The Friends of Israel in Action Nov/Dec 2024
While war causes everyone caught in its throes to suffer, our actions in times of darkness reveal our character…
EVANGELISM
Answering the Call
Two millennia ago, God sent His Son, Jesus, on a mission of redemption that Jesus successfully completed on the cross at Calvary…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2024
Christmas is coming soon. So, many of the ultra-Orthodox tell me, “Have a great birthday!” They mean to insult me because they know I believe in Christ…
The Friends of Israel in Action Sep/Oct 2024
In the heart of Seattle’s bustling Pike Place Market, a moment of profound dialogue and revelation recently unfolded..
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2024
I recently had an encounter that was hard even for me to believe. But as we say here in Israel, “When God wills it, anything is possible…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jul/Aug 2024
A few years ago, a young man named Dima traveled from Belarus to Poland to study at a university in Warsaw…
It Pays to Talk to the Right Person
You may recall my mother, the five-star kvetch, from the previous issue of Israel My Glory. She perfected the art…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2024
Many elderly people in Israel go door to door collecting money for blind children. Recently, I heard a knock on my door. When I opened it, two kind, elderly, ultra-Orthodox men…
The Friends of Israel in Action May/Jun 2024
In November, as one of the final phases of our Friends of Israel (FOI) Equip internship program, five FOI interns…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2024
My Arab neighbors often come to my home to speak about spiritual matters. When they cannot answer my questions, they tell me they will…
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2024
Every day, The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s (FOI’s) field representatives actively develop relationships…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2024
Though we seek peace with our neighbors, we know it will not come easily. They call themselves righteous Jews while they tell me to keep quiet…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2024
This week I went to the hospital for a doctor’s appointment. While there, I saw some of the hospital workers who remembered what I had shared…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2023
Many immigrants live in the neighborhoods around us. Most of them have come from Russia. When we celebrated the Feast of Hanukkah recently…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2023
People from nations all over the world come to visit Israel. It is written in Isaiah 34:1, “Come near, you nations, to hear” and in Isaiah 49:6…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jul/Aug 2023
This past winter was one of intense hardship for civilians in Ukraine. As the war between Ukraine and Russia has raged on…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2023
The ultra-Orthodox often find new ways to attract new followers. Recently, they hosted a big, public meeting with a well-known rabbi. Like many rabbis, he felt he could convince…
The Friends of Israel in Action May/Jun 2023
We often hear the same questions asked at our Friends of Israel (FOI) prophecy conferences…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2023
We live very close to our Arab neighbors, so we see each other almost every day. A few months ago I had a long conversation with some of them…
Growing a Global Love for Israel
Last December the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) invited me to the sixth annual Christian Media Summit…
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2023
Halina Ostik, who fought in the Polish Resistance during World War II, smuggled Bibles into the country under the…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2023
It is written in Jeremiah 6:14, “‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace.” It is also written, “I will give you assured peace in this place” (14:13)…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jan/Feb 2023
We enter 2023 thanking God that more than 90 people have graduated from our Friends of Israel (FOI) Bridges program…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2023
The ultra-Orthodox are always looking for 10 men to form a minyan, a quorum necessary for synagogue prayer. So I wait outside the synagogue, watching them call people…
Christian Persecution Nov/Dec 2022
A 28-year-old Christian in eastern Uganda has died from head injuries sustained in an attack by Muslim extremists in July…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2022
Through God’s miracles, the Jewish people have survived; and now we live in the Promised Land. At this time of year, we enjoy celebrating Hanukkah…
The Friends of Israel in Action Sep/Oct 2022
The Australian ministry of The Friends of Israel (FOI) has grown remarkably in recent years. Many of you know Deane Woods…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2022
We recently enjoyed a most important holiday—the feast of Simchat Torah, Hebrew for “rejoicing over the Law.” Many of the Orthodox dance in the synagogues…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jul/Aug 2022
College campuses are notorious for their hostility toward the things of God. Such animosity deters some people…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2022
There are many ultra-Orthodox organizations here in Israel. Each one is filled with people who want to show how faithfully they work against those…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2022
