Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

Displaced Childhoods by Partners Relief & Development

Dear Clarion readers,

Partners Relief & Development Canada and Cielo Pictures are proud to present the television debut of Displaced Childhoods airing on CTV Calgary on December 25th at 6-7pm and again on January 2nd at 5-6pm.

 

Displaced Childhoods takes a look at life for families who live in the world's longest currently running civil war. Interviews from men, women and children who have had to flee fighting and systemic human rights abuses in three of Burma's ethnic states share their stories with us and we learn how a small agency, Partners Relief & Development is helping them. 

I hope you will join us for this great and for those outside of Southern Alberta check to see if your cable/satellite package carries CTV Calgary and join us for this amazing story.

*Remember to set your PVR to record this amazing documentary, especially if you are unable to view it at those times over the holidays.

I want to thank you for all your support of our work as we show God's love to the people of Burma and I hope that your holidays are full of family, fun and rest.

Merry Christmas,

Greg Toews

National Director

 

Blood Relations -- posted by The Caffeinated Mystic (Deb)

 

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Christ only says what He hears the Father saying. If the letters are in red- we’re hearing the words of the Father.

It appears the people interviewed are not Christians- and they are obeying scripture.

Some christian groups here in the West, say there will be no peace until Christ returns- and argue that to speak about peace is at best- naïve. Others go further and respond harshly to any talk of peace that includes showing compassion to Palestinians. As if to say- loving Palestinians is equal to hating Israel.

That’s ‘Bully’ talk.

There is a chorus being sung against peace that is out of harmony with the ‘song’ being sung by Father. His song expresses His desire for forgiveness and reconciliation between 'enemies'.

dis·so·nant   [dis-uh-nuhnt] adjective

1. disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant.

2. out of harmony; incongruous; at variance.

3. Music . characterized by dissonance.

Politically- the situation in the ME may appear ‘complicated’, but a strong desire for peace and the willingness to build relationships is evident- if we are willing to see.

The people desire peace. What do we desire?

• Do we believe in reconciliation? If not, why not?
• Have we been 'Bullied'?
• Is our first response to 'peace talk'- repulsion? If so, why is that?
• Are we afraid of appearing to be on the 'wrong side'?
• Are we afraid of disappointing God, by loving those whom we've been told we 'should' hate?

We need a new song. Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"

Open Letter to PM Harper - Omnibus Bill C-10 by Steve Bell

Dear Mr. Harper,

I am deeply concerned about Omnibus Bill C-10.  It is my  wife’s research (as a social-work student at Booth University College in Winnipeg) that has refocused  my attention to the bill. The more I followed her work, the more concerned I have become.

Firstly, I believe there  are some good things in the bill – let me be clear about that. But there are also some alarmingly retrogressive policies that will undoubtably be a black stain on your leadership for decades to come if passed as is. For the love of God and your fellow Canadians, please slow the process of this bill down. Break-up the omnibus to its components and consider each individually and carefully.

Honestly… in the last election I was prepared, for the first time in my life, to vote Conservative. I tend to be a bit left leaning myself, but thought that at this particular juncture perhaps a conservative economic approach trumped other concerns. Also, I live in Conservative MP  Joy Smith’s riding and have deeply appreciated her noble fight against human trafficking. But in the end I could not, by extension, sign my name to a  bill that blanketly criminalizes the ill and the desperate when other measures are proven to be cheaper, more effective and more humane.

"Lest we forget what?" - Not So Different - Brad Jersak and PartnersWorld.org

Not So Different from Partners Relief & Development on Vimeo.

"Lest we forget" - Brad Jersak

When I read war memorials or attend Remembrance Day services, I am often struck by the phrase, "Lest we forget." I wonder what I am to remember. I do remember my family members whose lives were sacrificed on the altar of freedom. But I also think we're meant to remember to resist evil (with good) before it comes to that. Unfortunately, while we're remembering the past, we can be prone to missing the connection between past injustices and what is happening now in nations where there is no monetary value in being involved. And we forget there are ways of helping other than through military intervention.

Steve Gumaer - Not So Different

Steve Gumaer and PartnersWorld.org help me remember, and they overcoming evil with good in their small way ... which is usually how it happens. We've posted the above video as an example of true remembering and one group's call to help.

You can read more about what Partners and the Free Burma Rangers are doing to help in many of the Partners publications or in Kissing the Leper, by Brad Jersak.

 

Local gang shooting and intercessory peacemaking -- Chris Hoke

Part 1

I just got a call that--while I was at a meeting with Presbyterian pastors about a "Gang Initiative" helping involve churches in these very neighborhoods--there was a shooting. Some rival Norteños came through the Cannondale Lane projects where we are spending more time, saw some former Sureño boys hanging out, and opened fire on them.

I don't think anyone was hit. But there has been a year long break from shootings, and this could ignite a series of retaliations. I am on my way to be present with the guys. I don't know what I'll say or do.

Please pray for God's presence and peace on Cannondale Lane in Mount Vernon, WA today. Bless the boys who were shot at (as well as the shooters) that they can process the fear and anger and not turn to the weapons I hear they are already gathering as I write this.

Internally Displaced - Partners

On December 6, 2010 in Dooplaya District, Karen State, Burma over 200 people fled from the Burma army with nothing more than what they could carry on their backs. Led to safety, Partners Relief and Development and Free Burma Rangers were able to provide them with supplies, including over 2400 kilos of rice, within 5 days of their arrival.

Internally Displaced: December 6, 2010 from Partners Relief & Development on Vimeo.

Signs of God's Kingdom Now by Bob Ekblad

Signs of God's Kingdom now: witnessing Jesus' work among the Mennonites in Iowa

I recently spent four days ministering at Sugar Creek Mennonite Church in Wayland, Iowa.  There I witnessed varied signs of Jesus’ Kingdom coming together here & now in ways rare & desperately-needed in North America. 

Sugar Creek is a historic peace church in the Anabaptist tradition.  They believe in Jesus’ teaching on love of neighbor and enemy alike—which works itself out in lavish potlucks, barn raisings and other community-oriented good deeds and a commitment to resisting war. 

Over 20 of Sugar Creek’s members were conscientious objectors in WWII-- an unpopular outworking of following Jesus in choosing to love and pray for (rather than kill) national enemies.  Like many peace churches, living out Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is a high priority.  Nathan, the pastor, had invited me to share on dimensions of discipleship less known & practiced by his congregation--the gifts of the Holy Spirit & healing prayer.

Refugee Crisis: Thousands Flee Burma

Thousands flee Burma as attacks escalate following sham “Elections” Over the past three days tens of thousands of people have fled from Burma Army clashes and forced conscription. More than ten thousand fled the border town of Myawaddy into Mae Sot, Thailand, alone. There have also been confirmed clashes–including the launching of heavy artillery–in other parts of Karen State, Burma which have resulted in more than 10,000 people fleeing for the Thai border with only their clothes on their backs. The situation is very tense and very fluid. Partners Relief & Development is responding to this crisis. Clothes are being delivered, food supplied and a glimmer of hope restored. But, we need your help. For the past fifteen years, Partners Relief & Development has been on the front lines of practically loving the people of Burma, especially in times like these. We’ve only been able to do this, however, with your help. To give today, please give via our secure online donation page. Please be praying for God to intervene and protect the least of these. Pray that their struggle will result in freedom. Pray believing that history can and will change and children will be able to live Free, Full Lives! Please watch for updates on our Facebook page. Thank you. - Partners Relief & Development Canada

 

The Two Greatest Commandments and Prison Ministry by Wayne Northey

[NOTE: This was Wayne Northey’s first devotional as new Executive Director given at M2/W2’s Annual General Meeting, May 21, 1998.]

Matthew 22:35-40

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:”Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Frankly, I struggle to understand the picture of God I find in some Scripture. This is especially the case when I read portions of the Old Testament. I am heartened nonetheless by the realization that Jesus is the fullest revelation of God to us who summed up the entire sweep of Hebrew Scriptures ethics with: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Whatever is difficult to understand in Scripture must first pass through the sieve of the revelation of God in Christ according to John and Hebrews 1. Jesus is the “key” to unlock the interpretation of all Scripture – something he demonstrated himself, as you remember, after the resurrection with some despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Cambodia Transfigured -- by Bob Ekblad

Last week I spent three unforgettable days with my family in Cambodia.  There we saw signs of Jesus’ Kingdom shining in a land still under the shadow of death.  I now find myself thinking daily what it would look like for the light of Christ to shine even stronger there and here-- so people can really see it.

