My two oldest children are visiting Israel, as I’m writing this blog. They’re literally walking in the footsteps of Jesus, or so they’d like to believe.

But whose footsteps are Jesus interested in? His or ours?

This fired up a conversation between my daughter’s boyfriend and me here at home. He started out by saying:

“I’m praying that it is more than a vacation for them and something they truly experience being on the Holy Ground where Jesus walked …”

“Yes,” I responded, “aren’t we on Holy Ground wherever we walk if-and-only-if God’s Holy Spirit dwells inside our souls, becoming the rudder of our Spirit (mind); that we surrender to God (which, by the way, is the literal translation of Islam: ‘surrender or submission to God.’)”

“That is a powerful reality.”

“It took me 67 years to finally UNDERSTAND this fundamental precept …” to which my young friend responded:

“I think I’ve begun to realize it more recently … no church or another structure or place defines the extent to which we can experience the Holy Spirit in our lives no matter where we are or who we are with. Like you have said in your book ‘without borders …’”

Later on, my wife added to the conversation: “if all Christians have Christ (the Holy Spirit) in their hearts, the world will be a better place. That ‘walk’ is not in Israel. The walk is wherever we are …”

“Yes, the footsteps of Jesus are our walk with Him.”

By the way, my children stayed with friends. It reminds me of my youth. I don’t know of any other place on earth where people on all sides of the Divide are so hospitable and generous, some of whom, albeit a small percentage, could slaughter the other.