KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 3

On April 24, 2005, I was privileged to attend the Myers Lecture at the Church of the Savior United Methodist Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio (I happened to be in the community for my grandson’s birthday). The guest speaker was the Rev. Peter Storey, a renowned peace advocate and former Methodist bishop of South Africa. The following is taken from his notes, which he so graciously gave me.

This is the first of a three-part article. To read Parts 1 & 2, click on  KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 1 &  KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 2

This third part of KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA was excerpted from the February 29, 2008 United Methodist Reporter, titled Peace conference urges church to find its voice, by Kathy L. Gilbert, United Methodist News Service.

The Rev. Peter Storey asked participants 2008 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference to consider the God they serve. If He is the God of Jesus, any response to violence must be examined through the cross, Storey stated, setting the tone for the three-day conference held in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina.

While participants grappled with the question “How can the United Methodist Church find its voice in a world of violence?”, Storey asked “Why our silence? Why no clear, bold challenge? Why is the way that leads to peace still apparently hidden from our sight when

SHOULD I REVEAL OR BURY THE FAMILY SECRET?

At the end of this post there is a question, which you can respond to. Thanks!

My head shot up as I unsuccessfully tried to hide my shock at my aunt Julia’s statement.
Had I heard her right? Noting my surprise, she repeated her statement.

“You know, Gary isn’t really John’s father,” she repeated.

I collected my thoughts by numbing my swirling emotions. I wanted to rehear the story my aunt just told me about my mother Melissa, my father Gary and my brother John.

“Your mother, Melissa, came barging into our house one day, chasing after Gary,” she began.  “She yelled out at him

A BLUE BUTTERFLY and STAR GAZER LILIES

The temperate summer evening, that last day of July, was perfect for a stroll. I’d been sitting at my computer most of the day writing, and the exercise was a welcome relief. As was the brief encounters with my neighbors, who were also enjoying the evening.

One neighbor, seeing my camera, suggested I snap a photo of her lilies for the community newsletter. I thanked her, thinking “Lilies. They’re all over the place, and I already posted an excellent photo of a deep red one.”

Regardless, I walked by her house to check out the situation, and I was pleasantly surprised. The shot that was successful portrayed lilies of three

BRAMBLES (Brief RAMBLES) 1-6 July 1, 2008

In a world where there is so much to complain about, a good attitude is a welcome relief. However, on a couple of occasions I’ve found that a bad attitude produces surprising results. Two sections of this issue of BRAMBLES— SOMETIMES IT PAYS TO BE SELF-CENTERED AND OBNOXIOUS…. and SASSINESS WORKS AGAIN…— report these occasions. TREASURES AMIDST CHAOTIC CLUTTER is the third piece in today’s offerings.

SOMETIMES IT PAYS TO BE SELF-CENTERED AND OBNOXIOUS….

KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 2

On April 24, 2005, I was privileged to attend the Myers Lecture at the Church of the Savior United Methodist Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio (I happened to be in the community for my grandson’s birthday). The guest speaker was the Rev. Peter Storey, a renowned peace advocate and former Methodist bishop of South Africa. The following is taken from his notes, which he so graciously gave me.
This is the second of a three-part article. To read Part 1 click on  KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 1 .  It explains how peace after apartheid was accomplished. The third part, KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 3,  speaks about the 2008 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference.

The question still remained: HOW SHOULD SOUTH AFRICA COUNTRY DEAL WITH ITS (APARTHEID) PAST?

There were so many persons involved in the culture of apartheid, guilty of its sins. How should the guilty be dealt with?

There were options.

Prosecute and punish? The number of guilty persons would make this difficult, as would

BRAMBLES (Brief RAMBLES) 1-5 June 15, 2008

All three pieces of this BRAMBLES issue are about jigsaw puzzles: NEW BLOG ABOUT PEACE ISSUES TITLED “PEACEPUZZLE,” ABOUT JIGSAW PUZZLES…, and CREATE A JIGSAW PUZZLE PIECE (CHRISTMAS) ORNAMENT

NEW BLOG ABOUT PEACE ISSUES TITLED “PEACEPUZZLE”
     A Beanery Writers Group member, Joe, has a passion for developing peace. As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ligonier, PA, he leads a small group of others who also have an interest in issues of peace.
     His latest endeavor is a blog, which is designed to engage its readers in a dialogue on peace issues.
     He presents the concept of approaching peace like one approaches a puzzle, starting the process somewhere, it matters not where, and finding

KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 1

On April 24, 2005, I was privileged to attend the Myers Lecture at the Church of the Savior United Methodist Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio (I happened to be in the community for my grandson’s birthday). The guest speaker was the Rev. Peter Storey, a renowned peace advocate and former Methodist bishop of South Africa. The following is taken from his notes, which he so graciously gave me.
This is the first of a three-part article. The second part, KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 2 , explains how peace after apartheid was accomplished. The third part, KEEPING PEACE IN SOUTH AFRICA Part 3, speaks about the 2008 Lake Junaluska Peace Conference.

In 1990, South Africa’s new president spoke words that shook the world. As leader of the white, racist regime, he stated that he had come to realize that apartheid must end—Nelson Mandela must be freed, the black people must be free, and there must be a new democratic future for South Africa. It was a time for transition.

This happened in a country where the church role was divided. Prominently supporting the racist regime: the

IT’S NOT THAT SMALL A WORLD

—written by Monte:

     One of my tenants said “It’s a small world,” after I related to her a few of our experiences on the New England trip. Later I thought to myself, “No! It’s a world in which God brings some real surprises to remind us that He is still in charge, that ‘Behind the dim unknown, standeth God within the shadow keeping watch above his own,’ as James Russell Lowell wrote in a familiar hymn.”

     The surprising events—let me tell you a few of them, starting with the most amazing situation. A year ago Carolyn had sent out a note to the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church, letting them know I was available for guest or fill-in preaching during our vacation. Rev. Karen Munson, pastor of the Readfield: Torsey Memorial United Methodist Church in Readfield, Maine, responded, scheduling us on September 7 in this small community northwest of Augusta. At the beginning of worship, during a greeting time for the forty-five to fifty worshipers, I went down from the pulpit side and Karen descended from the lectern side. Soon she approached me. “You need to come over here and meet someone

CHILD ABUSE AND SCRIPTURE

—written by both Carolyn and Monte Holland

When considering child abuse from the Scriptural perspective there are some important questions. Below is an attempt to answer some of them.

First: Children must be MADE to OBEY (their parents), right?
Obedience IS important. Ephesians 6:1, 4 and Colossians 3:20-21 instruct children to be obedient. However, this directive does not stop there: it continues on

BRAMBLES (Brief RAMBLES) 1-4 JUNE 1, 2008

BRAMBLES 1-4 includes pieces titled WEATHER IS RELATIVE, YOU’RE TOO OLD TO DO WHAT…?, and LOST DREAMS

WEATHER IS RELATIVE
   In mid-June the temperature was just under forty degrees. As I prepared a hot cup of tea, wrapped up in a cozy robe, and hunted for the book I am reading, I thought back to the time not long ago when forty degrees seemed such