In Their Shoes: Talking With "D"

Intro: What Is "In Their Shoes"?

          Recently, I was thinking on something that I'd been noticing in our increasingly individualistic society, people never really talk to each other anymore. Sure, you may talk to your neighbors sometimes, and of course your friends and family, but we tend to simply ignore those we pass by during our regular day-to-day schedules. I was trying to think of a way that I could improve my ability to interact with strangers I come in contact with, and that's when I had the idea for this blog series.

           "In Their Shoes" is based around getting into conversations with strangers, and helping to share stories that might not otherwise get told. My hope is that through this series it will: 1.) Cause me to resist the temptation to ignore those around me, and 2.) Help inspire others towards greater connectivity with people in their own communities.

I hope you enjoy reading these stories!

D's Shoes

I met "D" at a local coffee shop one morning while ordering up my usual iced mocha. When I first sat across from him, he had his headphones in, and was lightly tapping his feet to some unknown beat. We started talking shortly after, and he said he was willing to share his story with me.

Who are you?
 You can call me "D". I'm 47 years old, and I'm a Media-Advertising Multidisciplinary-Consultant.

Haha, so what does that mean?
Basically, it means I help companies organize and produce the identity they promote through their advertising and online presence. I've also been a director, and writer for 20 years.
  
 Where do you see yourself in another 20 years?
 My desire is that I'll always be creative. I never want to stop seeing myself create new things. To me, that's what it's all about. I'd love to have a balanced life, and I think that's the key to being emotionally fulfilled. I also hope to be known not just as a successful African-American creator, but as a great creator period.

Many people in my generation might look at your career and go, "How did he do it? How did he get there?"
 Honestly, it just came from hard work. I didn't even major in advertising, or media. I studied art and psychology.haha. After college I hopped in with an internship at a media company,and I just started absorbing and learning. That's what you have to do. You have to follow your heart to what makes you happy, and then just work at it. I love what I do, it never feels like a chore. 

 So, what do you think is the meaning of life?
For me, it's about teaching and learning. But, maybe in the opposite order. It's about taking in all this wisdom in life,and sharing it with others who are seeking the same things. The beautiful thing about that is, there is no end to this cycle. But, I can't make that decision for other people. I can't make them see things the way I see things. It's just not worth the effort. It's either natural, or it's not.

 What do you think about God?
 That's an interesting question. Well, I was raised in a Christian home, but today I view religion similar to politics. In today's society you're forced to make a choice. If you don't fit in, people don't know what to do with you. You're pressured to choose a side. Societal pressure is simply ridiculous. That's not what i'm here for. I'm not here to tell anyone what to do. I'm here just to contribute. I'm here to accept as much as possible. I don't believe there is one God in the way that most people think. Maybe there was some sort of creator or creators, and maybe that's where the feeling of purpose came from. I'm not here to reject. Nobody knows, and nobody get's to decide. 

It was great getting to talk with D, and hear about his life. Even though I didn't agree with everything he said, it was nice to be able to share a moment of humanity between strangers. I'll be praying God will change his mind, and that we'll get to talk again sometime in the future.

I Conquered The Volcano!

             My view of the volcano, Mt. Erciyes.
 
Well, I went up a Volcano, I didn't really conquer it, but I did conquer some pretty amazing Turkish food. If you didn't see my newest video, you can check it out below! I talk all about some of my favorite Turkish food.




Some Turkish food is simply too good to just talk about once though, so in case you're curious, here you go!

 

Künefe

If you know me, or if you watched my video, you had to know this one was coming. Kunefe, the crunchy, warm, sweet, and somehow-cheesy plate full of heaven. Kunefe! For me, it doesn't really get better than that. My first trip to Turkey I was actually blindsided by the dish. I had never heard of it before. It happened when I was visiting a college-town of sorts in eastern Turkey, and we had been out all day. I thought the night was just about over when my friend asked if I was in the mood for something sweet. I deferred to my partial life motto,  "I can always eat more.".

