Where is peace

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If we have no peace,

it is because we have forgotten

that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa

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Stand Up for Peace

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Peace on Earth and Good Will To ALL

The ultimate reason for the season is the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem about 2000 years ago.

He came to change the world as God's own son in human form.

Let us Rejoice and be Thankful for this 

ultimate gift of love and peace.

May You Have a Joyful Christmas with your friends and family.  Embrace the spirit of love and peace amidst a world 

filled with selfish strife and personal distresses.

Live the Question

When the question is not possible to answer at this time,
Live the question until the answer appears.
Rainier Maria Rilke, German Poet.

When we think Peace. We need to Be Justice.

We need to Live with Compassion and
Be Alert for new opportunities to express this concern.

I am asking our local daily newspaper to carry more stories like this instead of
the disastrous drivel about beatings and killings all the time.

We reap what we sow. Sow Justice. Reap Peace.

A 5 year old can make a difference in OUR world.

What holds YOU back?

Contagious Love from Iraq Veteran

Josh Steiber went to Iraq in the US Army and returned as a conscientious objector.
This is the story of his new mission in life.
To spread Love instead of waging war.
See the YouTube video and spread the word.
It will help all of us build a more peaceful planet.

World March For Peace

Never Doubt That a Small Group of People Can Change the World. It is the Only Thing That Ever Has. Margaret Mead

With that thought in mind, I learned about the World March for Peace from a friend of mine who is also a member of the Erie Benedictines for Peace.

The World March starts in New Zealand on October 2, 2009, the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, declared the “International Day of Nonviolence” by the United Nations.

I would like to take this march. I shall surely do so in spirit and online. I began training this week.

It will conclude in the Andes Mountains (Punta de Vacas, Aconcagua, Argentina) on January 2, 2010. The March will last 90 days, after three long months of travel. It will pass through all climates and seasons, from the hot summer of the tropics and the deserts, to the winter of Siberia. The American and Asian stages will be the longest, both almost a month.





Because a “world without wars” is an image that opens the future and seeks to become reality in every corner of the planet, as violence gives way to dialogue.

The moment has come for the voiceless to be heard! Out of agonizing and urgent need, millions of human beings are crying out for an end to wars and violence.

Humans Could Learn From This

I love it.

Birds and Fish teach us perspective

AH Birds and Fish see the world differently.

This was supposed to be a java script with illustrations.

The message is:>p>

The bird thinks it is doing the fish a magnificent favor by giving it a lift up.
Tagore

How do you feel about that?

ONE-One Nation Empowered

Have you heard Suzette Caldwell--Preaching? I just did on the Hour of Power.

Wow. Power and presence and humor and sensitivity all wrapped in a creative prayerful woman. She led a prayer for our nation as we approach the Inauguration with a Yes You Can attitude. You are delivered- not doomed. You are righteous-not ruined.. . .and so forth, all with appropriate and inspiring scripture references.

I invite you to join us all with this prayer for the USA and the new administration.
And refer you to her website where you can learn more and be inspired.
I will do a book review at my other website on a recent publication of hers.

This prayer is quoted from her site:

A Prayer for O.N.E.
(One Nation Empowered)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
Psalm 33:12

Almighty Father, God, You merely spoke and the heavens were created. You breathed the Word, and all the stars were born. You assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. We praise Your name forever and ever, for You possess all wisdom and power. Father, thank You for blessing the United States of America with abundance and prosperity. Thank You for surrounding our nation with Your favor, grace, and mercy. Jesus, thank You for shedding Your blood for our redemption. Holy Spirit, thank You for Your guidance and power. You are an awesome God!

Heavenly Father, let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in our nation. Your Word states that we are to pray for kings and all people who are in authority, so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives that are marked by godliness and dignity. We know that this is good and acceptable in Your sight. Today, we pray for our new President, Barack Obama, and his presidential administration. We declare that as they prepare to lead our nation, they will trust in You with all of their hearts. They will not depend on their own understanding, but they will seek Your will in all they do and we expect that You, Lord, will show them which path to take when making decisions for the American people.

We decree that our local, state, and national leaders will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful; but their delight will be in the law of the Lord and in His law they will meditate day and night. They will be like trees planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf will not wither and whatever they do will prosper. Gracious Father, some nations boast of their chariots and horses; but we boast in the Name of the Lord, our God.

We submit to Your care, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Timothy Geithner, Robert Gates, Eric Holder, Ken Salazar, Thomas Vilsack, Hilda Solis, Tom Daschle, Shaun Donovan, Ray LaHood, Steven Chu, Arne Duncan, Eric Shinseki, Janet Napolitano, Leon Panetta, Dennis Blair, Lisa Jackson, Robert Mueller, Lawrence Summers, James Jones, Susan Rice, Peter Orszag, Ron Kirk, Robert Gibbs, Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. Congress and all governmental officials.

