Paul Calvert talks with Daniel Carson from CBN Israel about how they are making a difference among the Jewish people.

Paul: Now you put out a weekly Shabbat devotional. Tell us a little bit more about that.

Daniel: Living here in Israel and being part of the Jewish community we feel that Christianity, which was birthed out of the traditions of scripture and the Old Testament, has so much to give us all. The heroes of the Bible are ones that we share together. Being able to write devotionals from the perspective of what we see, is something that culturally you maybe can't really see from a Gentile perspective.

For example, if you take when David talks about the green pastures in the Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23), he is not talking about being knee-deep in alfalfa. He is talking about the sparse tufts of grass that grow between the rocks in the wilderness of Judea, to the east of Bethlehem, and that is a whole different experience. Being able to compare our experience in walking with the Lord to the daily provision of having just enough in order to get you to the next place, is something different than what you'd expect if you grew up in the lush green lands of Europe.

So some of the perspectives that we have here in Israel are from the culture of how the Bible is written. We try to share based on being able to experience some of those things in a way that would bring more understanding of the scripture and how it was written. We can learn lessons from it as we walk with the Lord, because our spiritual walk is a lot like the topography of Israel, where we have wildernesses, deserts, rocky terrain as well as fruitful land. When you are living here physically, you can see how God leads his people through all of those things spiritually.

Paul: Now you do media work and have made videos which people can see on your website. Tell us about some of the videos of Israel that you have made.

Daniel: Well, I think it adds to the perspective of what we see here. If I go out and do a video in the wilderness, it gives people a visual when they see us on Facebook. Like the road to Emmaus or what the Jordan River looks like. Giving that visual gives us a little bit of different perspective which we can share with others and encourage them in their own walk with the Lord.

Paul: Why did you come to Israel?

Daniel: Well I was born and raised here. My parents came in the 60's and had a desire to show love to the Jewish people, to support their return to the land of Israel. My parents left when I was 16 but I came back and served in the army after high school. My wife and I did go and spend some time in the United Stated where I got my education. But we came back here because we felt like the Lord wanted us to be a part of what he was doing here in the land of Israel, and we feel it is a privilege to be a part of that.

Paul: Is army life difficult as a believer?

Daniel: Well the value system of a believer is different than the world around us especially when you are a young man or woman. You are at an age where the pursuits of someone who is part of the normal culture maybe don't align with the value system that we have in the faith community. So there are definitely differences that are hard to hide. These pose challenges but it also makes you confident in what it is that you believe and why you believe it, and you hold fast to it.

I can't say that it was the brightest time in my life. There were many challenges, it was a very lonely and very difficult time. I was in the infantry, but when I look back at the things that God taught me through it, the things he did in my life, it gives me a special appreciation for the land, its people and the culture.

Paul: Now Israel is a land of Muslims, Christians and Jews, so are you blessing all three?

Daniel: Yes we also do projects among the Muslim community. We think that compassion, grace and mercy are universal languages that we all need in a fallen world. It makes very little difference who the recipient is, as long as they understand the objective is to reach out and share the love of God with the people around us. The fact that CBN helps us to do that and fulfils a mandate that God has given his people, I think is a wonderful thing.

Paul: Are you making a difference in the community?

Daniel: I think we are. I think that people's understanding of Christianity may have been skewed by the history and there is a real cautiousness regarding the relationship between the faiths. But I think when we reach out and we show compassion and love to each other it gives us the opportunity to build bridges of relationship and of understanding that certainly were not there not too long ago.

Paul: What is your prayer finally for the people of the land here in Israel?

Daniel: Well I think that our calling is very similar to the first verses of Isaiah 40 where God says, "Comfort yea, Comfort yea my people" says the Lord, "Speak peace to Jerusalem for she has received twice from the Lord's hand for all of her iniquities". So God is calling his people to reach out with comfort. Now comfort doesn't change the suffering of a person and it doesn't change the circumstances, but it does tell a person that you are coming alongside them, that you love them and that your desire is to strengthen them; and that is what our calling is.