As the Israel-Hamas War wages on, CMJ Israel continues to find ways to do life and ministry amidst the strife, turmoil, and lack.

In the midst of different responsibilities here in Pittsburgh, I have been monitoring the news, as I expect many of you have. The numbers and violent stories are hard to process.

Ruhan – a young Jordanian man – had been sitting in the back of the room listening, unbeknownst to most of us. He spoke only Arabic. He had never met anyone from Israel.

Two things got us interested in ministry to and among Muslims. One, studying church history and learning that so many of the places that were key in the early days—Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, Antioch, Carthage—are almost entirely Muslim today. Two, I took a stripped-down version of a great course, Perspectives in World Missions, and learned that a large portion of the world’s Muslims do not have access to the gospel or a local Christian community.

Having arrived at the Tel Aviv airport eight hours before my flight, I was the only one at the gate, the last gate in the international terminal, of course!

We call it the 'Oh-No!' principle... that moment just after the Spirit stirs you with a genuine call of God... that moment when your flesh kicks in and pulls back on the reins. Moses had an 'Oh-No!' moment at the burning bush. Gideon had one when God called him into battle for his people. Most of the prophets initially responded to their own calls with an 'Oh-No!'. Peter had an 'Oh-No!' reaction when he heard Jesus describe the suffering that awaited him in Jerusalem. Maybe it's one way to see Jesus' own agony in Gethsemane.