I just wish I knew them all by name!

I just wish I knew them all by name!
I have hundreds of friends. I make new friends with every tour group. Not only that but I stand on the stage of our congregation and sing enthusiastically every time I get a chance. There are several hundred people in the congregation and most of them have grown familiar with my face. The problem is that I can't call them by name. I just don't seem to have the capacity to remember all of them.
A recent tour group took a camel trek. It was fantastic! I remember asking the name of the camel and getting an answer. It was something like Gamla which is an Arabic version of the feminine word for camel. Two things about that bother me. First, I remember the stupid non-name for the camel and second I don't remember the name of the girl that was riding on the camel behind me. Actually, I do remember that she was from Finland and that I couldn't pronounce her name anyway. Something like Ki'irtu?

No, I'm not sure that was who was on the camel. Probably something simple like Helen.
Can you imagine the joy when I realized that the God of the universe remembers my name? He even knows my nickname. I think he makes up honorary titles occasionally too. One day I could swear that I heard him say, "Mighty Warrior! I have a job I want you to consider." I have trouble accepting the title of "Mighty Warrior" but I appreciate that he might have been calling me by an affectionate nickname.
I'm not really all that bad at names, you know. I do remember a lot of them. Occasionally I put the wrong face with a name but I don't know many who don't make that kind of error' It's the returning tour group that usually gets me. There will be a face that I remember but can't place the name. I feel so silly using generic replacements. Worse is when I remember the name only to find three days later that I remembered it wrong.
So, what can I do to be sure I will remember your name?
I know a few of the tricks to remember a room full of names. I flunk that test nearly every time. Then there are the ones who are naturally shy. You may have guessed, I'm not one of them. They are often the ones with the best insights and I feel that I have lost something if I can't gain access to their ideas. Yet, if I don't seem to be a friend, why would they share? Wouldn't a friend remember their name?
It's impossible!
What did you say your name was?

A Tour Group of One!
Yes, that's right; my tour group this week was a little smaller than usual. It's like a symptom of the times. I guess there are people who think we are in the middle of a war. OK, so…it's true. Still, tourism to Israel is one of the most important industries in the country.
Hey, it was a great group! No fighting between the folks. Nobody was sleeping in the back of the bus. All of the questions were of interest to the entire group. Everyone was satisfied with the food and the lodgings. It doesn't get much better than this!
I was reading in the Book called the Revelation of Jesus (Last book in the New Testament) and I saw a verse that shocked me. It might be pertinent to any conversation about tour groups who decide not to come to Israel because of the danger. You can look it up for yourself if you want. Try reading Revelation 21:8. I have tried it in several versions. It seems to make a grouping of several kinds of behavior that God says will end up in a place of eternal punishment. What strikes me is that one of the sins that is deemed worthy of God's wrath is fear! Yikes! Or should I say, WOW! Ok, I realize that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom so I know there must be more to it than what we see on the surface. But still, I think we need to pay attention to the fact that God is not pleased with cowardly behavior.
If you planned a trip to Israel and cancelled it for any reason that might be mistaken for fear, make a new excuse right away! I can give you a list of excuses. I think I've heard the best ones already.
They cancelled my trip insurance.
The State Department issued a warning.
My congregation is afraid.
My boss won't give me permission.
The news is all so bad!
I have a list of dozens of excuses that I have heard over the past couple of years. Almost all of them express some level of fear and virtually none of them include a statement of faith. I can't forget the verse that says that without faith it is impossible to please God.

Grafted - ICEJ Young Adults
It's brag time for me. I have been spending the past week with an incredible group of amazing people. Their ages are between 16 and 25 and they are a highly motivated as well as gifted group of young Christians.
Today, it was our turn to be in front of the people.
Today we marched in the Jerusalem March.
Two of the girls came up with a cheer for the whole group to chant as we marched. It goes like this:
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
To the God of Israel
To the God of Israel
We have come to Shout and Show
We have come to Shout and Show
Israel, you're not alone!
Israel, you're not alone!

That was good and it seemed like we had an edge for the parade but one of the guys didn't think a girl should be the only one who came up with slogans for the group so he put forward his own idea.
He got a drum and started a beat…
Boom Boom Chee,
Boom Boom Chee,
boom boom chee..
We will, we will bless you!
Boom boom chee
Boom boom chee
We will, we will bless you!
Shouting out our praise of Amazing Grace,
Waving our flags all over the place;
We will, we will bless you!
Boom boom chee…(Repeat)

We added a couple of Israeli folk songs and some simple chants and off we went. The crowds were huge and intensely, perhaps overwhelmingly happy to see the foreign visitors. They wanted to say thanks for coming to Israel, they wanted to shake our hands, and they wanted our flags to take home with them.