        Gracie and I were invited by Servants of Asia’s Urban Poor—a team of people from New Zealand, the Philippines, Australia, Japan and Canada called to live and minister in slum communities in Phnom Penh.  The first day I led a short retreat for the staff and Gracie and I prayed for each of them. We visited some of the families in their homes amidst the squalor of the slum communities where they are seeking to live humbly among the poorest of the poor, bringing Jesus’ light.

The Enough-ness of Jesus - a jail Bible study by Amy Muia

 ¹After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  ²Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.  ³In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters;  ⁴for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]  ⁵A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.  ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?"  ⁷The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  ⁸Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” ⁹Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

On Sunday, Sara and I met with the M&M pod (medical and medium security) in one of the little conference rooms in the Skagit County Jail.  Four women came—two trustees in bright orange uniforms, and two women with medical problems.  One had broken her back and neck in a car accident.  The other, a native woman, was six weeks into a high-risk pregnancy—at thirty years old, she has had five miscarriages, all drug-use and domestic violence related.

The Enough-ness of Jesus - a jail Bible study by Amy Muia

 ¹After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  ²Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.  ³In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters;  ⁴for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.]  ⁵A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.  ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?"  ⁷The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  ⁸Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” ⁹Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

On Sunday, Sara and I met with the M&M pod (medical and medium security) in one of the little conference rooms in the Skagit County Jail.  Four women came—two trustees in bright orange uniforms, and two women with medical problems.  One had broken her back and neck in a car accident.  The other, a native woman, was six weeks into a high-risk pregnancy—at thirty years old, she has had five miscarriages, all drug-use and domestic violence related.

Forgiving our fathers by Bob Ekblad

On May 2nd I returned home from a week of teaching on the Island of Leyte in the Philippines.  I took the 16 hours of flights (each way) to help out with the Holy Given Mission School, a two-month induction into the ministry of Jesus.  These schools are designed for grass-roots leaders, bringing them into the bigness of Jesus' vision for the Kingdom of God, and into the intimacy of fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

The Filipino leaders-in-training were mostly under 30: hungry, open, ready to give their lives as pastors & teachers, evangelists, prophets, or apostles.  One morning I felt led to speak on the importance of forgiving our human fathers.  I have been struck by the relevance of the last few verses of the Old Testament, where Malachi writes:

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.  and he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse" (Mal 4:5-6).

Elderly Woman "overpowers" would be mugger

Message of Hope for 2008 from Partners Relief and Development

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn…Where there is no vision, the people perish”. Proverbs 29:2 &18(KJV)

Dear all,

As I look towards 2008, along with many others I am sure; I cannot help but look back over the past year and reflect.

Three months after the violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrators the international media attention on Burma has abated. The SPDC has made a claim that “normalcy” has returned. I agree that this is true. For many years the suppression of freedom and the systematic and widespread human rights violations undertaken by the hands of the Burma Army has been normal, everyday behaviour for this wicked and despotic regime.

Why I Said, "YET" by Brad Jersak

Amazing the firestorm that one word creates. Hence, the Apostle James’ exhortation to tame the tongue which, though small, can be the spark that ignites a forest fire. And again his warning that not many should be teachers for the greater judgment they will incur. Take my last outing on the television talk show, “It’s a New Day.” We were just winding down a final segment on exclusion versus embrace within the church.

Atheists and "Echthrosists"

I live in a world of functional atheists and operative “echthrosists.”

What is the latter you ask? In a moment.

The secular world has no functional place for God. Not even a “god of the gaps” is needed any longer in our superabundantly technologized world, though before technology set in with a vengeance the late eighteenth century French Philosophes were already celebrating God’s absence.

The Western secular world however, thankfully, imbibed deeply from the Gospels that every human has an inherent right and dignity, and consequently there must be no more victims. True, there is significant distortion of this profoundly biblically rooted doctrine. As has been pointed out by some, the new Western cogito (metonymy for Descartes’ famous formula) is: “I am a victim, therefore I am,” and political correctness runs at times amok in our culture. All cultural truths have their ineluctable detracting corollaries.

So the Western secular world thinks it can somehow embrace neighbour and victim without reference to God. This is unsustainable philosophically as has been pointed out repeatedly. (In the end, why bother, without God?) And the bank from which otherwise is drawn in the West such wonderful capital of “love thy neighbour” and “do unto others” is of course God-soaked Scripture. (A classic statement of this is The Atlantic Monthly article (December, 1989, Volume 264, Number 6; pages 69-85), “Can We Be Good Without God?”[1])

But Western Christians cannot remotely be smug about secularists’ impossible functional atheism. For we are largely operative echthrosists. What’s that, you say?

An atheist is one who denies [the existence of] God, from the Greek meaning literally “without God.” In my linguistic word play, an echthrosist is one who denies [right of existence to] enemies, from the Greek meaning “without enemy.”

The enemy in the New Testament is extreme test case of neighbour: what assesses the pluck of our vaunted neighbour love, which Jesus said, in turn, assays the mettle of our exalted God-talk. When asked for the Greatest Command, he gave two for the price of one, implying the first is predicated upon, and nonexistent without, the second (Matt. 22:40). And in case we missed the implication of Jesus, the rest of the New Testament telescopes The Two Greatest into One, “Love your neighbour as yourself (Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8).” Though Christians for two millennia have hidden behind the “God-of-violence” escape theory of the Old Testament, Jesus says God’s entire revelation to the ancient Hebrews is ethically summed up in two simple dictums: Love God, Love neighbour. Not much room for a God of violence in either!

For Christians, the heat is on. Since not only have Christians for two thousand years endlessly tried to dodge this “two-for-the-price-of-one” deal from Jesus, and the “one-law-for-all” metonymy of the New Testament, they categorically toss out the window any reference to love of enemies. (C.S. Lewis’ essay, “Why I Am Not a Pacifist,” The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, edited by Walter Hooper, (Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1949, pp. 33 – 53), is representative example of excising “love of enemies” from “dominical sayings” to consider.) Like their secular counterparts, functional atheists (whatever their protested belief in God), the vast majority of Christians are operative echthrosists (whatever their protested belief in God, Christ and Scripture) when push comes to shove, as it invariably does, in response to domestic and international enemies. (Lewis wrote his infamous essay in support of Britain at war.)

Put differently, while John 3:16 for two thousand years by Christians has been the most loved and quoted text of the Bible, it has also been the most heavily footnoted with exception clauses. After “world,” “whosoever,” “perish,” and “everlasting life” (in the beloved King James Version), the vast majority of Christians from Augustine (and before!) to Billy Graham, and in turn the huge preponderance of modern-day self-designated “Keepers of the Book” – “Evangelicals,” have inserted “except our enemies,” and even further, “and they must die,” and “and they can go to hell!” after “perish” and “everlasting life.” Additionally, they have tended to relegate this verse and all biblical revelation to an ethereal other-worldly, spiritual, no-earthly-good application that denies legitimacy to politics or universal application to “neighbour/enemy” as surely as it does substance to Incarnation.

When I consider “secular humanists” (to use the popular vilifying expression of Evangelicals), or “fundamentalist Christians” (to use the popular vilifying expression of secular humanists) I see a mirror-image phenomenon that denies frontally New Testament witness: they assert, together, no God, no enemies; both of which in the end merge into one and the same.

Hence my claim: I live in the secular world amongst functional atheists. I live in the Christian world amongst operative echthrosists.

And I? Too much of the Pharisee in me for my own good! So I will leave my observations at that before I hear again Jesus’ words, “Woe to you! (Matthew 23).”

---

[1] http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/religion/goodgod.htm

The Cancer Conspiracy by Wayne Northey

I received this by e-mail yesterday.

The connections made between cancer and our modern addictions, in particular oil, are very disturbing.

