If you have been reading along with #25daysofpeace, you may feel like I have set the bar for peace really high.  Some of the topics we have covered involve entire nation states and whole people groups.  It just doesn’t seem feasible that we as individuals would be able to do something to change the world at large around us.  I realize that some of the articles have put forth some very lofty goals, and sometimes I get a bit intimidated by them, and sometimes I even end up depressing myself when I face the enormity of some of the problems.  It is easy to be overwhelmed by the hurt surrounding us, so I want to tell a quick and true story to help refocus the discussion a little.

I have a friend who has a lot of different responsibilities.  She is a wife, a mother, a student, a friend, a volunteer at church, a hair stylist, and a server at Pizza Hut.  In the years I have known her, I can count on one hand the number of times she has been in a bad mood and it has been obvious to those around her.  We are not always in the same place, but when we are, she is remarkably energetic and uplifting.  She seems to thrive on doing her best to take care of others and recharge their emotional batteries.   My friend could probably have a book written about all of her adventures, this is just a small bit of one of her stories.

She told us a story about a family she serves at Pizza Hut.  They are known by the staff as being difficult to serve, and are poor tippers.  My friend has developed a relationship with the family by being their server fairly regularly.  I don’t know the family in question, and I want to avoid sharing details or airing others dirty laundry in public (Especially when I don’t know whose dirty laundry it is!) but I will say that my friend made it her personal mission to go out of her way to be kind and respectful to this family.

Without going into personal details, it will be a little hard to impress upon you the level of service my friend brings to this family.  It goes WAY beyond her job description, and the family has noticed and began asking for my friend as their server.  If you have figured out who my friend is (if you know her, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out) you can ask her about it sometime.   Suffice to say, my friend works hard to please, with little expectation of reward.

The important thing is not the details of the story, and the details could probably distract you from the critical piece of the puzzle.

My friend serves where she is.

She doesn’t have to go over the ocean to save starving children in Syria, though she would be great at it.  My friend hasn’t made repeated trips to Washington D.C. to lobby her congressperson to change a law she sees as unjust.  She doesn’t complain about the nature of her job, and wish for more respect or recognition, she serves the people she meets, and she serves them where she is.

It is easy to look at conflicts all over the world and become discouraged by the seeming impossibility of affecting the outcome, it may be even easier to overlook the opportunities you have to make a difference at home.  The problem with making a positive difference in the world around you is that it is very often disguised as hard work.

Pursuing peace is hard work, and you can not expect to attain peace without making some sacrifices of physical or emotional comfort.  My friend knows this first hand, and she has lost many hours of sleep to bring peace to someone in need.

Some might call my friend a super woman, (and frankly…I wonder if they are right!) but the other important detail to remember is that she uses the strength she has.  She doesn’t wait until she is well rested or feeling bored, but dives right in with the strength she has at the moment it is needed.  You can spend your whole life waiting to feel ready to do something, or you can do what you can, when you can.  I think that to honor our pursuit of peace, we must take the steps we can take on our own.  When the time comes for a larger, impossible seeming step, we may find that our strength has grown through repeated use.  We may find a community of like-minded people willing to serve with us, or we may just find a supernatural strength from outside of ourselves to fill in the gap between the strength we have and the strength we need.

Pursue peace, right where you are, with the strength you have, and the world can be a better place!

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We can not let the terrorists win.

Sony Pictures has been the center of a dramatic and distracting scandal involving espionage, hacking, and political pressure related to the film “The Interview” which is a comedy that (allegedly) portrays a fictional assassination attempt of the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un.  A threat from the hacker group responsible for the theft and release of confidential company information has lead to several of the large movie theater chains refusing to show the film for fear of reprisals “in the style of 9/11”.   As a result of this mass exodus from its intended distribution plan, Sony has postponed the theatrical release of the movie while they investigate other options for distribution.

From a political and corporate stand point, this is a very big deal.  A large amount of confidential and potentially embarrassing data has been stolen, and the group responsible for the theft has managed to significantly alter the distribution plans of a major film company.  This whole fiasco will cost Sony significant amounts of time, money, and reputation before the whole sordid tale is finally ended.  It is such a serious event that the President of the United States took time to make a statement about the situation in his year-end press conference.

If you have been following our whole #25 Days of Peace journey, you may remember that I wrote about the possible implications of allowing computer crime to influence political decisions all the way back on December 3^rd.  The stakes didn’t seem very high at the time, but I tried to warn of the can of worms that had been opened right in front of our eyes, and encouraged us to be aware of a coming conflict.  It would seem that conflict has arrived more quickly than expected.  Why bring this up you ask?  Well, I don’t intend to address to the topic of computer crime again in this post, and wanted to make it clear that I felt I have already addressed that topic.  In this post, I want to make sure that we get to the actual heart of the matter.

