eXperience Israel and Starbucks
By Justin Kron
What does Starbucks Coffee have to do with Chosen People Ministries eXperience Israel Ministry Tour? Nothing at all, really. Not until I started reading Pour Your Heart Into It, by Howard Schultz, the Chairman and CEO of Starbucks.
I realized that Schultz's desire to introduce the magic and mystery of an Italian espresso bar into the American culture was very similar to my desire to enable followers of the Jewish Messiah the opportunity to experience deeper spiritual intimacy with God by walking in the footsteps of Yeshua in the land of Israel.
Schultz's dream was for Americans to drink the best coffee the way it was meant to be drunk. He believed the ambiance and community of Italian espresso bars was intricately tied into the experience of drinking coffee. Americans had reduced the coffee bean to a caffeine drink dispensed from their "Mr. Coffee" makers in the confines of their kitchens.
But Schultz knew there was much more to be appreciated. More to be understood about the art of drinking the world's second most traded commodity. Schultz brought respect, excellence, and passion back to America's unappreciated drink. Today, thousands of Starbucks stores, and others like them, make their home in urban and suburban neighborhoods, baseball stadiums, business cafeterias, and airports-like the cup I'm drinking in Cincinnati's Airport as I write this. They're in every state of America, and spreading to the Four Corners of the world.
So what does the eXperience Israel Ministry Tour have to do with Starbucks?
It's very similar to Schultz's desire for people to experience the quality of freshly brewed coffee from some of the world's finest roasted coffee beans in an environment that stimulated more than just their taste buds.
My first visit to Israel in 1997 when I was 24 years old had a profound affect on the how I perceived the Word of God and the events described in it. Most significantly, however, was how walking in his footsteps impacted my identity as a follower of the Messiah.
Imagine the difference between reading about something that had become so familiar to you and actually visiting the place were it originated. It's like when I visited Washington DC when I was in high school. I had read about and struggled through listening to my Social Studies teacher pontificate about the significance of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Capital Building, the Supreme Court, and other institutions that represented 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. Yeshua (Jesus' Hebrew name) recruited his first followers at the Sea of Galilee where he said to a few fishermen so convincingly, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." And they followed. When I stood along these shores, the reality of this Bible story - so familiar to me from countless references to it in the Christian circles I hung around in - crystallized deeply into my heart. Suddenly this Bible story began to sink in the way it was meant to. I could envision the fisherman and their nets. Their ordinariness. The wooden boats they would have used to sail The Sea. Actually, it would be more appropriately called The "Lake" of Galilee, but "Sea" sounds much more grandiose. The Sea of Galilee may not be extravagant in size, but it certainly was in its beauty. The sun was setting below the austere of the surrounding mountains of the Golan Heights. 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. I felt its texture in my hands like it was an ancient artifact with mystical powers.
Instantly I imagined myself standing there 2000 years earlier holding the same stone.
Standing beside me was a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth - of all places - turned preacher. 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, so fascinating. I was intrigued and captured by the authority and power of his words, and the compassion in 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 ever since.
That is what eXperience Israel is all about. It brings people to a place where spiritual intimacy with God can take place. It stimulates moments of personal contemplation about the reality of God's personal and physical intervention into the confines of his creation. It makes the person of Yeshua, the Lamb of God, more touchable, embracable, and believable. It puts flesh on the Word of God as you are reminded that "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Just as the prophet Isaiah foretold - "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
My encounter with Israel inspired me to dream about others my age having the opportunity to experience what I had. "Everyone deserves this," I thought. A year and a half after my first visit to Israel I was empowered to put legs on my dream by the leadership of Chosen People Ministries. The eXperience Israel Ministry Tour was established and in July of 1999 I would lead thirty 18 to 30-something year-olds to Israel.
Vivian, from the first eXperience Israel team, would later say of her experience - "It was the most monumental, life changing experience ever. I've been purged, humbled, moved and deeply challenged."
Heather, from Canada, shared - "Israel was an amazing experience, and God really put it on my heart that I need to get out of my comfort zone, and talk to people who need to hear the gospel. I would love to go back, and I realize now how amazing it is to be able to talk to people who live in a completely different world, and who are so interested in hearing the gospel. That trip also made me start to seriously think about missions. I have always had it in the back of my mind, but now it has pushed its way in front of everything."
One of the unique aspects of eXperience Israel is that it's a ministry tour and not just a tour. The first four days of the two-week tour focuses on serving and reaching out to the people of Israel.
Tim, a registered nurse and youth pastor from Alabama, said this about his experience - "The ministry part of eXperience Israel, to me, was the most awesome part. It allowed me to see that the Jewish people are just like each of us in many ways. The Jewish people have the same needs and desires that everyone has. At certain times during our encounters with Israeli's I felt a greater boldness than I have had while participating in outreach here at home. Our ministry brought me face to face with the real reason for our time spent in Israel and the real reason for our time spent here on this earth...to share the good news with every person. Learning how to share with the Jewish people helped to increase my understanding of the Jewish faith and ultimately the Jewish people."
Going to Israel may cost more than a cup of Starbucks coffee, but I guarantee that the eternal value of it is exponentially greater.
If you're 18 to 35 years-old...and you want to experience deeper authenticity in your relationship with God...and you not only want to walk in the "footsteps" of Yeshua, but serve in them, then the eXperience Israel Ministry Tour is for you. Just imagine reflecting on your call to serve God along the shores of Galilee where Yeshua first called his disciples to lay down their lives to follow him. Just imagine spending time with other people your age while serving and learning together in Yeshua's homeland. No other tour encompasses service and creative outreach ministry in conjunction with an extensive teaching tour to various Biblical sites like this one, where you will connect and serve with indigenous ministry leaders, participate in daily team devotions, passionate worship, and personal reflection. If you're up for a life-changing encounter...with God...His land...and His people, then I challenge you to prayerfully consider participating on the next eXperience Israel Ministry Tour.
I hope to see you in Israel soon...
Justin Kron
eXperience Israel Ministry Tour Director
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"I've been recommending the experience to everyone I meet. I would do it again myself in a heart beat! The experience has given me a new respect for the Jewish people. I read the Bible with a whole new view. Israel is something that can't be explained but has to be experienced."
- Jayleen
"I would recommend eXperience Israel to all my friends! It is life changing and words cannot describe the experience. It is something I think people need to see for themselves in order to understand fully."
- Kayla
"I truly believe that every believer should have the opportunity to experience what each of us experienced. To feel God's presence in God's land among God's people is too great an experience to describe with words. As a matter of fact, I have several friends that I am currently encouraging to be a part of future eXperience Israel tours."
- Tim
