A higher conversation

What do you do when somebody's rude to you - for no apparent reason?  I learned last week to go for a higher conversation. 

I had gone to Home Depot for a small can of paint.  You see, I had this bathroom waste basket with a lovely blending of most unusual colors -- pale blue, green, and yellow -- and had been thinking about putting some accents in the bathroom in these colors.  

Bold, new, not so pale, accents

Wastebasket in hand for matching colors, I asked the clerk whether a toilet seat could be painted.  He answered generically and negatively.  Feeling sure it could be done, I repeated my question.  He repeated his previous answer very loudly -- which was embarrassing because there were other customers and clerks nearby.  

This conversation wasn't going at all in a productive direction.  I knew God had a better plan for our relationship.  To find out how to turn this in a useful direction, I reached out to God.  I like to talk with Her often, and not only when things get dicey.  I've learned to trust that She always has a good solution.  

Finding a sense of God, good, being in charge, and standing across the counter from the clerk, I said very quietly, "I can hear you just fine without your raising your voice."

He paused, then replied trying to justify himself, but this time his reply was equally quiet. 

I said nothing, but I did pray to love this guy.  I loved his humility -- even if it wasn't evident.  I loved his desire to serve.  I loved his expertise, his skill, his progress in his career.  

About that time he finished some puttering he was doing at the counter, looked up, and with a completely different attitude, allowed that a toilet seat could be painted under certain conditions.  This led to his asking some good questions and then offering some helpful advice.  He was all helpfulness.

He mixed the colors in enamel, and we parted on a very cordial basis.

James (in the Bible's New Testament) says, "Who is a wise man... among you?  Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."  There is always a good conversation, always a better conversation, when God remains at the forefront of thought. 

Opportunities to bless

"It is impossible to bless and judge at the same time.  So hold constantly as a deep, hallowed, intoned thought the desire to bless, for truly then shall you become a peacemaker, and one day you shall behold, everywhere, the face of God."

Pierre Pradervand

Isn't it pretty amazing, when you think about it, that we have the privilege, the joy, to be able to choose to bless, rather than to judge or condemn.

Sandhill cranes at sunset

 

Generosity in Jordan

Amman,

bustling Jordanian capitol

At the border crossing between Israel and Jordan, our Israeli guide took us skillfully through his side of the passport crossing; on the other side, our Jordanian guide shepherded us through his country’s passport stamping.

The first evening we were very privileged guests of an American Foreign Service worker at the US Embassy in Amman. Her Muslim friend catered a meal of attractively prepared Jordanian foods for our busload of 28 American and Canadian tourists. Our hostess loves Jordan and its people.

Our hostess, caterers,
and a feast of local food

On the way to the capital, our guide had assured us that all Jordanian children go to school. Yet that day we saw school-age children herding goats; and the next day school-age children were hawking bracelets and necklaces in Petra. “Oh pretty lady, you have beautiful eyes! Nice bracelet for you, one dollah! One dollah, pretty lady!”

My friend, Emilie, didn’t buy any jewelry, but she took a chocolate bar from her bag, and offered it to the enterprising little girl. The child’s whole body danced, from her eyes to her feet, as she accepted the gift. The chocolate might not educate her, but it clearly brightened her morning.

Queen Noor, American-born wife of the former King Hussein, has been a strong advocate for the empowerment of women in Jordan from establishing health care services as well as institutions providing microloans and technical assistance for start-up businesses.

This desert country with a bustling capitol and Bedouin herders is now more than a place on the map on the other side of the world to me. It is real people I met and talked to; it's where I rode a camel. It's what you see when you stand on the West Bank and look across the Dead Sea -- the mountains on the other side are Jordan.

I gain a sense of how important peace is to this region of Jewish-Muslim-Christian neighbors. And how important prosperity is to peace. And how important water is to prosperity.

I will pray more intelligently about peace.

Curiosity expands horizons

New friends

This email arrived today. Other than a series of photos, there was no story, no location, no identification.

Deer multiplying with no natural enemies reek havoc, we’re told, on crops and environment.

I'm not saying it's good or bad to make friends with deer. Yet it is still an adventure when wild and domestic meet in respect, curiosity, and trust.

In other photos, these folks are luring the young buck with a tasty apple. He was clearly curious himself about the people and their dogs.

The person who sent the email had labeled it “One harmonious family.”

Goodnight Sweetheart!

Most of us have seen a mom or dad or grandparent singing to an infant. The lullaby comforts, soothes, calms. Sometimes it puts the weary little one to sleep.

