In my recent post, God has blessed us to bless others, I told you about meeting Ian and José Carlos on the beach while they were doing an environmental survey to track global warming. After talking for a little while about their project, I told them about my passion for peace, and the storytelling project that I was conducting around the world. When I asked Ian what peace mean to him, I was...
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In my last post I told you about meeting José Carlos and Ian on the beach. When I asked José Carlos what peace meant to him, I didn’t fully follow the answer, so Ian translated for us. “Peace is the perfect combination of being a little bit mad and a little bit happy,” he said.
“Mad like angry, or mad like ‘loco’ (crazy)?,” I clarified.
“Mad like crazy, locito.”
“Peace is the perfect...
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Today is my first full day on retreat. I awoke eager to begin well and use this gift of time wisely. Although I don’t usually drink coffee, I brewed an organic Americano to counteract the fatigue of work and travels. I brought my coffee and Bible onto the patio. The boats in the bay, the wind, waves and butterflies spoke so eloquently no words were necessary for the start of my morning mediation...
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On my tour of Puerto Angel yesterday, I said hi to many people, who responded with smiles and greetings: women pushing baby strollers as their toddlers ran ahead laughing; women sweeping porches, men at work, or looking for passengers for their taxis; shopkeepers, youth and waiters. But yesterday I promised to tell you about Flavio, the old fisherman who was mending his net when I walked back...
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It’s my third day at the airport trying to get a flight out of Mexico City. This morning has started with its own frustrations. Moving from [non-working] kiosk to [wrong] line to [non-working] kiosk to [correct] line, I finally checked in my bag and found the gate. But my flight’s been delayed again. I’m taking the opportunity to write. It’s not in the setting that I’d planned, but I’m able to...
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Yesterday I landed in Mexico, a week in advance of the Baptist Peace Fellowship conference I’ve been looking forward to all year. Planning to meet a friend in Mexico City before proceeding to a writing retreat at the ocean, I booked a one day stopover in the city. When his plans changed last minute and he canceled our meeting, I tried to cancel my layover, anxious to start my retreat. When that...
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As we face the war on terror, the terror of war, and hatred among religions and races, now more than ever we must heed God’s call to peace. But how do we accomplish such a monumental feat? For answers, I visited Jean Vanier, a hero of faith, humanitarian service, and a champion of peace building. Jean Vanier shared his personal outlook, which has held true for him for more than fifty years:...
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I have the audacity to believe that we can all make a difference, and I want to devote my life to promoting peace. Indeed, I believe it's the work God called me to do. I've spent years dreaming about what might make a difference, and people resonate with my passion and ideas. But alone, I can just blog, tweet, share my experiences, and fan the "smouldering wicks" of people whose faith in peace on...
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I had a remarkable experience recently attending a press conference announcing that Toronto will host the next Parliament of the World’s Religions in 2018. What made it remarkable were the conversations I had in one of the most religiously diverse groups I’ve ever been in. And this is just a foretaste of the parliament next year!
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Last week I attended chapel and heard a very inspiring message from a woman who's had cancer. Looking young, vibrant and beautiful, I would never have known she was sick if she hadn't shared it. But there were many days when she was neither vibrant nor beautiful, and struggled to know where her worth lay then. A woman of faith, she strongly believes in the inherent worth of all people, but when...
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