They Dun It! And what a great time we all had!

What I want to know is, is she blogging from her honeymoon?!!!

We're having a wonderful time down here in Missouri for Christmas. Yesterday went so well that I remarked this morning to Martha that she has a wonderful family and things couldn't have gone more perfect for Christmas. All the little frets and what ifs were for naught. We'll be down here until the New Year. The weather is great today. Really sunny and pleasant. The kids all smell like outside. My son was out with his cousin standing on a huge burning brush pile roasting marshmellows. They had doffed their shirts and as they climbed and we watched from a distance we admitted a bit of fear. Noone knew of any aerosol or butane products in the area so it must be fine. The men closed their right eyes again to return to their afternoon naps. And I retired to the trailer to watch Son Volt's "Okemah and the Melody of Riot" DVD documentary. I bought myself a 512 mb sd card for Christmas and now use our cheap little DV camera/video/media player a lot more. I've got to rename all the music files to get them to play in order. Still cheaper than an IPod. Not being a walking billboard is priceless.

On Friday morning I was talking on the phone watching the street out in front of our office building when I noticed a Canada goose land in traffic in front of a parked car. I finished my conversation and it still hadn't moved from where it landed. I went to my desk and looked out again and saw that traffic (including a snow plow) were all passing around it. Its a two lane street that is often blocked in one lane so I knew this would be quite dangerous for the goose. I called a friend and we went out to see if we couldn't herd it out of traffic. When we got down there we blocked traffic and then my friend Hugo quickly doffed his sweater wrapped it around the goose and brought it back up to 2nd floor where we worked. When he picked it up we noticed that it's right leg was almost cleanly severed off. We called about ten different numbers until we finally found a Rehab that would take it. Three or four hours later they arrived from the suburbs, left a brochure and told us the likelihood was good it could be rereleased into the wild with a prosthetic leg. In all the time Cornerstone mag has been in these offices no one can remember ever seeing this kind of thing happen. Though Hugo did save a guy's life once. But that's another story.

Saving this goose was a wonderful experience and will long be a reminder to me of hope and sometimes a simple eagerness to save something wild from becoming roadkill. Apply that as you like.

hospitality in the face of fear

I came in to work this morning and was instantly hit with fear of financial insecurity and had to pray. Then an old friend called me and offered the use of their home this holiday and wanted to make sure we had everything we needed. They're having a rough time financially too. Thank you Jesus for showing your love that casts out all fear! 1 Jn. 4:18

Good morning. Here's another press release from Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.
It amazes me how these folks have so much more empathy for foreigners, more self-awareness, more love of real freedom and democracy than my own government! Dear God preserve these kidnapped peace warriors. Change the hearts of their captors and reveal to them their true needs.

Subject: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK: Palestinian leaders call for immediate release of four CPTers missing in Iraq

Date: December 6, 2005 2:57:15 PM CST

CPTnet

6 December 2005

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK: Palestinian leaders call for immediate release of four

CPTers missing in Iraq

Today in Ramallah, Ikram al-Sabri, the head Mufti of Palestine, along with

several other notable Palestinians called for the immediate release of all

civilian hostages in Iraq, mentioning in particular the four Christian

Peacemaker Teams (CPT) who went missing on 26 November 2005.

Ikram al-Sabri said that "there is a duty for all Palestinian people,

institutions and factions to commit to sending a call to release these

people who have been kidnaped. They are very important for us to help

continue our struggle, whether here in Palestine or in Iraq, to gain our

country's freedom. We repeat our call to release all the civilian people who

have been kidnapped all over the world, not only these four."

Dr. Wasif Abu-Yousef, a representative of the National and Islamic Forces in

Palestine (an umbrella group representing all Palestinian political parties)

described the four activists and other CPTers as "soldiers for peace" and

"real heros" and talked about the role of international activists: "--Some

of them were even martyrs, like our friends Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall.

Some were injured or denied entry, some of them have been deported. They

have suffered side by side with us. They have challenged the Israeli

occupation in Palestine and the settlers in Hebron-- From the heart of

Palestine, we condemn and are completely against the process of kidnapping

these four people in Iraq. This state of chaos, killings, and criminal acts

that have been happening in Iraq will not help the Iraqi people. On the

contrary, there are people who will make use of this. The occupation will

use this as an excuse to continue."

Fariel Abu-Heikel, the headmistress of Qurtuba school in Hebron talked about

the role of CPT in providing accompaniment for their children on their way

to school and helping Palestinians under curfew. "We still remember the

nice moments while we were under curfew with the CPT members who we have

known since 1995. They came and gave food to people under curfew and showed

their love and solidarity with our schools and our children. We will never

forget these moments, because the CPT were the only people standing with us

at that time. As a women who works with them, I send my call for the Iraqi

resistance to release these people because CPT are very important people for

us."

"To Bush I say that democracy is not imposed--democracy is given by people,

not given by armies," Abu-Heikel continued. "We are sending our call for

the faction that kidnapped these people in Iraq to release them immediately

because we need them here."

