Skip to main content

You Got in My Head

Hello friends,

"Your friend Mr. Fitz got in my head. He got even me thinking. We never pay attention in that class, but everyone was listening," a star football player at Verdugo High School said to my friend Cordell Bowman. Before the class started the teacher told me, "Now this class might get out of hand, and if it does we will just usher you out of the room."

Another teacher, after hearing my sharing, said, "You have to share this with more people. So for the next 90 minute period, please go to my friend's class for 45 minutes and then come back to my class. You got me thinking too." Another teacher shar
ed, "You talked about values, something these students seldom hear about, and that was good."

For four classes in a row, I shared in this LA high school. I never have had such attention from students during high school classes. They filled the time with lots of important questions. I was worn out, energized, and very encouraged when it finally ended.

In Fresno, I shared with the Fresno Pacific University (FPU) Peacemaking faculty and with the MCC staff in Reedly. They both said, "We appreciated hearing your sharing; when you get back this way be sure to let us know ahead of time, so we can set up some speaking venues for you."

Ron Classen of FPU has for years had a Victim Offender Reconciliation (VOR) program going there. In New Zealand, a VOR has been adopted and it has cut court cases in New Zealand by 75%. A recently elected Fresno councilman has said, "Getting the Victim Offender Reconciliation program adopted by the city of Fresno is one of my top priorities." I told them, "This is real peacemaking, too."

I also shared in three churches in California and at William Jessup University. In each of them I was very encouraged by the interest in peacemaking. People are getting tired of war, are coming to realize more and more that it just does not work and are a
nxious to hear about an alternative.

The main purpose of this trip was to celebrate with our daughter Emily her great achievement of graduating from Physician's Assistant School in Oakland on December 2, 2006. We are quite proud of her. And thanks to the help of many friends, I was able to share my CPT slides and experiences at ten places.

Here we are at Emily's graduation. Left to right is me, my wife Lyn, daughters Jamie and Emily, and son Andy.



Pray with me that the seeds that were sown in California would sprout, grow, and flourish.

Jim

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Incredible Prime Minister

           An Incredible Prime Minister     Dear Friends, a hopeful happening,                  Two years ago, Ethiopia was a basket case. The government seemed to be losing control The majority Oromo people were restive under a rule that seemed to rob them of their place. The traditionally powerful Amhara rioted. A state of emergency brought silence on the surface, but underneath the nation seethed. Civil war threatened. A foreigner was killed. Tourism waned. Finally, the prime minister resigned. The church prayed earnestly. Then, unexpectedly, eight months ago, the relatively unknown Abiy Ahmad was elected prime minister. What followed was equally unanticipated. In a bold, courageous acceptance speech; Ahmad announced a policy of peace, love and unity for the nation and its relationships with the rest of the world. He made sweeping promises and, to...

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...

un acontecimiento esperanzador

amigos,  un acontecimiento esperanzador  este es un acontecimiento esperanzador! Hace dos años, Etiopía era un caso estancado. El gobierno parecía estar perdiendo el control. La mayoría de las personas Oromo estaban inquietas bajo una regla que parecía robarles su lugar. La tradicionalmente poderosa Amhara se amotinó. Un estado de emergencia trajo silencio en la superficie, pero debajo de la nación se arremolinaba. Una Guerra civil amenazaba. Un extranjero fue asesinado. El turismo disminuyó. Finalmente, el primer ministro renunció. La iglesia oró fervientemente. Luego, inesperadamente, hace ocho meses, el relativamente desconocido Abiy Ahmad fue elegido primer ministro. Lo que siguió fue igualmente imprevisto. En un audaz y valiente discurso de aceptación; Ahmad anunció una política de paz, amor y unidad para la nación y sus relaciones con el resto del mundo. Hizo grandes promesas y para sorpresa en un mundo cínico de promesas políticas, las cumplió. "Necesita...