From the ol’ trending feed. It will continue to happen more frequently. Unless something changes.

We can not let the terrorists win.

As I have watched this scandal move from a short news story to a trending topic with ample coverage on my newsfeed, I have also been watching another very disturbing trend develop alongside of it.  While the computer crime and politicization of the response is bad, the trend developing alongside of it could turn out to be far worse than we realize.  If we don’t address this other issue soon, we may find our culture irrevocably changed for the worse.  In fact, it may already be too late to address it.  The problem may already have grown out of control, and we are only now beginning to see the symptoms.

We can not let the terrorists win.

The issue I see is that of our response.  As I have watched people weigh in on the issue from all sides of the political fence, I have noticed a few very disturbing trends.  Many share loudly that our freedom of speech has been attacked, and Sony’s capitulation to the pressure has resulted in a loss of our freedom.  Others are actually excited about President Obamas promise of a proportional response to the crime.  One young man even seemed giddy over what he saw as an opportunity to start dropping bombs on North Korea for its crime.  Unfortunately this young man is typically considered a very level-headed individual.

I get it, one voice in the wilderness does not a cultural statement make…

We can not let the terrorists win.

I submit that they already have.

We (my generation and younger in particular) have lost our sense of perspective.  If we think that a proportional response to the postponement of a movie is military action, we ARE the terrorists.  It is terrorists who bomb and kill those who do not agree with their ideology.  The right to freedom of speech is an ideology that we hold dear in the United States, and one the United Nations has included on its bill of human rights, but should we bomb another country for infringing on our right to speak freely?  What about the other countries right to speak freely?  Did you know that the North Korean government has been asking for this film to be stopped for several months now?  What if our perspective isn’t that our freedom of speech has been removed, but that the North Koreans have used the tool of computer based crime as the only way for them to enter a protest that will be heard on the world stage?  What if the North Koreans simply wanted to say that people should not make demeaning movies about the political leadership of other countries, but couldn’t make itself heard without a scandal to bring it to the attention of the media?

More from the trending column…

The United States doesn’t talk to North Korea, and we actively try to foil North Korean technological progress.  Are you familiar with Stuxnet?  To be super brief, Stuxnet is a computer virus designed by the United States.  Stuxnet has caused significant and more importantly physical damage to the infrastructure of Iranian nuclear facilities.   While there is no proof that the United States has deployed Stuxnet or a similar virus against the North Koreans, there is no shortage of articles suggesting that we are attempting to do so.  South Korea (our ally) has intimated that they are trying to disrupt North Korean facilities with a Stuxnet style virus of their own.  There have been a significant number of failed rocket launches from North Korea, and one has to wonder if some of those failures can ultimately be credited to a Stuxnet style weapon being used against them.

We could continue on this little tangent for a long time, arguing about what the North Koreans could do with the technology they are trying to produce, but we still haven’t gotten to the actual problem that we need to address.  So far everything else we have discussed has been a side note to what I feel is the real issue at hand.  Freedom of speech is a side note, possible North Korean justification for this attack is a side note.  We allow these issues to distract us, because we want to be distracted.

The real issue at hand is that not once, not one single time in the week I have been following this story has anyone bothered to mention the North Korean people.

No one has offered opinion on what the North Koreans might think of this attack.  No one has speculated about the desire of the people of North Korea to poke the hornets nest of the United States with a stick.  Not once has anyone tried to separate the North Korean leadership from the North Korean people.  No one has stopped to consider the human cost of the conflict we have entered.

The people of North Korea are not in a good position, they are typically very poor, and very isolated.  North Korea is called the Hermit Kingdom because so few westerners are allowed to enter, and no westerner is allowed to wander at will.  The government of North Korea shows you what they want you to see, and the rest of the information we receive is 2^nd hand.  There are credible reports of significant human rights abuses being wantonly inflicted upon the people of North Korea.  There are credible reports of political prison camps for those who choose to dissent against the leadership of North Korea.  The state of North Korea requires a worship of government that would rival the religious worship found here in the United States.  Some of the poverty issues of the people can be linked to our own policies of embargo and economic sanctions that we use against the leadership of North Korea.

We are mad because we don’t get to watch a movie when we thought we would.

They can’t express their anger without risking imprisonment and forced labor.

We threaten a “proportional response” when we don’t get to watch a movie, they might not get to eat today.

I think it is about time we started caring about people, and stopped being so focused on ourselves.

Peace demands it.