Please read on, and pursue the links at the bottom. One is a very interesting web page by the doctor behind the article posted below.

*************

Cancer: The Price of Progress
Posted by: joan.Russow on http://PEJ.org Wednesday, June 29, 2005 - 10:47 PM

PEJ News - F.H. Knelman, Ph.D.: The above is the title of a book I began
writing some fifty years ago. My thesis was that the majority of cancers
had environmental causes. These were mostly exposure to carcinogens in the
workplace and in the general environment, the latter by far the waste
products of industrial operations. According to the World Health
Organization, some 80% of all cancer is environmentally-induced and is
therefore preventable.

CANCER: THE PRICE OF PROGRESS
F.H. Knelman, Ph.D.

The progressive meaning of Progress is a multidimensional mix of social and
personal development, coupled to peace on Earth and peace with Earth. The
current meaning is unidimensional economic growth blind to all other
considerations. Among these other considerations is a high correlation with
cancer. The medical-pharmaceutical-chemical establishment reduces all the
human environmental and social dimensions to the imperative of the bottom
line. They therefore focus on cure rather than prevention. Cancer, after
all, is a growth industry. Economic growth is the ultimate measure of
progress. During the second half of the twentieth century some 75,000 new
chemical compounds have been introduced to the living environment, among
them several potent carcinogens.

Governments and even regulatory organizations have accommodated progress as
equated with economic growth, with nothing less than worship of the GNP.
And the resource which logically dominates the compulsion to grow is oil.
The automotive, chemical and pharmaceutical industries are all
oil-dependent. The U.S. economy, more than any other, runs on oil. Oil has
become the feed stock of progress. And of all the countries in the world,
the U.S. is the most dependent on oil. The geopolitical consequence is the
war in Iraq, the accommodation of Saudi Arabia and the series of political
moves to gain control of the oil and gas-rich Caspian Sea region and the
former Eastern Republics of the Soviet Union. The relationship with Canada
and, of course, Venezuela, are also determined to a large degree by the
need to access their oil. Alberta is the focus point of interest,
particularly with the huge potential reserves of the tar sands. The U.S.
woos Alberta and Alberta is highly responsive. They share the neoCon
political agenda. The pressure will only increase if the war in Iraq bogs
down and the oil supply system is interrupted by pipeline attacks.

The terrible cost of this extreme use of and dependence on oil is not only
social and military but oil is also the basis of a huge chemical and
pharmaceutical complex. We have now come full circle. Hundreds of
byproducts from these industries are carcinogenic or suspected to be
carcinogens. Petrochemicals include pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, fuels,
plastics, insecticides and synthetics of all kinds, as well as the
automobile industry. Combined, they are a source of a multiplicity of
cancers. At the same time, oil is the major source of economic growth,
narrowly defined as progress. The circle is completed, cancer is the price
of progress. But even beyond this, environmental degradation generally and
its major threat, global warming, are also the price of progress. The
United States is the world leader in economic growth and industrial
degradation. To defend their self-appointed category of Number One, they
have invoked Pax Americana, a program to rule the world.

There are many excellent books on cancer. In terms of cost and value, I
would recommend “The Cancer Conspiracy” by John Moelaert, a superior
booklet on the subject. It can be ordered directly by email at:
http://members.shaw.ca/cancerconspiracy , for $20.00, including postage and
handling for mailing in Canada. For other countries same web site and click
the Order link. For all interested parties, I would strongly recommend you
order it. 

[May also be downloaded on line at: http://cancertruth.org/images/The%20Cancer%20Conspiracy.pdf]

Al Rycroft, Senior Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PEJ News - Peace, Earth & Justice News

Read the daily news at http://PEJ.org
A project of the non-profit Prometheus Institute

info@PEJ.ca
250.592.8307 Canada
Box 8307, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3R9
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

A Blanket Solution

Sometimes God calls us to do big things for him. But most times, it’s the little things that matter most.

      Take Elma Voth of Abbotsford, BC and her friend Diane Pohl from Chilliwack, BC, for example. Here are two women—grandmothers even—who didn’t really know how to sew. (If you can imagine that!) But when their children started having babies, they decided it was time they learned.

      It all started with their desire to find some nice, soft, double-sided flannelette blankets for their new grandbabies. But although they searched high and low, they could find nothing like the warm, cuddly blankets they remembered from when they were young mothers.

      “The best we could find was some thin, flannel thing that looked like a dish rag the first time it was washed,” says Diane with a laugh.

      Realizing there was no way they were going to be able to buy such a blanket in a store, the women took matters into their own hands—literally—and decided it was time they learned how to sew their own.

      “My husband doesn’t surprise me very often,” says Diane. “But when he heard what I wanted to do, he went out and got me a whiz-bang sewing machine with all the bells and whistles. You know, real idiot-proof.”

      The two women started experimenting with different fabrics and designs, and before long, they had started their own little cottage industry.

      “Some women get excited shopping for antiques,” says Diane. “We get excited shopping for fabrics!”

      Soon the women had made more than enough blankets for their own grandchildren. But they continued sewing, giving blankets away to friends and family and even selling them to a few interested individuals. Diane has even become known as the “blanket fairy” in her church, because every time a baby is born, it is sure to receive one of her blankets. Diane’s handiwork has also traveled as far away as Africa, Ireland, and Germany.

      “I love making these things, it’s like an obsession,” she says. “At any given time, I have about fifty of them on hand.”

      Not long after Diane and Elma had perfected their product, Elma heard through her sister-in-law that there was a dire need at Evergreen, a ministry of Yonge Street Mission in Toronto, for some baby blankets to be given to new mothers who came in off the street. It turns out many of the mothers were so destitute that they were stealing towels from the hospital where their babies were born, because they had nothing else in which to wrap their babies. Delighted to find such a meaningful outlet for their creative handiwork, the two women immediately set to work sewing even more blankets.

      “It gave us something positive to do with the one thing we knew how to sew,” says Diane.

      But Elma and Diane didn’t stop there. In addition to each blanket, they also included a sleeper, an undershirt, a toque, and a face cloth—everything a new baby needs to get started in the world. To cap things off, Elma and Diane also prayed over each package, or layette, and inserted a personal note of encouragement for the girls. By the time they were all finished last year, Elma and Diane had sent 75 layettes to Toronto.

      This past summer, Elma had the opportunity to visit Evergreen. “It was quite an emotional moment to see the other end of our work there,” Elma says. “They told me that word has now spread on the street that if you’re pregnant and you go to Evergreen, there will be a package there for you.”

      While at Evergreen, Elma also noticed that blanket stocks were getting low, so when she got back home, her and Diane were at it again. They now have a new batch ready to send out this fall.

      “It’s our little way of making sure these babies are taken care of when they come home from the hospital,” says Elma.

      Diane agrees. “We didn’t think what we were doing was a big deal. We love making blankets, and to think that someone can use something we love to make is a thrill to me. I also enjoy the mystery: You send the blankets out there, and you have no idea who will be wrapped up in them.”

      Anyone interested in purchasing or sponsoring a blanket or complete layette may contact Diane at 604-824-8669. All proceeds go to the making of new layettes for the Evergreen centre.

Making a Difference in Vietnam by Kevin Miller

When retired dairy farmer Tony Vanderwal of Abbotsford, BC boards a plane for Vietnam this fall—yet again—no doubt many of his friends will tell him the same thing they’ve said many times before: “You’re crazy. Why don’t you just go to the beach or buy an RV?”

      But to Tony, his work in Vietnam is worth much more than a vacation in some tropical paradise or a gas-guzzling retirement home on wheels. After working hard to establish his family and business, Tony is determined to invest whatever time he has left helping those less fortunate than himself.

      “When I was a kid, I was awful poor. I only got a grade six education,” he says, and laughs. When Tony first arrived in Canada in 1951, all he and his new bride Nicki had was thirty-eight dollars. But the Lord blessed them richly over the years. “Today, to be honest, I’m well off. But who gave it to me? I always prayed like Solomon for God to give me wisdom, and God blessed me as such. So I think it’s more than responsible to use what he has given me to do his work.”

