Category Archives: Peacemaking

Sitting with Heroes

Posted on by
Reply

I’m here in Durham, North Carolina anticipating a major winter storm tomorrow and attending my final grad school week long getaway. Prior to our four days of dusk ’till dawn class time that starts tomorrow we have been able to spend the weekend with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and the Rutba House community.

Saturday night we crashed an area wide meal and prayer gathering celebrating the season of epiphany.  As I sat back and listened to the conversations that were happening and observed the way each person treated the other I was amazed. I was sitting amongst a group of rock stars, heroes of nearly mythical proportion. I was sitting with people who fought for the dignity of all peoples, immigrants, convicts on death row, peacemakers who have been imprisoned, and the homeless (to name a few). The people I sat with on Saturday night go to jail for their beliefs, they fight (non-violently) for peace, they give of themselves for others. One woman was even responsible for sta

rting an amazing non-profit that many of you are familiar with called Witness for Peace. It was beautiful to hear them celebrate the season of Epiphany which is a time when we are reminded of the surprising and radical activity of God as is seen in the invitation of the Magi to visit baby Jesus. Outsiders, foreigners, and yet invited into the birth narrative of God himself. The group shared some of the striking appearances of hope they witnessed in the world during the last year, they then dreamed of what they might experience in 2011. It was beautiful. It was inspiring. And it challenged my imagination concerning what God might do in downtown Vancouver, WA over the next year.

A Warning to All Peacemakers Out There

Posted on by
6

I found these words to be very powerful. They were spoken in 1984 by Ron Sider, a man who has done much to transform the world. He is speaking at the Mennonite World Conference when he says,

Unless we are prepared to risk injury and death in nonviolent opposition to the injustice our societies foster, we don’t dare even whisper another word about pacifism to our sisters and brothers in those desperate lands. Unless we are ready to die developing new nonviolent attempts to reduce international conflict, we should confess that we never really meant the cross was an alternative to the sword. Unless the majority of our people in nuclear nations are ready as congregations to risk social disapproval and governmental harassment in a clear call to live without nuclear weapons, we should sadly acknowledge that we have betrayed our peacemaking heritage. Making peace is as costly as waging war. Unless we are prepared to pay the cost of peacemaking, we have no right to claim the label or preach the message.

Jones' War of Peace

Posted on by
1

-Disclaimer- please don’t make this post into a political, theological, or theoretical argument. If you disagree with some of the stuff I suggest to my kid you can take it up somewhere else. The point of this post is my wonderfully inquisitive child!

I had some great moments today, and they were all quite thematic. This morning somehow we ended up talking about Mother Teresa. He wanted to know more about this woman who spent her life helping people. Who did she help? Why does nobody like those people? What did she do? Then he asked me to tell him about another person like that. So I stayed with the India theme and told him about Gandhi. By the end of it we had discussed Desmond Tutu, MLK, Nelson Mandela, and Roy and Patty Kunkle.* Through discussing these people he ended up asking questions about slavery, why people don’t like other people, skin color, and peaceful resistance. We talked a lot about loving everybody and about peace. It was a great conversation.

Tonight somehow I found myself singing and dancing in the kitchen with both kids. We were singing the kids church song “I’m in the Lord’s army”**. After singing it a couple of times I was internally a bit uncomfortable because I’m not really into the whole militant Christianity thing, so I decided to clarify for Jones what we were singing about. First we talked about the definition of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Next we talked about the difference between the weapons that human armies use and the weapons that God gives us to fight with. At one point Jones says “Dad, we attack people with love…which means that we just love them a lot.” then I ask “but what if they’re mean to you? Isn’t it easier to hit them back?” and he says “No dad, I think I choose to love them anyway.” and then I throw down the kicker, “How about yesterday when mom made you angry?”

“I hit her”

“So it can be pretty hard sometimes huh?”

“Yes dad, but God wants us to make peace huh?”

“Yup. Even when it’s hard.”

We ended the night reading a book he has about Abraham Lincoln. The book talked about Lincoln’s fears about the nation being split, about losing the war, and about his passion to liberate all peoples. We talked some more about slavery…and then he went to bed.

Try to get the kid to do karate and he’ll quit after eight minutes. Talk to the kid about the struggle between good and evil, the struggle to wage a war of peace, and the challenge of loving your enemy and he’ll stick around all night! I love that kid.

*  Roy and Patty spend lots of their time, energy, money, and vacation in Mexico. They work with the indigenous peoples and the local governments to build schools, play structures, homes, etc. They’re training indigenous workers, they’re now building childcare facilities, they’re making huge sacrifices and making a huge difference. I wanted Jones to realize that it’s not just far off people that give their lives fighting for hope, but even his best friend Zoi’s parents.

** The lyrics to this song are…

I may never march in the infantry

Ride in the cavalry

Shoot the artillery

I may never fly o’er the enemy

But I’m in the Lord’s army!

Yes Sir!

I’m in the Lord’s army!

Yes sir!

I’m in the Lord’s army!

Yes sir!