Hello Saints, I was fortunate enough recently to visit the ancient cities of Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece and Ephesus and Pergamum in Turkey and admire the fabulous ancient architecture and get an understanding of the history of the cities and relate them to my understanding of the Bible. The splendour that is each of these cities and their connections to the spread of Christianity is mentioned in the New Testament and it got me thinking about the braveness and commitment of the early believers as they went about the region spreading the word of God through actions, preaching and service to others showing there was a different and better way to live. Paul in particular visited Athens, Thessaloniki and Ephesus and it was in Ephesus where riots broke out over his teaching in the amphitheatre when he addressed over 25,000 people. Being able to stand in the same amphitheatre and reflect on his witness was a real privilege and a challenging experience. Pergamum is a place in a class of its own, perched on a high hill that you need to take a cable car to get to visit the temples and the amphitheatre that is carved into the steep hillside. And the nearby church of St John is an incredibly moving ruin of a building and is one of the oldest churches in the world. The song ‘Protected and never alone’ is my take on Ephesians 6:10-17 and I like to think of Paul singing the words as he followed his calling to proclaim Jesus wherever he went knowing that he was protected and never alone in his endeavours. My prayer is that should you need to, you may be able to use them and that they will provide encouragement and reassurance as and when you come upon hard times following Jesus. The song has certainly helped me. Cheers Peter