One Day

Sometimes I lay under the moon and thank God I'm breathing;

Then I pray, "Don't take me soon, 'cause I am here for a reason."

Sometimes, in my tears I drown, but I never let it get me down.

So when negativity surrounds, I know some day it'll all turn around, because...

All my life I've been waiting for, I've been praying for, for the people to say

That we don't wanna fight no more; there'll be no more wars and our children will play.

One day, one day, one day...

It's not about win or lose, because we all lose when they feed on the souls of the innocent,

Blood-drenched pavement; keep on moving through, the waters stay raging...

In this maze you can lose your way; it might drive you crazy, but don't let it faze you, no way...

Sometimes, in my tears I drown, but I never let it get me down.

So when negativity surrounds, I know some day it'll all turn around, because...

All my life I've been waiting for, I've been praying for, for the people to say

That we don't wanna fight no more; there'll be no more wars and our children will play.

One day, one day, one day...

One day this all will change; treat people the same, stop with the violence, down with the hate.

One day we'll all be free and proud to be under the same sun,

Singing songs of freedom like...

All my life I've been waiting for, I've been praying for, for the people to say

That we don't wanna fight no more; there'll be no more wars and our children will play.

One day, one day, one day...

Pursuing Peace

I love reading TIME magazine.  They cover news from all around the globe, illustrate figures with infographics (oh, how I love looking at them!), and provide a bit of humor, too (thanks, Joel Stein).

This week, TIME's article, "2014 User's Guide" has some exciting predictions for this year:

• The U.S. Capitol building will begin a two-year restoration process.
• Google Glass will reach national levels of distribution.
• El Nino (Spanish for... "the Nino") will warm the Pacific to record temperatures.
• Kohlrabi will replace kale as the trendy, hipster vegetable of the year.
• More states will legalize recreational marijuana (OR, CA, AZ, and RI, in particular).
• Private space exploration companies will continue to probe the cosmos.
• Girls born in 2014 will have names ending in "-lyn, as in Marilyn or Madilyn."  Children born this year may, for the first time in history, have a shorter life expectancy than their parents... due to obesity.
• Skype will replace non-emergency doctor visits.  Doctors can asses symptoms and diagnose illnesses through "telemedicine" - a technology that's actually been used for years to serve remote fishermen along the Gulf of Maine, by the nurses of the Maine Seacoast Mission.

Besides all these global happenings...  What will you do this year?

It's a question I have been asking myself.

I've been pondering a statement that TIME quoted, from Pope Francis:  "True peace is not... a lovely 'facade' which conceals conflicts and divisions.  Peace calls for daily commitment."

Pope Francis echoes the words of Psalm 34:14:  "Seek peace and pursue it."  As I consider my goals for 2014, a life of peace seems a worthy endeavor.  More than that, a daily commitment to prayer and seeking Christ's peace will be my goal for the year.

Scripture calls us to live peaceably with our neighbor.  Again, peace isn't merely the absence of conflict, but a daily commitment to support and love one another.

Romans 12:17-18 - "Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."
II Corinthians 13:11 - "Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

God reconciles His people to Himself; and He also wants His people to be reconciled to one another.  This can take place at the family level... and at a global level.  A huge part of living a wise, peaceful life is praying for our neighbors and our leaders.

"I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way."  (I Timothy 2:1-2)  This year, I will pray for those in need of reconciliation, and will work toward restoration with those in my own life.  Won't you join me?

Pray for peace in places like Sudan (where civil war rages) and Uganda (whose government has enacted violent land grabs from its agrarian citizens - see SolidarityUganda.com for more info).  Pray for the U.S. government to end its reckless policing of countries around the globe.  Pray for local communities to join in unity, strangers joining as friends supporting one another. Pray for the end of oppression and exploitation.  Pray for missionaries and churches to reach out, love those around them, and bring the peace of Christ to many.

My prayer is that God will change me, giving me more compassion for His people and endurance in prayer. Not only is prayer necessary for peacemaking, but prayer can indeed lead to a deep, godly inner peace. Philippians 4 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I pray that God gives me the wisdom to work toward peace. As I enter a new season in a new place, it will be essential to lean upon the Lord and His wisdom as I seek peaceable relationships with new friends, co-workers, and neighbors. In the fall, I'll begin grad school - academically studying the Word of God. I pray that this new wisdom will bring me a softened heart and hands prepared to work toward reconciliation.

