Learnings from a War Zone

I never expected to be in a war zone in Israel with missile intercepts exploding before my eyes, repeated warning sirens, twenty-some trips to bomb shelters, and a 19-hour evacuation through the wilderness of Egypt to Cairo. Our 10-day Holy Land trip changed in an instant and we were at ground zero of epic historical times in Jerusalem. The first six days I was hosting 44 tourists on a pilgrimage to Nazareth, Capernaum, Caesarea-Philippi, the Dead Sea and Masada. We sailed calmly on a perfect day on the Sea of Galilee and ate a big fish for lunch.

Everything changed in Jerusalem. Rough winds came, roosters crowed, sirens rang out and missiles zeroed in on Jerusalem. The war started. God had a plan for us to become Disciples, the Curriculum was the War and the Lesson was Faith. Would we choose Fear or Faith. Here are some of the lessons I learned in the War Zone …

We had to be Comfortable with being Uncomfortable
Courage is Contagious
Love is our Weapon
You never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you’ve got, and then you find out experientially, Jesus is all you need
The size of your faith is determined by the size of your God. Big God – Big Faith. Small God – Small Faith. Without faith it is impossible to please Him.
God’s plan is usually not a straight line but a zig-zag. You have a choice to murmur, complain, grumble or not when wandering in the wilderness. The key is not great circumstances but choosing GRATITUDE.
Strength in Community. No one should stand alone.
Spiritual Practices/Building. Our inner world doesn’t make us CRISIS PROOF but CRISIS READY. The question is not whether we’ll face a crisis but whether we have developed the inner resources to navigate them with grace and wisdom when they arrive.
Worship is a Weapon. It has the power to slay worry and be the antidote for anxiety. The acoustics in a bomb shelter is amazing!
Wisdom Complements Courage. Real danger was all about us. Appropriate concern was demanded. We wanted to be wise as serpents and leaned into good intel, our guide, the tour company evacuation war room, armed security personnel, bus caravan, shadow vehicles, safe rooms and siren systems.

2026 Legislative Session Launches

Opportunities for the Gospel await as I start a new three-month Session in Baton Rouge. This is my 16^th year serving in the chaplain role to our Legislators. Please pray for revival in the hearts of our leaders.