So we headed through the cold night, cutting through a few alleys to get to our destination. Which reminds me, Turkey at night is very interesting. At night, the tourists start to disperse, and the working class emerges. Young people start to hit the streets to socialize. Or late-night dives open up for those who don't care about being seen with a beer in their hand. I noticed some of these things for the fist time during that walk to the restaurant. When we arrived, we were quickly ushered to the nicer second floor of the parlor, which seems to be common in Turkey. The waiter came, and my friend ordered Kunefe for the table. This restaurant in particular actually had a spot where you could watch your dessert being made by the chef. Thinking back on that magical moment, watching the mustachioed man tossing the dessert through the air, arranging the various toppings while music drifted up from downstairs, I start to wonder if the whole experience was simply meant to put a spell on me. Regardless, what happened next changed me forever.

I tasted it.

Let me say this, Kunefe is nothing spectacular to look at, it honestly looks like a bland circle of hashbrowns. But the taste, it started with the crunch of the wheat. It's soon followed by the gooeyness of the melted cheese inside, which then helps to dispense the sweetness throughout your mouth. It just hits you. And did I mention, this one was topped with a scoop of sweet cream ice cream? 

Needless to say, I got hooked instantly. So whether in Turkey, or simply visiting a Turkish restaurant here, I'll be found hunting down a plate-full of Kunefe. 

Turkish Coffee

I need to say that my ignorance about Turkish coffee before visting Turkey, must be my own fault, because after returning from Turkey with a new-found appreciation for the drink, it wasn't that hard to find a cup of it. Turkish coffee has apparently been very popular here and in the western world for a long time. I can pretty much find Turkish coffee in any part of the city without looking very hard.

As I said, Turkish coffee was new to me when I visited Turkey. It was simple, yet perfect at the same time. It doesn't have any sort of syrups. No splashes of soy milk. You won't find cookies crumbled on top. Nope, just a tiny cup of espresso-style coffee. 

You can find them in most any restaurant or coffee shop in Turkey. Usually it will be served in an ornamental silver cup with a lid. As far as preparation, you simply take about a cup of water, a scoop of espresso, a tablespoon(Or less) of sugar, heated in a pan for 10 minutes at a low heat. Stir the whole time, and make sure you don't boil it. Then you serve it in an espresso-sized cup. Don't worry about what to do with the grounds either, they're supposed to be in the cup. That's it! Despite it's simplicity, the drink is marvelously smooth. Perfect for a night with friends over warm conversation. It's so nice, I've even made it at home a few times. 

I've had many other wonderful foods in Turkey, but these are ones that stuck out to me tonight. And if you got all the way down here wondering when I was going to talk about that volcano, I have some disappointing news, that's a story for another day.  I promise there's more coming soon though, thanks for checking out the blog!

Shadows Of The Sultans

"We're a people clinging to monuments...monuments that we no longer understand."

Turks aren't what you think. You may have thoughts and images of women wearing hijabs, and frowny faced men leaning against 1000-year-old walls with leathery looks of disapproval on their mustached faces. I mean come on, it's a muslim country, right? Yes, but that's not what you find when you get down to the heritage, when you get down to the heart. It's something older. Something deeper.

Have Tea With Me

The first time I went to Turkey a lot of people told me I was making a mistake. I was wasting my time and money. "You should go to a more normal place like England, or Australia.". "Don't you realize that place is CRAWLING with ISIS?". This was right after the desolation in Syria began taking place. I however realized stories in the media are often pumped up and given more breath than they really deserve. However, I still really didn't know what to expect. You can't really know a place until you've experienced it.

What I did experience is something that I think can best be described as warm.

Or rather, hot.

A hot glass of black tea. If you were to drop a pebble in the atmosphere above Turkey, chances are that it would land in a cup of tea. The stuff is everywhere. There are a few reasons for this I think. Firstly, I'm pretty sure after hundreds of years of drinking it, the Turks have become genetically addicted to it. Secondly, it's very good. And lastly, Turks enjoy passing the time with one another over tea.

It is their universal symbol of hospitality. It doesn't matter if they know you or not, after talking with someone for five minutes they'll probably ask you if you would like to have tea. This is especially true in rural Turkey. In fact I eventually learned that if I wanted them to stop offering me more tea, I needed to not finish the glass I was on. Otherwise, "5 glasses later" comes pretty quick.

The biggest reason for this is because while you're enjoying your tea, you're also having a great conversation. Talking about your family, their family, the country, and God. Turkish people are all-to eager to sit down with you, or invite you into their homes to get to know you, and to make sure you feel welcome.

