Walk Where Jesus Walked

This week I interviewed Sheila Knoll, 2004 Epic graduate and Assistant Director of Records at Epic Bible College.  She also is an adjunct professor and will be teaching “Biblical Literature: The Writings of John” in the winter quarter of 2012.  It was a very inspiring interview and we talked about a lot of things, one of them being her trip to Israel.  She shared how, as a graduation present to herself for acquiring a Masters from Liberty University in May of 2012, she took a trip to the Holy Land and walked where Jesus walked.  When I asked her why students should consider going to Israel she passionately replied, “Every Christian should go to Israel at least once in their lifetime.  It will give you a perspective that you cannot receive anywhere else! You really cannot understand this unless you have been there!” 

She told me how she was able to stay in Israel for a Center for Holy Land Studies summer intensive program and studied Biblical Hebrew, (she learned how to read the ancient writings of the book of Jonah- Wow!), took an archaeological class and traveled across Israel from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem to Gaza City.  She explored giant tombs in Petra, slept in a Bedouin nomad camp in the desert, and sat at the ancient judgment seats of the city gates.

As she shared, I was getting excited and she inspired me to go and also experience the places where Jesus walked, lived, and died for us.  The awesome thing is that there is a trip to Israel coming up in February 2013 that you can receive course credits that go towards graduation.  Fundraisers are highly encouraged and we should start now to raise money for the cost of the trip.

Speaking of graduation, Sheila also had some helpful advice for achieving that goal.  When I asked her what advice she would offer she quickly exclaimed, “Go for it! Have faith that God knows what he is doing, even if you don’t!”  A lot of students tell her that don’t know why they are at Epic, or even how they got there--but she tells them that God knows and He will work it out.  Her testimony of how God took her from being a struggling single parent, working in the Information Technology field for 27 years, to becoming a full-time student and ultimately a Bible College Professor, inspired me to continue pursuing the goal God has put before me.  Hopefully, you are inspired too!  As we talked, I was reminded how God’s word tells us to live by faith, and not by sight  (2 Cor. 5:7).  Let us also walk by faith, as Sheila advises us to, and we will become graduates and perhaps professors too!
Michelle McDermott