      For Tony and Nicki, that work has involved everything from helping Vietnamese farmers learn better agricultural practices to, more recently, providing help for handicapped and orphaned children, who receive little or no help from the Vietnamese government. Right now, they are working in conjunction with Global Aid Network (GAiN) and the Abbotsford Rotary Club to provide school supplies for a school that will be built in Vietnam by the Lever Company.

      The Vanderwals feel a particular call to help the handicapped, because, in Vietnam, they are often treated as second-class citizens. Says Tony: “When you’re handicapped, your wages are handicapped, too.”

      But Tony has more in mind than simply helping to provide for people’s physical needs. He also sees his work with handicapped children as an ideal way to reach out with the gospel to their families, who are the children’s primary caregivers. As he helps minister to the children, their families are often drawn in, giving them a chance to hear the gospel as well. This is particularly important in a country like Vietnam, where 80% of the population are Buddhist. Trying to convert the older people is nigh impossible, says Tony. They’re too set in their ways. But with children, there’s still hope.

      Working in a communist country that is antagonistic to Christians also presents some challenges. For one thing, Tony is constantly faced with crooked government officials looking for bribes. And when he doesn’t comply, things can get a little difficult, like when an official “lost” Tony’s visa at the airport recently, forcing Tony to pay a large sum of money to get it back. Tony also runs a risk whenever he hands out Christian literature, which he says he does “right, left, and centre.” But he’s not too worried about potential retributions.

      “When they see an old guy like me, they don’t worry too much about him.”

      But for the most part, Tony finds people in Vietnam are very friendly and thankful for the help, and he has no problem finding volunteers for the projects he is involved in. Some women will teach all day at their regular jobs and then teach for free in the evenings at a special school for handicapped children and orphans.

      Prior to his first trip to Vietnam in 1994 (which was made at the invitation of a Vietnamese-Canadian friend) Tony was very active in his local church. He even served on the church board, where he took part in decisions to send money overseas, but he never got personally involved in missions. Since going to Vietnam, however, Tony has found tremendous fulfillment working hand-in-hand with the people he is helping. Over the past seven years, he’s been over to Vietnam twice a year, on average, and he’s not finished yet.

            “You can only do so much in your life,” Tony says. Realizing this, he and Nicki have decided to focus his remaining years on Vietnam, where he knows plenty of work still needs to be done.

"Wind of the Spirit" Brings Volunteers to SOOP

Verena Hoffman of Rose Bay, Nova Scotia keeps a lot of "stuff" in her car, because she doesn't always know where the Holy Spirit will lead. And for the past fifteen years, the Spirit had kept her pretty busy.

      Since her immigration to Canada from Switzerland in 1985 and retirement from teaching in 1992, Hoffman has been the caretaker of a ranch in northern British Columbia, a caregiver to the mother-in-law of a pastor in California, and the manager of a restaurant in Ireland.

      This past winter, she spent two months working at New Hope House in the state of Georgia under the auspices of Service Opportunities for Older People (SOOP), a joint program of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada, Mennonite Mission Network, and the Mennonite Association of Retired Persons.

      "To people who don't know, it sounds strange to talk about how the Holy Spirit moves people to action," Hoffman says. But it’s become a fairly normal occurrence for her.

      Hoffman heard about SOOP in 1999 through friends and wrote MCC for more information. The envelope she received sat in her car for nearly three years before she felt compelled to reply.

      "I didn't feel the slightest doubt when I dropped the application form into the mailbox," she says. "I was filled with a deep joy, and that's when you know it's the right thing."

      Within a few weeks, the application process was complete and Hoffman, in her 1995 Ford Escort, was on her way to Georgia for a two-month SOOP assignment at New Hope House. Located near the city of Griffin, approximately 90 kilometres south of Atlanta, New Hope House is a not-for-profit organization that provides lodging, along with social and spiritual support, for families of inmates on death row. Volunteers, many of whom come to New Hope House through the SOOP program, spend their time maintaining the organization's facilities or attending trials with the families.

      Hoffman chose to spend her time in the courtroom, where she witnessed the trials of two young men. The first man was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. The second was convicted and sentenced to death. "I think it is terrible thing to cage and confine any of God's creatures, especially people," says Hoffman. "How is it possible that we can kill each other?"

      This experience led Hoffman to question the ways in which people in North America define freedom. "Freedom is not about doing whatever we please. Real freedom has all the ingredients of caring, respect and responsibility—for others as well as ourselves. Real freedom liberates us into a joyful sense of belonging and unity."

      Hoffman says she felt the dark nature of what was taking place when she first entered the courtroom. She compares her emotion to a ton of bricks suffocating her spirit. That’s why, initially, she fled the courtroom. "I had to go out. There in the sun, in the fresh air, I asked God what he wanted me to do. The answer was clear. LIGHT. So I went back and settled myself behind the defendant for the rest of the trial, calling on Christ and His Word. I was willing to be his channel."

      When the verdicts were read, Hoffman says her world stood still. But in the following days, she says it slowly dawned on her that God's ways are not our ways. "God's values, and God's working cannot be comprehended and measured by any human mind," she says.

      When Hoffman's SOOP assignment ended, she was back in her car and on the way back to her winter home in Rose Bay. She knows her presence in the courtroom didn't change the verdict of the jury, but that doesn't mean her efforts were in vain. On the contrary, she believes her contribution may have done something greater. "I don't think we should always expect direct results. I think there's a bigger impact and that there is more taking place than we see or realize. I don't know what goes on in the hearts of other people, but there's not the slightest doubt in my mind that God's presence was in that courtroom."

            If you would like to know more about how you might become involved with SOOP, please visit http://www.mcc.org/getinv/soop/index.html.

Feeding the Hungry: One Soup Bowl at a Time by Kevin Miller

Looking for a meaningful volunteer opportunity that will allow you to make new friends while earning a great return on your time? Then check out the Fraser Valley Gleaners Society (FVG), an Abbotsford-based, non-profit organization dedicated to sharing God’s compassion for the poor by addressing their need for food.

      God has blessed Canadians with an abundant food supply. However, much of this food is either thrown away or left unharvested because it is unfit for today’s discriminating consumers. Rather than allow the excess food to go to waste, FVG takes the produce off the growers’ hands, dries it, and packages it as a soup mix. This soup mix is then packed into barrels and made available to various international aid organizations, such as the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), that distribute it to the needy overseas. Through this process, FVG helps to alleviate both waste and need, making them one of the most financially responsible and environmentally sensitive organizations around.

      Since FVG opened their new, 7,600 square foot facility in September 2001, the organization has produced over one million servings of soup. Their goal is to produce over three million servings of soup in 2002.

      FVG survives solely on donations and volunteer help. Their facility contains a commercial food dehydrator that can dry up to 1,200 kilograms of produce a day. However, everything else in the process is done by hand—volunteer hands. This includes harvesting the produce, washing and preparing it for drying, and packaging it into bags and barrels. The work is not difficult, and it does not require specialized skills: only able hands and willing hearts. That’s where people like you come in.

      According to FVG Treasurer Jack Friesen, 95 percent of FVG’s volunteers are seniors. Seniors make ideal volunteers, he says, because they have time on their hands, and they’re looking for opportunities to socialize while doing something meaningful to help the poor.       Friesen, who is a retired BC Hydro employee, was drawn to the organization for precisely these reasons.

      “If you’re retired and you don’t have a hobby, what do you do?” He says.

      Apart from the fun working environment, Friesen says the best part about helping out at FVG is the sense of satisfaction you get that what you’re doing is really making a difference. FVG calculates that one hour of volunteer time generates the equivalent of 120 servings of food. Not a bad return on the time you invest!

      As Friesen says, “We know we can’t feed everyone, but we can feed one person at a time—or one hundred and twenty an hour!”

            If you’re interested in learning more about how you can get involved with the Fraser Valley Gleaners Society, visit their web site at www.fvgleaners.org or call them at 1-866-772-7070. You may also want to contact their sister organization, Okanagan Gleaners Society at 250-498-8859 or john_martens@telus.net.