Identity Crisis

I made a friend in Turkey who told me his thoughts on where the Turkish hospitality came from:

 "If you go and ask a random person on the street about this, they'll probably tell you it's because the Koran commands people to show kindness to the traveler." He then countered the idea, "But I don't think this is true for Turkey. Turkish hospitality is actually counter to what the Koran teaches. You see through out our history the Ottomans took beautiful things, wonders, and talents and then labeled them as a product of Islam." . " For instance you can see an obvious example of this in Istanbul. The Ottomans took the Hagia Sophia, which was originally a Orthodox Cathedral known for it's beauty across the world. And what did they do? They put minarets all around it and called it a mosque." . "They then transformed other churches into mosques and started building their own mosques, like the Blue Mosque, and used them as a symbol of Islam." . " It's a lie. The beautiful Style of the grand mosques around the city are all based on the original designs of the Hagia Sophia.". " The same is true with our hospitality you see. I think it really comes from our origins before the Ottomans. When the Turks were influenced by the principles of the Christian Gospel, and the family-oriented dynamics of ancient tribal Turks."

This was something I had never thought about before. But it really helped connect the dots for me. Of course I noticed people praying in the streets during the call to prayer, and I heard the Imams calling at 5:30 in the morning. But most Turks I came in contact with seemed to only hold a surface level faith. Similar to the way a lot of people who profess to be Christians in America are like today. They claim to have faith, but don't really take it to heart.

It became apparent to me that Turkish people were far from what I had expected. They were a people living under confliction, muslims on the surface, but turkish at heart. In addition to what my friend said above, some of this could also be attributed to Ataturk (You can read more about him here, because I am hardly the expert to speak on him with authority.).

 Thoughts From The Desktop

I've learned a lot about Turkey in the past few years. About the people, the mountains, THE FOOD.... but if I've learned anything about Turkey, it's this: Turkey is not the Middle-East, it's not Europe, it's something different. It always will be. A very proud, yet self-contrarian nation. One that is overflowing with culture, but starving for truth.

Thanks for hanging out! Don't worry, I'll have fun blogs about Turkish food soon. :D
You can also checkout some of my videos about Turkey here:

If You Don't Know Ramen, You Don't Know Me

"RAMEN IS LIFE" or at least that's what I read on a plush-kitty that I saw at a store in Harajuku when we visited Tokyo.

  Today I'll be taking a break from the more serious nature of my usual posts, to talk about one of my guilty pleasures: Ramen.

When I was first introduced to Ramen during my preteen years, it looked and tasted nothing like the hot bowls of euphoria that I can be found diving face first into today. No, back then it was simple; an orange package with some sort of flavoring labeled "chicken" that we would eat when nobody felt like going to the trouble of cooking a full meal. I didn't hate it back then, in fact there were sometimes when I really couldn't get the thought of that orange packet out of my head.

Little did I know that there was a whole world of gluttony somewhere that revolved around those wavy yellow noodles.

Fast-forward to today. 2016 is a beautiful time! You can find manifestations of Ramen popping up in our society all over the place. Thankfully some Japanese people came to America, saw the way we were eating it, and said "You know...that's not really how you're supposed to do it.". "Where are the eggs?" "Where are the onions?" "Where is the pork belly?" "Where is the stock?"

These are all valid questions. Ramen, as I've come to know it today, is a wealth of flavors and ingredients. IF you're looking for a 10 commandments of Ramen, I'm not sure if I could give you that. But, I have learned a few of the most important things that really can't be ignored when making a good Ramen:

-The Noodles- True Ramen should have the noodles boiled separately from the broth itself, and immediately rinsed in cold water to prevent sticking. The noodles are then set aside to be placed in the bowl right before serving. This way the noodles can absorb the flavor, without getting too soggy.

-The Broth- I'm going to be honest with you; if anyone ever said they knew the secret to achieving the perfect broth, they'd be lying. This is because there are so many different types and interpretations of what a ramen broth really is. What I can tell you is this: STOP JUST USING THE FLAVOR PACKET. A good broth should include a generous portion of pork, or beef stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, miso, or even types of creams sometimes. It all really depends on what type of flavor you're looking for. But trust me, your tastebuds will thank you if you can incorporate more than just that little silver pouch.

