My life does not lack for things to do. I’m a list kinda guy by nature – and my list is long and complicated and filled with large projects each making its case for top billing. And so when the invitation came to join with a small band of unfamiliar people to invest ten days in a land as problematic as any on earth (That is to say, Israel/Palestine) I had to ask: Do I really want to do this? Can I even afford the time away from all that is calling out to me here at home?

Prior to my first trip to the Middle East a decade ago, I’d been aware of the plight of Jews and Palestinians – both locked in a struggle that all-too-often appears as one without answers and maybe even fewer reasons to hold hope for a peaceful resolution.

In a world of conflict, the Israeli/Palestinian situation seemed as deep, complex and constant as any conflict on earth. Continue reading…