Hi guys, and welcome to another episode of Truth Talk with Wendy.
I am so excited to come to you today and tell you about a life-changing experience that
I just had.
If you guys have noticed, I probably have not put an episode out in a while.
I have been gone, and I had the privilege of literally traveling across the world to
the place where Jesus was born and raised and died and rose again, and I literally walked
in his steps.
Yes, I went to Israel.
I cannot find the words to explain to you the impact that this trip has had on me.
Clearly, if any of you have watched for any length of time, you know that my mission in
life has been to be an advocate for children of childhood sexual abuse, like survivors,
and to keep that from happening to other children, and I love what I do, absolutely
love what I do.
I love that I've been able to implement stuff here at my own home and then also help many,
many other families and youth groups and women's groups and stuff with the information that
God has shown me in years and years and years of research.
That research gets very dark, as I'm assuming that you guys would know, but I have never
complained about doing it, or actually, there's times that in doing my own research, it actually
validates a lot of the feelings that I've had and the struggles that I've had because
I know I'm not alone, so there's been a lot of healing in it as well, but again, it is
a very, very dark place to be, you know, five, six, seven days a week, so this trip,
I had no idea what to expect, of course, I mean, I've been a Christian since I can remember.
I really don't even remember the day I got saved, probably because there was eight of
them.
I was saved and baptized eight times under my dad's teaching because he scared me to
death and I would like literally dive to the altar to make sure that this one stuck, just
in case I got hit by a bus on the way home, so I can't even remember what day, but I do
remember like just constantly, always, never, there wasn't like a day I was like, oh, okay,
now I believe in God, you know, like there was never a time that I didn't always believed
in Jesus.
I did not believe in the Holy Spirit, that was not something that we learned.
That was, actually, we were told that the Holy Spirit was not even real, I know that's
weird, extremely weird for me to even say those words out loud with everything I know
now, but that was how we were raised and we were raised that the Holy Spirit was not a
thing and that it was really demonic, if anybody was talking about, you know, a spirit of any
kind.
So, and now I really kind of think that I am understanding why that there was a desire
to keep the Holy Spirit from me and from lots of people when I was growing up because what
I found in Israel was so many, I literally thought I was going to go over there and get
like all these questions answered, like I had a ton of questions and I left Israel with
more questions than I went with, which was frustrating, but at the same time, God willing,
I am going back in September.
So I'm, I am constructing a new list of questions to match the other list that wasn't answered
plus a ton more.
So I am going to get my answers.
What I recognized very, very quickly was that there are things that, that have been kept
from me for my entire life, 52 years, okay, 52 years of being in church and reading the
Bible and having a relationship with, with Jesus and now the Holy Spirit.
There is stuff that I have never even been made aware of.
I did not even know to ask questions such as these things.
that I was finally exposed to and the thing that's frustrating about that is I
am a truth seeker by nature so when you have people in your life that have
betrayed you and you have people in your life that have lied to you to cover up
their sin and their betrayal and you know just to cover themselves really and
you those are the people that you should be able to trust more than anybody you
start looking to whatever you can to find the answers that you don't have and
that is what my entire adult life has been is a truth-seeking mission what was
frustrating was being in a place where I literally did not even know that like
for instance one of the places that we were taken to was first what they told
us was this is where Jesus died and where he was buried but then the next
day we went to another place that oh this is where other people believe Jesus
died and was buried I'm like it can't be this complicated like this like what do
you mean there's two different places and like where am I had no idea even
where I was in regards to like we didn't drive from point A to point B so
I have been in a bus for several hours in between those and it was not even the
same day so you know I could have been in Egypt and wouldn't have known but it
was it was frustrating because I don't know why there would be two places so
what that what that forced me to do was start asking a ton of questions and I
got different answers depending on who I asked so the problem with that is I'm
asking a man right I'm asking this man and I'm asking this man I'm getting two
different answers okay and that's great but there was no man that I can ask that
question to that was at the crucifixion and the resurrection but thankfully for
me the stuff that I learned as a child which was that the Holy Spirit isn't
real that is not true because the Holy Spirit lives inside of me and guess who
was at the crucifixion and the resurrection the Holy Spirit so
thankfully I have learned in my adult life to really depend on his peace so
here's what I will tell you I do not know a hundred percent if Jesus died at
the church of the Holy Sepulcher which was one of the places we were taken or
if he died at the garden tomb which was the other place we were taking I have no