James 3:17-18 - "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

May 2014 be filled with the pursuit of knowledge, compassion, and humility... with much prayer... to better love and serve those around us in peace.

[Be sure to check out other bloggers' aspirations for the coming year at I Don't Have a Clue, but I'm Finding Out!]

Shocking

Our state has been secretly taxing us.  On...

http://gastronomes.blogspot.com/2012/09/pa-taxes.html

How sinister!

The Invisible Story Behind Invisible Children

If you've found yourself caught up in confusion about the recent "Kony 2012" video released by the Invisible Children group, you're not alone.  The video is a plea to the public of the United States, asking them to petition the U.S. government to team up with the Ugandan government to catch warlord Joseph Kony.  Upon online release of this video, many response videos were recorded and shared, claiming that Invisible Children's video is incorrect, that Americans have no place to "set things right" for Ugandans and that there may be secret motives for the U.S. government to back this video as propaganda.

As Americans, do we have a responsibility to catching all of the "bad guys" out there?  If we ignore it, are we allowing more children to be abducted, raped, beaten and trained to kill?

As a follower of Jesus, can one justify a military presence in Uganda?  Are army "advisers" there to help infiltrate peacefully and capture Kony, or are they joining the Ugandan army in using force to do so?

Like many folks who've been brought to attention by this media controversy, I, too, am looking for the truth in the matter.  What's the best way to discover what actually happens in a country half-way across the globe?

Eyewitnesses.

We can trust those who've been there and experienced the turmoil in Uganda to tell the truth and get down to the bottom of this matter, bringing possible peaceful solutions to the table.

A good friend of mine has been there.  Phil spent a semester abroad in Uganda, and fell in love with Suzan.  He had to return to Pennsylvania after the semester ended, but he returned for another three months to marry her and spend time with her family and community.  Suzan has recently joined him here, in the U.S., and they're working together to file for dual citizenship for the both of them.

In short, Phil wrote a great article from his and her perspective on the "Kony 2012" video, and I think you should read it.  It brought me some great clarification on the true situation, and it may do the same for you.

The Invisible Story Behind Invisible Children - Phil Wilmot

hey sugar

i am so sick of reading "sugar/high fructose corn syrup/maltose/maltodextrin/cane juice/fruit concentrate" on every single pre-packaged food available.

it's even in bread.  bread you buy at the store.

this is why i do my own baking.

i fuind it scummy how food companies will claim "made with fruit" on the front label, when on the back you read "fruit concentrate" which is fruit boiled down & sifted until there are no vitamins, no fiber, not any good thing left except the fructose.

it's sick.  it's ugly.  it's because consumers are addicted to sugars, which makes more money for the food companies.

what an ugly, distasteful truth.

What to Eat

Currently reading What to Eat by Marion Nestle.  She's a professor of nutrition at NYU.  Cool.

Apparently she's done all sorts of extensive research on what food companies want us to think and buy, who owns food companies, why grocery stores are all laid out the same way, and what goes into genetically modified, organic, conventional, and local foods.

If you've ever been to a grocery store in North America, it probably has either flowers or the bakery section by the entrance [to stimulate appetite by smell], long long aisles of prepackaged foods [to keep you interested while walking along slowly], bright shining bins of produce [waxed over & labelled with various countries & states of nonlocal origin] and all that placed between you and the important stuff [milk, bread, eggs, meats - all located furthest away from the entrances] so that you look at more things they have to offer than you need.

The author states that 70% of grocery store customers create lists before shopping.  10% of shoppers don't buy more than their list includes.

Next time:  Sugar - How invasive it is in our diets.

Leave it to hollywood

...to make a movie about life in poverty and actually exploit the poor kid actors who do so.

Slumdog children to be rehoused

"Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played young versions of two main characters, were discovered by casting agents in Mumbai's Garib Nagar slum.

There was an outcry when it was found they were still living there after the success of the Oscar-winning film."

Since the producers of the movie wimped out on stepping up to make a difference in these two kids' lives, the Indian government is now paying for and giving decent housing to the families of the two child actors who brought pride to their country.

As for the western, Oscar-winning, millionaire movie-makers?

"The boy's father, Mohammed, who suffers from tuberculosis, told The Times of India: 'We have barely got any money from the film-makers. In fact, whatever came, has already been spent.'"