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#25 Days of Peace (An Introduction)

I don’t particularly care for the word blessed.  It fits well into this category of words that I consider “christianese”, a dialect of English spoken by regular church attenders.  It is rarely used outside of a religious social group, and it just has this…feeling…I don’t care for.  It’s just so schmaltzy and broadly applied.  I struggle to take someone seriously when they tell me that “something really blessed them”.  It isn’t that they don’t mean it, but that I don’t really know what the word means.  It’s the kind of word that finds its way into poorly produced religious films as a description of some emotion or feeling that is poorly defined and portrayed by the actors.  It leaves me wondering what if the film’s director had worked himself into a corner and needed a way out of it.

So when Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 that the peacemakers are blessed, I haven’t really understood why that was a good thing.  Couldn’t Jesus assure the peacemakers something more tangible, perhaps something like “The peacemaker will be highly regarded by his peers, and they will turn to him for advice.”?  Instead Jesus chooses to use the word blessed, which I just don’t have a grasp on.

The dictionary gives about 12 variations of a definition, and the one that I guess I hope applies to this passage is the following:  Bless- “To endow with a particular cherished thing or attribute”.   This leaves me asking what attribute or cherished thing is being endowed on the peacemaker.

Ultimately I think our biggest clue is found in the rest of the passage in Matthew.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

If being someone who pursues peace is the mark of a child of God, then I am overjoyed to consider it my duty to bring peace into situations where there once was none.

#25 Days of Peace (An Introduction)

I tend to surround myself with things that are slightly ridiculous.  If you have met me in person, you may have noticed my general disregard for dressing stylishly, and my somewhat disheveled hair and beard.  My jacket has a giant hole in the front pocket and while I try not to be a total disaster all the time, I am probably only a few steps from it most days.  Some of these behaviors are the result of inexperience (I seriously don’t know how to dress very well) and others are a somewhat deliberate choice.

In the summers I wear a hat that references a popular television show for little girls, My Little Pony.  My laptop background had alternated between a My Little Pony picture and a Doge background.  When I leave it open somewhere, I almost inevitably get comments that are related to the ridiculousness of my choices.  In fact, last week someone called the Doge picture “embarrassing”.  My cell phone makes loud and embarrassing cartoon sounds when I get a text or notification.

To the moon!!!

On one level these ridiculous choices and actions draw attention to me.  I like attention more than I like to admit, but many of the things that draw attention could be considered embarrassing to someone of my age.  I know that I enjoy the attention, but I also know that I am embarrassed by some of the things that I am known for.  To some people, I am that guy who likes a little girls TV show.  To others, I am that guy who isn’t dressed particularly sharply.  I enjoy the notoriety, but I also feel a strong sense of self-consciousness related to the externally visible things that make me notorious.

I think that in some ways the feelings of embarrassment are far better for me than the emotional fuel I get from the notoriety of my own brand of uniqueness.

You see, I am very proud person, who wants to be seen as a renaissance man, capable of displaying strengths and wisdom in many diverse fields.  I have a strong desire to be looked to as someone who is effective and gets things done.  I want to be known as someone who achieves the impossible, and alters the course of history in my own way.

I want, I want, I want.

The more I learn about peace, the more I realize that what I want is oftentimes at odds with the pursuit of peace.  My desire to be seen as the best causes me to do things that stretch the boundaries of peaceful.  I will occasionally pursue my goals aggressively, focusing solely on what I want to achieve.  This single minded focus results in hurting those around me who would like my attention or my time.  I make excuses to escape people to work on my project, and then complain about the work that I have undertaken by my own ambition.  I break implied promises in the name of my next big accomplishment.  I fail to take into consideration the feelings and emotions of others, who may need me to be present for them in a difficult time.

The more I learn about peace, the more I am willing to accept a certain level of self-denigration.  When I am embarrassed of the hole in my jacket pocket, with my obnoxious little fingers dangling through it, I can take that moment to consider that I am not the purpose of the world.  I was not created to give the world something to worship.  When my phone rings at an embarrassing time, I can choose to recognize that my attempts at dignity are comical and ill-advised.  When my beard and hair draw looks of suspicion or distrust, I can remember that these people I have just met have no reason to trust me, I have not yet earned that right from them.  When someone wants me to tell the story of how I am a brony, I can laugh at myself and restore a sense of balance to my normal arrogance.

I am not the purpose of the world.

It does not exist to serve me.

When we can learn this and accept it, we will find that peace with our circumstances and our fellow man becomes more attainable.  Our fellow man may not be at peace with us, but I can accept his anger without losing the foundation of my own peace.  I can make a more rational decision when I look from my fellow man’s perspective and see why he wants to pursue his own goal so fervently.  My goal can take a back seat for a period of time when I see how important it is for someone else to have my help or attention for their goal.  I can overlook offensive speech, because I have a realistic view of myself in relation to the world.  My ridiculous wardrobe and actions can be a touchstone to remind me of my place.

As painful as it may be to say, it is even more difficult to believe in my heart these two important lessons:

I am not the purpose of the world.

It does not exist to serve me.

