“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9
Bucket List
By Shannon Pederson
“Happy talk, keep talking happy talk,
Talk about things you'd like to do,
You've got to have a dream
If you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true.”
Happy Talk by Oscar Hammerstein II from South Pacific
Talk about things you'd like to do,
You've got to have a dream
If you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true.”
Happy Talk by Oscar Hammerstein II from South Pacific
Through Christ, God gives us the power to tackle God-sized dreams. If the Holy Spirit tells us in His Word to do something, then God will give us the strength, the ability, and the means to do it.
Generally when people think of a "bucket list," they think of big dreams. These are all the things they want to do or experience throughout their entire life, before they, "Kick the Bucket."
It makes lots of sense to let God help determine our bucket list. His bucket list for us is bigger and more exciting than we can imagine or create on our own. Don’t be afraid to let God determine your today, tomorrow or the future, and don’t limit yourself or God.
Travel to various places throughout the world is on most bucket lists. There are many destinations across the world to enjoy, but Christian believers often have the Holy Land on their list. They want to see, feel, walk, and pray every day where Jesus lived, taught, died and rose from the dead.
The greatest reason that any Christian should take a Holy Land tour is that it is an experience that will change your life. Every time you open your bible for the rest of your life you will have a picture in your mind of the setting because you have seen it with your own eyes. Your Bible will go from black and white to color. Few things in the Holy Land will look like you always imaged and your new knowledge will be both life changing and ministry altering.
One minister from Mississippi says upon returning from a trip to Israel, he ran a low grade fever just thinking about the sights. He said he’d cry while reading the Bible because of the effect the images of the Holy Land had on him.
“I rejoiced with those who said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’
Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.”
Psalm 122:1-2
It is one thing to study the Bible when you are 6000 miles away, but it is a completely different experience doing it while in the Holy Land. The text truly comes to life when you read the Sermon on the Mount while standing on the Mount of Beatitudes; likewise, it is one thing to read about the Empty Tomb, but a whole different experience when you get to enter and see the tomb with your own eyes. It is only in Israel that the Bible truly comes to life, in full 3 dimensional Technicolor glory.
Pastor Dave has a bucket list and a trip to the Holy Land is on that list. He would love to visit the land where God made promises to Abraham and his decedents. He would love to be where David triumphed over Goliath and where Solomon built his temple.
But above all, Pastor Dave would like to be where Jesus was born, crucified and resurrected. He’d like to see where Jesus performed his miracles and the place where he was nailed to the cross to forgive the sins of all Christians. Additionally, he’d like to share all of these things with us and use his new found knowledge and experience to bring the Bible to life for us. How exciting for Dave and for us!
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13