Holy Spirit, unite this new administration and remind all of our leaders that they are working for the good of the nation and not for the advancement of self. Please help our leaders to put aside “politics” and operate in the best interest of the American people. Heal the wounds that negative politics, fear and ignorance have created within our nation. Empower us, the Body of Christ, to lead the effort in the healing process. Eternal God, Lord of Heaven’s Armies, we ask You to bless and protect our leaders’ families. Please continue to protect our troops and our borders. Increase the courage and strength of our servicemen and women as they fight courageously for our country.

Merciful Father, we repent on behalf of our nation for our many sins. We acknowledge that our actions have created problems that only You can solve. Forgive us for all sin, including greed, arrogance, selfish ambition, disobedience, rebellion, hypocrisy, injustice, jealousy, hatred, violence, ageism, sexism, racism, and dissension. Father, forgive us for shedding innocent blood and denying Your power. We confess that we have not loved the world as You love the world. We ask You to heal our land and make us one, even as You and Jesus are One. Please have mercy upon all of us and help us! As a nation, show us those we need to forgive and help us to forgive.

Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from the evil one.

Now, unto You, the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture References for the Written Text: Psalm 33:6-7, Daniel 2:20, Matthew 6:10, I Timothy 2:1-3, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 11:14, Proverbs 4:6, Proverbs 22:4, Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV), Psalm 20:7, Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:13, I Timothy 1:17
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Get a Grip on Global Climate Change

If you don't believe in global climate change, you MUST watch this short animated video which explains several natural feedback loops which add to our growing dilemma.

Yet. It is not too late, entirely. Watch it and see what you learn.

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo

It IS a matter of peace or war.

Peace is What?

So what is Peace anyhow?

How will we know we have achieved it?

How can we know if it will last?

Consider the words of UN founder Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche:

Peace, to have meaning for many who have known only suffering in both peace and war, must be translated into bread, rice, shelter, health and education as well as freedom and human dignity.

Are you prepared for that level of peace in your heart?

What will it take to bring that kind of peace to our world?

Which of the presidential candidates in the USA will be most likely to build leadership towards this kind of peace?

FOURTH of JULY

Happy Fourth of July!

SING Out for LIBERTY

Independence is more than just doing what we want.

Independence is more than just quitting the day job.

Building a Nation and Building a Business

are both a lot of work.

They both take TIME.

They both require INTERDEPENDENCE.

May your Celebration be Joyful and Filled with Peace and Safety and Gratitude.

Remember the Founders of the

United States of America and the brave

commitments they made to build a nation...

We Hold These Truths to Be Self Evident. . .

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NOTES: Thanks for being a part of my team. Have a great weekend.

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WILD NEWS:

Grass Strangles Baby Penguins see video... nice scenery in Australia


My New Squidoo Lens on Bird-Watching

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Ears at Peace

Just a few posts ago, I mentioned tinnitus, or ringing in your ears. As a preface to peace on the inside leading to peaceful actions on the outside.

Today just a short note.

Details are found at On and Off the Wall if you want to follow along.

Suffice it to say. My ears are much better than I ever imagined since the treatment at the Shea Clinic in Memphis. My hearing has more clarity and even tests out better on the audiology report. I acknowledge this is a PROCESS, not a one time fix-it.

But I also celebrate progress and the ability to think clearly for longer periods of time. I give thanks for this growing internal peace all day everyday.

When this began, there were no treatments available to remedy tinnitus. The prevailing thought was "Too bad, you'll just have to learn to live with it." And Live With It I did for a long time. Now the prevailing thought regarding treatment is to teach people HOW to live with it. And research is focussed on finding causes and cures.

Meanwhile, in Memphis, there stands a surgeon who seeks remedial action for patients now, not twenty years from now. And he has been treating people with success with these techniques for more than 15 years.

I am grateful. People ask me if I am resentful because all of this time I did not know about this procedure. No. I may wish it were different but I am not resentful. My life has been blessed in many ways despite the challenges of severe tinnitus. And perhaps the need to listen "through" the sound has helped me become who I am today with the courage to stand up and express what is important. Be Peace and Do Justice. Live Simply.

I thank God for the guidance and support I had to get me to and through the operations. Both ears are much improved. I need ask for nothing more.

You see, some of that peace has already been growing in a climate of noise and now it has the opportunity to blossom. I can only be thankful.

You might appreciate my newsletter on being thankful. Think Thanks.
An attitude of gratitude supports success.

My Ears Continued

Healing continues with my ears.

God is so gracious. I am so grateful.

How can I be anything but peace in this world?


This clip is from last summer. But the story still "rings" true for the people of this world with ringing ears.

Is there Peace in Your Head?

Exploring the world of non-silence that is my reality really does fit into this peace themed blog.
Fifty million Americans experience tinnitus... ringing in their ears. And the military has begun to notice more and more cases in soldiers returning from Iraq. It is one more toll the road bombs take and leave them with forever.

Put perhaps it is not forever. Researchers are actively creating new approaches to mitigate tinnitus and its sometimes debilitating effects on one's life.

I share a personal journey with tinnitus at a different blog Feel free to check it out and share it someone you know.

Here I want to share an occasional article on some of the factors involved with this very real and invisible condition which somtimes becomes a disability.

