This weekend we hosted an in-person discussion with Dr. Salim Munayer of Musalaha, a nonprofit working toward (and actually seeing) reconciliation in Israel-Palestine. Dr. Munayer shared with us not only about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but very wise and hard-learned insights about conflict itself and the process of reconciliation.

Sometimes we think we know what’s going on, but in reality we don’t. We assume the situation could only be as it appears on the surface, but if we look into it further, we may find we don’t know what we think we know.

Jesus told the story of just a little yeast working its way into every part of the dough. The little yeast of peace and reconciliation can do the same to bring good news in this world. This yeast may end up permeating every part of our home countries and all over the world. We are not enemies. We hope for reconciliation with ourselves, God, and even across faiths.

It’s so fun to greet Muslims, saying, "Assalamu alaykum." Their faces brighten on hearing it. Try it. But it's also rich to go deeper, and that's why Peace Catalyst and others have been gathering Muslims and Christians together in Communities of Reconciliation.

The last couple months I've been trying to finish up my master's thesis at Near East University. The thesis is on how the U.S. government interacts with international religious entities.

It’s not that Nigeria is at war. But it does feel like that for many Nigerians, and especially the Christians.

But is peace just for hippies, beauty queens and liberals? Is peace only relevant for “the faithful few”?Are you one of those evangelicals who need to get converted to peacemaking? If so, you should watch the following video of my presentation on peacemaking at the Society of Vineyard Scholars.

Imam Ashafa and Pastor James each led rival, warring militias in Nigeria - each intent on protecting their people from the abuses and encroachment of the other. In 1995, a mutual friend brought Imam Ashafa and Pastor James together and told them that they could end much of the violence if they would just get to know one another. So they gave it a shot.