Here’s a YouTube you might enjoy. Important to have your volume way up so you can hear the man telling the puppies it's time to go to bed, as well as the fact that he is actually singing to them.




As infants and toddlers nestle safely in their parent’s arms, so you and I can nestle in the ever-presence of our Father-Mother as Spirit, or Truth, or Love.

May we all feel this closeness that the puppies respond to. It describes our relationship with our Maker as interactive, caring, present, safe and comforting.

Hope for world peace

Mother love is where you find it

This YouTube clip shows an unusual bonding between a crow and a homeless kitten.

The crow feeds and cares for the kitten, and they remain friends long after the kitten is eating on its own.



In Christian and Jewish writings, Isaiah the prophet brings predator and prey together in safety. Some 2,500 years ago, he foresaw a lion lying down peacefully with a lamb.

Many people have dogs and cats that live and play happily together.

If peace, caring and friendship can evolve so unexpectedly, this gives me greater hope for world peace.

Making a difference

“I challenge you to think about what it means to be significant. Success is about your own achievements. Significance is about what you do for others.” Eboo Patel, founder and executive director of Interfaith Youth Core, Chicago.

Patel's Youth Core helps young people make a significant difference in their communities and in the world.

This was a new concept for me. Success is about self; significance is about others.

The world is full of heroes. The real heroes are usually not those in positions of power -- not the presidents, the kings, or the generals. The real heroes are those who have forgotten self in serving others.

Think Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Theresa. The disciple Judas was successful, but the man he betrayed has been significant through centuries.

Twentieth century American reformer Mary Baker Eddy knew how to make a genuine difference. “Forget self," she wrote, "in laboring for mankind.”

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Is it easier to be successful or significant?

Who do you know, or know of, who has made a difference in the lives of others?

Click here and give your two cents worth!

Brief example of how the Youth Core makes a difference.

An "Aha!" Moment

I'd like to share an “aha” moment.

Writing a word of encouragement to his church community in Corinth, Paul says, “Agree with one another and live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Well, that makes sense. If we are living in agreement and peace, the One who originates harmony and peace would be present.

So, does it stand to reason that if we are living oppositely, in discord and strife, that the god of discord and strife would be present?

If our thoughts determine what we worship at any given moment, and I believe they do, then if we give voice to anger and resentment – would we be bowing down to them, worshipping anger or hate during such high adrenaline moments?

Expanding on Paul’s sweeter promise, we could conclude that as we live with beauty and goodness, then the God of beauty and goodness is with us. As we live with honesty and patience at the forefront of our thoughts and deeds, that God is with us.

We can choose, as best we know how, to live in agreement and peace with one another, being comforted and strengthened by the presence of that God with us. Of course the God of these good qualities is the same God as the God of other good qualities. Goodness originates from One infinite source.

The more consistent we are in backing off from reacting with anger and impatience, to making an honest effort to find solutions that promote harmony and peace with one another, the more consistently will we realize the immense caring of this universal God.

Hope fulfilled - even though after Christmas

Cat enjoys winter sunshine

during Christmas season

A friend replied to my email for a blessed Christmas. He wrote that although his wife is no longer here,

It is truly a joyous time for me because of the memories of the good of the past.

Then he included a wonderful story. It happened in the spring, decades ago, and embodies the spirit of Christmas, of hoped for good unexpectedly realized. He continued:

I did not know that we and our relatives were "poor" during the depression of the 1930's. My Dad and Granddad had a three person factory in Rock Island that a man had sold to them on a very friendly basis – no income, no payment.

A fellow from Chicago asked Dad to make a die that would stamp out little 2" x 4" tags that said "HOOVER." It was for attaching to automobile license plates because Hoover was running for President.

When Dad phoned and told him that the die was ready, the man drove down to Rock Island, and picked it up. He paid for the work with a check on the only bank in Chicago that was open.

Dad took the check to the grocery store where Mom had a bill. The grocery store took the check to the Rock Island Argus (newspaper, still exists today) and paid on their advertising bill. The Rock Island Argus took the check to the coal yard and paid on their fuel bill.

That check circulated around Rock Island like cash and many businesses were blessed. The back side of the check was filled with endorsements.

He concludes:
The Christmas "season" is for young people, and their happiness spills over into our happiness. Hopefully we all know what it is really about.

Hopefully we do.

Creative reminder

Location: Will County, southwest of Chicago.

On the corner of 191st and LaGrange Road this morning, drivers honked cheerfully.

A man and woman were working the intersection next to the White Castle. He carried a large sign. She waved at the vehicles. Motorists driving past, honked and waved.

The couple waved back and pointed to those who honked with “Yes!” gestures.

