Dividing Walls

Sunday, June 22

We arrived yesterday morning at the Notre Dame Retreat House up in the hills of eastern Beirut, dropped off our belongings and took off for a local Baptist Church for breakfast and meetings. After our meetings and a wonderful lunch, we toured the caverns at Jeita. Most impressive. From there we travelled to Byblos to view the ancient ruins of the Phoenicians, Romans, and Crusader Castles that still stand.

It was the conversations along the way that touched my soul. This nation and her people are broken from years of wars. In fact, the story of Lebanon has been of one conquest after another. Not only did the above empires come a-conquering, but they were followed by the Muslims, the Ottomans, the French, and recently Syrians and Isarelis. Christians and Muslims alike carry the scars of war, post-tramatic stress syndrome, generalized anger, and a poverty of the soul. In the wake of the war, Lebanon has experienced an incredible brain drain. I know many bright young people whose parents left Lebanon and are successfully making their lives in the States. The message of the day: "If you can leave - go!"

Into this space, God has place the church - ambassadors of reconciliation and peace. What an opportunity for the Gospel to flourish! One of our traveling companions declared that the people of Lebanon are so close to hearing the Good News of God's peace.

Today, Leslie, Sarah and I are going with Daniel to a small church in south Lebanon about 10 minutes from the wall that separates Lebanon from Israel. Think opportunity.

"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility..." Ephesians 2:14

salaam, rtm