People in Israel are always trying to find something new and interesting. For a long time, the ultra-Orthodox Jews promoted as messiah a man from New York City…
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2022
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (FOI) has launched an exciting new work called Encounter to expose Christians to the…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2022
Many dictators, like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, have called themselves righteous; and people, like sheep, worship them. Such people persecute the Chosen People…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jan/Feb 2022
In God’s grace, He delights in using us to make known His kindness that leads men and women to repentance (Rom. 2:4)…
Discipleship: The Lifeblood of the Church
The saved and sanctified halls of Christendom are sadly strewn with the remains of weak, passive…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2022
Many people do not want to talk about the Holocaust, especially the elderly, who suffered in the death camps as I did. Our young people know of the…
The Friends of Israel in Action Nov/Dec 2021
There would be no Christmas without Hanukkah. That’s a fact! Hanukkah commemorates God’s divine…
The ‘Forbidden Chapter’
What joy was mine when I ministered in Israel for one month each year when I served as director of…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2021
The ultra-Orthodox in Israel try to milk people out of their money. They always find something new to sell. Lately they have been…
The Friends of Israel in Action Sep/Oct 2021
Polish nationalism and the place of Jewish people in Polish society have taken some troubling turns recently…
A Conversation with Joel Rosenberg
As part of The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s mission to teach about Israel and the Jewish people, our North American…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2021
Deuteronomy 16:19 says, “You shall not . . . take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.” Therefore, it is written…
God Doesn’t ‘Cancel’ Us
A missionary and church planter found himself in a difficult position when the members of the so-called cancel culture endeavored to silence him…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jul/Aug 2021
It was a beautifully mild, sunny, spring day when our field representative Dr. Juan Carlos Espinoza set up his table in a local park…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2021
Israel is filled with many false teachers. They grow like mushrooms after the rain. They are extremely active, and every few days we see a new “holy one.” Many people here believe…
From the Editor May/Jun 2021
Shortly after I became a Christian in 1980, I was invited to a luncheon sponsored by the local branch of a nondenominational, evangelical Christian organization…
Inside View May/Jun 2021
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is devoted to sharing the gospel. Gospel is part of our name; and since our inception in 1938, we have lived…
The Friends of Israel in Action May/Jun 2021
God is not hampered by borders! Here in The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry’s International Department…
A Letter to My Dad
Another Father’s Day is just around the corner. My dad passed away in 2008; and at age 97, my mom still misses him. Perhaps that was why she showed me…
He Never Let Go
My story begins with my father, who was enjoying recognition as a successful research chemist despite two big problems: He was a functioning alcoholic and an atheist…
What is the Gospel?
Many years ago, my wife and I were invited to dinner at the home of a prominent older woman. She knew governors and senators and had been friends with Albert Einstein…
ABC
Here are the ABCs of accepting Jesus as your Savior: A. Acknowledge and repent of your sin, realizing sin separates us from a holy and righteous God…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2021
As we say here in Israel, “Le roi est mort, vive le roi,” which is French for “The king is dead, long live the king!” Apparently, a new “king” is coming—a rabbi…
From the Editor Mar/Apr 2021
When I became a Christian, I didn’t know much about Christianity. I didn’t know the New Testament or doctrine or what God expected of me as a believer…
The Friends of Israel in Action Mar/Apr 2021
Nurith had hit rock bottom in her life. Her husband had suffered a severe stroke, and she was dealing with loneliness…
How to Walk With God
Someone has aptly said, “Counting time is not nearly as important as making time count!” No one can stop the clock of history. It ticks with exactness through each…
‘Hava Nagila’ and the Resurrection
“I don’t talk politics, and I don’t talk religion!” Ninety-year-old Ruth stood 4 feet 10 inches tall in the doorway of her home…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2021
In the spring we celebrate Purim here in Israel. Not everyone knows the meaning of this great day. Many think it is merely a festival of joy…
The Friends of Israel in Action Jan/Feb 2021
COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the progress of the gospel in Jerusalem. Our field representative, Meno Kalisher, senior pastor of the…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2021
It is written in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” But some people are…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2020
Today I went to the office of the Ministry of the Interior, where most of the workers are religious and wear long beards and cover their heads…
From Moses to Jesus
Eclectic is how I would describe my mother’s taste in furniture. Nothing really matched when I was growing up. Furniture was not her thing…
How Do You Know God Loves You?