Becoming Part of a Network of Hope by Kevin Miller

Just Imagine…

You are sleeping in bed when suddenly an ear-splitting blast rocks your home. You look out your window and see airplanes bombing your neighbourhood. Bombs are pounding everywhere, and every time you hear another airplane coming, your stomach turns, and you fear the sound of the next bomb may be the last thing you and your family ever hear on this earth.

      After somehow making it through to the next day, you take your three children—the oldest of whom is seven and the youngest two—and head for the safety of the border. None of your children have shoes to protect their feet from the rocky desert roads. Mile after mile, you carry the youngest one in your arms, close to your heart. But the feet of the other two are cracked and bleeding, and their faces are caked with dust and tears.

      When you arrive at the Pakistani border, your heart sinks: It’s closed. You look around and see dozens of other families languishing on the side of the road without food or water. You have come so far, only to share their fate.

After a few days, a refugee camp forms, and all you can do is wait.

      Eventually, winter comes and freezing temperatures move like a ghost from tent to tent, snatching 20 children every night. As you sleep, you hold your two-year-old son close, praying that he will not die from exposure like so many others. The cold bites like daggers into your feet, but your only concern is for your children.

      Three months pass, and finally someone says it’s safe to return to your village. Everyone starts the hard journey home with the hope of peace in his or her heart. Along the way, these hopes are challenged by the sight of burned-out cars and buildings everywhere, which bear testimony to the danger that has only recently passed.

      Finally, you arrive at your village. You turn a corner and suddenly all hope turns to despair as you see the burned-out walls that are all that remains of your home. All of your clothes, your dishes, your tools and your memories are gone. How are you going to survive? Where will you find clean water? Where will you get your next meal?

      This is the reality faced by 2-3 million Afghan families who left everything they had, fleeing war and drought when the US launched its attack last year against Al-Qaeda fighters based in Afghanistan. But they are not the only people group to suffer such a fate. Far from it. 

A Grim Picture

      Every day, millions of refugees and displaced persons around the world seek shelter, food and refuge. Poverty in developing nations continues at unimaginable levels. Epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, cholera and influenza challenge the already overburdened global health care system. Child mortality rates are increasing in many regions of the world. The United Nations estimates that ten million children will die from starvation in the next ten years. AIDS alone will create 40 million orphans by the year 2020!

      While these statistics paint a grim picture of the future, the opportunity for action has never been greater. Prosperity in the West has brought abundant resources. Unity among various elements of the society has created working relationships unthinkable a couple years ago. Modern technology, transportation systems, communication networks and available resources enable us to reach new levels of effectiveness in bringing hope to the world's needy.

A Ray of Hope

      Global Hope Network (GHN), a subsidiary of Campus Crusade for Christ, International, is one relief agency that is taking advantage of these new efficiencies to improve the way aid is delivered to needy people around the world. GHN is a compassionate humanitarian organization that provides resources, personnel and services to relief efforts, development projects, agencies and communities worldwide. By partnering with other organizations and plugging into an already established network of over 600,000 volunteers around the world, they efficiently provide resources and manpower to help alleviate the world's needs. Their main areas of focus at the moment include Africa and the Middle East.

“We’re dealing with desperate people,” says International Director Hal Jones. “They’re literally worried about where they’re going to get their next meal, not where they’re going to go to school next year.”

            GHN’s efforts are divided among the following areas:

• Emergency Rapid Response Relief
• Natural Disaster Relief
• Disease and Poverty mediation, without      creating ongoing dependency
• Recruiting short-term volunteer teams for      existing agencies
• Networking community leaders and      organizations for effective application of resources to existing problems

You Can Get Involved

Each one of these areas requires the efforts of dozens short and long-term volunteers to make them happen. Jones says people with medical, agricultural and ESL skills are in particular demand right now. But GHN is able to use anyone who is willing to help.

“People who are retired or who have taken early retirement from their work are ideal candidates to help out with GHN,” says Jones. “They have the skills, and they also have the time to put them to work in a third-world setting.”

But you don’t have to go overseas to get involved. GHN needs plenty of people at home raising funds, supporting volunteers and getting their churches involved in relief efforts. One way to do this is through GHN’s Friendship Box program, which offers “hope from home to home” by having people in North America provide people in Afghanistan with a box of essential items, such as clothing and school supplies. These can be packed and sent overseas by individuals or churches. Jones says GHN is also looking for churches that can help raise money to ship millions of dollars of food, medicine and other gifts in kind overseas.

Anyone interested in finding out more about how they can get involved with GHN should visit their web site at www.globalhopenetwork.org or e-mail Hal Jones at rephjones@aol.com

Back and to the Left, Back and to the Left by Dustin Hicks

Our Non-External Participation, Don't Take it Personally

You may have noticed, at the church you attend, there are a group of young folks who probably sit at the back of your assembly, or sanctuary, or whatever the case may be, and they don't look impressed by what is transpiring. The size of this group may vary from church to church, but most sunday groupings have such a clan.

At my church we sit in the back left hand corner and we cross our arms, and wear dark clothing, and we might not stand up during the worship music. You may have asked yourselves why we even show up, if we are just going to insist on being so very disenfranchised. In fact, if we were bold enough to have a chant, it might be: "We're here, we're extremely cynical, get used to it!" Forgive my presumption as I attempt you give some answers for this.

For a vast myriad of reasons we've become jaded. Some have been wounded by the church, others have rebelled against what they've perceived to be a hypocritical institution, still others have listened to too much angst-ridden music. Despite all of this and more, small handfuls of us still show up at your congregations and try to be as invisible as possible.

We want something, and in some cases our notion of what that something is may be quite vague.

We may appear childish in our list of unspoken demands; to feel welcomed without necessarily having to engage in conversation (Don't take it personally), to feel like a part of the church family without getting bogged down by traps, like committing to help out in some fashion (Don't take it personally), and to be able to sit quietly at the back, as far away from the Holy rations as possible. We think we want to consume what's being offered, but we're paranoid that it could be poisonous (Don't take it personally).

However, we've made the huge effort to show up (and I'm not kidding, it is a huge effort), and despite all of our fears we desire the intangible, we want to taste of the Lord and see that He is good. A glimmer of hope remains in our greenish jaded pupils, that God is who you've been telling us He is, that the church is a loving community, that we will be healed of our sicknesses, most often of the soul. That the sun will come up again tomorrow and change this dark world into a bright and beautiful place.

We have one more demand: be patient with us. We may never end up looking the way you look, or worshipping God the way you worship Him, but maybe we will still manage to please Him.

So if you've read this article and you see me walk into your church, please don't nod at me knowingly, just smile, and maybe I'll eventually come over and shake your hand.

Are We Really Stingy? Are You? by Kevin Miller

As if the horrifying images from the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia, India, and Africa on Boxing Day weren’t enough, viewers in so-called “wealthy” nations also had to contend with a little-known UN official accusing them of being “stingy” in the face of such disasters. It was enough to make you choke on that leftover turkey and cranberry sauce...

Predictably, US Secretary of State Colin Powell and other spokespeople for the American government bristled at the accusation, made by the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland. Standing on their record, Powell, and more recently, President Bush, argued that the United States has given more foreign aid in the last four years than any other nation or combination of nations in the world. As for this current crisis, Powell stated that America’s contribution to disaster relief and rebuilding would likely run into the billions of dollars.

So what was Egeland talking about then? Clearly, the US is the star player when it comes to foreign aid. According to 2003 figures released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United States government budgeted nearly $16 billion to foreign aid. That is nearly double what the next largest contributor—Japan—earmarked for such causes ($8.9 billion), and four times what Canada budgeted ($2.2 billion). So, taken on a raw dollar level, Powell and Bush’s claims cannot be disputed. When it comes to disaster relief and economic development, the United States is the undeniable leader. And remember, these figures do not even include the billions of dollars given by individual citizens through private charities and foundations.

