Jim's Peacemaking

This year I began sharing on a subway platform. I give out 20 - 30 pieces of literature an hour. I encourage people to pray and let their government representatives know their concerns about war. I tell them how we’ve reduced suffering in Colombia by reducing U.S. military aid. With youth, I share important questions to think about before they enlist in the military. I plan to continue this sharing when I’m home in Chicago.

Weak Peace Movement 4/2/10 “The peace movement in this country is very weak. People are being killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Colombia. We Christians are saying very little,” shared Art Gish when he spoke here at Reba Place Mennonite church. And so, I am writing asking you to make it stronger by letting your government representatives know your concern. And here is how you can do it with just two or three minutes of your time. Try to do it every week. With one click of the computer, you can let all your government representatives know that you disagree with pouring our tax dollars into war or any other concern. This funding is not bringing peace and security but ruining the lives of soldiers and civilians on all sides. To speak out, just go to the Friends Committee on National Legislation Web site: www.fcnl.org and click on “Action Center.” You can than compose your own letter or use their suggested wording and send it to your Senators, Congressperson, and President Obama with one ...

Jim Fitz’s Faith Journey 2-9-10 I grew up on a produce farm in PA, part of a Church of the Brethren where 90% were farmers. I experienced a lot of good community there and this is one of the reasons I have been in living in community for 27 years at Plow Creek. My parents passed on when I was 13 and the care I received from relatives was also a very good community experience. I was the only one of six brothers to finish HS and college. I went on voter registration drives in the 60’s in the south and protested against the Vietnam War. 1966-69 I spent in Bolivia as a volunteer on a community development team of the church - half North American, half Bolivian, working mainly in agriculture. That really put Latin America on my map; my heart is always half there. In Bolivia, I struggled with whether to burn my draft card, but decided not to because if I did that I would have had to leave Bolivia. I went through two to three years of agnosticism searching for God. In 1970 I spent two ...

Dear Friends, “I think you are crazy. All the war makers want is oil. You are wasting your time. You don’t have a chance to bring peace in the world.” Thus responded John after he had listened to my sharing about CPT peacemaking in the Jackson subway station here in Chicago. I answered, “I had a fear when I started peacemaking that I would become hopeless and burnt out. But surprisingly I have more hope than I ever have. And these last seven years have been the richest of my life.” I went on to share, “You can be a peacemaker just by being kind and nice to people, especially ones that aren’t nice to you, and it will make you happy.” John answered, “Guess you’re right there.” John went on to say, “I am an agnostic.” I responded, “I was an agnostic for a number of years back in the early 70’s. Then one time, when visiting a pastor friend, I shared that I just could not say with integrity that I believed all that stuff about God. He said to me “Well, don’t try to fool God - you can’t. ...

Racism, misinformation and militarization have hurt Haiti relief effort By Derrick O'Keefe | January 20, 2010 * Print * Write to editor * Support rabble * Corrections * Everyone should check out and share the essential coverage Democracy Now! is providing of the disaster in Haiti. Amy Goodman and others from DN! are reporting from Port-au-Prince. Yesterday, DN! reported that 'Misinformation and Racism Have Frozen Recovery Effort at General Hospital in Port-au-Prince.' This from an interview with Dr. Evan Lyon from Partners In Health (PIH): "This question of security and the rumors of security and the racism behind the idea of security has been our major block to getting aid in. The US military has promised us for several days to bring in—to bring in machinery, but they’ve been listening to this idea that things are insecure, and so we don’t have supplies. I’m living here in the neighborhood with a friend. I’m staying with som...

“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 ...