Dear Friends, Push Back to Nonviolence 10/22 thru 11/9 I was in Oregon where I gave 13 talk/discussions in schools and churches, one of them in Spanish. As usual I got pushback each time where people expressed their questions about my proposal: To tell Isis we really want to talk and to show it we will stop bombing and instead drop humanitarian aid like tents, clothing, and medicine. The most common reservations were “I believe we could never talk to Isis. They are not reasonable.” My responses were something like this. “I have the same questions. But we might be very surprised. I think they may say, ‘Let’s see how serious they are.’ They too are created in the image of God. Then there is that within all of us to respond to love. “I don’t know for sure what they would say, but if not this then we need to try something else. We can always go back to bombing, which obviously just makes their support grow.” I always appreciated the pushbac...
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Jim's Peacemaking Newsletter View this email in your browser Dear Friends, Push Back to Nonviolence 10/22 thru 11/9 I was in Oregon where I gave 13 talk/discussions in schools and churches, one of them in Spanish. As usual I got pushback each time where people expressed their questions about my proposal: To tell Isis we really want to talk and to show it we will stop bombing and instead drop humanitarian aid like tents, clothing, and medicine. The most common reservations were “I believe we could never talk to Isis. They are not reasonable.” My responses were something like this. “I have the same questions. But we might be very surprised. I think they may say, ‘Let’s see how serious they are.’ They too are created in the image of God. Then there is that within all of us to respond to love. “I don’t know for sure what they would say, but if not this then we need to try something else. We can always go back to bombing, which obvi...
Dear friends, Less both sides Forget God Rules in this Election! ...
Dear Friends, Muslims, Hispanics, Gays “What similaries do to you see in the USA today and in your time growing up in Nazi Germany between 1928 and 1948?” Ask a brother at a sharing I attended. Franz Schneider answered. “What scares me is the signaling out certain groups like Muslims, Hispanics, and gays as the enemy as though they are the problem by a certain candidate. We were catholic we were on the list; fortunately no one turned us in. I had a brother for who the SST came to our house, arrested him and we never saw him again. I was home when it happened. Another thing is the one presidential candidate’s reluctances to say he will accept the outcome of the election if he loses. All these things happened under Hitler. I am fearful. Your country is in dangerous territory. At one point whole neighborhoods were leveled by the bombing. Many homes had cellars connected to the neighbors under the main houses, so when one was bombed you went t...
Voting for Donald, Particularly in Swing States, any vote for anyone other than Hilary (despite her many very negatives) is a vote for Donald Trump and his anti-Jesus hate and fear proposals like, closing doors to refugees,Nuclear bombing the Mideast, and anti-women, etc... Remember in Colombia the polls and media said 60% were for the peace agreement and they lost by .5%. could it happen here? Shalom to us all, Jim
Hello Friend, “God’s going to level the playing field, get rid of all the corruption that is causing this world mess we are in. Get rid of the corrupt people and start over. If I had the opportunity to be 28 again I would never do it, I do not have much hope,” remarked a vendor friend at the county fair in our hour long conversation. Interestingly a Muslim friend in Tiskilwa said almost the exact same thing in our hour long visit. I responded to both, I disagree. God Is love and I tend to believe God will likely “use this disaster we are in to create a new people. Also as the intro to the book of Kings in the message bible says “in spite of the incredible mess these kings (our leaders) are making of God’s purposes…he uses them in his work, doesn’t discard them, nor detour around them, …they are part of his sovereign rule, whether they want to be or not, whether they know it or not.” God is still in charge. I added, “This is a personal consolation in our present election, in the r...
Estimados amigos, ¡No Estoy de Acuerdo! "Yo estoy completamente en desacuerdo con usted. Isis nunca estarÃa de acuerdo con el diálogo aunque les tiraran alimentos, ropa, medicinas, tiendas de campaña para todos ellos. Ellos son un grupo terrorista. ¿No entienden lo que son? Ni en un millón de posibilidades su idea funcionarÃa. Creo que está loco ": Una chica respondió emocionada, cuando les pregunté por sus comentarios a mi charla. Estaba un poco afectado por ella. Asà que tan pronto como ella terminó antes de que pudiera responder, una niña estudiante compañera afroamericana respondió con lágrimas y entrecortada por no ser capaz de terminar sus pensamientos, "…yo no estaba para nada de acuerdo con ella. La violencia nunca funciona. La no violencia es la única manera... ". ...
Dear Friends, I Disagree! “I disagree with you completely. Isis would never agree to dialogue if we dropped food, clothing, medicines, and tents to them. They are a terrorist group. Don’t you understand who they are? Not in a million chances would your idea work. I think you’re crazy.” A gal responded emotionally, when I asked for their comments to my sharing. I was a bit taken back by it. So as soon as she finished before I could respond an African American fellow student girl responded with tears and choking up not being able to finish her thoughts, “I disagreed with her very strongly. Violence never works. Nonviolence is the only way….” Here I am in one of the 7 talks I gave at Verdugo Hills public High School. This is at least the 4 th ...
Dear friend , The Homeless Speak Straightforward “I think you are right, we need to drop humanitarian aid to convince them to talk but we have to keep bombing them too,” retorted an outspoken fellow in the Chicago “Men’s Homeless Shelter” He said this in response to my reflections on dealing with Isis nonviolently. I showed them this photo to bring home the reality of bombing. It is so easy to forget how a bomb affects the people . Another man ask “But what can we do right here now?” I responded, “That is a very good question. One thing we can do is pray. I believe there is a lot more power in prayer than I or probably anyone here realizes.” Another added, “t...