickly and communications, the way we communicate

00:41:26.619 --> 00:41:31.119
is changing. And before, we always had printed

00:41:31.119 --> 00:41:37.250
magazines and articles. But I saw we've got to

00:41:37.250 --> 00:41:42.170
get out there on video and on audio and Podcasting

00:41:42.170 --> 00:41:45.250
and online courses and all these different formats.

00:41:45.269 --> 00:41:49.170
We can't just be on the old way of doing things

00:41:49.170 --> 00:41:53.889
and And the I really believe the Lord showed

00:41:53.889 --> 00:41:56.769
me that I mean, it's not rocket science, right?

00:41:56.789 --> 00:42:00.030
Anybody that's observing should see that But

00:42:00.030 --> 00:42:03.010
when COVID shut down the world and all of a sudden

00:42:03.010 --> 00:42:06.929
there was no travel and I was already feeling

00:42:06.929 --> 00:42:09.510
this, we've just got to do this. So I just turned

00:42:09.510 --> 00:42:13.510
a spare bedroom into a studio and began recording

00:42:13.510 --> 00:42:18.510
so that we had audio, we had video, we took the

00:42:18.510 --> 00:42:21.210
content, we put it out as a podcast, but then

00:42:21.210 --> 00:42:25.210
we would put it up as online courses. take the

00:42:25.210 --> 00:42:28.170
content, turn it into books, and we've just been

00:42:28.170 --> 00:42:31.590
putting out content as fast and as furious as

00:42:31.590 --> 00:42:35.909
we can. And now what's happening is that that

00:42:35.909 --> 00:42:39.579
content is opening doors for us. And one of the

00:42:39.579 --> 00:42:43.360
exciting things that God is doing is with universities

00:42:43.360 --> 00:42:47.639
and to reach our young people. And we as an organization

00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:52.300
now have educational content that surpasses what

00:42:52.300 --> 00:42:55.639
really any of the other Israel -focused ministries

00:42:55.639 --> 00:43:00.300
have. And we're able to really resource college

00:43:00.300 --> 00:43:04.559
campuses, young people, churches, pastors, you

00:43:04.559 --> 00:43:09.079
name it. with these resources. And so that's

00:43:09.079 --> 00:43:13.059
a definite way that God has led us, even without

00:43:13.059 --> 00:43:16.280
us understanding where it was headed, you know,

00:43:16.300 --> 00:43:19.579
fully. Yeah, that's exciting. Well, looking ahead,

00:43:20.360 --> 00:43:22.139
what direction do you sense God's leading you

00:43:22.139 --> 00:43:25.460
now in the ministry? How can our listening friends

00:43:25.460 --> 00:43:28.280
find out more and participate? Of course, we

00:43:28.280 --> 00:43:31.260
continue doing everything that we do. That's

00:43:31.260 --> 00:43:33.340
the thing. You have to keep doing everything.

00:43:34.269 --> 00:43:37.650
So here in the United States as a branch office

00:43:37.650 --> 00:43:40.010
of the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem,

00:43:40.010 --> 00:43:43.570
I have three priorities. One is raising funds

00:43:43.570 --> 00:43:46.429
for our projects in Israel because the focus

00:43:46.429 --> 00:43:50.969
of our ministry is to demonstrate Christian support

00:43:50.969 --> 00:43:54.849
for Israel. We demonstrate that in very practical

00:43:54.849 --> 00:43:57.869
ways. They don't want empty words. They want

00:43:57.869 --> 00:44:00.699
you to demonstrate. that you support them. And

00:44:00.699 --> 00:44:04.460
so for 45 years now, we've been working in Israel

00:44:04.460 --> 00:44:08.199
with all kinds of projects like humanitarian

00:44:08.199 --> 00:44:12.300
aid projects, placing portable bomb shelters

00:44:12.300 --> 00:44:16.260
in vulnerable communities or on school playgrounds

00:44:16.260 --> 00:44:21.599
or this kind of thing. We house, we sponsor and

00:44:21.599 --> 00:44:24.900
help run the largest home for Holocaust survivors.

