Cost is $59.95. For a limited time, all pre-orders receive free shipping within the continental U.S.! All proceeds go toward our Trip Scholarship Fund. Check off your shopping list and at the same time, support some of our partners in the Land, like Johnny from Bethlehem at https://johnnysouvenir.com/ or Israeli guide Nadav at https://promisesofglory.com/ Homesick for Israel video: https://vimeo.com/418114134 To learn more about the Homesick for Israel Tour in August of 2022, follow this link: h...
Dec 09, 2021•34 min•Ep. 46
Links to recommended resources: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey IVP Bible Background Commentary by Craig Keener Jesus the Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary Burge The Bible and the Land by Gary Burge A week in the life of a Roman Centurion by Gary Burge Originally from Southern California, Gary was an undergraduate at the University of California, Riverside, and The American University of Beirut, Lebanon. He attended Fuller Theological Seminary and King's College, The Univers...
Nov 26, 2021•48 min•Ep. 45
LIVE FROM ISRAEL: RICH AND RONEN! Rich interviews Israeli guide and friend, Ronen Ben Moshe during their tour with the Well Church. While sipping coffee at the Sea of Galilee, the two discuss "the new normal" of traveling during these days. Despite a few added hoops to jump through, the opportunity to travel makes it all worth it. 96 out of 96 trip participants agree: coming to the Holy Land is ALWAYS a good idea! Visit https://gtitours.org/podcast for photos, links, and more from this episode....
Nov 12, 2021•23 min•Ep. 44
Trip blog https://gtitours.org/tour-journal/signature-turkey Blanket maker video https://vimeo.com/336927023 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus https://www.bibleplaces.com/ephesus/
Oct 28, 2021•23 min•Ep. 43
Erik Thoennes is a professor of theology and the chair of the theology department at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University as well as a pastor at Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada, California. His wife Donna also teaches at Biola University as an adjunct professor. Resource: Church History in Plain Language (updated 4th edition) by Bruce Shelley (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Church-History-Plain-Language-Fourth/dp/1401676316...
Sep 16, 2021•40 min•Ep. 42
If you are not already registered for a biblical study tour, please visit our website at https://gtitours.org/schedule Our Signature Tours are especially popular and the choices include: Israel and Jordan Signature Tour Sept. 25-October 7, 2021 Turkey/Greece Signature Tour October 11-24, 2021 Egypt, Jordan and Israel Signature Tour Feb. 25-March 10, 2022 Homesick for Israel Signature Tour August 28-Sept. 8, 2022...
Jul 16, 2021•57 sec•Ep. 41
Now that work is picking back up for the GTI staff, we will continue to release new podcast episodes but less often. Be sure to go back and listen to any you may have missed along the way! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for our latest news, interesting articles and stunning photos! See below for our list of available tours and feel free to contact our office if you have any questions at (616) 369-1234 or (800) 829-8234. View Upcoming Signature Tours Originally from the great nation of Texas...
Jul 09, 2021•32 min•Ep. 40
For the first time GTI Tours’ history, we have hand-crafted a study tour designed specifically for those who have been to Israel before. This tour is created to give the Homesick a chance to return Home, to revisit the Land and to learn new Lessons from her, to bring new chapters of the Bible to Life! Not only will this itinerary include new sites but also new experiences: getting your hands dirty on an archaeological dig, shopping at the Mahane Yehuda Market, taking in the vivid colors of the B...
Jul 01, 2021•36 min•Ep. 39
Homesick for Israel Video https://vimeo.com/418114134 Matthew 23:37 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew+23%3A37&version=NIV Sea of Galilee https://www.bibleplaces.com/seagalilee/ Ronen's Famous Hummus https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/455962186...
Jun 24, 2021•27 min•Ep. 38
A big part of becoming a trip leader is joining our annual Pastor's Familiarization Trip. Every January, GTI takes a group of pastors and ministry leaders to Israel at a discounted rate to benefit their ministries and to also prepare them to bring groups back! This year's trip is January 10-21, 2022. Registration is open! Pastor's Fam 2022 trip link: https://gtitours.org/trip/pastors-and-educators-israel-2022 To find out what a Fam trip is like, read the blog from Pastor's Fam 2020: https://gtit...
