{"id":2102,"date":"2013-01-30T19:00:54","date_gmt":"2013-01-30T23:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/cultivare\/?p=2102"},"modified":"2013-01-30T19:01:10","modified_gmt":"2013-01-30T23:01:10","slug":"aleppo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/cultivare\/2013\/01\/aleppo\/","title":{"rendered":"Aleppo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Aleppo, Syria<\/em><\/p>\n

Jan. 29, 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

This citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Revolution Against Assad\u2019s Regime which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows dead bodies on a street. Syrian activists say at least 65 bodies, some of them with their hands tied behind their back, found on a river bank.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Most nights after dinner, my family reads Scripture and then prays for Syria and the ongoing conflict there. It is unspeakably tragic. Tuesday\u2019s photo made me think of Jesus\u2019 words from John 3: \u201clight came to the world, but people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.\u201d<\/p>\n

To the ancients, light and darkness served as emblems of right and wrong, good and evil. Lovers of light did what was good and right. Lovers of darkness did not. \u201cThey hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed,\u201d Jesus said. \u201cBut those who do what is true come to the light, so that their deeds may be clearly seen in God\u2019s sight.\u201d Jesus didn\u2019t come to the world to condemn us. We condemn ourselves by our actions. We make our own choices.<\/p>\n

We are also victims of the evil choices others make. Evil does not occur in a vacuum. There are perpetrators. Scripture acknowledges this with its promise of justice for the oppressed and punishment for the oppressor (\u201cWoe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!\u201d Matthew 18:7- Jesus, cited by Lincoln in his Second Inaugural). That offenses or sins must come or are\u00a0necessary\u00a0<\/em>is surprising to hear from Jesus. But as Abraham Lincoln also remarked: \u201cThe Almighty has his own purposes.\u201d We don\u2019t always know what they are\u2013and I have to admit that \u201cGod\u2019s glory\u201d can too often ring hollow.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, my family will continue to pray if only for the ability to pray for purposes even when they seem so purposeless. We trust in the Almighty who came to the world to save it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aleppo, Syria Jan. 29, 2013 This citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Revolution Against Assad\u2019s Regime which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows dead bodies on a street. Syrian activists say at least 65 bodies, some of them with their hands tied behind their back, found on a river […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1010,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daniel-harrell"],"yoast_head":"\nAleppo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aleppo, Syria Jan. 29, 2013 This citizen journalism image provided by Aleppo Revolution Against Assad's Regime which has been authenticated based on its\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/cultivare\/2013\/01\/aleppo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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