-The Toppings- Ok, I blame this one on my parents. Why didn't you guys ever tell me Ramen was supposed to have toppings?! Toppings have come to be one of the most important parts of Ramen in today's food culture. You might be able to find a variety of unique toppings at your local Ramen Shop, but the golden standard for Ramen has typically been: Seaweed, Pork belly, and a soft-boiled egg.

• Seaweed- Pretty simple, adds a distinctive salty flavor and the good news is you can usually find it in most grocery stores.
• Soft-Boiled Egg- I can't help you if you don't know where to buy eggs, but I can help you with that distinctive soft yolk. Simply put an egg in boiling water for 7 minutes, and then immediately put it in a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes. De-shell. Slice. Boom.
•  Pork Belly- Good luck trying to find this in a typical grocery store. Try looking for it in your closest international market, or even a carniceria. 

Josh's Top Ramen

(No Not THAT Top Ramen. Don't sue me plz) 

So let's say you're reading this blog and you tell me "Look Josh, Ramen sounds good, but I don't want to go to all that trouble. What could I possibly do??" Well sir, or madame, you could check out my 3 favorite Ramen spots in the city (If you live in Houston.).

#1.) Kata Robata- http://www.katarobata.com/ 

(Credit:Yelp)

  This is the real McCoy. At Kata Robata they serve up traditional-Japanese-Kick-You-In-The-Mouth Ramen. It is rich, filling, and I can't get enough of it. Sure they serve some of the softest, buttery Toro in the city, but you have to try that Ramen. Also, I recommend going on a night when they serve the special Ramen with a duck dumpling inside.

#2.) JINYA Ramen- http://jinya-ramenbar.com/


(Credit: Yelp)

   I have to admit that Jinya isn't as good as the previous entry on this list, but it makes up for it with atmosphere and variety. This California-based chain sets it's self apart by allowing patrons to customize their Ramen with any variety of toppings. They also have another of my new favorite Japanese treats, Takoyaki.

#3.) Samurai Noodle- http://samurainoodlehouston.com/

(Credit: Yelp)

  Sometimes, you just need a cheap bowl of Ramen really quickly. That's what you can find at Samurai Noodle, fast and friendly service. The Ramen may not be the best in the city, and sure they might insist on putting corn in every bowl, but they're cheap. The owner can also often be found working in the kitchen, which gives it a more personal touch.


This is just my list, there are plenty more that are in the city, and plenty more I still need to go try. Nevertheless, I want to encourage you that if you haven't given authentic Ramen a try because you still have nightmares that involve microwaves and college dorms, please go try some. You may just find that you don't know that old friend quite as good as you thought you did.

The Millennial's Survivor Guide

So I was inspired to write this week's blog while I was perusing through the long corridors of this strange place we call "The Internet". While I was on this virtual journey,you know I seemed to make a wonderful discovery! What I discovered was that we millennials love to use the internet to vent our frustrations. Some might argue that this is a fault, but that is an argument for another day!
 
 However, what I did notice was that the majority of my contemporaries had frustrations that all centered around one basic idea: "We millennials are having a hard time making it in this society!" . You can easily find posts or article written by 20-somethings who just seem to be having a hard time surviving out in the world. The problem doesn't seem to be limited to any specific type of millennial, married, single, college-grad, non college grads, male or female are all represented amongst those with complaints.

So that's why I decided to create.....

The Millennial's Survivor Guide!

1.) Just Get A Job

This one is really the first and simplest way you can start to make your life better. Do you have passions, do you have plans or ambitions? If you do, then that means you really need to get a job. I recently saw someone post online about how unfair the job market is towards millennials and how she was so unhappy because she can't find work. She stated that she has received several job offers that pertain to the degree she has, but they weren't her dream job. So she decided to move back in with her parents until she can figure things out. Good luck.

As my father-in-law once told me "Everyone has to eat crow when they start out." and it's true. How many of our grandparents, or parents had to go work a thankless job for years and years before they really felt comfortable? Lot's of them. Yes, I'll admit things have changed today, but one thing hasn't changed: You get what you work for.

A few ways you can easily change your life and start working towards "the dream" :
-Go work the oil fields.Entry level workers can make a killing.
-What is your city's biggest job source? The port of Houston is a huge one here that someone could find steady entry level jobs at.
-Become a firefighter.
-Become a police officer.
-Military.

No matter what type of job it is, go get one and start working your way up the ladder.Start saving, stop spending as much, and work hard.

