It’s not something we generally think about, but Israel rests at roughly the same longitudinal lines as Texas. Jerusalem itself is on the 31st northern parallel – in line with the Texas cities of Odessa, Hemphill, Waco, and San Saba.

That generally doesn’t mean much, except to explain why the most vibrant image from my trips to Israel is the flowers in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The garden, after all, is supposed to be a dark place of pain and sorrow. Yet my first visit there was in the spring, just days after Passover and Easter—and it was glorious.