InSpiritry

“He was certainly a hero…

 He did have some difficulty dealing with it,”

Jean Offutt, a Fort Bliss spokesperson

News came today that we lost another hero, not on a bloody battlefield in Iraq, although he had served there, but instead back home in Texas where he should have been safe. No, after all he had been through, it was not gunfire or an IED or even friendly fire that killed former Army Spc. Joseph Dwyer. Instead, he died late last month of a drug overdose. Dwyer’s friends say he, like thousands of other veterans, suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. (more…)

Peace and Love! Peace and Love! Peace and Love!

Ringo Starr

For some of us, these words are a familiar slogan from the 1960s. For others they are exactly the message the world needs to hear. For a few, Peace and Love is a tired cliche’. Whatever your first impression is, these simple words speak of what so many of us hope for in our lives: safety, harmony, nonviolence, compassion and acceptance. Peace. Our religions seek to instill it, our governments try to provide it, our politicians orate about it…and still is seems like a distant dream. (more…)

 The God that we serve is so big

that we don’t have to be limited

by the world that we now see.

This quote by Mariama White-Hammond was part of a recent post  on the always  insightful and encouraging blog,  God’s Politics. 

Ms. White-Hammond is the inspiring young executive director of Project Hip-Hop (Highways Into the Past—History, Organizing and Power), a youth-led, secular, nonprofit organization that provides a space where predominantly young people of color from traditionally low-income communities in Boston can develop and exercise their individual and collective leadership. The blog entry is excerpted from an interview with her that appears in this month’s issue of Sojourner magazine in a feature about young Christians who are making a difference in the world.

This particular quote came in answer to the question, What would you like to tell other Christians? While I think it is a great statement of faith, for me it is more than a Christian guidepost. (more…)

The first day or so we all pointed to our countries.

The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents.

By the fifth day, we were aware of only one Earth.

Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud, astronaut

This perspective from space offers wisdom for us here back on earth. Unity sounds simple, but when we are distracted by family issues, social concerns and our national interests, it can be hard to remember there is “only one Earth.” In fact, there may be no more important thing for us to remember than this: all of us on the planet are neighbors.

Thankfully, there have been positive moves toward that recognition. (more…)

April was National Poetry Month, and what a heart-warming celebration the past few weeks have been for me:

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Be the change you wish to see in the world.  Gandhi

With the Republican nominee decided and the Democratics yet to find consensus on a candidate,  the Presidential primaries have offered some interesting revelations:

• Women are not all voting for the only woman running.
• Blacks are not all lined up behind the one Black candidate.
• Experienced Senators are having trouble getting credit for long careers of hard-fought accomplishments.
• New young voters have turned out in record numbers for a candidate who seems young.
• The buzzword has been “change.”

What is going on?

I would suggest that we are experiencing the early pangs of a syndrome we, Baby Boomers, should recognize:

A Generation Gap!

Yes, there is growing evidence that the country is divided along generational lines with a disconnect between old and young.  Think about it:

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On a rainy afternoon this week, as I worked at my desk, I got the phone call I had been dreading for months: 

 ”Anne, it’s me. I thought I better call. I am leaving tonight for Iraq.”

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These days, whatever your nationality or political leaning, it’s easy to feel a sense of despondency about the condition of our world.

• American leaders blame Arab extremists.
• Arabs accuse the West.
• The Jews fault the Muslims.
• Iran suspects Christians.
• Democrats indict Republicans.
• Republicans blame China.
• China complains about American liberals.
• Liberals point to Conservatives.
• Christian conservatives say it’s God’s will.

In our fear and anger, we all demand action, but when it’s time for action, we ask indignantly,

Who me? What can I do? (more…)