How Are You Making Peace?

Peacekeeping is a characteristic value of most of the world's enduring religions. So, how do we as spiritual persons, practice it?

We almost intuitively know that no of us can practice peacekeeping if we have anger and violence residing in our hearts. Peacekeeping begins from the inside out. When we begin to practice peacekeeping we first do the inside (heart) work -- the rest will follow.

But how is peacekeeping practiced -- especially in our interpersonal relations, with our spouses, children, friends, and co-workers? How can we help keep peace in those relationships and bring about a more peaceful society?

And then what's next? Do we not want to be involved in some larger effort to promote peace? When I first came to Madison (Wisc.) as their chief of police in the early 70s, I received a moving note from a very young boy. It simply said, "Please be our peace chief!" It deeply moved me and solidified the belief I had that police can help promote peace in our nation's cities.

The conflicts at the time in our nation's cities were glaringly obvious -- between young and old, black and white, student and non-student, liberals and conservatives, anti-war protesters and those who supported the war.

In Haiti with Sabine and son, Joshua Ezekiel in the late 90s.

After my retirement and entry into the clergy, I had opportunities to further my desire to be a wider peacemaker. After all, in the faith I represented, "blessed are the peacemakers" was one of our founder's guiding principles!

This led me to be part of two medical and construction missions to a small village in the mountains Haiti. And as a member of the International Committee for the Peace Council, I was part of peacekeeping missions to Cambodia where we called to the world's attention the continuing carnage of landmines. In Chiapas, Mexico, we facilitated discussions concerning the repression of local indigenous peoples. In South Africa, I experienced another life-changing event as a delegate to the 1999 World Parliament of Religions in Cape Town. This drawing-together of all the world's enduring religions drew over 7,000 people from 80 countries. That year, the focus was the AIDS epidemic.

While my international travels have diminished over the last five years, I have found purpose, sustenance and encouragement as a member of my local chapter (Chapter 25) of Veterans for Peace (VFP). Since 1985, VFP has worked to expose the true costs of war and militarism. As a military veteran, I believe I best continue to serve my country by being active in this effort -- especially today when a million or more of our young people (including my youngest daughter) have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The true costs of our engagement in the Middle East will be born by future generations and they will be in a continuing need for our love and support. This has been our experience with Vietnam era veterans in terms of homelessness, suicide, addiction, and family violence. It will be no less so for our recent veterans. War mains both the conqueror and the conquered.

What are some of the things you are doing to help make the world more peaceful? When you work as a peacemaker, you are blessed!

The Grieving Fields

A person doesn’t often get to witness to that New Testament kind of God-power. However, my daughter, Jennifer, and I did yesterday. After three days in Los Angeles making arrangements and sorting things out after the death of my son and her brother, Matthew, we were ready for some church. We were all staying at son Michael’s home near West Hollywood and so I did a “Google-check” on local churches. I found one nearby and when we attempted to find it, but we couldn’t. We wanted to attend church to lift us up before we drove to San Diego to visit Matt’s daughter and his former wife who live there.

So both of us prayed out loud, “Lord, we need to find a church, please help us.” We drove by a Chinese Christian church but all the information on the sign board was in Chinese. We joked about that day on Pentecost when the disciples understood many foreign languages. I remarked that when I visit churches I always check out their commitment to welcoming and hospitality. I often find churches that are quite deficient in this area. We continued to drive down North Alvardo when we saw a steeple cross on a side street building. The doors were open. The sign was in English and a single parking place was available across the street. On the door was a sign announcing worship services at various hours in Spanish, Cambodian, Tagalog and English. We walked into the church and noticed the worshippers were all Asian and, we later found out, worshipping in Cambodian. A lovely young woman welcomed us, asked us to please sit down, and told us the English service would be beginning shortly and we could wait here.

Soon we were served Holy Communion, the woman who greeted us took a seat behind us and told us the minister was preaching on Philippians, chapter 4:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (my emphasis).

We quietly talked to the woman and then she put her hands on our shoulders and began to pray for our family, the journey we were on, and healing. Whaap! Tears of strength, healing, and restoration filled our eyes. We were truly anointed – blessed – strengthened!

After the service we were invited to lunch and ate a wonderful Cambodian meal with bread that reminded me of my visit to Cambodia some years ago. Then the pastor came and talked to us. He told us that he knew about grief. He had lost his parents, brothers and sisters in the “killing fields” of Cambodia (see: http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/news/20236-notorious-cambodian-killer-seeks-forgiveness), fled to Thailand, found Christ in the refugee camp, and arrived virtually alone and penniless in America. But he had something. He had the hope and faith of Jesus. He went to work, then bible college, and now had been a pastor for over twenty years! What a witness from a man who knew deep pain! The kind of pain Jennifer and I and the rest of my family were presently experiencing.

After lunch we headed south to San Diego – strengthened and anointed. Seeing Matt’s daughter, my granddaughter, and Jenny's neice again was another blessing. Jenny sat her down and they did artwork together, His daughter, who is seven, drew beautiful pictures of her and her dad at the water park we visited this summer, their time at the beach here in California, and playing ball together. More healing. And then she drew a beautiful, multi-colored picture of how she imagined heaven to be: “A great place!” and then wrote this on it:

“Dear Daddy, I will miss you so much!"

God’s restoration continues… "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…” (Joel 2:25).

In the morning we drove back to Los Angeles. We will meet as a family at the farm on Saturday.