00:44:25.389 --> 00:44:28.210
In Israel, these survivors are all now in their

00:44:28.210 --> 00:44:32.590
90s, some over 100 years old. They were children

00:44:32.590 --> 00:44:36.570
during the Holocaust. And we have the privilege

00:44:36.570 --> 00:44:39.130
of just being there every day and just loving

00:44:39.130 --> 00:44:42.329
on them and showing them, you know, the face

00:44:42.329 --> 00:44:44.530
of love, whereas they are people that looked

00:44:44.530 --> 00:44:48.170
in the face of evil. We help with what's called

00:44:48.170 --> 00:44:52.099
Aliyah. and that's the return of the Jewish people

00:44:52.099 --> 00:44:55.039
to their homeland, to make it their home. So

00:44:55.039 --> 00:44:58.460
if Jews are leaving France, let's say, or the

00:44:58.460 --> 00:45:02.760
United States, or Ethiopia, wherever, and immigrating

00:45:02.760 --> 00:45:06.139
to Israel, it's called Aliyah, and we help along

00:45:06.139 --> 00:45:09.000
the way those that need help, and once they get

00:45:09.000 --> 00:45:12.260
to Israel, we help. with special needs that they

00:45:12.260 --> 00:45:14.780
might have as they're being absorbed into the

00:45:14.780 --> 00:45:17.559
country. So these are just examples of some of

00:45:17.559 --> 00:45:21.300
the practical things that we do in Israel. And

00:45:21.300 --> 00:45:24.179
so a lot of our fundraising is to fund those

00:45:24.179 --> 00:45:27.420
projects and demonstrate our Christian support

00:45:27.420 --> 00:45:31.739
for Israel. But secondly here in the United States,

00:45:31.780 --> 00:45:34.719
my second priority is education. And that's why

00:45:34.719 --> 00:45:37.900
I've put a lot of time into building educational

00:45:37.900 --> 00:45:43.889
resources. The third priority for me is advocacy.

00:45:44.590 --> 00:45:47.670
We're not a political organization in that we're

00:45:47.670 --> 00:45:50.909
not a lobby. We don't focus on that. But sometimes

00:45:50.909 --> 00:45:53.130
there's just such an important issue. We need

00:45:53.130 --> 00:45:57.510
to stand up and we need to have a voice. And

00:45:57.510 --> 00:46:01.849
as I said, I lived in Israel, sorry, in Washington

00:46:01.849 --> 00:46:05.599
DC for 30 years. And while there I built a lot

00:46:05.599 --> 00:46:08.139
of relationships and we just discovered that

00:46:08.139 --> 00:46:11.980
when we worked together, we had much greater

00:46:11.980 --> 00:46:16.059
political impact. So we actually started a network

00:46:16.059 --> 00:46:19.300
of Christian organizations called American Christian

00:46:19.300 --> 00:46:23.219
Leaders for Israel. We have tens of thousands

00:46:23.219 --> 00:46:26.880
of Christian leaders in this network. We actually

00:46:26.880 --> 00:46:30.969
are a network of networks. And when there's a

00:46:30.969 --> 00:46:33.489
need, we need to send a letter to the president,

00:46:33.630 --> 00:46:37.650
or we do a letter to the United Nations, or we

00:46:37.650 --> 00:46:41.469
do something as to, we unite our voices, we sign

00:46:41.469 --> 00:46:44.590
off on things together. And we really do represent

00:46:44.590 --> 00:46:49.130
tens of millions of Christians in America. And

00:46:49.130 --> 00:46:52.929
we do a lot of things collaboratively with these

00:46:52.929 --> 00:46:56.739
different organizations there in DC. So those

00:46:56.739 --> 00:47:01.360
are my three focuses and will always be, but

00:47:01.360 --> 00:47:04.360
I will tell you that as I pray about what God

00:47:04.360 --> 00:47:07.719
has for us to do and where he needs us to focus,

00:47:08.139 --> 00:47:11.840
I will tell you that I cannot get away from the

00:47:11.840 --> 00:47:15.579
need to be there for the next generation of Christian