idea nor do you nor does anybody watch this video nor does any scholar on the
planet because none of us were there but the Holy Spirit knows so I am
entrusting the Holy Spirit to give me peace about what he wants me to believe
okay now I can use a little bit of reason from my own spiritual walk okay I
can I can tell you what I've experienced and I can tell you that usually when I
am right over the mark of something there is more spiritual warfare than
there is at times when I'm not you know I'm not doing anything or I'm not
exposing something or whatever you know but the spiritual warfare is a real
thing so as of right now my tendency is to lean towards that Jesus died and was
buried at the church of the Holy Sepulcher and I'll tell you why when we
went to the garden tomb there was no fighting or you know pushing your way
through because it was so crowded it was very very easy to get in very few people
there we sat down with a little headset heard the little speech and walked into
the tomb and we left I mean there was not any no spiritual warfare like like
that okay I have my own personal issue that I was dealing with and that had to
do with the guide that was assigned to the garden tomb for that like two month
period is what we were told they come over and volunteer and she couldn't
speak very very good English and she had some personal opinions that she
threw into her speech and it was really frustrating for me because again I'm
looking for truth I'm not looking for someone's opinion so that that was my
own personal thing I was struggling with but I can tell you this when I was taken
to the church of the Holy Sepulcher the the second I walked in the door the
second I walked in
door the amount of people is overwhelming the nine I think it is
Protestant what do you call them you know bigwig people that are in control
of Church of the Holy Sepulcher there's nine denominations or sects of
Christianity whatever whatever they want to call themselves there's nine of them
that control this church nine none of them agree with the other none of them
so much so that if this is the story we were told that if this sec comes over
this person's line to change a light bulb there's like an uproar and this got
so out of hand at times there have been literal fistfights among the priests or
the monks or whatever they're called they've literally physically hit each
other and one time it was so bad that whoever controls the door of the entry
you know like there's it's broken up into nine parts so whoever controlled
the door just decided they were just gonna lock the door like nobody's
getting in nobody's getting out so they just locked the door I mean this is like
romper room I mean it's it's embarrassing to be associated with any
of that to be really honest with you but it is exactly what the enemy would
want I mean exactly what he would want and when I was there you have like when
you go in you have to go up the stairs to get to you know because Jesus died on
a you know on a hillside and so you have to go up the stairs and then there was
this ginormous line and it was clearly a line some people didn't care that it was
a line they were just gonna you know go right around you and you know you're
you're trying to I mean you you are literally steps from where the foot of
the cross is right so you're you're not wanting to be like hey yo dude get in
the back you know I mean like you're so aware or should be anyway of where you
are that you're trying to maintain a good attitude you know people are
literally like pressed up against you there are so many people and everyone I
mean there's a million languages you couldn't understand anybody if unless
you spoke them all so you don't know what they're saying and people are
cutting in line and people are just so rude and I just remember just just
asking the Lord you're gonna have to help me I really want to be in this line
I want to get to the foot of the cross because because when you get up there
and let me just say it is so gaudy like it's so distracting from what I know
it looked like on the day Jesus died you know these people they come in and
they they build this monument over every site in Israel where anything is
discovered so that they can control it and and then preserve it and you know in
the same way I get the preservation part but I mean it's just the level of
control and it and then they they literally hang ornaments and everything
in gold and it's so gaudy I cannot explain to you and and I'm gonna come
back to that in just a minute because this was bothering me a lot but anyway
so I'm asking the Lord please like prepare my heart for this because I knew
when I got up if and when I got up to the cross they they've made like an
altar and and you can you can literally kneel down under this altar and there is
a hole where they say that that that's where the base of the cross went into I
mean it's like the thought I'm asking chill but I'm thinking about it the
thought that Jesus cross was in this hole that I put my hand into I I just I
cannot process that and that's what I was waiting for was to get to that place
and so that moment and that just unbelievable blessing and opportunity to
be at that spot and what that would do just to someone's faith I can see why
there's so much fighting and pushing and shoving I I am just convinced that I
don't know how many angels exactly but I know that when Satan was kicked out of
heaven a third of the angels followed him I think he sent half of them to the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher that's what I'm saying it is so bad it is so so bad
there and I just don't see why he would be
spending that much time and effort to frustrate people and to make it look so
bad on Christians with all the infighting and everything if if it was
