At last I’m finding a moment here and there to try and ingest the amazing preparatory material given our group by John and Carla Moore of Bible Land Passages. I think the trip is going to be incredibly faith-building and I’m over-the-top excited to be sharing it with lots of diggers, as well as lots of other family in Him–some that I’ve not yet met. Glenn and I believe that this will not only be informative, but very refreshing for those of us who spend our days rushing from one activity to another–all of them good and most of them very much kingdom-related, but still physically and emotionally draining. We are thinking that a time to sing His praises on the shores of the Sea of Galilee or to read His Word from the old steps of the Jerusalem temple might be renewing for our minds and may ready us for a more peaceful and purposeful pursuit of His Will even when we return home.
Sometimes, even with great amounts of prayer and concern over the souls around us, we find ourselves struggling to see the results that we want in the lives of people around us. Sometimes we all get discouraged and find ourselves wondering if our best-laid plans and efforts for souls are really making any difference. Sometimes, it even seems that, when we are going out on limbs to try and influence for good, our efforts are even interpreted negatively. We are prayerful that for all of the few dozen people in our group, the trip will be a reminder of those in our great faith’s history who, though tempted and tested and discouraged and disillusioned at times, made a difference in the annals of His glory on this earth and are still speaking to us from those Judaean plains, valleys and mountain-tops through the pages of Holy Writ.
Would you please remember our group in your prayers? All have made significant investments to try and make this pilgrimage together. We are praying for good health for all who are traveling for the entirety of the trip. We are praying for weather that will make our time together the most effective. We are praying for wisdom in all of the teaching that will occur as we travel together and for love and goodness in all of our fellowship together. We are praying for safety during each phase of travel. We are so thankful to get to be doing this with family in the Lord. All of us are making a greater pilgrimage to a far superior land together, but may this short trip to the ancient Promised Land be a foretaste of our timeless era to come in the better Promised Land!
A few notes for the women: First, I know you will notice that there are several times set aside for Digging Deep ladies sessions. I, for one, am coveting these times with you. But I also want you to know that these meetings are optional. If you are just extremely tired at the end of a day of hiking and learning, there will be no problem at all with your retiring and skipping these night sessions. On the other hand, if you are tired and just want to sit on that beautiful shore and listen and not participate in any verbal way…there will be nothing required of you…not even taking notes. You can hear the singing and join in our prayers and hear a short snippet from the Word related to what we are seeing, with no strings attached. So use your best judgment and know that no one will think you are a slacker if you need to rest up!
Next, know that if you are not participating currently in the DD study, but would like to take advantage of these women’s sessions, you are perfectly welcome to do that. You will not feel “lost”or unprepared in any way. Each session will be just as pertinent to the newcomer as to those who’ve been digging all nine years!
And about that Digging Deep podcast….We still are unsure of the time and mode of transmission. But we are working on it. If you are a digger or just an interested Christian woman, check the facebook page “Digging Deep in God’s Word” for updates on the time you can catch that. We are still hoping for a live transmission, but we will soon know and post about that.
So there you go. 
Pack light. Eat healthy. Check off that “What to Bring” list you got in your email. Get ready to have your spiritual mind blown…certainly not by us, but by the visual aids that the Master Teacher has prepared for these sessions!
