Almost every summer, I pass along a few lines in a “Monday Mission” from James Strange, Associate Professor of Religion in our Howard College of Arts and Sciences, as he continues his archeological work in Israel.  In an update I received from James this weekend, he commented on the fact that he is ending the last week of the dig.  This morning I offer to you his poignant closing lines:      

We are visitors here, no matter how at home we feel.  And when we leave, the banality, joys, and heartbreaks of everyday life will continue.  People will have to negotiate how to live with people they merely tolerate, or despise.  The issue of violence and how to resolve the Palestinian problem will persist.  All of this will require efforts of genuine goodwill, because we know what hatred will do if unchecked by our God-given knowledge of what is right.  Pray for peace in Israel.

The world is better because of the mind, soul, and hands of James Strange.