|
Favorits •
Web Domain Directory •
ODP •
Annuaire FR •
Directorio ES •
Directory EN •
Diretório PT •
IT Katalog •
Czech Katalog •
Polski Katalog •
Maps •
Satellite Photos •
View Card
|
||
|
|
Religion |
|
|
| ||
 |
What If? -- Musings on the Tsunami
Thumbing through Isaiah recently I was startled to find this: after a passage (in Isaiah 19) in which the prophet describes horrors that caused the hearts of the Egyptians to "melt within them," he predicts that "the people will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them." The next lines describe how three bitter enemies-Egypt, Assyria, and Israel-will "worship together" and how all three will become "a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.'" What a picture! Like the ancient Egyptians, those who died in Southeast Asia on December 26 (and since then) are in God's hands. But among the living amazing things have happened. Will they last? In Sri Lanka, where a decades-old conflict has killed twice as many people as died in the tsunamis, Tamil Tigers and Sinhalese have joined forces in common relief efforts. So have Hindus and Muslims in India. The United States has an unprecedented opportunity to embrace Muslims of many nations as the fellow humans they are, not only with disaster relief but with genuine compassion and generosity. The world has been struck; what would happen if we let God heal us? Why can't the miracle described in Isaiah 19 happen today? Why can't forgiveness and peace heal the wounds of today's wars-including the petty wars that fracture so many of our relationships? What If What if we grasped the moment that is now (don't ask me when; don't ask me how) and every person on the street became the most important one to meet? What if the Hindu fishermen (the ones their Muslim neighbors sheltered in a mosque) called on all Indians of whatever faith to end sectarian strife? What if the Tamil Tigers (who lost so many children in the waves) decided not to send any more child soldiers to fight their Sri Lankan war? What if in the USA (tell me, why can't it happen today?) the Christians put their weapons away and disarmed their enemies with love? What if the Laskar mujahedeen (who killed Christians on the Malukus) called on their brothers and sisters worldwide to embrace nonviolence and peace? Why can't it happen now (while hands are helping and hearts are hurting) that we remove all obstacles to make this and much, much more possible? Or will our hands and hearts and minds (united now in a common humanity) trade shovels, grief, and generosity for guns and greed and animosity? What if we grasped the moment that is now (now we know when; now we know how) and not put off what we can do today for tomorrow, when all could be washed away? You may reprint this article free of charge providing you use the following credit box: Article by Bill Wiser, a member of the Bruderhof - an international communal movement dedicated to a life of simplicity, service, sharing, and nonviolence. (http://www.bruderhof.com/).
MORE RESOURCES: |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Tsunami: A Wake-up Call In looking back on the year that has just ended-a year filled with the horrors of war and of natural disasters such as last fall's hurricanes-one would have to be callous not to mention the earthquake and tsunamis. The devastation seems to get worse every hour as new reports, images, and statistics come in. Surviving Eternity Matthew 24:34-24:35 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. You and Your Money: Are You Making a GIVING? A young man who was attending my Coffee Bar Bible studies tossed a $20 bill on the table between us. He said something like "I haven't been sowing anywhere lately" and added that he felt my eMail ministry was as valid as any. The Lost and Found When we think in terms of what it means for man to be lost, we are immediately confronted with the fact that it is as sad a description as could ever be given to human beings. A sick person may get well; a crippled person may adjust to his infirmity; an indebted person may pay off his debt; an illiterate person may educate himself. The Greatest Love and Self-image The Greek language had three words for "Love" First there was "eros," from which we get "erotic.. While the World is on Fire Revelation 8:8-8:9What will you be doing? How many people have asked the question, what will you be doing at the end of the world? When I was a child, in the hills of Kentucky, I always asked my self this same question every-night before I went to sleep. I remembered the preachers sermon, the Hell fire and brimstone was still in my mind. Satan is Let Loose One More Time After the 1000 years are up in the Millennium Kingdom, two additional things must happen before we get our new heaven and new earth. These two events will seal the fate of Satan and all the unsaved people who have ever lived once and for all. The Emmaus Journal ~ The Standards Of This World Are Not Our Standards The Emmaus Journal The Standards Of This World Are Not Our Standards How often do we hear this righteous phrase and how often do we really heed this righteous phrase? "The standards of this World are not our standards." As Believers these few words should mold our very existence from day to day. Me and My Big Mouth! During World War II the government realized that the majority of citizen-soldiers had no idea on how to conduct themselves to prevent inadvertent disclosure of important information to the enemy. Central to maintaining national security was the Office of War Information Drive to limit talk about the war in both public and private arenas of American life. The Stilling of the Storm Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25. Worship and Praise in Charismatic Churches This article was in response to an email about someone being a little uneasy about the praise and worship in charismatic churches.I received your email with the questions you sent. Jesus the Pharisee RESPONSE TO PAULINE CHRISTIANITY: - The whole of Christendom is not Popery or Romanized but the Pauline influence is arguably the strongest doctrine in the whole of philosophy and theology. 'The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity' by Hyam Maccoby say these things on the back cover:"Defying the accepted view of Jesus as creator of Christianity, Hyam Maccoby, a leading Talmudic scholar, offers a brilliantly argued, boldly provocative challenge to traditional theories about the origin of the Christian religion and leads us to a startling unorthodox conclusion. The Wealth of the Wealthy Some may ask, why can't I have a lot of money? Or some may say I wish I had wealth. Well let's see what the Bible say about wealth. Belonging to Jesus Christ In the name of Jesus, what shall we do in the time of grief. We do know that the failing of the Louisiana dams must be corrected. Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven is Ridley Scott's way of trying to recapture the success of Gladiator and to turn Orlando Bloom into the international sensation and instant leading man that Crowe became after is Oscar winning performance in that Gladiator. I don't fault Bloom for trying. What Does The Religious Right Really Want? What does the Religious Right really want? Well, besides power, money and control, what they really want is to see a radical Right judge appointed to the Supreme Court. Why? To overturn Roe v. Restoration of the Jewish People and The Rebuilding of the Jewish Temple This is the event that has already occurred. In 70 AD, after Jesus' death on the cross, the Jewish people were dispersed throughout the entire world. Is It Good For Man Not To Marry? Are we doing what the word of God say to do. Please allow me to give you some insight about the purpose of marriage and the single person. Reading the Bible A friend of mine had asked my thoughts on how one should go about reading the Bible. I would first read the New Testament in its entirety in order to keep in the "flow" of it. The Blessings Of God As discussed in the "The Gospel of Convenience", and "Investing Christian" articles here on this site, American Christianity teaches that money, possessions, stock market holdings, "toys" and all manner of material possessions are "the blessings of God". We too used to accept this as truth.
|