But the dollar figures begin to lose some of their dazzle when you examine foreign aid spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This brings us closer to what Egeland was trying to get at. When rated according to this criterion, the United States plunges to number 22 on the list, contributing just 0.14 percent of its GDP to foreign aid. Japan doesn’t do much better at 0.2 percent (placing it at number 19), and even Canada’s 0.26 percent contribution fails to place it in the top ten (they’re ranked at number 13). Leading the pack is Norway (Egeland’s home country), which contributes 0.92 percent of its GDP to foreign aid. Still shy of a single percentage point, but, proportionally speaking, well over six times what the United States gives. If the American government decided to match the Norwegians next year, their foreign aid giving would leap to over $100 billion—about half of what it is costing them to fight the war in Iraq. And if all of the 22 richest nations in the world gave just one percent—never mind the 10 percent Egeland suggested they give when he appeared recently on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°—the globe would literally be awash in foreign aid dollars. In fact, there may even be a surplus!

While Egeland’s comments have probably inspired more feelings of bitterness than generosity among Americans (further souring the already tepid relationship between the US and the UN), no one can dispute the validity of his criticism. When the world’s governments met at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, they agreed to a program, known as Agenda 21, which called on the world’s 22 richest nations to meet a foreign aid target of 0.7 percent of their GDP. As of 2003, only six nations had met or exceeded this target, including Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Sweden. With countries like the United States and Canada giving only one-fifth of this amount twelve years after the agreement was signed, it only makes sense that someone would point out our failure to meet such an important obligation. Such comments may make us angry, and they could have been delivered in a more diplomatic fashion, but that does not mean they are without truth. I do not believe that Americans, Canadians, Japanese, Norwegians or citizens of the other 22 richest countries in the world are stingy people. A little self-involved maybe, but not the type to turn a blind eye to a brother or sister in need. That said, I think we could all get by on a little less and give away a little more. That includes both governments and individual citizens.

So, rather than become angry and defensive when confronted with this fact, why not take up Egeland’s challenge and prove him wrong? I am sure nothing would make him happier. After all, we are facing one of the largest humanitarian disasters in modern history. The priority right now should be on helping those in need, not pointing fingers or defending ourselves. As nations and as individuals, we would all do well to search our hearts and ask if we are truly doing all that we could be doing in the face of such pressing needs.

I do not believe there is not some magic number or percentage of our personal income or GDP that, if reached, will alleviate us of all further responsibility. How much or how little you give is a matter between you and God. So while you are busy searching your own heart, take some time to search God’s heart as well. Don’t worry: I highly doubt that He will accuse you of being stingy, as Egeland did. God is much more likely to inspire you with a vision of what the world can become if we contribute even a little bit more than we do currently. I would like to inspire you with that same vision as well.

You may already contribute regularly to one or more global relief organizations. If so, we encourage you to channel your extra relief funds through them. If not, you may want to consider contributing to the Global Aid Network (GAiN), a relief organization that demonstrates the love of God to hurting and needy people around the world through relief and development projects.

In addition to increasing your own personal giving, I also encourage you to contact your local, state, provincial, and national government officials, urging them to increase the amount of money your nation contributes to foreign aid and development. If we all work together like this, even the little bit that we do will add up to a whole lot.

Divorce and Remarriage... Could Freedom be Possible by Tim Hildebrand

Hey Fran

So, you caught me off guard the other day when you mentioned the divorce-remarriage verses. I guess I forgot that anybody else ever worried about that stuff...which is funny, since it was the dominant question in my life for so many years. It never occurred to me that you'd worry about that stuff, but then I guess with your mom's situation, it makes sense. It always seemed like if I went to anybody for advice, I always heard the same thing: "it's all grace, man! It's the New Testament man, blah blah blah grace blah blah you're being legalistic blah blah stop punishing yourself Christ already died for you blah blah blah blah blah" Not to deride grace, but I was sincerely trying to understand some very strict-sounding scriptures, and the answers I was hearing didn't address those scriptures, or my worries about them. I mean they're IN the New Testament. So I want to share with you what I figured out about them, and how I applied that to me. Maybe it'll help you.

They're very strict.  That's the first thing.  :)

The biggies are Matt. 5:31-32, Matt. 19:7-9, Mark 10:11-12, and Luke 16:18. These are the most strict. They all say basically the same thing; if you divorce your wife and marry another, you commit adultery. Though the passages are usually written towards one gender, I think it's fair to assume that these passages apply equally to men and to women. In fact we know this to be true, because the Mark passage states the rules twice, once each way: "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery."

As I'm sure you know, some of these four passages are not as strict as the others. Matt. 5 mentions an exception, which is reinforced in Matt. 19: "whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery." All the translations of the Bible, from the King James to the Message, contain this exception in Matt. 19. And so we see that immorality, according to THESE passages, is the lone grounds upon which one can divorce and remarry without fault.

If it follows that these passages apply equally to women as to men, my wife committed adultery by leaving me and marrying another, when I had never been unfaithful. If you re-read the Matt 19 passage, her unfaithfulness in that sense is what allows me to move on with a clear conscience.

So by the most legalistic standards, I consider myself free.  And the woman who marries me.

I think there's another way to look at this though. I think any divorced person can identify with King David, when he wrote these words after his sin with Bathsheba:

"Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I admit my shameful deed-it haunts me day and night...
"Sprinkle me with cleansing blood and I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. And after you have punished me, give me back my joy again...
"You don't want penance; if you did, how gladly I would do it! You aren't interested in offerings burned before you on the altar. It is a broken spirit you want..." (Ps. 51:1-3, 7-8, 16-17)

And God answered this prayer.  After David and Bathsheba's first born son died as punishment,
God gave them his blessing: "Then David comforted Bath-sheba; and when he slept with her, she conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. And the Lord loved the baby, and sent congratulations and blessings through Nathan the prophet. David nicknamed the baby Jedidiah (meaning, "Beloved of Jehovah") because of the Lord's interest." (2 Sam. 12:24-25)

This marriage, which started out with not just adultery but murder, was subsequently blessed by God. It seems extraordinary to me that God, who we are told doesn't want penance, and who demonstrates that he is perfectly able to forgive and move on in the Old Testament, would demand a lifetime of strict celibacy and misery in the New Testament...which is supposed to be all about forgiveness and freedom. Something isn't adding up.

When I was in the midst of all this, very troubled and trapped, the whole thing seemed quite bizarre. I wanted to err on the side of caution, and so was holding to the strictest interpretations of the divorce-remarriage scriptures in the gospels. "So, It's basically a waiting game?" I asked God and myself. "The first person to crack and remarry...sets the other person free? That seems so sick." And yet, my wife had made it clear that reconciliation was an impossibility, and no other option seemed available. All of the legalistic reasoning like what I wrote to begin this email seemed so much more like Judaism or Islam than it did Christianity. Having determined that I'm free anyway, I was able to go back and look at those scriptures again, without worrying that I was rationalizing for my own sake. Here's some of the questions that come to mind...that likely came to your mind...as I read them again:

-if the other scriptures are complete, why are the Matthew ones different? And when Paul adds his bit about Christians not being bound when an unbelieving spouse leaves, does that make all four of these first ones untrue, or just incomplete? If the Bible illustrates two exceptions elsewhere to what is here articulated as an unbreakable rule...what gives? Are we not understanding the rule correctly? Here's some interesting things I found...

In Matthew 5:22 we are told that you will burn in hell for saying to someone "you fool". In Matthew 5:29 and 30 we are told to gouge out our eyes and cut off our hands if they cause us to sin. Matthew 5:30 and 31 tells us that God's rules for divorce are "not at all, ever" except for in cases of adultery. Matthew 5:34 says make no oaths at all. And Matthew 5:42 says to give to him that asks of you.

Well, clearly something is wrong here, if we're to take all these things literally. A lot of us have used the word "fool". Jesus did, in Luke 12:20. I don't think anybody believes God wants billions of men walking around with pitted eye holes and stumps...but that's exactly where we'd be. The apostle Paul shaved his head on account of a vow (Acts 18:18). And your Winnipeg police friend told you that there are places that will care properly for vagrants, and that giving them money when they ask often hurts more than it helps. So are these verses giving us rules for living, that we are to take and enforce in all cases at face value? Or is there something else going on?