Kristin Anderson of CPT Hebron thanked the "hundreds of Palestinians who

have issued statements and supported us during this past week. " She

described CPT's work in Palestine and Iraq and appealed for the release of

the four. "We miss our friends and desire them to return to us . . . While

remembering them, let us remember the thousands of peaceful people being

detained by occupying forces throughout the world, and while we ask for a

release of our friends, we will continue to work to end the occupations in

Palestine and Iraq."

Previously, on the afternoon of 1 December, a group of some hundred

Palestinians, with a sprinkling of internationals, gathered in the center of

Ramallah to seek the release of the four CPTers. Mustafa Barghouti, of the

Palestine National Initiative, said that the people of Palestine know the

CPTers to be true workers for peace, who have stood against the Israeli

occupation of Palestine. He urged those holding them to return them to

their families who love them. Mansour Mansour, who coordinated the event,

called on the group holding the four to let them return. "The Palestinian

people need them for their struggle against occupation, and the Iraqi people

need them for their struggle against occupation," he said.

A local man told Maureen Jack and Cathy McLean that he had never before

known such intensity of feeling among Palestinian people about the situation

of those held by Iraqi groups. "I spoke to a man from Hebron, and he was

crying. And I spoke to a man from Jayyous and he was crying," he said.

AP photos:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/481/jrl12112051314

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/481/jrl12212051325

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/ids_photos_wl/r3564300070.jpg

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/051205/ids_photos_wl/r3034176822.jpg

Christian Spirituality

I'm holding the 1988 Harper & Row title Christian Spirituality: The Essential Guide to the most influential spiritual writings of the Christian tradition. And peering through I behold many old friends, and mentors and some that I consider confused and outright fools. I've been disposed toward an interest in spirituality for years. I consider myself on a quest toward knowing God better. But its completely unnerving to hear a person detail their experience as an individual and then have it packaged as a normative rule, a study guide. I love it that the Bible is not a guide book to personal sanctification. What? Yes, the Bible is history, songs, stories and letters that detail human interaction with the same God over thousands of years. It is unified but not reflective of any one experience. Maybe in the Bible God is proving that we humans are broken, irrational specie, incapable of bearing his image in any one way or in one person. Maybe its His way of showing us it takes millenia for us to know Him completely, but even there that with all our tradition and writ we are so imperfect of living it out for any length of time.

in this together

I asked an older and wiser friend how he deals with financial woe and he
reminded me that we're in this thing together. Living in an intentional
community, we work for a common good. Sometimes we go in debt together.
I can't help but feel bummed about that. But we're all feeling bummed.
Sometimes I bear the weight of my job alone and I just have to call and
share it and recieve prayer. Its not fair really to bear the burden
alone. If I get under it I take it out on brothers and sisters in anger
or in a depressive slump, so yeah, prayer is always better than trying
to bear the weight alone. That's what faith is about. Pray, don't give
up, put one step in front of the other. Believe God will get me through
this again. Truthfully I most likely will forget in a while how bummed
I've been that last month.

Another thought, as an American I bear in the sufferings of a nation at
the moment. Even with all the triumphal talk from Washington its clear
that with thousands of displaced Hurricane Victims and thousands of
fallen sons and daughters to this Iraq Occupation we're all suffering.
In this Advent season we all await the Savior in a time of desperate need.
I keep thinking of this song:
"Lady Poverty" lyrics
Talbot Brothers Collection

Lady poverty love me tonight
dress me in sackcloth
where once i wore white
and disperse my fine linens
to the naked and the poor
lady poverty enter my door
give me the riches of my lord

let all suffering come to an end
embracing all hunger let me call it my friend
let my love be made perfect without seeking reward
lady poverty enter my door
give me the riches of my Lord

chorus
and if Jesus was a poor man
then like him i too must be
and if Jesus was a beggar than lift me up
to my knees

for if love never seeks out its own
if love always gives when theres no reward shown
let us be beggars and paupers and servants at best
laboring always so that others might rest
that the sweet name of jesus our tongues might confess

Tags: Lady Poverty, Talbot Brothers, lyrics, debt, sorrow, war

i just tucked my youngest daughter (age 3) into bed. She had her face buried in her pillow sobbing and I worked and worked to help her stop. Finally I turned her around and sang her silly songs until she started laughing. I pretended to eat her ears. Then when she covered her ears I pretended to eat her elbows and back and forth and so on until she was laughing. Then I told her about Christmas coming and that fun toys were on the way. She started sobbing and crying again. "I'm not getting any Christmas." I should have left well enough alone. She's like the weather in Chicago. If you like it now don't dare stay out another half hour. But unlike the weather she has a beautiful little face and a laugh that warms the coldest days.

a fascinating press release/statement

Ok, now here's an odd twist that reflects the nuance of Occupation. Iraqi kidnappers nabbed CPTers and ISMers who are working in behalf of Palestinians in the West Bank. In a Press Release Islam and National Forces there speak up on their behalf and witness to their work against Occupation. Now obviously CPT and ISM are against terrorism. Still it is puzzling who is good and bad here. Hamas and Fatah stand up and clarify that some Westerners should not be kidnapped. Note: the statement from the Islamic and National Forces in Hebron has some translation mistakes that could be misunderstood. In the first sentence they express sorrow for kidnapping hostages. They aren't the kidnappers.