2.) Stop Complaining About Our Predecessors And Start Listening To Them

 Another issue I see a lot of my peers talking about is dealing with the stubborn baby boomers.
I get it, they don't like our beards, they don't like our clothes, and they probably don't like our desire for independence. This doesn't mean that you have any right to resent them, or to ignore them.

We have a lot to learn from the people who came before us. This doesn't mean agreeing with everything they say, it means trying to learn the best they have to offer. Think about your parents, you can probably easily think of 10 behaviors your parents have and say to yourself "Gosh, I never want to be like that.". But can't you also think of strong qualities you've seen in them? Haven't you( By this age I hope you've started) started noticing more and more how valid your parent's advice growing up was? I started trusting the advise of older people more and more because I've started to see how easily it bites me in the butt when I don't.

Spend time with them. Show them respect. They have a lot of wisdom to offer us. You may have to filter out about 70% of it, but what you'll be left with are life lessons worth their weight in gold.

3.) Pair Your Decisions With A Healthy Dose Of Perspective 

 This one could also be called "Don't be an idiot" . Sounds harsh, yes, but sometimes we need to call ourselves on the idiotic stuff we do. I think that's a form of maturity, right?
You can see examples of the obvious ones, almost everyday. A DWI. Kissing random strangers at SXSW. A face tattoo. But we also make other, seemingly smaller, decision that need some perspective as well.
 For instance, being that person who supports every letter they add to the LGBT alphabet. I'm not going to discuss why the LGBT community is wrong, I'll simply state that they are. However, when thinking about these sorts of issues, put yourself in the shoes of your great grandfather. Do you think he would have ever met someone who identified as binary? (Yes, this is a thing now.) And if he had, what do you suppose his reaction would be? Bingo. Now, don't try to have the person thrown in jail, but also realize that this binary-individual is not a person with rational thoughts.

The bottom line for this issue is that we millennials feel that we have to validate everyone and everything. Which leads to the most detrimental thought pattern a person can take "If everything is valid, I should be able to do anything I want." . This isn't true. This is the lie.

Sesame Street lied to you, your teachers lied to you. You can't do "Anything you want to do." or "be whatever you set your mind to." . We can strive, we can aspire, we can dream. If we don't pair all those wonderful things with a spoon-full of reality, you will end up ruining your life.

Trust me, if you at least try to do some of this, your 80 year old version of you will be very thankful.*

*- If you don't care about feeling as though you had a full and happy life, then disregard this blog. YOLO right? 

3 Ways To Live Life As A Tourist

No this won't be a post about travel.(Not entirely anyway!)
I've found myself with an interesting new problem lately, it seems that almost everyday I am astounded by the things I see posted online in regards to political-related issues in our country. These have taken many forms:

• Outlandish, eye-catchingly titled news articles. 
• Outlandish, eye-catchingly titled youtube videos.
• Facebook statuses by my friends and family.

Everyday it's the same thing. Someone in a red or blue tie, has said or done something that makes everyone LOSE THEIR MINDS. We go to war every single day waving the banner of some new cause. Some new thing to yell about. Some new person to be angry at. You know exactly what I'm talking about, and it's a mess.

And I wouldn't be surprised by this.....except...I kinda am.

I realized,(Whether this is is a good thing or a bad thing, i'm not sure of), that most of the people I'm associated with online are people who profess to be Christians. In fact, most of my online newfeeds are so filled with political rants, it all just sort of blends together and it's easy to forget that most of them are actually being written by Christians. Over the past week alone I've seen people, who I know and care for, call people idiots, call for violence, and even condemn a whole other nation of people. What is going on?

I think I know what's going on, and I can understand it. People are being captivated by the ever-increasingly changing world around them, and the hard-to-ignore disappointments of people in leadership. These things are upsetting. Even more upsetting when polarizing anger goes viral online. Anger is going viral, and we as Christians have let ourselves be pulled into it.

But that is not what we're called to.

 We need to remember that this world is not our home. Our call in life is different. Our call is to live for Christ. Our call is not to live for the DNC. Our call is not to live for the GOP. Believe it or not, our call isn't even to live for the USA.

Live As a Tourist

 Traveling is a blast. Experiencing new places, cultures, and food. It feels so liberating. You get to relax. And why is it so relaxing? Because you have detached yourself from your normal life. You don't have to worry about the problems at work, you don't have to worry about mowing the grass, nothing. You simply are embracing the new environment while you travel through that foreign land.