I think the answer is in Matthew 5:20: "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." I think the examples he gives after that (listed above) are his way of saying "you can't be good enough. It's impossible." Compared to these examples, the law of the Old Testament seems like a fantastically generous compromise between the holiness of God, and the weakness of man. My contention here is that this section of the sermon on the mount should not be taken as a "new ten commandments" which are much more strict than the originals. It's an honest revelation of the holiness of God...how out of reach it is. It's a set-up for the plan of freedom that comes later. If we ARE supposed to take the divorce passage literally, why not the others? I think most people assume the divorce one is literal and the others aren't, because it's the only one they're not guilty of.

But what about the other three super-strict passages? As you read the accounts, it appears they're three different accounts of one story. Pharisees try to trick Jesus with a question about divorce, and he turns the tables on them by telling them they're not strict enough. The Matthew 19 passage is a direct answer to the Pharisees' question in 19:3. In Mark, the divorce passage begins with the Pharisees' question in 10:2, then continues with the disciples' questions. And the Luke 16 passage begins with the Pharisees' scoffing in 16:14. I think the point here is similar to that in the sermon on the mount. If righteousness is what you want, here it is, and you can't live up to it.

I'm not throwing away what Jesus says in these passages...He is stating God's true opinion on divorce. And even in this horribly imperfect world, God's desire is still clearly "No Divorce". Divorce is awful....it digs so to the deep of our emotions and the core of who we are, that it can lead to suicide and murder. It's ripping apart a permanent spiritual bond. It destroys children. Destroys some of them for life. That's why God said "I hate divorce" in Malachi. But I don't think these passages should lead us to think divorce is unforgiveable in a way other sins aren't. I think our own legalism and desire for an easy answer (which is what legalism usually is) has led us to somehow dig our feet in too deeply on some issues, and ignore others. While I did apply the most legalistic standards to myself, and passed, I don't think, in the end, I would counsel someone else to. I think after all is said and done, my answer would be more along hte lines of "blah blah grace blah blah forgiveness blah blah blah." :)

You know what the funny thing is, Francesca? None of this stuff I've written had much to do with my final decision to start dating again. I was doing devotions one day several years ago, and I heard God's voice say to me "Tim, it's time to move on." I began to protest that how could I do that, when God's Word seemed to say..." Then I stopped. I realized with embarrassment who I was speaking too. So I gave in to the fact that I'd just received the answer I'd prayed for for years, circled that day on my calendar, and thanked God profusely. That was my own Nathan-the-prophet experience that allowed me to move on. I'm free. And I believe the woman who marries me is free. The stuff I've written above about grace and so forth has mostly come out of my trying to understand God's voice to me...why He freed me, and how it was possible.

"Is there no one who condemns you?  Neither do I condemn you.  Go, and from now on sin no more."

...this to a woman who was caught in the very act of adultery.  And, I believe, to me.

I hope this helps somewhat. If it doesn't help you, at least maybe it'll help you understand me and the journey I've been on. I'll talk to you later.

-Tim

The Free Burma Rangers

Message from a relief team leader (FBR), Toungoo District, Northern Karen
State, Burma. 1 February, 2005.

Courtesy of Steve Gumaer at Partners - www.partnersworld.org

We just completed a relief mission to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
in Toungoo District, Karen State. In addition to the reports and photographs
we have been sending, I wanted to add this message.

Long-Term Compassion for the Unborn by Derek Weiss

The Governor of South Dakota recently signed a bill which criminalizes the practice of abortions within state borders, except in cases where the mother's very life (and not just her health - a vague distinction) is at risk. Abortions would not be a legal option for victims of rape or incest.

This brings to mind some interesting stories from early church history. Historians have explained the incredible growth experienced by Christianity in the first two centuries in a number of ways. One of the more notable ones is that Christians often adopted babies who were either left by society to die after their parents were killed by plagues, or babies who were left to die of exposure because they were unwanted - an abhorrent though relatively common occurrence in the Roman world. Beyond simply acting as witnesses of God's compassion, these Christians would create huge families as they adopted all these new children. These rescued kids were raised by Christian parents, generally with the help of the whole local Christian community, and became fundamental members of the Christian community that expanded rapidly across the Roman Empire.

Stories like these are used by Christians today to inspire them in their fight against abortion. Rightly so: Christians should take pride in the compassionate work of their spiritual ancestors, people who took on the hard work of child-rearing in their devotion to a God who loved "the least of these." But these stories serve as so much more than just smug reminders that we are on the "right" side of this issue: Besides demanding our service to unborn victims of abortion, they also demand are continued service to "unwanted" children who are born.

South Dakota has one of the most dismal social service records in the United States and, in fact, the Western world. Will the Christians of this State, and of the United States as a whole, step up to adopt and care for the children who are born there because of this law? Their responsibility is not just for the lives of these children while they remain unborn, but for their lives after birth as well. And if Pro-Life groups fight to ban abortions using state intervention, should they also fight to provide government assistance for the (often poor and single) mothers and children who are now forced to have these babies? Of course they should. Our Christian heritage, and our Lord Jesus Himself, call us to no less.

Derek Weiss is on staff at TWU in Langley, BC.

Cleanse the Lens by Ken Deeks

I once had a difficult meeting with a student whose life had gone sour. Although I was powerless to change even a single detail about his circumstances, I could help him to see a little differently. I could help by asking where God was in their pain, and by guiding them to answer that question in a way that made them more aware of the One who promised to never go away.

Helping people see differently is what gives them wings. Height brings perspective. What they see is the same, but how they see changes amazingly.

The Psalmist asked, “What can man do to me?”, so I asked the student,
What is the worst thing that could happen if your situation does not change?
They listed a few things.
I ask for more. I ask them to parade the horribles.
They tell me more.
If all of that happens, what will happen to you?
They give me a few ideas.
If that happens to you, will you survive?
Yes, but I won’t feel good.
How long will you feel ‘not good’?
I don’t know.
Will you feel ‘not good’ forever?
No.
Have you ever felt ‘not good’ before?
Yes.
Did you survive?
Yes.
If you end up not feeling not good for a very long time – but not forever – will you be OK?
Yes.

The conversation went on. We dug a little deeper into what it means to feel not good, what it means to own those feelings honestly, and to gain a measure of authority over them by naming them, like Adam named the animals. In time, we talked about God. We talked about God’s promises, God’s goodness, and God’s unflinching faithfulness. After a couple of hours, nothing had changed, but everything has changed.

Henri Nouwen wrote about how the way we see can change when he described in his journal one of the most difficult periods of his life, a time when he lost self-esteem, the energy to live and work, his sense of being loved, even his hope in God. The deep, black night was triggered by a sudden separation from what had been to him a deeply satisfying friendship.

He wrote: “When you love someone or miss someone, you experience an inner pain. It is also possible . . . . that the pain of absence will show you that you are out of touch with your own deeper self. You [think] you need the other [person] to experience inner wholeness, to have a sense of well-being. You have become emotionally dependent on the other [person] and sink into depression because of his or her absence. It feels as if the other [person] has taken away a part of you that you cannot live without. Then the pain of absence reveals a certain lack of trust in God’s love. But God is enough for you. . . . . Death or absence does not end or even diminish the love of God that brought you to the other person. It calls you to take a new step into the mystery of God’s inexhaustible love. This process is painful, very painful, . . . . but the more you are stripped of the God-given support of people, the more you are called to love God for God’s sake.”

Giving wings to the sour (I forget the origin of that expression) has to do with helping people see how God is using their present situation to transfigure them. Our human nature wants to renovate the circumstances. God wants to renovate us.

I’m re-reading the Narnia tales. C.S. Lewis captured the importance of giving wings to the sour by changing the way people “see” in The Horse and His Boy. Shasta is the boy on a difficult journey to warn King Lune of the impending attack of the armies of Tash. In one scary scene, Shasta is the lone rider on a mountain pass in the darkness; he rides an untidy horse that will not obey his commands. Shasta is then made suddenly aware of a large presence in the dark. He speaks out in fear, “Who are you? The great lion, still a mysterious presence, says to the boy, “Tell me your sorrows”. Shasta complains to the large voice of his dangerous journey, his frightening experiences, his unsatisfying childhood, and now the fact that he is hungry, thirsty, and cold. Aslan’s answer is a big surprise to Shasta: “I do not call you unfortunate . . .” In other words, Shasta is blessed. In spite of all his complaints, he is blessed. Why? Because he is on the right road. Then, in successive waves of surprise, Shasta learns many things about his own life and journey, and the path where even now he has a task to do. The danger is still real, Shasta is still tired and hungry, but he has been blessed, and he now knows that where he is, dangerous as it really is, is still where he should be, and even where he wants to be, because Aslan is on the road with him.