not a big deal right if that place wasn't really holy and sacred and the
exact place where Jesus defeated Satan right I think Satan is fighting back as
hard as he can and unfortunately for him you know we all know how that story ends
and it's not good for him so anyway that the fact that I feel like on the trip I
was led to believe that the other place was the place where Jesus died um and
and and if that's your belief you know I think it is up to every individual to
ask the Holy Spirit who was the only one that was there and for the Holy
Spirit to give you peace about it because I have friends that were on this
trip that they believe that and that I am totally fine with that which is what
we should be able to accept because guess what my dad had a six-part sermon
series on why you should never taste alcohol or you would go to hell okay so
and for some people not drinking at all is a personal conviction for them that
is something that they believe that the Holy Spirit wants of them whether it is
a situation of you know their position in a church you know if they're in
leadership or they have family history and the Holy Spirit is just trying to
keep them from having any issues or just a I just don't want you to drink you
know like the Nazarenes like they were not allowed to drink there were certain
people that you know Samson's one of them that you know God told Samson's
parents you know he's never to cut his hair and he's never to taste alcohol so
those are things that you know Jesus or God specifically picked people and that's
between them and God right that is not my conviction so it's okay for two
Christians worshipping the same Jesus to have two different opinions about two
things that neither one of us were actually there but what does the Holy
Spirit give me peace about it's not the same as what he gives you peace about
you know what that's great let's go visit your site and I want to experience
that with you and I want to be there in the moment and I want to cry with you
and I want to remember with you and then if you want to come with me then we'll
you know go over there and we'll hope to God not to get shoved and separated and
we'll go to the cross and kneel together you know that's the unity that I believe
you know that God wants for all of us not a backbiting fighting or even a
manipulation of trying to make me think one thing because that's what you think
and that for me was eye-opening very very eye-opening and so in a nutshell I
came back with a ton of questions and I am on a mission to find out the things
that have never been presented to me places that I've never been that I read
about and when we go back in September I want to go to Sodom and Gomorrah the
place where the only place where God ever rained fire and brimstone down from
heaven and you can go to this place and literally pick the brimstone out of the
ash of the structures that is there I mean I I just I don't know I hope I
don't get arrested on the way home for the bag of brimstone that I'm gonna be
bringing home I'm so excited and just I mean there's so many places and and what
I want to just share with you today I'm trying to keep this brief there's so
much I could talk until you know next week but I'm gonna bring back when we
start season three we are gonna launch with an episode or maybe two just
depending on how long it takes of a friend of mine a new friend of mine that
was on this trip that has been to Israel 25 times and loves teaching and she's
amazing at it like she's the she's the one where it like it penetrates your
heart I can't explain it and I don't want to ruin it because she's gonna do
it here for us and we will get into some of the details of the different places
that we went and and then when I go back I'm Lord willing if she goes with me
then we will have even more to share because here's what's happened after
decades of researching horrible darkness which you know unfortunately for us in
the world we live in and those of us who have children it's necessary because we
want to be good parents and we want to protect our kids and I will continue to
do that and I will continue to
Report on things like that and we have another podcast that I'm starting with
My brother and you know, we are both ex preachers kids, and I don't know if anybody has been keeping up
But you know preachers are biting the dust left and right right now like every time you you know
Look, there's another pastor who's been arrested for this or that and it's it's just really bad again
um
And most of it has to do with sexual sin of some sort
um
With children as well as adults. So, um, anyway
I say all that to say, um, I am
excited
that
God opened up
this
opportunity for me to go because it has
Absorbed
My thinking and it I I cannot watch
enough
like literal firsthand documentaries from people who tour over there and who have gone and
You know just videoed what they're seeing and taught
I mean i'm obsessed with learning and it is it's different
To be there. It's so different to read the bible and now
when they say
Mount whatever, you know mount zion or mount arbel or whatever they're talking about. It's so crazy to go
Oh, I sat on the top of that mountain or when they talk about jacob's well, and i'm like, oh look
This is water from jacob's. Well, like okay. Let me let me tell you about jacob's
Well, jacob's well is where jesus
talked to the woman of samaria
where
He told her about herself and she was so overwhelmed. First of all that he was a jew talking to her and secondly
that
He knew everything about her and thirdly that he didn't condemn her
And she went back to the to the town of samaria and told everybody she knew and they all
Wanted to come see him
So by the word of her testimony and then after they heard from her by the blood of the lamb, right?