Were they wearing reflective vests? Collecting money for some cause? The usual?

No. That wasn’t it. The sign they carried had a horizontal
M E R R Y, and a vertical C H R I S T M A S.

Somebody exercised their creativity in constructing this reminder, and their good-will in standing on a busy street corner.

It was their counterstatement to the marketing of Christmas, to remember that:

Christ -- God's universal expression of love, peace and goodwill (BTW, not shopping) -- is indeed, as church billboards remind, the Reason for this Season.

23rd Psalm at Christmas Time

A carved shepherd tenderly carries

a lost sheep back to the fold

A friend sent this email, saying it helps her combat the bombardment of commercialism at this time of year.

The Lord sets my pace;

I will not rush.

He makes me to stop for quiet intervals;

He provides me with images of stillness

which restore my serenity.

He leads me in the ways of His purpose

through calmness of mind,

His guidance is safe and peaceful.

Even though there are many things to accomplish

I will not fret

for His presence is here.

His timelessness, His goodness

Keeps me in balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal

in the midst of many demands.

He anoints my mind with His oil of tranquility

My cup overflows with renewed joy.

Surely harmony and good purpose

shall be the fruits of my hours;

And I will walk in the dependable rhythm of the Lord

And dwell in His house forever.

Measuring up for peace

Is there hope for world peace?

Most assuredly. Here's an example.

Kista Tippett, NPR radio’s "Speaking of Faith" hostess, revisited a past interview with Eboo Patel, founder of Chicago’s Interfaith Youth Core. He is a deeply committed Muslim, and an activist for engaging the religious energies of young people across many faiths and traditions. She says his work defies the wisdom of secular society, as he creates grass-roots interactions based on service among youth across cultures.

Eboo said something in that interview that struck home for me, a dedicated Bible reader. He said he is less interested in reading theology, and more interested in “observing how religious people actually interact.” He is committed to discovering how human beings can live together on earth, rather than what they write in books.

I also read another book a lot, Science and Health. It's a deeply spiritual book that, like a good Pastor, explains the spiritual meaning of the Bible. And what I hear Eboo saying is, Let me learn your religious texts by observing how you live.

What a heads-up! So I have to ask myself, how do I as a follower of Christ relate to my family, my neighbors, my community? How well do my conversations and my life speak the love Jesus lived? If someone were observing me to find out how Christians interact in society, what impression would they have?

Each person makes a statement weighing on peace by how they live their lives.

For an eye-opening transcript of their discussion, click on this link:
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/religiousyouth/transcript.shtml

See also "The diginity of taking responsibility"

http://kimckorinek.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html

Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas

Christmas eve truce 1914

I know, it's July, and it's hot. But this is a happening with heart, and it cannot wait.

Joyeux Noël. Merry Christmas. True story.

A miracle works its way gently into the hearts and minds of troops shooting at each other from WW I trenches in France.

Three lieutenants – Scottish, German, and French – agree to a Christmas eve truce. Some 600 soldiers leave their rifles behind and tentatively cross the war-scarred frozen earth to exchange pieces of chocolate, share photos of loved ones, play soccer, and –- discover they do not hate each other.

By mutual agreement, they extend the truce to Christmas day -- so that each side can bury their dead.

When the Germans get word that the Scottish and French lines will be shelled in ten minutes, they invite their former enemies to take shelter in the German trenches. The allied troops reciprocate, and the Germans shelter in the allied trenches when the bombardment is returned.

The big brass arrive at the front and order firing to resume, but the soldiers will not fire at one another. Their Christmas truce is exposed, and they are all punished for fraternizing with the enemy by being sent to different and more dangerous fronts.

This story strikes home because my maternal grandfather was there. My mom’s father, Walter, was with those Scottish troops on December 24, 1914, and he told his children about that amazing Christmas Eve truce.

It’s hard to relate that war to Iraq and Afghanistan today – where there is no front, and the enemy is not obvious; where the danger is unseen ambushes and hidden Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Yet the constant is universal humanity. The constant is one universal God who is Love. The constant is Christ, the divine goodness expressed in each of us. The constant is a universal yearning for peace and good-will.

Peace begins in the hearts and minds of individuals – you and me. We have it within our ability to bring peace to our own sphere – our families, friends, neighbors, colleagues. It's a place to start.

The Christian apostle Paul wrote, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

The more our lives are defined by our relationship to this God of Love, the more stable and grounded will be our inner peace, the more others will feel this calm. Inner peace allows intelligent, thoughtful, out-of-the-box solutions to emerge and influence the world scene.

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