Jun 17, 2021•40 min•Ep. 37
Ariel was born and raised in a Jewish community in Finland then moved to Israel as an adult. He lived in Jerusalem for 16 years and became interested in guiding tours. Ariel speaks four languages (Finnish, Swedish, Hebrew and English) and has been guiding groups through Israel for 30 years. He loves to spend time in Jerusalem and in the Judean desert. His name means "Lion of God" in Hebrew. Books Feasts and Holidays of the Bible Christ in the Feast of Tabernacles...
Jun 10, 2021•24 min•Ep. 36
Craig Hill returns as our guest today on the podcast. Craig and our Rich discuss GTI's upcoming Signature Tour of Turkey and Greece, October 11-24. They walk through the scheduled itinerary (featuring over two dozen sites) and describe some of the highlights of these two amazing countries! In addition to following the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, this tour offers a hot air balloon ride in Turkey, wine tasting in Greece, and some amazing local hospitality. Registration is open! Visit https://gt...
Jun 03, 2021•42 min•Ep. 35
Richard refers to Psalm 2, Micah 5 and Ezekiel 5:5 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem, which I have set in the center of the nations, with countries all around her."
May 27, 2021•37 min•Ep. 34
Jonathan Greer and his wife Jennifer have enjoyed learning and teaching the Story of the Bible together in a variety of contexts in the Middle East for nearly two decades. They are faculty members at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary where Jonathan serves as Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Hesse Archaeological Lab and Jennifer as Adjunct Instructor of Bible with a New Testament focus. Together they lead an annual study tour course in cooperation with GTI to the lands of ...
May 20, 2021•39 min•Ep. 33
David has been married to Kathleen since 1980. The Garretts have two married daughters, Virginia (Joshua) and Monica (Noah) and four little friends (grandchildren). Jews for Jesus Website Information on Shavuot Shavuot (Pentecost) Information on the different feasts of Israel The Feasts of Israel...
May 13, 2021•27 min•Ep. 32
The devotional starts on December 1 and goes through January 6th, which is Epiphany. The devotional is written so children can understand it, but shares many cultural, historical and geographical details that adults will love. It’s an awesome way for families to engage with the Christmas story like never before! The activity set is available for preorder during the month of May only. Here is the link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thewanderingwisemen/the-wandering-wise-men-a-christmas-tra...
May 06, 2021•24 min•Ep. 31
Dr. Hersey holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament Theology and an M.A. in Biblical Archaeology both from Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary. He is passionate about providing opportunity for students to see and understand the context of the Bible so they can grow in their relationship with God and His story. Oliver has over 15 years of experience teaching Bible in a variety of settings including youth camps, college classrooms, and churches. He and his wife Andra and their two children Henry and Penel...
Apr 29, 2021•38 min•Ep. 30
Eric studied Bible, Music, and Communication at Hope College, Messianic Judaism at Denver Seminary, and received his Masters of Divinity from Western Theological Seminary. He has a passion to help people better understand and fall more deeply in love with the Text. This mission began as Eric realized that people stop reading their Bibles because they don't understand the context of what they are reading. As Eric studied the Bible in its context, the words on the pages came alive. For him, it is ...
Apr 22, 2021•48 min•Ep. 29
Brian Haynes (D.Min) is Lead Pastor at Bay Area Church and Christian School where he shepherds people, preaches and teaches, and stewards the vision of restoring people, families, and churches. Brian is an avid learner, hiker, and disciple-maker having led hundreds of people to experience the ancient paths of the Bible in Israel. He has authored a few books and is a well known conference speaker. He and his wife Angela and their three daughters live in Houston, Texas. http://brianhaynes.org/ htt...
Apr 15, 2021•43 min•Ep. 28
Crossings Community Church is a church committed to discipleship. Terry has spent the last 22 years teaching the Bible as part of that commitment. His knowledge of scripture, history, and culture along with his talent for bringing understanding and application make a powerful combination. Terry’s motto of “making the Bible come alive” takes on a new meaning in the context of the land of Israel. He and his wife, Laura, have led multiple trips to the Land and look forward to returning each time. -...
Apr 08, 2021•35 min•Ep. 27
Matt's perspective as a Messianic Jew gives understanding to symbols such as the lamb, leaven, bread, and wine. In addition, he explains his vision for "The Jewish Road", a new venture to help both Christians and Jews alike fill the gap between their faiths. (Scripture references: Luke 22:15; Matthew 26:17-30; Exodus 19:4-6; Psalm 77:16-20) Passover blog post by Matt https://www.thejewishroad.com/blog/tenthofnisan The Jewish Road Website www.thejewishroad.com The Pyramids of Giza https://www.bib...
