We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
Love in Unexpected Places
Here’s a letter we received from a reader pointing us to this TED talk:
Hi,
My Name is Austin. I’ve been a podrishoner at Woodland Hills Church for the past 3 years and frequently visit reknew2015.wpengine.com.
I stumbled upon this TED talk from September 2012 yesterday entitled Israel & Iran: A Love Story.
Recently, Greg has been talking about the destructive cycle that violence creates and Jesus’ call to love your enemies. To me, this sounded good in theory but I was having trouble trying to to picture what that would look like in reality. Well…this video really helped.
This 15 minute TED talk is given by Ronny Edry, an Israeli graphic designer who shared a poster on Facebook of himself and his daughter with the message, “Iranians, we [heart] you”. His lecture goes on to talk about the incredible response to his simple message.
Although this may not be enough to stop a war between two nations, the simplicity and beauty of this event has helped me understand the message. I wanted to bring this clip to your attention in case you thought the video was worth sharing or as a topic for discussion on the blog.
Best Regards,
Austin
Thanks Austin!
Category: General
Tags: Iran, Israel, Israel loves Iran, Peacemaking, Ronny Edry
Related Reading
The Way We Disagree Matters
Rachel Held Evans posted her reflections on the ways we interact over differences in Biblical interpretation. It’s an important topic as we live out the kingdom among one another in our polarizing environment. How do you maintain a Christ-like posture when you are attacked or when others question your devotion to Christ when you express…
Should churches have armed security guards?
Question: Recently (December, 2007) a security guard at New Life Church in Colorado Springs shot and apparently killed a man who was shooting people in the church parking lot. The pastor (Brady Boyd) hailed her as a “real hero.” Do you think churches should have armed security guards and do you think the pastor was…
Four Blood Moons—What’s the Significance?
The first of four successive “blood moons” will occur on April 15 & 16. Is this significant? Does it point to coming earth-shattering events specifically related to Israel? Many authors like John Hagee believe it does. Or is this misguided divination and astrology? What do you think Greg’s take is? For more on a so-called…
God’s “Ways” and “Thoughts” are Higher
Isaiah 55:8-9 is one of the more often quoted passages in the Bible. It reads: … my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways … As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (vss. 8-9). This…
A Kingdom Not of This World
In the previous post, I introduced how Jesus directly taught against the favored nation status of Israel, an theme that runs throughout his ministry. For example, Yahweh’s Sinai covenant with Israel was rooted in a system of immediate rewards and punishments. Jesus not only canceled these covenantal promises; he sometimes explicitly reversed them. The Sinai…
A Step Toward Racial Reconciliation
In this sermon clip, Greg, as a representative of a white man in America, asks for forgiveness of people of color for all the harm that white America has done. This is not about disparaging whiteness. This is simply about acknowledging the truth of our heritage so that we can make a way for healing,…