00:47:15.579 --> 00:47:19.260
leaders. And that's why I'm so thrilled to see

00:47:19.260 --> 00:47:22.400
that God is opening doors for us on different

00:47:22.400 --> 00:47:26.929
college campuses. to provide educational resources

00:47:26.929 --> 00:47:30.010
and to help these, they're tomorrow Christians

00:47:30.010 --> 00:47:34.750
leaders and to help them understand the biblical

00:47:34.750 --> 00:47:38.730
significance of Israel, but also to help them

00:47:38.730 --> 00:47:41.409
navigate all of the lies that they're hearing

00:47:41.409 --> 00:47:45.429
every day. They're just bombarded with anti -Semitism

00:47:45.429 --> 00:47:48.349
and with lies against Israel, against the Jewish

00:47:48.349 --> 00:47:51.329
people, against Christians even that support

00:47:51.329 --> 00:47:54.900
Israel. And so we want to be there and help them

00:47:54.900 --> 00:47:58.340
to navigate those lives and be able to give an

00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:04.019
answer to them. And I believe that that is the

00:48:04.019 --> 00:48:06.320
most important thing out of everything we're

00:48:06.320 --> 00:48:12.579
doing because it's going to help this movement

00:48:12.579 --> 00:48:16.920
continue into the future. We're very concerned

00:48:16.920 --> 00:48:19.920
when we see the trends amongst the young Christians

00:48:19.920 --> 00:48:23.880
in America. And I say that out of love for them.

00:48:24.960 --> 00:48:28.619
I love Generation Z. I love Alpha. I love the

00:48:28.619 --> 00:48:32.320
young people. I love being with them. And there's

00:48:32.320 --> 00:48:34.820
some wonderful young people out there in churches

00:48:34.820 --> 00:48:39.659
and on campuses. But there are concerning trends

00:48:39.659 --> 00:48:43.719
when you look at their support of Israel. And

00:48:43.719 --> 00:48:46.239
that's what we need to address that. And we need

00:48:46.239 --> 00:48:50.980
to help them and solidify their understanding

00:48:50.980 --> 00:48:55.800
of Israel for future generations. Yeah. And,

00:48:55.920 --> 00:48:59.059
you know, I think that there's so important to

00:48:59.059 --> 00:49:06.880
understand that the government of Israel is not

00:49:06.880 --> 00:49:10.780
necessarily always right in everything they do.

00:49:11.289 --> 00:49:14.550
But God's support of Israel is unwavering. You

00:49:14.550 --> 00:49:17.570
can criticize a policy of the Israeli government

00:49:17.570 --> 00:49:20.650
just like you can criticize a policy of the American

00:49:20.650 --> 00:49:28.449
government. But when you began to demonize Israel,

00:49:29.449 --> 00:49:31.650
you have to understand you're demonizing the

00:49:31.650 --> 00:49:34.369
people of Israel, which are a subset of the Jewish

00:49:34.369 --> 00:49:38.210
people. And so this demonization of Israel is

00:49:38.210 --> 00:49:41.340
where you must draw the line. and where you began

00:49:41.340 --> 00:49:44.360
to actually question Israel's right to exist.

00:49:45.019 --> 00:49:48.460
And when you start calling for, you know, Palestine

00:49:48.460 --> 00:49:51.880
will be free from the river to the sea, that's

00:49:51.880 --> 00:49:55.059
a call for the end of Israel. And it's based

00:49:55.059 --> 00:49:57.940
on a demonization of the people. That's wrong.

00:49:58.079 --> 00:50:02.219
That's antisemitic. And so, yeah, the government

00:50:02.219 --> 00:50:05.239
of Israel is not perfect, just like our government

00:50:05.239 --> 00:50:08.820
isn't perfect. But I love the United States.

