By Alicia Jones

Jesus promises to give his people peace in a way that the world could never give even as world leaders must admit that their desires for peace were too ambitious.  “President Barack Obama says his administration overestimated its ability to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to resume meaningful peace talks.  Obama says both parties have been unwilling to make the bold gestures needed to move the process forward. If the U.S. had anticipated that earlier, Obama says he might not have raised his expectations so high.  Obama says the U.S. will continue to work toward a two-state solution in which Israel is secure and the Palestinians have sovereignty. His remarks came in an interview with Time Magazine published Thursday.”  (Associated Press. “Obama: Expectations for Middle East Peace too High.” http://news.yahoo.com.  January 21, 2010.  Accessed January 21, 2010.)

Even in times of calamity, Haitian people of faith are able to find peace as they place their hope in God.  “Carmella Delerme of Miami, Florida, said her mother clung to her Bible for days, reading psalms over and over again, as they waited for word on the whereabouts and condition of Delerme’s sister and other relatives.  When her sister, who was in Haiti on a missionary trip with their Seventh-day Adventist Church, called late Thursday, Delerme said, ‘I went straight to church and prayed and prayed and prayed. We continue to pray for those who are lost and still in need.’  On the streets of Port-au-Prince, with many of their churches crumbled, people have gathered to worship and sing Catholic and Protestant hymns.”  (Ravitz, Jessica. “Haitians Everywhere United by Faith.” www.cnn.com. January 18, 2010.  Accessed January 21, 2010.