So they all believed because this woman was so overwhelmed. Well, he met her at jacob's well jacob
like, you know abraham isaac jacob like that jacob, so this well is
So old like thousands of years old and we went to the well
stood by the well
Did the little thingy where it goes down and gets the water which is like 120 or 140 feet down?
I mean, it's crazy
And the water came up and we drank the water
From jacob's well the same water
that this woman
Came to draw that jesus asked her for I mean it
Like I cannot I still like as i'm saying these words like I cannot wrap my brain
around that and it is so
Convicting when you're standing there to go
You know, what would jesus have said to me like like
Like the woman of samaria, you know, we we want to go because he said to her, you know
Go get your husband and she's like, oh, I don't have a husband
he's like you were right and saying you don't have a husband because
You've had five husbands and the man you're living with now is not even your husband, you know
And we are like, oh my goodness, you know, she's been married and divorced five times
It's like that's probably nothing compared to some of the things that we've done, right?
But we don't have anybody broadcasting it and putting in a book where 2 000 years later people are reading about it, right?
So it's just so humbling to stand there and to think
this is that place and so this is just one of the things that I was able to do another story in the bible that
is just
uh, just I relate to so much is when the um,
When jesus was at the house and the lady with the
Alabaster jar of ointment came and broke it
Over his feet to anoint him and then you know
His disciples are freaking out like how much did that cost and all the stuff and then he goes into this whole thing
You know, she's been forgiven much so she loves much, you know, this
this is
An alabaster jar now, this is clearly not the same ointment that you know, she had but it's representative
Of that but this was like, um, if my memory serves, right?
It was like a year's wage or something some insane amount of money that she had and or had been saving
and just because of her
Total love for jesus just broke it and anointed him with it. And I just think okay
It's just a for me as it sits, you know in my sight
a reminder of you know, what what am I willing to give up for jesus like
You know, we think of a year's wages. That's that's a lot of money
you know especially right now where you know people are complaining about the
gas prices and food prices would anybody take a year of their salary and just
hand it over in ointment to prepare someone's body for death and burial
because that's what she was doing I it's just and in that same light this right
here I don't know if you guys can see this I'm gonna try to put it up there
but I don't know how this right here this is a widow's mite okay so in the
Bible Jesus goes into the temple and a widow gives two mites okay so she had
two of these and this was in the time of Tiberius so this is when Jesus was there
I'm telling myself this was one of the mites that she gave because I'm all
excited about it but um she gave every single thing she had everything she only
had two mites and I think in our terms like that doesn't add up to a penny like
that's what I've heard now I'm not clearly I'm not a I'm not a historian so
I'm gonna find out that like what that's really worth today but it was everything
that she had and and that's why Jesus put her on the map and told the people
that he knew he would inspire them to write the Bible so that no one would
ever forget about this woman and I just you know it's just crazy to me when I
have these little tokens of things that are just reminders we have so much and
we are so blessed and we complain about everything literally everything and and
I know we have a lot that is wrong in our country and we have a lot that is
wrong in the world a lot and there's evil everywhere there is evil all around
us but what I really think is we have focused on that and I'm not saying that
that's not I'm not saying that that is a sin or anything like that what I'm
saying is is it's stealing from us the light and the joy that Jesus died for us
to have and it was such a reminder to be back in a place or to be in a place
that all of that happened that he that's that's where he chose to come when he
wrapped himself in flesh to come to this earth to be like us and teach us how we
could be more like him and that's the part that I I was overwhelmed with is
just how amazing it was to literally walk in his steps and there were places
that nobody argues about like this is the first century synagogue or this is
the gate Jesus walked through for this and so you know when you're standing
there that this is where Jesus stood and it's so humbling and the the focus
on that and the focus to learn more and to dive deeper and to read more and learn
more about everything Jesus did and how all of that points back to God and how
even Jesus when he was asked would still deflect all glory to God when they asked
him you know they called him good teacher good rabbi or whatever and he's
like why do you call me good there's nobody good but the father you know and
you're just thinking it's okay for you to be called good really it is like you
are so good you know but he he even in his deity as a man said there's no one
good but my father and did everything that God told him to do and said
