I suppose it is the fate of a writer to be awake in the middle of the night when the muse hits him and demands his attention at the keyboard. What is amazing is that so much quality work is turned out in the hours when every one else is asleep. (I dont presume to count my own work in that group!) I sit here striving to find the words to convey a thought and to do so in such a manner as would give a complete understanding to the reader. Every writer knows that there is little chance that the article you write will be understood completely in the spirit in which it was written let alone that the thought will be truly and completely transmitted.

Still, here I go again. A friend of mine returned from Iraq today, or at least this is the first time I have seen him since he got back. I didnt have time to debrief him and, as a veteran myself, I know he doesnt want to rehash his life of the last year and several months that he spent there in the desert fighting insurgents. What he said to me took me totally by surprise and that is the reason I sit here writing.

Like every self-respecting web resident, that is everyone who has a presence on the web (great or small), I have an email campaign to pass along humor, proverbs and warnings. A few weeks ago I sent out a copy of an article by Joel Rosenberg (http://www.joelrosenberg.com/) titled REMARKABLY GOOD NEWS FROM IRAQ. In this article Joel discusses the religious freedoms that are springing forth in Iraq as a result of the American forces there.

This soldier, back from the front, looked at me and thanked me for sending out that email. Suddenly, I am reminded of the words of Paul, We wrestle not Soldiers are fighting and people are dieing but God is working in the middle of it. This is not a commentary on whether we should be there or not.

Having read the Koran, I remain unconvinced that the Islamic people are peacefully co-existent with other religious beliefs. In fact, I am unconvinced Christians can peacefully coexist with other religions. However, I am not talking about religion. I am not talking about the beliefs men hold in the minds and hearts about whatever it is they believe. For each man these is substantially different even when they profess to agree! All one needs do is compare the various Christian denominational statements of faith to determine that Christians are not all on the same page. No, this article is not about the religious beliefs of Christians or Muslims, but it is about Gods will for His children.

Isnt it remarkable that while the entire world squabbles about whats right and whats wrong and if we should fight this war or not, God is quietly working in the region. In the end isnt that what is really going on? Isnt it the events of the Spirit world that govern the events of the physical world? There is more going on that bullets and bombs. The redeemer is at work in the field and the harvest is coming in.