蜜芽传媒

I bring you greetings from the Middle East. A place that I have grown to love and know like no other. Today as we look at Syria we must know that it is part of the area where all the monotheistic faiths began. Whether we are Jews, Christians or Muslims this is the home land of our faith traditions.

Here we also know that when religion goes wrong it goes very wrong. Yet if religion can cause war it can also cause peace.

Recently we have brought religions together from throughout the Middle East from all countries including Israel so we can hear each other鈥檚 stories. When we hear those stories enemies often become friends. One of the chief rabbis said 鈥淚 came here afraid. Three days I have been here and I have three words to say - fear is cancelled".

Sometimes we have to take risks to find peace. It is so often possible to think only of the pain and brokenness of this place. Yet it cannot be denied that in the midst of the depravity we have immense gladness too.

We had some visitors one day from the West and the one thing they kept asking was 'how can you all be so happy when you are surrounded by such terror and war"? One of our young people had the answer. You see, she said "When you have lost everything God is all you have left". And we have lost freedom, security and the ability to even function without continual threats.

But we still have the God who is our everything.

If my work here has taught me anything it is that even in the darkest times there can be light and hope and when my spirit needs strengthening it is often these small things that I give thanks for in my prayers.

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