I am so blessed to be in beautiful Carlsbad CA this weekend attending a briefing from Joel Rosenberg and The Joshua Fund. It started with a bang last night as former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was on hand to share about the events of October 7, how Israel is coping with the tragedy, the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and Israel’s appreciation of Christian support. He spoke very candidly about the Israeli failures on October 7 and what he considers a weakness in the current Israeli administration by not applying sufficient pressure on Sinwar that would increase chances for release of the hostages. (What was not mentioned was America’s pressure on Israel to enter a ceasefire.)

As the only practicing religious Jew to hold the office of Prime Minister, Bennett seemed especially grateful for the support of American evangelicals, and the sentiments were reciprocated. As Joel Rosenberg has done for many years, he encouraged the nation of Israel to appoint an ambassador to the worldwide Christian community. He then asked if Bennett would consider it if he should ever become Prime Minister again. His response was, “That’s a great idea and I think you [Rosenberg] should be it!” File that away in your mind and see what the next few years might hold!

We also heard briefly from Joel Rosenberg himself, but perhaps the greatest thrill was sitting next to him and his wife Lynn at dinner! A dear friend is with me and by sheer chance (or should I say divine providence!) we were assigned seats at the table with the Rosenberg’s! What a privilege to spend quality time with them and the other 5 people at our table. It was a wonderful blessing.

Another absolute joy is to have Aaron Shust here leading us in worship this weekend. Though he is not Jewish, Aaron has a heart for Israel and his music reflects that. Several years ago, he wrote Zion in honor of Israel’s 70th anniversary and I cannot wait to hear it live again this weekend! A few days ago I shared Aaron’s sit-down interview with Dr Erez Soref on his recent trip to Israel. Catch it here if you missed it.

Our takeaway from last night’s opening of the weekend event was the importance of Christians standing up for Israel and refuting the lies perpetrated by mainstream media. Israel is demonized at every turn and it is incumbent upon us to stand with Israel. Joel encouraged us from Ezekiel 33 to be watchmen on the wall, shouting the truth about Israel and their right to defend themselves. Had it not been for a vicious terrorist attack on October 7, there would be no war in Gaza or Lebanon. Let us remember that truth and bring every conversation back to that fact.

Blessings from the Epicenter Briefing! I’ll share more as time permits.