Bob Goff on Faith, Israel, and Loving One Another
Maina Mwaura
Audio By Carbonatix
By Maina Mwaura, Crosswalk.com
One look at Bob Goff and the word, Joy will come to mind. Everything that Bob tackles comes from a place of wanting people to know more about Jesus, in his new book A Journey with Jesus Goff takes his readers on a journey of Israel. “The book is for the guy working in a tire store, I like writing for the everyday person.” Goff is a New York Times Best Selling author, and the author of Love Does, likes creating books for the curious individual, which is why tackling and researching the Holy Land was a must for him. Goff admits that this book is different from his past work. “In this book, I decided what would happen if I took the guy from the Tire store to the Holy Land.” In a sit-down interview with Crosswalk, Goff opens up about his new book, along with what would happen if every Christ Follower lived out the Gospel in loving one another.
CW: What do you want the reader to gain from your book?
BG: I wanted to take the reader to the Holy Land, so that it could come alive for them. I want the reader to see the Holy Land and see some of the places that the Bible talks about.
I want to go deeper with fewer, I want more people to have a shared experience rather than just exchanging information, exchanging opinions. I want people to not only read the book but also watch the video component to the book with their small group.
I want people to come along on this adventure. It's just been so many difficult things that have happened, and that's the history of their world. I'm not getting into all that because that hasn’t given me clarity for the guy at the tire store. It'll just create a distraction. I'm not saying that it isn't important. I want people to experience a place and have a conversation around what's the impact of this to me? I want people to get out on the 50-yard line with me and say to themselves, how does this matter in my life?
CW: What happened on the inside of you while writing the book?
BG: If you understand the context of these last several very difficult years for, you know, each of the perspectives. I stayed up in the Golan Heights as I was filming this, which was a mile and a half from the border of Syria. I remember calling my sweet wife Maria, one morning and thinking that we weren’t going to be able to film with all the bombs going off. But we were able to film, and walk the spots that Jesus walked.
CW: Bob If I’m not mistaken who have a school that you sponsor there?
BG: We have a school in Cana in Galilee and have for the last many years, and we've got Arab, Christian kids and Jewish kids and Palestinian kids. It’s just a beautiful thing. There just kids.
CW: How did your love for Israel begin?
BG: My kids when they were young write to the President of Israel, and he wrote back and invited them to come and visit. I would also add, what has gotten my heart so close and in love with the place is that it’s so pivotal in history, the holy land, uh, and then finding the people in the places that I'd read about, having not grown up in the church I didn’t know all these stories until I was later in my life.
CW: What was it like going over to the Holy Land, with all the conflict surrounding the area?
BG: We get to be a participant in volunteering while there with our nonprofit, while I was also gathering information. By being there it encourages the people that are in these countries that are very fraught. I went to listen and make friends. I wanted to be the safest guy in the room, which is the advice I give to all my friends.
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23 Uplifting Bible Verses about Loving One Another
Photo Credit: ©bobgoff.com
MAINA MWAURA is a freelance writer and journalist who has interviewed over 800 influential leaders, including two US Presidents, three Vice-Presidents, and a variety of others. Maina, is also the author of the Influential Mentor, How the life and legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders. Maina and his family reside in the Kennesaw, Georgia area.
