Debbie Hannah Skinner
Welcome! I’m an artist, speaker, and writer whose life has been shaped by God’s word. A southern girl transplanted to the wide open spaces of west Texas, I’m a wife and mom walking in God’s grace with a simple life goal: to encourage women to savor Scripture. Enjoy your visit!
Israel Travel Journal: Feeding of 5,000
Here’s a page from my watercolor travel journal created on our 2011 study tour of Israel.
It was a beautiful spring morning when we stopped just north of the Sea of Galilee at the Jordan River. Across the water we could see the hillside where Jesus fed 5,000+ people.
I’ll never forget how fabulous the wildflowers were in that area. (We were there in March, but I understand it’s not like that all year round.)
Our stop at this place reminded me that Jesus was all about fulfilling prophecy.
He was the Bread of Life in the flesh, yet on this remote hillside, He miraculously provided bread- and fish- to hungry people, many of whom would have been traveling through this exact region on their way to Jerusalem for Passover.
My time in Israel helped me see that where Jesus did things was just as important as what and when and how He did them. He had a heavenly perspective on the perfect “when, where, why, and how” of His ministry.
He also has a perfect heavenly perspective on the “when, where, why, and how” of my life.
Here’s the Bible passage surrounding the site of the feeding of the 5,000. . .
Matthew 14:15-2 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
I can’t wait to take another group to Israel next year! Let me know if you want to join us.
