Most people are familiar with British author Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which indirectly became associated with Easter through the familiar children’s song “Here Comes Peter Cottontail.” But where did Easter come from, and what does any rabbit have to do with celebrating Christ’s resurrection?

Earthquakes, droughts and floods, Middle East violence, impending food shortages, and a lingering Japanese nuclear disaster—the news is bleak! Will our children and future generations survive the coming years? Is there hope for our children and for future generations? Yes, there is good news ahead!

From the Ivory Coast and Morocco to Saudi Arabia and Syria and Iraq, the nations of North Africa and the Middle East are in some type of, or are threatened by, civil and/or governmental upheaval.

The sobering and shattering scenes of the tsunami swallowing up the land, the cars, the buildings, the nuclear reactors, and the precious lives of so many people in Japan brings to all of us a sense of incredible loss and sorrow and heartbreak.

“For years, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has been a technocrat shaping institutions to be ready for a future Palestinian state. Now he is crisscrossing the West Bank like a prophet, telling his people the dream of sovereignty is about to be fulfilled.”