Mar 25, 2021•37 min•Ep. 26
Eric has been in ministry for over 20 years and has led 6 study trips to Israel with GTI Tours. He and his wife, Bea, have two teenage daughters, Grace and Ella. Learn more about Shiloh at: https://www.bibleplaces.com/shiloh/ Learn more about Tel Dan at: https://www.bibleplaces.com/dan/ Read some blog posts from one of Eric's past trips: https://gtitours.org/tour-journal/calvarychurch...
Mar 18, 2021•30 min•Ep. 25
The three types of desert are: MIDBAR (Isaiah 43:19) - survivable, where shepherds graze their flocks, small amounts of water and vegetation TSIA (Psalm 105) - more harsh and rugged, less vegetation, requires hospitality to survive YESHEMON (Psalm 68) - little to no vegetation, extreme conditions, not survivable Matt delights in preparing the way for Jesus in the lives of men and women. One of his favorite ways of doing that is by leading groups to Israel - something he has been doing since 2008...
Mar 11, 2021•32 min•Ep. 24
TEXT: "Get the Bible IN YOU" COMMUNITY: "Together on purpose" DISCIPLESHIP: "Come, follow me... as I follow Christ" WRESTLING: "I want to know You. I want more out of this." In 2008, Marty Solomon had the incredible opportunity to travel to Israel and study under Ray Vander Laan with GTI Tours. The experience changed his life forever. It seemed as though every mental image he had been given throughout his life was discarded and replaced by the things he saw and learned. Having a passion for hist...
Mar 04, 2021•43 min•Ep. 23
Ronen Ben Moshe has lived and studied extensively in Israel and speaks several languages. He is married, has one son and has been partnering with GTI Tours for more than 14 years. One of Ronen's hobbies is cooking; watch the links below for two Israeli recipes you can try in your own kitchen! How to cook Shakshuka video https://vimeo.com/gtitours/review/455961456/7d7248bf6a How to cook Hummus video https://vimeo.com/gtitours/review/455962186/251f7b3bee...
Feb 25, 2021•23 min•Ep. 22
Matt Davis is a third-generation Messianic Jew. That means that through blood he is Jewish, but also believes in Jesus as His Jewish Messiah. For more than two decades, Matt has been leading trips to the Middle East, walking ancient paths and creating new memories through countries like Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. These tours have been with private family groups and large church gatherings where he served as a teaching pastor. Through these experiences, and others like them, Matt has built...
Feb 18, 2021•28 min•Ep. 21
A native of Fresno, California, Brad Bell attended Fresno State University as a star athlete before receiving his Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. In 2002, he started The Well Community Church in Fresno, which is now a large, multi-site church. Bell has been sought after as a speaker for camps and conferences around the world. He and his bride Jen have been married since 1998, and they have two daughters, Peyton and Kendall. Jordan / Israel Signature Tour: ht...
Feb 11, 2021•38 min•Ep. 20
Israeli guide Ronen gives us an archaeological update on the Western wall, specifically the renovations being made at the southern end at Robinson's Arch. Matt Bach the Pastor of Christian Development at Bridgeway Christian Church in Roseville, California. He is married with three children. He studied OT Theology in Briarcrest Bible College, holds a Masters in Theology from Fuller Seminary and is in his PhD studies in Biblical Studies through Trinity College Bristol (partnered with Univ. of Aber...
Feb 04, 2021•34 min•Ep. 19
Craig Hill is an affiliate Assistant Professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also a member of the adjunct faculty at Biola University in New Testament. Hill has taught in university and seminary settings for 18 years and has served for over two decades in youth and pastoral ministries. He also works with Standing Stone Ministry, a ministry that provides pastoral care for pastors. Hill serves on the Board of Directors of Hume Lake Christian Camps, one of the largest youth...
Jan 28, 2021•28 min•Ep. 18
This week we're back with Part 2 of the GTI Story with company VP and former GM Tom Harrington. Last week Rich and Tom covered the history of GTI Tours and delved into Tom's life story. This episode includes God's redemptive work in Tom's life and family, as well as some entertaining stories from his travels over the years. A few principles of GTI Tours that are mentioned... God is in the business of restoration God is our CEO "If it's God's will, it's God's bill" You can't out-give God A GTI To...
Jan 21, 2021•48 min•Ep. 17
