A pilgrimage is a journey taken to a holy place for religious purposes. I mention this definition to say that I’m sitting in the Tampa airport, beginning a pilgrimage to Israel along with 30 others from church. I’m pretty excited about it. Actually I am EXTREMELY excited, but I don’t want to sound like I’m rubbing it in that I’m going and you aren’t. Actually I don’t mind rubbing in it either…
My plan is to daily blog from our stops along the way – places like Jerusalem, Petra, the Sea of Galilee, and Newark.
If I understand what Jesus accomplished in His atoning death on the cross, then anyplace can be a holy place. To make a spiritual journey to holy places doesn’t require expensive airfare. The only requirement: opening our eyes to the sacred found in the everyday and the mundane.
I’m EXTREMELY grateful for this opportunity to walk the same roads as Jesus, to kneel and pray in the garden of Gethsemane, to imagine hearing the phrase “Follow Me” from the Galilean shoreline. But I also know that I have been extremely blessed to meet with Jesus in a coffee shop at the corner of Kennedy and Albany, to sense His nearness in a cool breeze while driving along Bayshore, to feel His embrace through the squeezes and neck-hugs from my kids earlier this afternoon.
Life itself is a sacred journey, a pilgrimage, when we look for God along the way.
And that’s what I encourage you to do – to join me in a sacred journey. If I experience His Presence in Israel as mightily and graciously as I have in the mundane of the day-to-day, I consider myself to be pretty blessed.
Now the real test of this pilgrimage is about to begin: Will I be able to experience God while riding coach?
At the age of 32 I married my best friend, Beth. Thirteen years later we are blessed with two very energetic kids - Jack (12) and Calleigh (9). My wife is a ridiculously good cook who loves hosting dinners in our home, and then I go to the gym to work off the calories. I am an avid reader who appreciates contemplative, Spiritual conversations shared over a cup of coffee. Hobbies and interests include reading and writing, journaling, working out, and St. Louis Cardinal’s baseball. 
Jesus would fly coach. So look around and see all the people with you and Him. Packed in like apostles on a ship.
Gary, you ALWAYS know how to hit it out of the park when you are writing about the ordinary to the extraordinary, especially as it relates to you Holy Land trip. So exciting that all of you are in the air as I type! I cannot wait to read about your Holy Land journey through your blog. I also enjoyed the picture of you blogging at the airport thanks to Pastor Craig posting on FB. Praying for safe travels to Israel and an amazing trip for all! Blessings, Shannon
Gary,
I will be so looking forward to getting daily posts about your trip. How wonderful. I just imagine it will be extremely overwhelming and hope that one day I get to experience going there myself. Please do me a favor…when/if you get to a sacred place of beauty and in prayer, please pray for me that I would get a job soon. It’s been a year and it’s been very difficult emotionally and physically. I would really appreciate that. Thanks Gary and have a wondeful blessed, God filled trip. I bet our Lord will truly bless you.
Will be watching every day for your posts! Thanks for sharing the trip with us. We’re missing you already.
you have succeeded in making me jealous! Can’t wait to see your posts.