IF YOU LOVE

You might quiet the whole world for a second 

if you pray.

And if you love, if you

really love,

our guns will

wilt.

-St. John of the Cross 

A Quaker response to the violence in Arizona

Below is a Quaker response to the tragic shootings in Arizona this weekend:

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization committed to overcoming violence in communities throughout the U.S. and around the world, is deeply saddened by the violence of January 8, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona, when an attempt to kill U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords brought death and injury to so many.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all victims of the shooting, as well as their families and friends who are now mourning the deceased and anxiously awaiting the recovery of the injured.   As Friends say, we are holding them in the Light.

In our work for peace, we have seen how each act of violence hurts not only the immediate victims, but tears at the fabric of entire communities.  In the wake of such a senseless violation, everyone in Tucson will struggle to feel secure, to regain trust for each other, and to work together to move forward.   Our hearts go out to all in Tucson today.

Today’s strident political atmosphere escalates tension and helps to set the stage for incidents like this one.  Our world is increasingly swept up in a tide of intolerance.  We are all too accepting when political and spiritual leaders use rhetoric that demonizes those with different beliefs; when those who should call us to higher purpose, instead, contribute to an atmosphere that provokes the most vulnerable, disturbed among us to acts of vandalism, violence, and assassination. We all must take responsibility for correcting a political climate that has become so polarized and vitriolic.

It is not an accident that this tragic shooting took place in Arizona, where punitive laws and anti-immigrant scapegoating have only resulted in misunderstanding and divisiveness in our borderlands.  These laws have brought us no closer to creating humane, workable policies that respect the rights and needs of those living on either side of the border.   This is but one example of how our nation’s divisive rhetoric works against developing effective solutions to society’s pressing needs.

What would help us move forward?

The American Friends Service Committee urges our elected officials, spiritual leaders and community leaders to commit now to act with civility and common purpose to heal our society.  Real healing goes beyond civil words and tamped-down rhetoric and looks to the root causes of violence in our society, the conditions of inequality and injustice.   A political culture devoted to honestly and reasonably addressing those conditions would be a healthier one for all of us.

We call on national, state, and local leaders to respond with compassion to the needs and aspirations of those who have been disenfranchised by the political system and excluded from the economic recovery. This is a time to fulfill the promise of “justice for all.”  This is a time for leadership towards “a more perfect union.” The American Friends Service Committee. Responding to Violence against Those in Public Life. <http://afsc.org/story/responding-violence-against-those-public-life> 

I am proud to be a part of a Christian community that speaks out against violence. I am also proud to be a part of a community that seeks out the "root causes of violence in our society" because it sees it as a way to live out the nonviolent, and peaceful life Jesus Christ has called us to. I am proud to be a part of a community that looks to reconciliation as a means to extend love to our enemies and neighbors. I will continue to hope that the worldwide Church will also be known for such things.

Redefining Biblical Proportions

Biblical proportions...the phrase conjures up images of grandeur, and of unparalleled destruction. We are talking BIG here people, massive, humongous, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE YOUR EYES!

I've begun to see biblical proportions in a different way. The proportions are incredibly smaller and quieter. I'm talking about a tiny baby in a manger, in a barn, in the MIDDLE OF NO WHERE! I'm talking about mustard seeds (picture to the left). 

1 Kings 19:11-13

"A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. ¹³When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there."

If you ask me, we should redefine biblical proportions. Maybe then we will stop believing God is speaking to us when hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters destroy peoples lives. Maybe we will stop believing God speaks to our enemies loud and clear through our bombs and gunshots. 

I like the new proportions.  

The Spirituality of Children

During the interview process at West Hills I was asked about my experience with children's ministry. I was completely honest with them, I had very little experience/education in working with children. Thankfully, the meeting was willing to allow me to learn while on the "job." I am so thankful for that opportunity, especially because I have discovered a new interest in the spirituality of children. 

West Hills Friends uses a program called Godly Play, which describes itself as a program "based upon the recognition that children have an innate sense of the presence of God. All they lack is the appropriate language to help them identify and express it so it can be explored and strengthened. The Godly Play approach teaches classical Christian language in a way that enhances the child's authentic experience of God so it can contribute to the creative life of the child and the world."

Part of the process of "learning on the job," was attending several trainings on Godly Play technique and process. As I worked my way through the training I began to realize how interested I was in the spirituality of children. The model of Godly Play, based upon the Montessori tradition, provides the opportunity for children to wonder and play with the great Christian stories. I have learned so much about the importance of exploring those stories and finding ourselves within them. I now realize how much I have to learn from our children.

Click here to learn more about Godly Play!

Teach us, and show us the Way.

OE class of 2006 listening to the stories of Helen and Clayton.

While we are all giving thanks, let's take time to remember our Native brothers and sisters.

Take a moment of silence to mourn and honor Native ancestors 

and the struggle of our Native brothers and sisters to survive even today.

We need to continue to educate ourselves and remember to ask: 

Teach us, and show us the Way.  

_________________________________________________________________

Chinook Blessing

We call upon the earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths and soaring heights, 

its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it:

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the mountains, the Cascades and the Olympics, the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers, the snows that never melt,the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they:

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the waters that rim the earth, horizon to horizon, 

that flow in our rivers and streams, 

that fall upon our gardens and fields and we ask that they:

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, 

the fertile fields the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask that they:

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with the earth in their roots and the heavens in their branches, the fir and the pine and the cedar, 

and we ask them to:

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas,

our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer, the eagle and dove, 

the great whales and dolphin, the beautiful Orca and salmon who share our Northwest home, and we ask them to:

Teach us, and show us the Way.

We call upon all those who have lived on this earth,our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and with thanksgiving, we call upon them to:

Teach us, and show us the Way.

And lastly, we call upon all that we hold most sacred, the presence and power of the Great Spirit of love and truth which flows through all the Universe, to be with us to:

Teach us, and show us the Way.