Jim's Peacemaking

--> Dear Friends Revenge or Forgiveness May 19,2010 “If a man came walking down the street outside my business here and was about to beat me up or kill me, and I had a gun, I'd shoot him. As a human, that's natural and I couldn't do anything else. What would you do?” a good friend challenged me. I don't know what I'd do for sure. But I hope I'd respond in a nonviolent way. I would hope I would just start to pray to Jesus. For me, it is important to keep up my regular quiet time of praying and reading the Bible. Let me read from Zachariah 8:12-13 from The Message: "You've gotten a reputation as a bad-news people, you people of Judah and Israel , but I'm coming to save you. From now on, you're the good-news people. Don't be afraid. Keep a firm grip on what I'm doing." Notice all the words that refer to God. It's not that we...

Revenge and Forgiveness A Real Word of Hope Here's what Bud Welch said, whose daughter died in the Oklahoma City bombing ,made prior to the 2001 execution of Timothy McVeigh, the terrorist responsible for the bombing. “The first month after the bombing, I didn't even want Tim McVeigh and Terry McNichols to even have trials. I simply wanted them fried. And then I finally came to realize that the reason that [my daughter] and 167 others were dead is because of vengeance and rage. And when we take him out of his cage to kill him, it's going to be the same thing. We will keep the circle of violence going. Number 169 dead is not going to help the family members of the first 168.” If you look at the story of Bud Welch, you find he had a lot of help along the way. And if you look at the story very carefully, you can actually learn a lot about how the human mind evolved to forgive and what kind of conditions activate that instinct in human minds, There were events that he actually ...

Hello friends: Reading the Bible & Peace Advisory Board An Interesting survey how reading the Bible shape our opinions from "Christianity Today" , This is a magazine that has been one of the main voices for Evangelical Christians in the USA. Survey: Frequent Bible Reading Can Turn You Liberal What a surprising survey says about how reading the Bible frequently can turn you liberal (in some ways). Aaron B. Franzen | posted 10/12/2011 10:20AM Related articles and links | 1 of 2 ADVERTISEMENT A recent poll from LifeWay Research found that 89 percent of American households still own a Bible, with the average home having 4.1 Bibles. But owning a Bible is different from reading it—and pollsters might be surprised by what happens when many Americans do. Most polls, surveys, and studies that have examined the Bible's influence have looked at views of its inspiration and methods of interpretation. Gallup, for example, has fo...

“Back from the war 4 hours ago.” December 30, 2010 “Would you like to help end the wars with one click?” I ask. “What? I just got back from the war 4 hours ago.” Thus responded a man in fatigues on the street by our house. “What do you think of the war?” I ask. “I think it is stupid, they should be spending that money for the homeless here. It is a big mistake. What a waste. I am a Doctor. Great, I will take one those papers and write my representatives.” If you would like to write you representative see this link: http://www.jimspeacemaking.org/2010/09/help-make-peace-with-one-click.html Such was one of my many exchanges on one of my daily exercise walks to Lake Michigan from our apartment here in Chicago. Here I am on the pier by the lake. I did 27 presentations in a month-long speaking trip in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania; here are some glimpses into them. Dr. Yanez, a Spanish Professor at Manchester College where I gave 8 talks. He planned to give me 15 minutes of his cl...

“Putting disciplined quiet time into your life’s routine” January I, 2010 Dear friends, Here are some suggestions for putting disciplined quiet time into your life’s routine. I wish I had these when I started. 1. Commit yourself to a goal you think you can fairly easily meet. Too many times we set the bar too high and fail to achieve it and then feel guilty, saying “I will never be able to be disciplined,” or “This just doesn’t fit who I am.” And then we give up trying. 2. Choose something that is meaningful to you - read the psalms, a prayer book, another book, some type of meditation, or a combination of things. To begin with, it is best for this to be fairly simple. 3. Be creative. I have heard of people having a regular, disciplined quiet time as they drive or travel on public transportation. I know of one woman who scheduled three hours once a week, sending her small children off on a “date night” with Daddy. Ask God to lead you. 4. Try to keep the same routine for your quiet tim...

Dear Friends, “Give yourself to the gifts God gives you.” (1 Corinthians 14:1 from the Message Bible.) Seems there are million good things a person can dedicate themselves to. But we can only do a few of them. This verse has helped me to set priorities. As we focus in on our gifts, we can do a better job of using them and avoid paralysis from feeling guilty and ashamed for not doing what others are doing. It is in a way learning to be who we are. For example, I have a friend who is a dentist. He used his gift of fixing teeth in places in the world where there is no dentist. People with the gift of making money, might use their gift to share money with others, to teach others how to use money, or to run a business. I use my gift of sharing slide presentations and stories about peacemaking to make people aware of what God is doing through people for peace and justice in the world. What are the gifts God has given you? How are you using your gifts for others? This ...