How do you know if someone really loves you? Some people may say they love you, but if they don’t show it, you may doubt…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2020
We have been living in our neighborhood for many years and have developed good relationships with our neighbors. Some of them know I believe in Jesus…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2020
When people are in trouble, they start to think about the big questions of life, like where they came from. Even those who seem so far away from faith begin to open their eyes…
Open Doors for FOI
Larry is a lover of Israel and the Jewish people. He is also a longtime friend. I met him and his wife, Lori, many years ago when we moved to Chicago…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2020
A few days ago here in Israel, there was a big celebration and demonstration for equal rights for women. Even men from the Orthodox community participated…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2020
Most countries are against Israel. I am sure that if any other country had as many enemies as Israel does, it would not exist anymore…
From the Editor Jan/Feb 2020
Two things I feel like I’ve known about since the day I was born are the Holocaust and the State of Israel. Some people feel these entities are unrelated…
Inside View Jan/Feb 2020
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry is an evangelical organization. We share the gospel with everyone willing to listen. The word evangelical comes from the Greek…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2020
Psalm 115:2 says, “Why should the Gentiles say, ‘So where is their God?’” It is our obligation before God to tell others about Him…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2019
In Ezekiel 33:11 it is written, “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2019
My wife and I often take the bus to the market. The bus is a wonderful place to meet new people and reconnect with people you have not seen in a long time…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2019
Many times I try to speak to my Jewish people about how the Scriptures teach God has chosen Israel to be a light to the nations, bringing the Good News about the one true God to the ends of the earth…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2019
Two days ago, I was on my way to the bus and ran into two Arab sheikhs who began a friendly conversation with me. “Now we are on the way to peace. We just have to make this road map; then we will go from there…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2018
I have lived in Jerusalem for 57 years, and I have seen many advertisements for special synagogue meetings where distant rabbis come to speak. Recently, I saw a poster advertising a rabbi who was coming to talk about…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2018
Recently in Israel, we celebrated the holiday of Simchat Torah, which means “Rejoicing of the Law.” God gave the Law to Moses to give to Israel. It was a good thing that we received the Law, but it was not a good thing that we…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2018
After two weeks in Canada, I am now home in Jerusalem. My flight back was fruitful, as I had a good conversation on the airplane with a friendly group of young Orthodox students who were flying to Israel for the first time…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2018
It is written in Isaiah 49:6, “I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” People are coming to Israel from the ends of the…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2018
In Psalm 56:4, it is written, “In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” It is Passover season, and the ultra-Orthodox travel from house to house…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2018
One day as I left home, I ran into a few Orthodox men who were trying to sell commentaries. “Do you want to know the true faith?” one asked me. “I know the true faith,” I answered. “It is you who are far away from the truth.”
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2017
We often say in Israel, “If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain.” Every Friday night, Orthodox women go door to door, trying to convince people to observe the Sabbath.
The New Testament and the Kinsmen of Jesus
Is the New Testament anti-Semitic? Unfortunately, many Gentiles have used it to vent their ingrained hatred and unholy wrath on the Jewish people. But if we read it…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2017
We Jews have so many holidays that if we were to compete with other countries to see which nation celebrates the most holidays, Israel would win first place. I recently visited an Israeli hospital during the time…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2017
After many years of working hard to transform Israel’s desert into a fruitful land, we now live in nice towns. The land’s transformation has brought many new immigrants to Israel. They speak many languages and are highly educated, but they do not know the Bible.
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2017
At one time, the Jordanian artillery pinned us down for 20 hours. Finally, the order came to attack. My task as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces is to go before the troops and clear the minefields…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2017
The Lord said in 1 Kings 21:19, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” People are still killing and trying to take Israel’s land. The Arabs constantly seek to destroy us and demand that we compensate them for war…
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2017
Here in Israel, most people know the Hebrew song “Ani Ma’amin,” or “I Believe.” In English, the lyrics read, “I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah. I believe.” Recently I visited an ultra-Orthodox synagogue…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2016
It is now the time of year when Christians celebrate the Lord’s birth and sing, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” In Israel, people are celebrating the feast of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2016
Isaiah 49 says, “You are My servant, O Israel. You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth” (vv. 3, 6). Many Hasidic Jews believe they are the servants of God, chosen by…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2016
Recently I was waiting for the bus to Jerusalem when two young men asked me for directions to a synagogue. I gladly told them the way…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2016
Once every two months, I take my wife to the hospital for an eye checkup following a cornea transplant. The last time we were there, two Russian-Orthodox priests sat next to us. We began conversing, and our discussion quickly turned to…
Apples of Gold Mar/Apr 2016
Over the years, the Lord has taught my wife and me to freely welcome people into our home. Guests are always coming and going, and some even sleep here. Once each year an elderly Christian gentleman..
Apples of Gold Jan/Feb 2016
A few years ago, I learned that a well-known rabbi was going to speak in one of Jerusalem’s big synagogues on the topic of life after death. Naturally, I was curious about his…
He Still Seeks and Saves
Tears streamed down Sandy Yao’s face as she stood by her mother’s bed. God felt so far away. She had trusted His Son as her Savior. She believed God had opened the door…
Apples of Gold Nov/Dec 2015
At a bus stop recently, I noticed an old man who needed help boarding. I assisted him and sat next to him on the ride into Jerusalem. I asked how…
Apples of Gold Sep/Oct 2015
Recently I was in Hebron where I met many Swedish tourists. Their guide was giving them false information that was unsympathetic to Israel, and many of them believed him…
Apples of Gold Jul/Aug 2015
Recently I found work in a Jerusalem hospital as a handy-man. The day after I started working, something happened that was a clear sign of the Lord’s guidance. When I walked into…
Apples of Gold May/Jun 2015
I was recently asked to visit an elderly man whose son is my friend. When I arrived at his home, I could see he was extremely sick and that I had arrived in the last hours of…
Recollections of a Friend
In a life spent traveling and meeting hosts of people from all walks of life, I’ve found that few individuals leave an enduring legacy. Such a legacy was left by a person of small stature but…