Monthly Archives: September 2016

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2 Things I Learned By Skydiving (& jump video)

arlen-skydivingPeople ask me. Why would I leap out of a perfectly good plane at 14,500 feet? (highest tandem jump in Canada).

It wasn’t just the rush (and boy, oh boy, was it a rush – see the video below)

Here are two things I learned from my skydive:

You don’t want irrational fears to rule your life.

According to studies, you’re 24 times more likely to die in a car accident than skydiving. Driving a car is commonplace. Skydiving isn’t. So, when someone dies when skydiving it gets distorted press coverage.  That distorts our perceptions.

I don’t want irrational fears to rule my life. How about you?

News media hypes extraordinary events. So, people are afraid of terrorism in the Holy Land and this keeps them from experiencing a life-changing experience. Do you know there’s a greater chance of dying in the bathtub or being killed by your home appliances than by worldwide terrorism?

How many are scared of their bathtub or appliances?

My refrigerator doesn’t scare me. In fact, I probably should visit it less often.

You never know what tomorrow will bring.

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Elsa and I before the Skydive

These past two years, my wife and I have lost many friends and family. Everyone we lost lived wonderfully rich lives. But not everyone can say this.

I don’t want my dreams to be cut short because I kept putting them off. This was my dream since my twenties.

No more procrastination! It was time to jump!

More importantly – I don’t want to hold back on God’s calling because I kept putting it off.

How about you?

Here’s an important question for us all:

Would the Apostle Paul and the other disciples have ever turned the world right-side-up with the gospel if they would have allowed fear or procrastination to rule their lives?

Now, getting back to skydiving.

I’m not saying you should leap from an airplane. It’s not for everyone. (Just look at my video below to make up your own mind.)

But, what I do encourage you to do is consider what God has placed on your heart, let go of the fear and procrastination and take a leap through that door.

The joy of seeing people blessed through your obedience is a blessing beyond words.

What door is God calling you to leap through today?

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Arlen Salte: Director: Break Forth Journeys

PS – Our hearts surge with joy when we see people experiencing the Word of God by walking in the Holy Land. They’ll never read the scriptures in the same way again. We know this opportunity may never come again for some of our guests. We’re so glad they stepped up, set aside their fears and took charge of that bucket list. Just send us an email to get your free Break Forth Israel 2017 brochure by clicking here.

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Click here to watch me leap from 14,500 feet. What fun!

 

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4 Easy Steps To Talk With Anyone With Less Stress

I’m an introvert. Some people think that’s strange.

I often stand in front of thousands of people. So, how can this be?

I’ve come to accept how God made me.

Maybe you can relate.

Maybe you get stressed at the thought of striking up new conversations with people you don’t know.

I know, I do at times.

Maybe the thought of being on a Holy Land bus tour with a lot of new people makes you nervous.

I get it.

When I started giving concerts across North America in the late 70s, there were some days that my stomach absolutely rolled at the thought of meeting new people and carrying on a conversation.

Then, a Pastor friend shared an old secret with me that he used. It’s called F.O.R.M.

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Salespeople have used this for years. For them, it means:

  • Family
  • Occupation
  • Recreation
  • Money

For me, it stands for:

  • Family
  • Occupation
  • Recreation
  • Meaning

After forty years, I don’t use it as often as I used to. But every now and then I pull it out of my toolkit when my introverted self starts to take over.

Here’s how it breaks down for me (you should adjust it to fit the setting you’re in):

F: Family: Ask them about their family. If natural, you can share about your own.

  • Can you tell me a little about your family?
  • What are they doing now?
  • Where did you grow up?
  • What was it like growing up there?
  • How did you meet your husband/wife?
  • Do you have any children?
  • How old are they?
  • What are they doing now (or what do they like to do – if they’re young)?

O: Occupation: Ask them what they do for a living. They might ask you about yours as well.

  • What do you do for a living now?
  • What led you to this job?
  • What do you like best about it?
  • What do you find the most challenging?
  • If someone came to you interested in your field, what do you think you’d tell them?
  • What was one of your most interesting jobs you had when you were younger?

R: Recreation: Ask them about what they like to do for fun (hobbies, sports, arts, experiences). They might ask you about your recreation.

  • What do you like to do in your spare time just for fun?
  • How did you get into that?
  • Do you have any other vacation plans?
  • Have you seen any good movies or read any good books lately?

M: Meaning: Here’s where you want to find out what’s important to the other person.

  • Aside from your job and what you do for fun, what’s really important for you?
  • If you could ask God anything and He would give you an answer, what would you ask Him?
  • At the end of life, what do you want to be remembered for?
  • Why is that important to you?

One of the great things about FORM is that not only does it help to ask questions; it also has a progression. It usually starts with some of the least difficult questions (depending on their circumstances – so be aware), and it moves to a deeper conversation about the meaningful things in life.

pexels-photo-42504Remember that most people love to talk about themselves. When people walk away from a conversation thinking they had a good talk, it’s usually because they were able to share a lot about themselves and that you didn’t dominate the conversation.

Also, remember that a good conversation is like a tennis match. You ask questions and they comment and then they ask questions. If they don’t ask you questions, that’s OK. You don’t need to be the hero of the story – they should be.

Finally, a conversation is not an interrogation. If they don’t want to go deep or answer or if they just want some quiet time, that’s OK. It’s fine to let things go.

Hopefully, these suggestions may help you if you’re starting a new conversation or if you’re on a Holy Land tour bus and want to get to know people a little better.

Or, maybe you’re an extrovert and have no problem at all in speaking with strangers. You can feel free to use F.O.R.M. on introverts like me.  There are many of us.

Arlen

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Get a Pilgrimage Tattoo in Jerusalem? Are You Serious?

erase-tat-4-exlarge-169Maybe you think tattoos are a new style (aside from sailers of old).

Would you be surprised to learn that Christians have been marking their pilgrimages to the Holy Land with a tattoo for hundreds of years?

It may seem like the last thing you’d want to do on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Yet, these tattoo artists have been offering their services for hundreds of years.

The Razzouk family business began in the 14th century in Egypt then moved to Jerusalem in the 17th century after discovering there was a high demand for their services in the holy city.
“Where the ancestors started the tradition of the tattoo … of course no electricity was available and it was done by hand,” says 76-year-old Anton Razzouk, Wassim’s father, who has now retired.
“Christian tattooing has always been used as a certificate of pilgrimage,” his son adds. “The only way for people to prove … they’ve done the pilgrimage is by actually getting tattooed.”
Read more here . . .