Tea with Hezbollah - Ted Dekker & Carl Medearis

In this book, Dekker and Medearis walk you through their Middle East travels as they search for a modern day “Good Samaritan.” Intertwined throughout the prose and interviews is a parable regarding one girl’s encounter with a current “Good Samaritan.”


It was an interesting concept. The authors begin in Egypt and travel through Syria, Israel, and other Middle Eastern countries to discover what others (perceived enemies and friends alike) think of Jesus’ ultimate teaching of living your neighbor as yourself.

I enjoyed the premise. But I didn’t enjoy the book much until I was about halfway through it. The text was very choppy, in my opinion. So it wasn’t until the middle of the story that the pieces started to fit together for me, and I could really dive into the people Dekker and Medearis were meeting and what they were learning.

I did learn a lot. About how some in the Middle East view the U.S. And I began to, perhaps for the first time, think of Middle Eastern Muslims in a different way as well. Even the self-proclaimed terrorists and leaders of Hezbollah. It was a bit challenging. But that is probably part of why I ended up liking it.

And it challenged me on a larger scale too. Who in my life would I consider my “enemies”? And, regardless, Jesus still calls on me as a Christ-follower to love them and pray for them. I’m working on it.