everything God told him to say to where finally on the cross he was able to say
it is finished you know and none of us come even close to being able to live up
to that nor nor are we required to do that I mean I have a friend that said to
me you know if God wanted something done perfectly he would so not involve humans
because we are expected to mess it up and so there's a little bit of you know
pressure we put on ourselves to try to be you know really really good and all
of that and we're just not going
to be it's a constant reminder of how much we actually need God and need Jesus
and I'm just excited because this place has has changed the way that I am gonna
go about my daily absorption of information and it's going to help me to
focus more if if I could move over there of course my husband says no my children
say no but if I could move over there I would because I don't think I could be
there like I don't know how many years I have left but I'm not quite sure I could
see everything and it's so vast and it's so amazing and I'm so excited to even
have an opportunity to go back but I just know that that even if we never get
to go that God's left us that whole story and everything about him and then
thanks to you know in the Bible and then thanks to certain technology and
video and YouTube and all of the stuff that we have today we can also literally
walk you know alongside somebody who is there so I would just encourage you guys
to really focus on things that are positive and things that bring light and
life and joy and the only thing that lasts in any of those areas is our walk
with the Lord and so I'm just going to encourage you if you haven't already I
would I would maybe Google or you know search on YouTube some of these videos
and seriously consider making a journey if you've never been I promise you will
never ever regret it if you have been you know what I'm talking about maybe
it's been a while you can go back I don't know but I am going to be bringing
you actual footage of our Mediterranean Sea or was that the Sea of Galilee I
can't remember where I think it was the Sea of Galilee we there are so many
different bodies of water I think we wouldn't know it is the Sea of Galilee
yeah because this is our little thing that we bought there was a boat that we
went out on and it was we got to go at night like so the Sun was about to set it
hadn't quite set so it was still light outside and we get on this boat and it's
a it's a boat like Jesus would have been on you know the wooden boat it was crazy
and the worship music started and you were literally on the Sea of Galilee and
you're thinking this is exactly what Jesus did and the worship music and just
that I mean it felt like the postcard like came to life it was so because you
know I didn't even know that we were going there so I was not even mentally
prepared for what was happening so it took me a little bit to process through
that but I'm like what in the world like this is unreal and just things like that
that I can't wait to just show you some video and you'll see what I mean but um
I just today I wanted to share with you how everything in our life that seems so
negative it seems you know so bad I mean it you know it's it's not a great time
to be an American right now because of everything that we're going through but
I promise you it could be way worse and as much as you know a lot of us don't
like what's going on politically and we're being forced into things that we
don't agree with and all all of it I you know we have to deal with some of that
because you know we're living here in this world but I would just say let's
just try not to focus on it I know for me I am in a whole nother place when I'm
watching something that that has to do with Israel because that's where our
Savior chose to meet us is right there so I just want to encourage you today
and I want you to look forward to the the actual videos of our actual
experience like like even walking through Hezekiah's tunnel if y'all know
what that is y'all just prepare yourself it was like felt like a thousand feet
under the earth but it was like seventeen hundred and fifty feet long of
a tunnel that Hezekiah dug for the water supply I mean it just the stuff and then
you can literally go straight to the Bible and see like where he did that I
mean it's just like nuts you know where if you don't know that if you don't walk
through that you just like read right over that when you're going through the
Old Testament you know just trying to get through it but then you know when
you read about something and you go oh I I was right there in the field where
David killed Goliath it's like a whole nother experience
So anyway, I'm excited to bring that stuff to you guys and we will be doing that soon
But in the meantime, I just want you guys to try to really focus on more positive
things
Like I am and I really feel like it will do for you the same thing that it's done for me and it just makes me
So thankful for the Holy Spirit who is real
He is real look is real. He is he actually is a real
Holy Spirit and he lives in us and
You know
He wants to give us wisdom and he wants to give us peace about what it is
That is the truth and that's what we're after right? I'm a truth seeker
So I think a lot of you guys are too
So thank you guys so much for tuning in today, and we will see you next time on truth talk with Wendy