Three Palestinian Solidarity Activists Amongst Four Peace Activist Hostages in Iraq
November 30th, 2005 | Posted in Press Releases,  ISM Media Alerts

CORRECTION: Three of the group of four have previously been in Palestine, not only two as previously stated. James Loney was in Palestine five years ago as an activist with CPT Hebron.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two of the four Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages in Iraq of whom a video was released today have been in Palestine working as Palestinian Solidarity activists. Tom Fox (54) worked with CPT Hebron and participated in demonstrations against the apartheid Wall in Jayyous. Harmeet Sooden (32) a Canadian citizen who had been living in New Zealand, came to Palestine to join the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in December 2004 and stayed until January 2005. He worked in solidarity with local Palestinian people, mostly in Nablus and Jenin. While in Jenin, he worked with a group of ISM activists who planted Olive trees on the 'Swithart' farm outside Jenin, He was committed to come to Palestine for three months to join the ISM again at the beginning of December 2005 as a long term activist for the liberation of Palestine from Israeli occupation, but first decided to join a two week CPT delegation to Iraq.

Palestinians in Ramallah will hold a demonstration tomorrow at 3pm in solidarity with all four kidnapped peace activists and to appeal for their release. The demonstration will be attended by notable Palestinian religious and resistance figures.

Mustafa Jayyousi a local Palestinian activist in Jayyous who knew Tom said: "When he worked in Jayyous, Tom was part of a group who went down to the gates everyday with local farmers to help them access their lands made inaccessible by the wall. He also participated in demonstrations with the people of Jayyous against the apartheid Wall in Jayyous".

Mohammed Ayyesh a local Palestinian activist in Balata camp, Nablus said of Harmeet: "I was touch with Harmeet and was looking forward to him coming here to work next week. We must do everything we can to secure his release".

In an email to his friends Harmeet described the purpose of the four-person team's work in Iraq as: "providing humanitarian aid in the form of training and documentation of non-violent responses to lethal inter-group conflict. We will also record the current conditions in Iraq, meeting with representatives of NGOs, Christian and Muslim clerics, Iraqi human rights groups and others". He also recounted a story from Iraq: "A little 3-year old girl, Alaa, ran up to me and gave me a big hug me yesterday. She reminds me of my niece. She, however, does not see as my niece sees. She sustained severe shrapnel injuries to her abdomen and micro-fragments peppered her eyes, face and body during a US military attack in May on al Qaim, Iraq. Her mother lost an eye. She lost two brothers and several other relatives".

Some of his friends who worked with Harmeet in the ISM appealed to the kidnappers for his release:

Donna: "Since he was back in New Zealand, Harmeet formed a new Palestinian Solidarity Group on Auckland University campus and organised speakers and forums about Palestine. He is a very shy, quiet guy, but very committed and hoped to return to Palestine next month."

Asa: "Harmeet is a great person - we worked in solidarity with the Palestinian people together. He cares deeply about the plight of all oppressed people and is unequivocally against the occupation of Iraq and Palestine. He has also been involved in work around the conflict over Kashmir and in favour of the right of the people there for self determination. He would never act as a spy for any government. He is a sound peace activist."

Patrick Connors: "I know Harmeet from when he volunteered with ISM in Palestine last winter. Harmeet is a very good, serious, committed person. CPT is a solid organization, with serious training and procedures, that does great things."

For more information:
  ISM Media office: 02 297 1824
 
Statement from The Islamic & National  Forces in Hebron.
 
  In the name of Allah the Greatest the [Com]passionate.
 
The National and Islamic Forces in Hebron/Palestine express their deep sorrow for kidnapping four of the peace advocates from the CPT in Iraq.
 
The National and Islamic Forces in Hebron who has along experience in dealing with crimes and Israeli violations with the CPT from 1995 ,would like to confirm that the CPTers have a very strong role in facing the Israeli crimes and violations and in protecting the life and the belongings of the Palestinians. They put themselves in many situations in front of the Israeli tanks.
 
They confronted the Israeli bulldozers and the Israeli home demolition and escorted our children to and from their schools to protect them from settlers.
 
Because of all their activities ,the members of the team were followed, arrested and beaten by Israeli soldiers and settlers in many occasions.
 
The Israeli authorities have prevented some of them from entering Palestine .
 
We urge the brothers in the resistance and all the alert conscience in Iraq , whom we consider our selves together in the same tunnel against the American terrorism and  assault, to promptly release the four kidnapped (2 Canadian, one British ,and one American ) from CPT, for their role in supporting our Palestinian and Arab an Islamic nations.
 
Freedom for Iraqi and Palestinian people.
Shame for Zionist and American occupation.
 
 
The Islamic & National  Forces in Hebron.
Islamic  Resistance Movement (Hamas) .
Fateh Movement .
People's Party .
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine .
Palestine Liberation Front .
Palestine Democratic Union . FIDA.
Palestinian Front for popular fighting   ( ? Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP))