There are moments when encouragement does not come through a great speech or a dramatic event. Sometimes it comes simply from sitting across the table from someone, sharing what is on your heart, and realizing that you are not standing alone. Recently, I had the privilege of experiencing one of those moments when I joined a group of Israeli pastors and Christian leaders for a special gathering with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
At a time when our nation continues to walk through profound challenges, this opportunity carried particular meaning. We came from different communities and different parts of Israel, but we gathered around something deeply important: relationship. We had the opportunity to talk, listen, spend time together, and strengthen the friendship between local Christian leaders serving here in Israel and a man who now represents Israel’s closest friend and ally. In seasons of uncertainty, relationships like these remind us that friendship is not merely something we speak about—it is something we choose to build.
For me personally, it was an honor to meet Ambassador Huckabee and spend time in conversation and fellowship with him. Many know him today as the United States Ambassador to Israel, but he also understands the life of faith and ministry personally. Before entering political life, he served as a pastor, and his relationship with Israel stretches back many decades. There was something meaningful about local pastors who serve congregations here in the land sitting together with someone who understands both the world of ministry and the importance of Israel.
I was equally encouraged by the opportunity to share this occasion with other Israeli pastors and Christian leaders. Ministry can sometimes feel very local—we pour ourselves into our congregations, our cities, and the people God has entrusted to us—but gatherings like this remind us that we are part of something larger. When believers and leaders from different communities stand together, listen to one another, pray for one another, and build genuine relationships, our unity itself becomes a testimony to a land that so desperately needs to see what reconciliation can look like. Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, and in a land where differences can so easily become dividing lines, I believe there is great significance in believers choosing fellowship, friendship, and unity.
And God added one little personal surprise to the day: the meeting happened to fall on my birthday! I could not have planned a more unusual and special way to celebrate. What was already a meaningful opportunity became a memory I will carry with me for many years, and I returned home especially grateful—not only for whom I had met, but for the conversations, friendships, and encouragement shared around the room.
At Home of Jesus the King, we have always believed deeply in building bridges. Usually you hear us speak about those bridges between Jews and Arabs, between families and communities, or between people in need and those willing to come alongside them. But bridges are also built between leaders, ministries, and nations. They begin with relationships—with the willingness to sit together, hear one another’s hearts, and discover where friendship can grow stronger.
I returned to the Galilee encouraged and thankful for the opportunity to represent our ministry and the local Christian community in this gathering. I was reminded again that God places each of us where we are for a purpose. Whether we are serving a family in need, shepherding a congregation, sitting with another pastor, or meeting someone entrusted with significant responsibility, we have the same calling: to carry the character of Yeshua into every room we enter.
Please join us in praying for Ambassador Huckabee, that God would grant him wisdom, discernment, and strength as he serves in Israel. Pray for the friendship between Israel and the United States, especially through the complex days ahead, and pray for pastors and believers throughout this land—that wherever God places us, we would faithfully represent Yeshua with courage, humility, wisdom, and love, and become the kind of people through whom friendship can grow and bridges can be built.