00:50:08.840 --> 00:50:11.840
I love what we were founded on and the principles

00:50:11.840 --> 00:50:14.619
we were founded on. I believe God raised up this

00:50:14.619 --> 00:50:18.780
country, just like I believe God raised up Israel

00:50:18.780 --> 00:50:23.900
and they need our prayers. Yeah. Amen. Well,

00:50:23.900 --> 00:50:26.519
Susan, as we wrap up, tell me about a woman of

00:50:26.519 --> 00:50:29.340
the Bible who's inspired or encouraged or taught

00:50:29.340 --> 00:50:31.519
you something and how it's impacted your walk

00:50:31.519 --> 00:50:37.860
with the Lord. I think it's both. Mary and Martha

00:50:37.860 --> 00:50:44.280
Because I'm the Martha I'm the doer and you have

00:50:44.280 --> 00:50:48.679
to be reminded to stop and spend time at the

00:50:48.679 --> 00:50:53.219
feet of Jesus like Mary did and To stop being

00:50:53.219 --> 00:50:58.559
so busy all the time and it's a very convicting

00:50:58.559 --> 00:51:02.360
Convicting role there, but I think that's the

00:51:02.360 --> 00:51:05.380
one that comes to my mind the most I'm like you

00:51:05.380 --> 00:51:10.500
in that I have to work hard to stop. I mean,

00:51:10.500 --> 00:51:13.059
I love to sit at the feet of Jesus once I'm there.

00:51:13.260 --> 00:51:18.780
It's just getting there, right? Well, thank you,

00:51:18.780 --> 00:51:21.260
Susan. I'm so grateful for your story because

00:51:21.260 --> 00:51:24.920
it reminds us that God's Word is not just something

00:51:24.920 --> 00:51:27.059
that we read, but it's something that we really

00:51:27.059 --> 00:51:29.840
encounter in our life. And when we encounter

00:51:29.840 --> 00:51:31.800
the Word of God, it shapes us and it anchors

00:51:31.800 --> 00:51:34.539
us and it strengthens our faith. It gives us

00:51:34.539 --> 00:51:36.960
clarity for our calling, like it did for you.

00:51:38.119 --> 00:51:40.619
And I think, really, one of the most powerful

00:51:40.619 --> 00:51:42.599
takeaways is this, when Scripture comes alive,

00:51:42.719 --> 00:51:46.659
our faith comes alive. When faith comes alive,

00:51:46.800 --> 00:51:49.039
we can endure long seasons where we don't see

00:51:49.039 --> 00:51:51.800
the fruit, because we know that God's working.

00:51:53.360 --> 00:51:55.800
Long seasons of building, and then fruitfulness

00:51:55.800 --> 00:51:59.320
comes, like you've seen. Susan, before we go,

00:51:59.420 --> 00:52:01.099
would you take a moment and pray for our listeners?

00:52:02.360 --> 00:52:04.960
Absolutely. And Jody, before I do, I just want

00:52:04.960 --> 00:52:10.300
to say the reason the Bible is so exciting is

00:52:10.300 --> 00:52:12.960
because it's still being written today. And that's

00:52:12.960 --> 00:52:16.340
what we have to understand. God's story did not

00:52:16.340 --> 00:52:20.159
end when the Bible was written. It's still going

00:52:20.159 --> 00:52:24.010
on today. The promises that he made to Abraham

00:52:24.010 --> 00:52:27.650
four thousand years ago are being fulfilled today.

00:52:28.030 --> 00:52:31.210
And when you get that, that's when it becomes

00:52:31.210 --> 00:52:34.610
so exciting. So I want to pray for your listeners

00:52:34.610 --> 00:52:38.210
that they will begin to taste of that excitement.

00:52:39.030 --> 00:52:41.489
So, Lord, I do want to lift up those that are

00:52:41.489 --> 00:52:45.369
listening to us today. And I pray that as they

00:52:45.369 --> 00:52:50.010
began to become more curious, maybe about their

00:52:50.010 --> 00:52:54.219
Bible. Or they want to ask for your help that

00:52:54.219 --> 00:52:59.179
they can understand it more, that they can get

00:52:59.179 --> 00:53:01.980
that excitement from your Bible that we have

00:53:01.980 --> 00:53:04.820
talked about today. I pray, Lord, that you will

00:53:04.820 --> 00:53:07.239
meet them there, that you will meet them in the

00:53:07.239 --> 00:53:10.480
pages of their Bible, that you will be so faithful

00:53:10.480 --> 00:53:13.219
as they open that book that you're right there.

00:53:13.679 --> 00:53:17.019
And you will use it in their lives personally.

