Someone asked what the reason for my hope is. For me, God's saving presence is more than an innate optimism and merely hopeful religious thinking. It's a question of actual experience: my life - and the lives of others - radically altered by our experience of God.

I was fascinated by this ancient graffiti when I visited Jerusalem. The city itself is one of momentous history but also, I found, extraordinary vitality, making it an inspiring place to visit. Historically, it has often been a center of turmoil.