By Justin Kron - eXperience Israel Leader

When I started the eXperience Israel program for young adults ten years ago, I was struck by how my passion for encouraging people to walk in the footsteps of Yeshua (Jesus) was very similar to the passion that Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, had for infusing the magic and mystery of an Italian espresso bar into American culture.

Let me explain...

Schultz's dream was for Americans to drink coffee the way it was meant to be drunk. He knew that where you drink your coffee is just as important as the coffee itself. Americans had reduced coffee to nothing more than a caffeine drink dispensed from their "Mr. Coffee" makers in the confines of their kitchens, but Schultz believed the ambiance and atmosphere of Italian espresso bars was intricately tied into the experience of drinking and enjoying coffee. He was right. Today, thousands of Starbucks cafes, and others like them, make their home in every state, and are quickly spreading to the four corners of the world.

So what's the connection to eXperience Israel?

I've also learned that location matters when it comes to experiencing the truth of God's Word. It is one thing to know that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, but it's a completely different experience to "drink in" the Word in the actual places where He walked among us!

Imagine the difference between reading about something that had become so familiar to you and actually visiting the place where it originated. When I was in high school, I visited Washington DC. I had read about and listened to my Social Studies teacher describe the significance of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court, and other institutions that formed the bedrock of American History. But the aura of these places and historical documents didn't fully register with me until I actually saw them with my own eyes. My identity as an American crystallized.

Now imagine what it would be like to stand on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where Yeshua recruited his first followers when he said, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." When I first stood on these very same shores, the reality of this Bible story crystallized deep within my heart. I could envision the fishermen and their nets. Their ordinariness. The wooden boats they would have used to sail the sea.

Although the Sea of Galilee was much smaller than I thought it was going to be, it certainly was not small in its beauty. The sun was setting below the surrounding mountains. The water was glassy and reflective. I couldn't help but pick up one of the smooth rounded stones that were scattered around my feet, feeling its texture in my hands like it was an ancient artifact.

Instantly I imagined myself standing there and holding the same stone 2,000 years earlier.

Standing beside me was a Jewish carpenter-turned-preacher from Nazareth. He had gained much notoriety in the region in recent months, proclaiming that the "kingdom of heaven was near." I had never been around anyone so compelling. I was intrigued by the authority and power of His words, and the compassion with which He delivered them. Then, as if He already knew how I would respond, He asked me to join him - "Come, Justin, follow me, and I will make you a fisher of men."

I followed, and my life has never been the same since.

That is what the eXperience Israel program is all about - bringing people into an environment where God's Word can come alive in new ways. It provides moments of personal contemplation and reflection about the reality of God's personal intervention in creation and most importantly, in our lives. It makes the person of Yeshua, the Lamb of God, more touchable, embraceable, and believable. It puts flesh on the Word.

The eXperience Israel program also provides opportunities to put flesh on our words, as we become the hands and feet of Yeshua, serving those with physical and spiritual needs. We go not only to walk in Yeshua's footsteps, but to serve in them.

Going to Israel may cost more than a cup of Starbucks coffee, but I guarantee that the eternal value is exponentially greater. Come eXperience Israel... so Israel can experience Him.