00:53:17.469 --> 00:53:20.349
that those words will jump off the page and into

00:53:20.349 --> 00:53:23.369
their heart as you lead them and speak to them

00:53:23.369 --> 00:53:26.750
a Rhema word. But Lord, that you'll also help

00:53:26.750 --> 00:53:30.550
them to understand the story of the Bible, who

00:53:30.550 --> 00:53:34.070
it's about, who it's written about, about the

00:53:34.070 --> 00:53:36.909
God of the Bible, about the land, the setting

00:53:36.909 --> 00:53:41.010
of the Bible, that they can begin to enter in

00:53:41.010 --> 00:53:45.389
to that third dimension where it just comes alive.

00:53:45.920 --> 00:53:49.619
Lord that whatever their Needs are that you would

00:53:49.619 --> 00:53:52.940
be there to meet those today, but I know that

00:53:52.940 --> 00:53:57.420
many of our needs just diminish in the light

00:53:57.420 --> 00:54:03.519
of your presence and your Your presence in our

00:54:03.519 --> 00:54:06.559
lives and so that's what I asked for Lord that

00:54:06.559 --> 00:54:10.000
That as your people draw nigh unto you today

00:54:10.000 --> 00:54:12.719
that you will be there and you will draw nigh

00:54:12.719 --> 00:54:16.179
to them And they'll just sense your big arms

00:54:16.179 --> 00:54:19.599
wrapping around them. And every need will just

00:54:19.599 --> 00:54:22.980
melt away in your presence. And that's what I

00:54:22.980 --> 00:54:25.579
pray for each one listening here for us today.

00:54:26.320 --> 00:54:31.460
I pray it in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Well,

00:54:31.460 --> 00:54:34.360
friends, I hope today you gave you a renewed

00:54:34.360 --> 00:54:37.000
hunger for God's Word and a desire to understand

00:54:37.000 --> 00:54:40.000
the Bible in a really a deeper way. Remember,

00:54:40.239 --> 00:54:42.280
God would love to make the Bible come alive for

00:54:42.280 --> 00:54:46.110
you, too. So I encourage you to check out Susan's

00:54:46.110 --> 00:54:49.210
book, Encounter the 3D Bible, and also find out

00:54:49.210 --> 00:54:50.929
more about her work with the U .S. branch of

00:54:50.929 --> 00:54:52.989
the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

00:54:53.570 --> 00:54:55.730
Go to our show notes for links and additional

00:54:55.730 --> 00:55:00.329
information. And please know that God still speaks

00:55:00.329 --> 00:55:03.289
through His Word. He still leads. He still calls.

00:55:03.389 --> 00:55:08.190
He still equips. So dig in. And as I mentioned

00:55:08.190 --> 00:55:09.869
at the beginning of our time together, Romans

00:55:09.869 --> 00:55:13.090
15 -4 reminds us that scripture gives us endurance

00:55:13.090 --> 00:55:16.869
and encouragement and hope. So if you're in a

00:55:16.869 --> 00:55:19.690
stretching season right now, stay rooted in the

00:55:19.690 --> 00:55:23.570
word. God just may be preparing you for what's

00:55:23.570 --> 00:55:27.679
ahead in ways that you can't yet even see. As

00:55:27.679 --> 00:55:29.559
always, I want to remind you to partner with

00:55:29.559 --> 00:55:31.420
us through the Somebody Cares Widow and Orphan

00:55:31.420 --> 00:55:33.679
Fund. It's one of the ways you can bring real

00:55:33.679 --> 00:55:36.179
help and hope to vulnerable women and children

00:55:36.179 --> 00:55:38.639
around the world. So check it out at hergodstory

00:55:38.639 --> 00:55:42.880
.org and just click help now. Thank you for listening

00:55:42.880 --> 00:55:45.159
and thank you for being a part of this community.

00:55:45.739 --> 00:55:48.699
Until next time, stay grounded in the word and

00:55:48.699 --> 00:55:51.460
keep saying yes to Jesus because he is still

00:55:51.460 --> 00:55:54.849
writing your story. Her God Story is a ministry

00:55:54.849 --> 00:55:57.050
of Somebody Cares America and International.

00:55:57.469 --> 00:55:59.650
To find out more about or support the ministry,

00:55:59.929 --> 00:56:01.610
go to somebodycares .org.