Hi. I’m Jeremy Courtney, founder of Preemptive Love Coalition.

Our work over the past 10 years has taken us to every corner of Iraq. All over Syria, Lybia, Somalia, Sudan. Right into some of the world’s worst conflicts.

In Iraq, we’ve been on the frontlines of battles in Mosul. In Fallujah. In Syria, its been Aleppo and Damascus. In Libya, Benghazi.

Make no mistake, this is dangerous work. We’ve gotten death threats. Been shot at. Bombed. We’ve stood on the edge of mass graves. Looked into the eyes of confirmed ISIS terrorists. Wept with those whose lives were shattered by war.

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That’s not what the Love Anyway podcast is about.

It’d be easy to tell harrowing stories of bravado and bravery. It’d be easy to paint a one-dimensional picture of people and places across North Africa and the Middle East.

But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to share where, in all of this, we find hope. Where we find possibility and beauty. Where we think we’ve stumbled into a better story, a better way.

Because we believe that all of us could use a better story right about now.

Because for a lot of people—maybe you—your corner of the world feels more and more like a conflict zone.

Each season, the Love Anyway podcast will push beyond the simple story. We’ll push beyond “us versus them.” We’ll test the limits of preemptive love and see how far it can take us toward a more beautiful world. We’ll share stories of how people in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and on the frontlines where you live are choosing to love anyway.

Join us for the journey. Don’t miss an episode—subscribe now to the Love Anyway podcast. I’m Jeremy Courtney. We’ll see you next week.