People whose lives have gone sour need to know that Jesus is walking alongside of them, and is saying, “Tell me your sorrows”. They need guidance in talking to the mysterious Lion. After they have done that nothing will have changed but the way they see, which in time will make everything change.

I used to try to give wings to the sour by always assuming the problem was broken wings, and it was my job to fix them. That might be the calling of some people, but I was terrible at it. Counseling sessions were anxiety episodes. I now try very hard to not try to fix people. Instead, among a few other things, I now try to help them see differently.

Rick Watts, who teaches at Regent College in Vancouver, helped me with this issue through his teaching on the Gospel of Mark. Watts proposed that Mark might have structured his gospel around a section in Isaiah where the prophet used exodus imagery to describe Israel’s return from Babylonian exile. Isaiah’s new exodus included three parts: (1) DELIVERANCE from enemies (Is 49:24), followed by (2) a JOURNEY in which Yahweh would lead the blind “by ways they have not known” (Is 42:16), toward (3) a restored and purified JERUSALEM (Is 60). Since Mark opened his gospel by quoting Is 40:3, a text that smacks of exodus language, Watts showed how Mark’s gospel could be organized around the three parts of Isaiah’s new exodus. First, Mark looked at Jesus’ mighty acts of DELIVERANCE (1:1 – 8:21), where ten of the twelve miracles of the gospel are recounted. The deliverance section is followed by a JOURNEY (8:22 – 10:52) in which Jesus leads the blind disciples along a path they do not understand. Finally, Jesus and the disciples arrive in JERUSALEM (11 – 16).

It is the second part of the new exodus that grabbed me. In the first part of the gospel (the deliverance section) Jesus taught the crowds and performed miracles. Now he will focus on teaching the disciples in a way that changes them forever. But the teaching and the changing doesn’t happen instantly, it happens slowly. This part of Mark is all about a journey. However, the journey is bracketed before and after by two miracle stories, both of which are sight miracles. In 8:22-26 Mark told the story of the blind man who was healed in two stages. His imperfect sight after the initial healing corresponded to the spiritual sight of the disciples, who unlike the religious leaders were not totally blind, could still see, although imperfectly. Just as the blind man required two touches from Jesus, the disciples would require a second contact with Jesus, after the resurrection, to have their eyes fully opened. The second sight miracle concerned Bartimaeus (10:46-52). In between these two sight miracles is the account of the blind disciples travelling along the “way” to Jerusalem. They are reminiscent of Isaiah’s prophecy: Yahweh will lead the blind “by ways they have not known” (Is 42:16).

As I listened in the car, it began to dawn on me that a caring follower of Jesus was supposed to do what Jesus was doing. A follower of Jesus is at their best when they patiently walk the journey with the blind, helping them to see where God is and how God is present and working, and forming their core; helping them discern clues as to God’s intent, and assisting them to re-align their perspective and to cleanse their lens.

Ken Deeks is Dean of Christ for the Nations Bible School in Langley, BC

Advent in Iraq, Rush Limbaugh, and Reality By Ryan Beiler

In August this year I began considering participation in a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation to Iraq in November. With much prayer by friends and family, I began my discernment process, weighing the obvious risks. In Colombia I had traveled through territory controlled by guerillas with a penchant for kidnapping. In Gaza I had fled from warning shots fired by Israeli soldiers. But I had never walked in solidarity with people whose land had been invaded and occupied by my own nation's military. I struggled with the notion expressed by kidnapped peacemaker Norman Kember, the heart of the CPT mission: am I willing to take the same risks for peace that those in the military take for war?

As weeks passed, circumstances and logistics dictated my choice not to go. The November delegation had filled up before I could join. And even before Kember, and fellow team members Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney, and Tom Fox were taken hostage on Nov. 26, I had been told that my primary reason for going - photojournalism - would not be worthwhile because of the team's own security precautions.

Tomorrow is the day that the so-called Swords of Righteousness Brigade have set for the peacemakers' execution if U.S. forces do not release all detainees held in Iraq. So today, with a vague sense of survivor's guilt, I reflect on the impending miracle or tragedy of these men's lives.

Their survival would be a miracle. And yet, statements of support from the likes of Hamas and cleric Abu Qatada, a suspected al Qaeda terrorist imprisoned in the U.K., are already miraculous. Our enemies - by any conventional definition - have appealed for the release of our friends. The cynic will say that support from such quarters merely confirms that CPT must be as anti-American as the terrorists. But hints of parable permeate: The Samaritan, a despised foreigner and outcast to Jesus' audience, disregards religious and ethnic division to aid one in need, while countrymen preoccupied with their own purity pass by.

Indeed, Rush Limbaugh is glad these "leftist feel-good hand-wringers" are being "shown reality." To follow his version of the parable, they'd never have fallen among thieves if they hadn't been walking on the road to Jericho in the first place. His reference to reality is intriguing, coming in support of an administration now widely regarded as out of touch with the reality in Iraq. Promises that we would be greeted as liberators, that Iraq would pay for its own invasion with oil revenue, that we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were, that only a few troops would be needed - all evaporated in the face of a reality that the likes of Limbaugh can only imagine, while the men and women of the armed forces, CPT members, and the people of Iraq experience its horror on a daily basis.

Hawks are always eager to chide doves that though war is hell, it's the only realistic course to security. But frankly, their reality is terrible. While the body count in Iraq surpasses 10 times that of Sept. 11 (I will not here discriminate between theirs and ours), this week the 9/11 Commission has issued a report card filled with Ds and Fs - evidence that while our military misadventures overseas have exacted billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives, measures at home that could truly make us safer have been neglected. Katrina is merely one case in point.

Jesus warned us, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Watching file footage of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz, and hearing their hollow promises followed by claims of "mission accomplished" - one is not sure whether to laugh at the absurdity or cry at the resulting tragedies such as Abu Ghraib. "A few bad apples," we were told. "You will know them by their fruits," Jesus said (v. 16).
But in stark contrast with neo-con messiah complex fantasies, Tom Fox had no illusions about the dangers he would face in Iraq. "I am to stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm against the soldier," he wrote more than a year ago. "Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront the soldiers? Does that mean I walk the streets of Baghdad with a sign saying ‘American for the Taking?' No to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi are right, then I am asked to risk my life, and if I lose it to be as forgiving as they were when murdered by the forces of Satan."
Far from "feel-good hand-wringers," these men knew the difference between good and evil, and that living out Christ's call is costly. They were so in touch with reality that officials preferred to ignore that they denounced abuses at Abu Ghraib long before the photographs came out - before anyone was listening.

I could denounce the Swords of Righteousness Brigade for threatening to kill the people who have defended the very detainees they demand be released, but that doesn't seem productive at this moment. Instead, I stand astonished as other Muslims - militants, politicians, and religious leaders - defend these captive Christians, and Jesus' upside-down kingdom glimmers. CPT's risky Christianity, broadcast by al Jazeera, has done more to promote mutual understanding and goodwill than any ham-handed tour by Karen Hughes, the U.S. State Department's head public relations envoy.
This week's advent theme is promise - the promise that a true and trustworthy savior is coming. We are called to cast aside false prophets and anticipate a messiah who was willing to become vulnerable, to enter dangerous territory, to put his life in the hands of those who couldn't tell enemies from neighbors, and taught us to love them all. 1 John 2:17 tells us, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." If this seems unrealistic, we now have four more witnesses to the contrary. While in a spirit of Advent anticipation we wait and pray that tomorrow will bring a new promise of life, I am confident that as they walk in his steps, the Christ who defeated death will work more miracles regardless of grim realities.

Ryan Beiler is web editor for Sojourners.