How Traveling Changed my Life

I can remember taking my first, what I called "major" vacation when I was 16 years old. My family and I went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. My God! It was Amazing and still sticks out in my memory very fondly and oh so vividly.

A little background information about my upbringing. It was humble, to say the least. I came from a loving and caring family that didn't have much, but with what we did have, we made the most of and enjoyed life and lived richly in our love of togetherness . So we'd been blessed to take little road trips here and there, but THIS vacation was huge for us!! We flew to Miami (my very first flight!!) and boarded the Majesty of the Seas cruise ship, which in comparison to what cruise ships are today, it was a massive ship for me back then. I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. I was in awe and in love with everything that was transpiring. It took some time, maturity, a couple more amazing vacations, and even some revelation for me to truly understand and take in just what I was in awe of and in love with, though.

Whenever I fly, it is the most mesmerizing and tranquil position to peer out and be eye level with the clouds. It's in these moments and those similar, like sailing in the middle of the ocean with nothing but water for miles to see, dirt biking in the purity of the dessert, or simply walking cobblestone streets of a city not your home, that I am awakened and more  aware than ever that there is something- A Power so great and mighty to have created such wonders and beauty that we are able to experience through our travels. It is made so inevitable for me to acknowledge our mighty God for such a wondrous work.

In our day to day, things can become so mundane that we miss the beauty that surrounds us. The city lives that so many of us lead attempts to blind us from creations so majestic and so beyond our power as humans to create. When you take the time to explore and enjoy a vacation or even just visit somewhere new, many times we see this as a time of reset. We are so refreshed and rejuvenated to where our minds are clear and we are reset to focus. It's with this, in addition to other factors, that it's important we invest our travels responsibly! Doing so brings forth newness and clears clouded judgment. Certain things can be revealed and manifest for you through you being, whats the cliche saying, "at the right place at the right time".

I am all for having a good time, enjoying laughs, some good music and dancing, and everything else a good vacation is made of, but I think even when you aren't aware or even open to it, the Holy Spirit moves on you at some point and whether you mistake it as you're just in awe of the destination alone, you would be doing a disservice to not take the opportunity to bask and be thankful in the beginning and end of it all, our  Heavenly Father. It's because of His gracious and marvelous works that we are able to enjoy and share in such experiences. So next time you're flying, cruising, exploring, or simply just sitting and taking in the beauty before your eyes, just take the second to acknowledge and say, Thank you God! Thank him for the experience and the protection along the way. I'm here to proclaim that he is indeed worthy! :-)

It's from the places I've been able to travel and the places I look forward to venturing that the Glory of God is sealed and placed into a new perspective. The fact that He and his purpose for my life is so much more visible and massive than what I could have imagined, just by viewing with my own eyes the miracle we live in and call the world, brings his spirit Alive more and more with each time I travel. With each new destination, meeting new people and first hand witnessing that "human" is "human" everywhere we go, that among all of the differences, He ultimately created us the same. It's so amazing and life changing with each new adventure granted! So, next time you're on a trip or vacation be sure to find and acknowledge the Father, for He is the beauty surrounding you.

Peace & Blessings

Holy Land- The 5th Gospel and a Key to our Faith

Our God is Awesome, Amazing, and so much More!! We know that! We know that he speaks to us and have provided his word and direction to us through the Bible. These are basics of Christian knowledge, right?!

When reading either chapter of the 4 Gospels of the Bible- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, meditating over the commandments displayed directly from the voice of Jesus, I'm always inspired to a new level. Reading of his experiences in the land known today as the, "Holy Land", imagining the journey's and miracles performed always bring forth newness and revelation that further makes me aware of a power beyond my convictions and what my mind can ever perceive.

So, imagine how miraculous and life changing it would be to physically walk the very land and paths that our Jesus literally walked! I mean, THE ONLY land on this Earth that he's physically walked!! This alone to me is enough to explain the importance and need for us to take advantage of the opportunity to journey the land beyond reading and hearing of such occurrences. To take advantage of the opportunity to connect with our Heavenly Father and the stories of the Bible in what essentially is this personal, physical, and up close experience that has the ability to completely change the trajectory of your life! This is why the Holy Land is known as the 5th Gospel. It is yet another opportunity for God to impart Newness, Revelation, and Vision!

In experiencing the Word of God in this manner, we get a complete sense of who He is and was here on this earth. Journeying the Land will help us seek and better understand Jesus as human. How he was perfect and free from sin in an imperfect land.

The Bible will come Alive as you walk in the Footsteps of Jesus, Sail on the Sea of Galilee, and pray at the Western Wall, and More! You're sure to return home with a new understanding of the Bible, the Land, and the life of Jesus!