For readers who have been following the insane story of our relatives in Gaza, here is a new installment. For newcomers, you can read the first two parts of what I hoped and prayed would be a two-part series (#1 here, #2 here). Alas, the Israel-Gaza war is still going. It’s more like a massacre than a war – many of you know that. We have lots of relatives in Palestine, but one family is particularly close to our hearts.... Read more
Are you are a compassionate person who is starting to understand what’s really going on between Palestine and Israel? Have you been sitting on the fence, waiting for something to tip you to one side or the other – and 10,000 Gazan deaths was the last straw? Or have you been supporting Israel because it claims to be a democracy – and you’re just not buying it anymore? Or maybe you’ve been a silent supporter of Palestine, afraid to go... Read more
I’ve known Don Wagner for years. He and his wife are the yin to my husband’s and my yang. Don is American and Christian, married to a sweet Palestinian Muslim woman; I’m a sweet American Christian married to a Palestinian Muslim. Don has been on a journey full of twists and turns (a trajectory similar to mine, only his is much more interesting), growing up an evangelical supporter of Israel, later to become a fervent advocate for Palestinian rights (I... Read more
We are all familiar with the October 7th surprise attack by the resistance group Hamas against unsuspecting Israelis. We also know about Israel’s relentless bombing campaign that started the next day and continues even to this moment. Let’s play a game. Thought experiment #1 Imagine you’ve been in a coma for two months, and you just woke up today. You turn on the TV to see what’s going on in the world, and all the news programs are talking about... Read more
Different format today! Pop some popcorn and settle in for my chat with Spiritual Brewpub’s Michael Camp (unsolicited: I highly recommend his Patheos blog and the many goodies on his website). Full disclosure: Michael did not offer me beer in exchange for being a guest on his podcast. I tend to think his “brewpub” might in fact be metaphorical. Just a hypothesis. (Commercial: if you question “business as usual” in Christianity – or want to question it – subscribe to... Read more
I met the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb during a visit to Bethlehem in 2013. At that time, he was pastoring Christmas Lutheran Church, and we talked a bit after the service. I’ve been fortunate to get to know Mitri since then on some of his many visits to the US. He is the Founder and President of Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, as well as a prolific author and compelling speaker.... Read more
It’s troubling to see, day after day, compassionate people doling out compassion with a teaspoon, as if too much empathy for the 3,000+ Palestinian children who have died in the past weeks will somehow leave too little for the 30 Israeli children killed on October 7th. And so we are carefully balancing our expressions of grief: half for this side, half for that side. Christians, our “fair and balanced” compassion makes Palestinians invisible. They feel unloved, unnoticed, unvalued. It doesn’t... Read more
Jesus died on a hill for defying the conventional “wisdom” of his day. Conventional wisdom says love your friends and hate your enemies; Jesus preaches that we should love all people. Conventional wisdom says shun and judge those who are different from you; Jesus tells us to help anyone in need. Conventional wisdom says those who are in prison deserve their punishment; Jesus came to set the captives free. Conventional wisdom expects the needy to lift themselves up by their... Read more
On Oct 7, the resistance group Hamas did not invade a peace-loving country. To Israelis, it may have felt tranquil and carefree – they were dancing, raising families on tree-lined streets, planning vacations abroad. Palestinians are pretty much invisible, locked as they are behind high concrete walls and driving on segregated roads. Israelis have never experienced the kind of invasion they got that day. The roles are usually reversed. This time Palestinians were killing, kidnapping, making a mess, causing panic... Read more
Alhamdulillah (thank God), after nine days of silence, prayer, and (not gonna lie) near despair, yesterday we heard from our family in Gaza. At last. Horea wants me to share her words with anyone who will read them. Will you take the time? (lightly edited, and yes, yesterday was my birthday, and again, shoutout to Google Translate) Hi, good evening. How are you, Aunt Kathy? How is Uncle Ziyad? I hope you are all well. I love you with all... Read more
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