Obama Update

Keeping pace with politicos these days...
since it is all connected to peace and how we shall continue to live our lives. . .

Lent is so early this year and the campaigns are so intense it is a real challenge to live with a sense of congruence.

VOTE on TUESDAY USA

Our Nation needs YOUR VOTE.
Our Nation needs real, progressive and POSITIVE transformation.

I believe Barack Obama is the candidate who gives us the best hope of uniting and inspiring the nation to move in that direction.

I believe he also has the ability to restore America's dignity and standing as a member of the global community.

Millions of people are going to the polls this Tuesday to pick our Democratic nominee.

I hope you'll join me in voting for Obama.

My personal wish is for a power-packed team with Obama as president and Hillary as VP
Now that is not impossible... other presidents have chosen their opponents as VP .

Please don;t give us another 4 years of Republicans or Clintons in the White House. '
Give us a break.
Give us Barack.
I respect your right to hold a different view than mine,
but I do want you to know this is a carefully chosen message that I write tonight.

Carol Bellamy on Leadership and Peace

Carol Bellamy, former head of UNICEF,

was a graduate of Gettysburg College.

So was I. We just went at different times.

In recent interviews on campus she spoke

on some really big global issues.

Most essential to my comments on

peace-making are

those regarding foreign study.

(A luxury I have never had in person,

but I knew it was important and

went out of my way to learn more a

bout many cultures with an open mind.)

A few of her remarks are shared here for your peace journey.

"...the globalized world we live in demands new competencies and techonology..."

Celebrity status sends stardom to developing countries.

Yet, Carol Bellamy adds,

"...people who carry both a first name and a last name can make a difference.

It's about choices,not celebrity DNA"

I like that.

I believe each one of us makes a difference everyday.

The choice is ours whether it is a good difference or not.

Carol continues:

..."people need to learn to listen, to learn to care,

to be tolerant of human views and to be intolerant of human suffering."

"Everybody has to make whatever their contribution is,

but I think we have to continue to try

to create an environment in which more attention

is paid to the quality of leadership --

government leadership, private-sector leadership, civil society leadership."

Carol reminds us that going global does not mean ignoring your immediate neighborhood.

"In the US, 1 of 4 kids is born below the poverty line."

She speaks of environmental issues with a different focus. And calls us to recognize that :

"Environmental issues are not just the prerogative of environmental agencies."

When natural disasters occur, the environmental degradation

is greater in countries with fewer protections.

The poorest people of our world live in some of the most fragile areas.

The fact that children of this world continue to die

from diseases or conditions that are preventable is deplorable.

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And so in the shadow of Martin Luther King Day, I beseech you

PAY ATTENTION.

Pay Attention to what your leaders are doing at all levels of government and society.

Pay Attention to more than celebrities and their pets or babies' names.

Pay Attention to what the presidential candidates have
done that MERITS more leadership responsibilities.

Pay Attention to what these candidates say they ARE doing
and WILL do to promote world peace and sustainability.

Pay Attention to their plans for reducing Global Climate Change.
If they have not told you yet, ASK.

In those everyday ways we can act for justice and make a difference.

A difference that will last beyond our lives.

A Great Man of Peace and Justice - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today

"Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major.

Say that I was a drum major for justice.

Say that I was a drum major for peace.

Say that I was a drum major for righteousness.

And all of the other shallow things will not matter.

I won't have any money to leave behind.

I won't have the fine and luxurious things in life to leave behind.

But I just want to leave a committed life behind.

And that's all I want to say.

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

if I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

if I can show somebody he is traveling wrong,

then my living will not be in vain."

Excerpted from "The Drum Major Instinct", a sermon by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968.

Available on CD and print in

A Knock At Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Indeed it is our lives and actions today that continue to MAKE a Difference.

===Let Peace Begin On Earth===

===And Let it Begin with Me. ===

I first heard this song in Wilmington Delaware in 1970 at Gray Elementary School

and it touched my heart and changed my life.

It was this experience with inner-city schools and the children who live there

that planted the seeds of non-violence firmly in my heart.

This many years later.

I see some changes. I some improvements. I see some losses.

And yet... the hope for the future has not failed...

it simply requires more people working for peace

by living with hearts of justice and compassion.

One day at a time.

Bottle Houses in Bolivia

Go ahead and make a house of sand that will work as low income housing and reduce plastic waste disposal problems.

These people did. Peace on earth begins with each person and when one thinks outside the box to solve a problem it helps all of us.

New Year and New thinking

Michael Dowd's book is an exceptional leap to link science and religion at a time when the world continues to debate the issues of global warming and religious wars.

I agree with him when he says

"A sacred evolutionary worldview offers a way for people to make peace with
themselves, each other, and the planet, and no gift could be greater than that
right now.

If this book doesn't end the science and religion war, it's certainly a MAJOR step in the right direction! "

If you don't read it, at least watch the fantastic video trailer for the book! It is a short story of the universe. A very short story.

One path to peace is recognition of our oneness. This story expresses that well.

So, live well. Take action for peace and justice in your part of the world today.