The Koran and the Bible

Dear Friends: The Koran and the Bible 8/12/18 Recently, I went to Aldi's to grocery shop, at the entrance there was a security guard. I had never noticed a security guard in an Aldi’s before. So I curiously ask him about it. He said “I am here to catch shoplifters. I have caught 5 or 6.” Unexpectedly he added, “People don’t read the Koran or the Bible these days. These books both tell us stealing and killing (as he swiped his finger across his throat) is wrong. These things do not bring peace or contentment only sadness, anger and hate. I noticed he had an obvious accent so I asked, “Where are you from?” Surprising me he said, “I’m from Nigeria.” I replied, “I am from the Church of the Brethren and the 200 girls that were kidnapped there were from the Nigerian Church of the Brethren. I met one of the girls who was kidnapped who had escaped. I visited with her in the home of some Brethren friends in North Manchester, Indiana.” He replied, “Where I lived the Nigerian terrorist Bok haram is not present. There Christian and Muslims live together in peace. My father and I are Muslim and my mother is Christian. Some of my siblings are Christian and some are Muslim.” One time the Iman open up his mosque for the Christian church to use. Some of the Muslims could not understand why. Two weeks later I ask him “How are things going in Nigeria? I am glad to say violence has decreased really a lot, thanks to the cooperation Nigerian governments with its neighboring government countries. I am very thankful.” I said “I am so glad to hear that too. Thanks be to God or Allah.” Please do say a prayer for peace in Nigeria. Shalom, Jim

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Hope in Iraq

Dear Friends, I have recently finished Peggy Gish’s book An Iraq Journey of Hope and Peace . It brought me to deep prayer at times, helping me to see US soldiers as human beings and breaking down some of my stereotypes of them. It also helped me experience the personal pain of Iraqis who are caught in the war as opposed to hearing statistics in the news. This was peacemaking taking place in my own heart and mind. Peggy’s honesty in sharing her own personal struggle and admitting her own mistakes is challenging to my own peacemaking. Another aspect of this book that was inspiring to me was that when CPTers in Iraq realized they were making a mistake in midst of sharing with Iraqis, they were able at times to change right then and there. This is clear evidence of the Spirit at work. It also gave me a sense of how God was able to use the seemingly small amount of people, just six or so, to make a significant difference for the good in this horrible situation. I am adding to this messag...

informe de salud

Queridos amigos, Les escribo para informarles que hace unas semanas me diagnosticaron Parkinson vascular. Tenía problemas para mantener el equilibrio y caminar. Vi a un neurólogo y me hicieron una resonancia magnética de mi cerebro, y a partir de eso y de mi historial, me diagnosticaron Parkinson vascular. Me siento muy bien con mi doctora. Mi Parkinson Vascular es causado por mini accidentes cerebrovasculares que bloquean la sangre en la parte del cerebro que controla la marcha. El Parkinson vascular afecta principalmente a la parte inferior del cuerpo, y por lo tanto, afecta la marcha y el equilibrio y regularmente no suele provocar temblores. Es diferente del Parkinson clásico que es causado por la falta de dopamina. El tratamiento principal para el Parkinson vascular es tratar de detener los accidentes cerebrovasculares manteniendo bajo control factores como la presión arterial y el colesterol; esto puede evitar que la enfermedad progrese. Por lo tanto, no necesariamente empe...

Fear and the Corona Virus

Dear Friends, Fear and the Corona Virus In some self-reflection I have come to see that I have been unconsciously enveloped in a fear over the coronavirus pandemic. I feel paralyzed and hopeless. I noticed I feel I just have to turn the radio on to keep up on what is happening. Each time I hear more figures on how it is getting worse everywhere in the world, it fills my mind, the focus of much of what I think about. When I came to see this was happening, I noticed I wanted to just turn on the radio, and it was and is hard to turn it off. Just about everything on the radio was related to the virus. In reflecting I realized this subconscious fear permeated me. This fear was not healthy. It was creating anxiousness and anxiety, and anything but peace and contentment. This fear was what I needed to get rid of. From a Dr. Bruce Lipton...

Jim's Peacemaking

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