Here are a few ways I think we can better represent Christ by living like tourists:

1.) Remember that you are not home. 
" If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." - John 15:19

You should not be surprised every time something crazy happens. This is a different culture than the one we are designed for. When you are abroad, you don't care as much about the political issues going on in that country, because it doesn't affect your reason for being there. You go into the trip with the assumption that "They do things differently here, and I may not approve of it all, but this is not my home.". 

2.) Focus on enjoying the better parts.
" Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."- Eph. 4:29-32

 It's very easy to get caught up in the hot button issues of the day that make us angry, but we know that isn't why we're here. When you go on vacation, you focus on the good parts of that country. When we went to Japan last year, we didn't run up to the Prime Minister's office demanding an explanation for why more precautions wern't taken to prevent Fukushima's aftermath. We didn't ask everyone we saw about Japan's issues with Whaling either. No, we took in the culture, and focused on new places and people. In the same way, we need to teach ourselves to focus on making progress for the Kingdom, rather than focusing on things that add nothing to it.

3.) Don't waste one second of the trip.
"you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."- James 4:14

Your time on vacation is precious. You had to work hard, and save your money to make sure you could have what you needed to take the trip. When my wife and I were in Japan we made sure to optimize our time. We have hopes to one day go back, but you never know. With that in mind we visited over four cities in during the two short weeks. We wanted to make sure we saw every sight, visited every monument, and tasted every food! 

 The same is true for us on Earth. You have no time to waste while you're here. Getting angry over a political issue, or feeling like the world will fall apart because of some decision congress made, is useless. You were not put here on this planet to debate political issues. Christ' blood wasn't shed to redeem you, just for you to turn around and spend your life jumping from argument to argument. It's pointless. It's a distraction, a distraction that satan will use to drag you down into a dark descent. "It's A Trap!!!" Admiral Akbar is right, it is a trap, and one we don't have time for. 

I suppose my bottom line here is this:
 Yes, we are surrounded by a world full of political issues and problems. Yes, these issues do affect the dynamics of the society and culture in which we live. Yes, it is ok for us to care about these things. BUT, at the end of the day, if these issues were all you thought about, or if they controlled your emotions, then we have a problem. Don't lose yourself in the troubles of this world, because we know we have been called to be more. If we can learn to stop getting caught up in the viral-anger of this world, and start approaching it with the broader perspective of someone who is merely passing through, we'll all be able to more effectively glorify God while we're here. 

 

You are the refugee

So this week an image of an innocent, blood-covered, Syrian child swept across the Internet. Once you've seen it, you can't really get it out of your mind. It's simply another reminder of the horrors that war creates.

The Syrian conflict is as easily explainable as it is to stop. All the different groups and nations who have a hand or interest in the conflict are too numerous to count, but one thing can be said: Almost everyone wants to see this violence stop.You look at the face of the bloodied child and you cry. You look at the millions of families who have had to leave everything they ever knew, and you ask yourself, "Where will they go?", " How did it come to this?" , and "Why?" . The reason is simple:  we are all refugees.

The constant statement we hear of course is "These acts of horror prove that there can be no good and all-knowing God." , when in reality these acts of horror are just a reminder that we are not home yet. A reminder that this world is fallen. A reminder that this world is depraved. Syria, North Korea, Zika, the recent riots, Trump.......seeing these you can't help but realize YOU. ARE. NOT. HOME.

Something is wrong.....

When humans rebelled against God at the beginning of time, sin entered the world. It was like watching food coloring fill up a bottle of water, changing everything from it's original design into a new one.  Leaving us with something broken.

We can still see beautiful things in this life, blue skies, endless forests, a child's laughter, or the warmth of love. But we shouldn't be surprised when this world lets us down. Syria is a symptom of the cancer in our world.

Reflecting on this, we can take joy in knowing that God didn't leave us to stay in this misery. He gave us hope. He gave you, me and everyone else a chance to shrug off the grime of this world if we accept the forgiveness that Jesus Christ' death and resurrection brings.

So when you look at the eyes of the Syrian boy, see more than his sadness. See the damage that sin has left on our world, and see the need for the gospel, the life-saving, hope-bringing, world-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.