A Nazarene Peacemaker and a Thief

Dear friends, A Nazarene Peacemaker and a Thief 3/4/19 “Would you turn that mirror in on your side in so it doesn’t get knocked off.” said Juan to me. He then added “I have to tell you a story about that mirror. I was at a stop light and a guy come up and just broke off the mirror. I saw police nearby so I told them.” “They went and found him and brought him to me. They said to me, well here he is you can hit him or do whatever you want with him. Beat on him as much as you want. I said I don’t want to beat on him. That just didn’t seem right. They then called and another policeman who also said go ahead beat on him this is your chance. That might straight him out.” “They then got a commander who brought a bat and said well now you can beat him go to it. I than talked to the fellow and found he was very poor and stealing things as a way to survive. So I felt he was already in a deep in a hole. I didn’t want to push him any deeper.” “The police told me they can’t put him in jail, beat on him, or do anything unless he had threatened with a gun or a knife.” Juan is a good friend from 3 years ago. He is obviously a very committed Christian. He takes Jesus seriously. It was a real witness to me. Pray for the police in Cali, Colombia. 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...

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