New US War, US Military Bases in Colombia July 30, 2009 Hello Friends, I am very concerned about the US recently announced plans to construct military bases in Colombia. As you know, I have been a volunteer with Christian Peacemaker Teams since 2002, accompanying Colombian farmers who are threatened by guerrillas, paramilitaries, and Colombian military forces. As we have often told these armed groups, “You have been trying to resolve the conflict in Colombia for the last 50 years with a gun. Can’t you see it just does not work? It just results in more suffering and death of people each day.” To build military bases in Colombia is continuing this same false assumption that the conflict in Colombia can be solved with a gun. Lasting resolutions to conflict always are resolved with negotiations. Let’s support President Barak Obama’s proclamation to make diplomacy central in US foreign policy. I sense this is a very pivotal point in US Colombian foreign policy that could go the wrong way ...

Dear friends, Whether you are new to my updates and newsletter or you have been a subscriber or supporter for a long time, greetings from our new home in Chicago. A big change for Lyn and I this year was our move here in December to a rented apartment from our rural farm home of 27 years at Plow Creek Fellowship near Tiskilwa, IL. An important part of my peacemaking efforts has been this an nual reporting of my activities of the last year and a forward projection, with openness to the Lord’s leading, of my hopes and plans, along with a budget for the coming year. This exercise, I have found, is good for me as it lends perspective to my work and also holds me accountable to all of you who are praying and supporting the work and me financially. I’ll begin with some recent photos and commentary: This is one of five presentations to 300 Elkhart high school students in Indiana this April. The teacher noted, “This fueled a half hour of really powerful discussion.” Some of students response...

Hello Friends, “I want to let you know, I am going to be praying for you,” a young man quietly told me after my slide presentation in his middle school in West Virginia. At each of my school presentations I say, “If you have interest in reading any of these books that have impacted my peacemaking, let me know and I will give them to your library.” Interestingly, the middle school students always mention a few books on my list. The most requested book, both in Philadelphia and in West Virginia, was Real Sex by Lauren Winner. A most honest and healthy look at sex. It brings to light the violence that is happening regarding sex that we never talk about or deal with. I wish I had read this book when I was a teen. In Philadelphia In one class I had 90 minutes and only 4 hours’ sleep beforehand, and I was wearing out, when the students brought up questions about what Quakers believe. Fortunately my Nephew Dave Fitz who is a Quaker and who is much more articulate than I am was along. ...

Hello Friend, Last night the Advisory Board for Jim’s Peacemaking established Reba Place Fellowship Ministries as the 501c3 charitable organization to receive contributions for Jim’s Peacemaking. The Advisory Board consists of Rich Foss, Ron Frantz, Tim Doran, Ron Johnson, Heather Clark and myself. I was very encouraged to hear each sharing their personal calling to peace and justice work when I asked why they joined this board. I feel very privileged to have each of them supporting and guiding this work. If you would like to support my peacemaking, make checks out to: RPF Ministries NFP and write Jim’s Peacemaking in the memo line. Send to: RPF Ministries NFP 723 Seward Evanston, IL. 60202 Peace, Jim

Dear friends, I asked for you to pray in the last letter and to say it simply, God answered far beyond our expectations. 1. In El Salvador, a moderate leftist candidate was elected, 51% to 48%. And a good friend in Colombia who was watching the election wrote, “I think this new president has real potential to be a government that is really for the people.” 2. When I went to give the five presentations to the Proviso West High School, the teacher was so fearful he would lose his job if my presentation even hinted anything about religion that I was ready to say, “Oh, let's just forget it.” But when we went to check with the principal, she assured us there would be no problem and said “This kind of presentation is an important p art of giving the kids a good education.” In asking the students what they thought of CPT afterwards, they were 90% very positive. One senior is seriously considering CPT as part of her future. 3. I got an email from the Presbyterian director that contained th...

Hello friends, I have a prayer list for you. 1. El Salvador is in the midst of an important election today. Pray that God’s will be done. That whatever the out come that people would have dialogue with each other and not resort to the gun to resolve their differences. 2. Tomorrow I plan to give 6 presentations in the Proviso West High School in Chicago. Students are involved in gangs and probably some carry guns when not in school. Pray that we all could be open to what the Lord wants to say to and through each of us to bring his peace, justice, and joy . 3. I have made an application and had an interview to volunteer in the Colombian Presbyterian accompaniment program. I felt very good about the interview and feel their program would fit me very well. The Presbyterians have been waiting 2 weeks to talk to CPT before they can move ahead with my application. Pray CPT would respond soon and if not that I would have patience. 4. I am going through a crisis in my life and will be se...

--by Stewart Vriesinga "I thought you were dead! I had orders to kill you! I knew you were a good man –a man of integrity — and I couldn't carry out those orders, but I thought another one of my colleagues would!" –a demobilized paramilitary Reverend Salvador Alcántara, from Garzal township of Simití municipality in the southern Bolívar province, is a remarkable, exemplary and inspirational man. He is a husband, father, grandfather, pastor of a local church, farmer, president of the Garzal town council, and vice-president of ASPROAS – Association of Alternative Producers of Simití. That he is able to take on all these tasks and do them well has earned him the respect of both the larger community of Simití and his own smaller community of Garzal. His interpretation of his pastoral duties has led him to become involved in his community's struggle to stay on their lands in the face of constant threats of forced mass displacement. The much-heralded achievements of the Ur...