#25 Days of Peace (An Introduction)

Sometimes I like to use sarcasm when I write.  Unfortunately I do not always know how it will be understood.  SO in the interest of clarity (and to be festive for Christmas), I have chosen to put sarcastic lines in red, and the normal text in green.   If the text is purple, I’m not really sure how to classify it, but I think it is intended to be slightly humorous, but also true…I think.   Thank you for your understanding!  

Christmas is in the air, the many colored lights, the beautifully decorated trees, the anticipation of possible Christmas snow.  Many of my friends have finished their gift buying, and a few of my really overachieving friends have finished most of their gift buying for next year (you know who you are!)  I have never really been a part of another families Christmas tradition, but the one constant that seems to be present in each tradition is the present.  A gift, typically wrapped, sometimes humorous, sometimes deeply meaningful, occasionally practical seems to be a part of most family traditions. 

I am not a great gift giver.  I usually don’t even start shopping until Christmas Eve.  I scramble to come up with something that will mean something to the person I give it to, or something that is at least practical and desirable.  So if I am giving you a gift, there is a good chance you might just end up with a really nice flashlight.  (Which isn’t bad if you ask me!  Who doesn’t need an awesome flashlight?  Seriously…I regularly carry 2 of them. You don’t?) 

As bad as I am at giving gifts, I am even worse at wrapping them.  I eventually gave up on trying to make the wrapping look good, and decided to focus on just disguising what was inside.  After a few years of this, I found a much more practical way to wrap presents.  In fact, my brothers still joke about the time I delivered their Christmas gifts wrapped in fast food bags.  Yes, that really happened, and I am not ashamed! 

Part of my struggle with giving gifts is found in a mistaken sense of obligation.  When I give a gift, I try to give it freely, expecting nothing in return.  When I receive a gift however, I tend to become burdened by the feeling that I can never repay the gift giver for the gift I have received.  Even though I try to give freely and without expectation, I don’t seem to expect that same grace from others.  The gift giving part of Christmas usually just leaves me with a feeling of being in debt to everyone around me, which is often how I feel most of the time anyways.  In my mind, I have a double standard, my gifts are truly gifts, but gifts given to me are debts that must be repaid.  Perhaps the most frustrating part of the whole process is that I am aware of my double standard, but seem powerless to change it. 

I suspect that many of us have similar feelings if we were honest with ourselves.  We want to give the best gifts we can, but something that is truly meaningful just seems so out of reach.  We want to give freely, but our freedom is restricted by a sense of expected reciprocity in the process.  We are so freaked out by the possibility of mismatched gift giving, that we set limits on what we will spend on each other.  We deliberately sabotage the gift giving efforts of those who love us, by requesting that they give us a gift that fits into our financial specifications. 

After all, nothing says “I love you” like sticking to the 25 dollar limit.

We have stolen the spirit of giving a gift by trying to limit it to something we can afford to return. 

When we read in the Bible promises of God giving us things, I worry that we apply the same principles to his gifts as we do to our human interactions.  We set limits on what can be given to us, because we have to be able to pay it back.  I was a little stuck on this one for a while.  How do you give the supreme divinity a flashlight as a gift when light wouldn’t exist without his divine intervention?  “Here Jesus, I got you this flashlight…it’s pretty bright.”  “Well…it’s not as bright as the sun (Have I said thank you for that by the way?) but it’s decent for a flashlight.”  “I mean, if you have freshly charged batteries…!”

Eventually I figured out that Jesus was probably looking for our devotion and expression of faith in return for his gifts.  “Here Jesus, I got you this 35 minute prayer that I prayed especially so you would know that I appreciate you for helping me with my struggles with lust and sin and everything.”  Clearly my street cred went up significantly in Heaven the day I figured out how to use this little trick instead of offering Jesus flashlights.  Now Jesus and I have this sweet little deal worked out where I pray for a few minutes and he blesses me with an appropriate amount of blessing to coincide with the amount of prayer I have done.  It’s like nobody owes anyone anything! 

Nothing says “I love you Jesus,” like putting limits on his gifts in our lives.

I suspect it has been a hectic few weeks leading up to Christmas, and frankly I think we could all use a little peace in our interactions with the people around us, the people we love, and the people who drive 10 miles an hour under the speed limit directly in front of us the WHOLE WAY to Fort Wayne!  This time when we seek to open the gift of God’s peace in our lives, what if we choose to open the gift he wants to give us, instead of the one we have chosen to limit. 

What if we decided that we could love Jesus best by allowing him to choose exactly what he wants us to have, and the quantity he wants us to have it in?  

Can you imagine what that kind of peace could be like? 

John 14:27 “ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. “

We are 20% of the way to our $2500 goal! A huge thank you to everyone who has given!

 #25 Days of Peace (An Introduction)