Incredible Istanbul! 14 million people -10 million tourists - 12000 tour guides - 3000 mosques. Islam has been the religious and cultural faith and force in Anatolia (Turkey from 1923) since the capture of Constantinople in 1453 by the Ottoman conqueror Mehmet the 2nd. Once the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and the centre of Byzantine Christianity, minaret spires not steeples now dominate the skyline of the city built on seven hills; the only city built on two continents - uniting Europe and Asia. The modern city is on the move. Economic expansion is everywhere. Countless cranes fill the skyline. The challenge of how a young country can preserve the ancient past whilst building for the future is formidable. And what a past! Cyrus, Alexander, Augustus all ruled this region. Another, born in the southwestern Turkish city of Tarsus, towers above them all. He didn't lead an army or lay siege to a city. He didn't carry a sword or conquer a civilization. This great mind brought God's message to the Mediterranean. 'For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.' (2 Corinthians 4:6) The Apostle Paul makes an astonishing announcement. The greatest ancient philosophies and powers - whether Hebrew (light), Greek (knowledge) or Roman (glory) - and the human quest throughout history for enlightenment (light), meaning (knowledge) and significance (glory) - have their questions answered and soul thirst for truth satisfied in Jesus. I'm reminded in this city under construction that only a life built on Jesus makes sense of the past and secures our future.