main cow pic

12.15.11

O Little Town of Bethlehem…

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel — 8:26 pm

This time of year (especially after approximately 2500 hours of Christmas Service rehearsals!), I find my thoughts drifting back to what I saw in Bethlehem.  It was inspiring and disturbing and confusing and moving…and honestly, changed my life.  (You can read profoundly wise words from Lynne Hybels about peacemaking in the Middle East HERE).  So in honor of this wonderful and deeply troubled town, here are a few pictures and thoughts from modern day Bethlehem.

Just hover over each picture to bring up my short description…

11.17.11

The Third Side is Us (a brilliant 18 minutes)

Filed under: Palestine / Israel — 9:12 pm

In 2010, I had the opportunity to go on two trips to the Middle East.  We met with Muslim, Jewish, and Christian brothers and sisters in both Israel and Palestine, and learned as much as we could about the conflict.  It was heartbreaking and inspiring and confusing and deeply troubling, and it changed my life.  (You can read a blog from when I returned from trip one HERE, and a series of blogs after my second trip HERE.)

Today I watched this wildly inspiring and insightful TED talk about peacemaking in the broader sense…while also using the Middle East as an example.  For anyone who is interested in bridging conflict – either in your family or work or town or world – these are 18 brilliant minutes.

10.22.11

Actual faith in our actual lives

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel — 11:48 am

If you are someone who is trying to follow Jesus with your actual life, then I highly recommend this stunning video.  It may be the most moving 23 minutes you have all week.  (It certainly was for me!)

Daoud Nassar is an Arab Palestinian Christian who is living out his faith in an enormously difficult situation.  Most people (possibly many Christians) would give up or turn to violence, but because he follows Jesus, he chooses another way…

Here’s the question it raised in me:  Does my claim to follow Jesus actually affect how I live?  Really?  When I was younger and in more fundamentalist circles, it was easy to be like Jesus and unlike “the world”:  don’t drink, smoke, or listen to secular (cool) music.  Seriously, that was it.  As long as a person didn’t do most of the things on the bad list, they were “living for Jesus”.

But reducing the epic invitation of Jesus (to join Him in bringing beauty and justice and grace back into this world) to an arbitrary checklist is a cosmic tragedy where everybody loses.

However, once we are able to set that checklist mentality aside, we have to ask much more difficult, subtle, honest questions of ourselves:  Is this life I’m living a result of my faith, or would I live this exact way regardless of my faith?  Am I simply living the life I want to live, and then overlaying the christian brand on it?  Is it possible that control and ambition and comfort are my gods, and God is just my means to get them?

I don’t like even writing these questions down because then I have to wrestle with them.

And this is why people like Daoud Nassar (and Shane Claiborne and Mother Theresa) are so inspiring and unsettling to me.  Their lives are unexplainable without Jesus.  There is no rational rationale for why they live the way they live other than trying to put Jesus’ teachings into practice.  And the paths they’ve chosen would be impossible without Jesus, as well.

I guess this is what I’m most worried about:  With or without Jesus, most of my life is very explainable.

08.24.11

From activist to peacemaker

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel,quotes — 7:09 pm

As many of you know, my mother-in-law Lynne is a passionate, brave advocate for the poor and oppressed around the world.  I’ve learned a ton from her – particularly about the complex conflict in the Middle East – and continue to follow her lead in many ways.  She recently commented that she is…

“…in the process of moving from being an activist (angry about injustice and determined to fight it) to wanting to be an authentic peacemaker (responding with compassion and wisdom to victims on both sides of the conflict).  It’s a lot easier to be an activist than a peacemaker.”

I found this to be both inspiring and deeply challenging.  It’s so easily to rage against what is wrong (and there is a time for that, I suppose), but only peacemakers change the world.  (Tomorrow, I’m going to post a new blog post called “We all Want to Change the World”)

If you’re interested in learning more about making peace in the middle east, Lynne just posted a fantastic Middle East resource list on her blog.  It’s really worth checking out and digging into.  As Americans, we are all a part of this conflict (huge amounts of our tax dollars go to Israel and Palestine, and our political positions play a huge role in peace or strife), so let’s learn as much as we can…and be peacemakers in the widest possible sense!

a painting I saw on the wall in Bethlehem: Lady Liberty weeping over Handala (forgotten Palestinian Refugees)

08.01.11

What the world needs now (especially me)

Filed under: God's movement,leadership,Palestine / Israel — 10:50 am

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. Even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained; and even in the best of all hearts, there remains a small corner of evil.”

Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in The Gulag Archipelago

I often think about this quote in terms of the Israeli-Palestinian mess, or any kind of religious conflict, but can you imagine if our country’s political leaders believed this? What would Washington look like if each person was so aware of their own contradictions that they could disagree passionately without ever demonizing “the other side”?

But that’s easy. Here’s a more difficult question: What would MY life look like if I could fully internalize this truth and let it infuse every part of me? What if I could pursue what I thought was right without having to prove the other wrong? What if I could learn to see and value the good and beauty inside ‘my enemies’? What if I became an absolute expert on the evil corners of my own heart, and instead of wallowing or denying, I humbly held on to grace?

I have resorted to “either/or” “bad vs good” thinking way too many times in my life. (And wouldn’t you know it, but I always happen to find myself on the “good” side. What a coincidence!). There is a time to stand up and courageously speak the truth as we see it, but I’m really tired of all the sawdust in my eyes getting in the way. (M 7) There must be a better path.

O God, please have mercy on us all. Give us eyes to really see, ears to really hear, and hearts to take it all in.

05.14.11

The violence between Christians and Muslims

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel — 9:31 am

If you want an inside, authentic perspective on the escalating violence between Christians and Muslims in the middle east, check out this fantastic short interview.  Sami Awad is a Palestinian Christian leader who is giving his life to non-violence and peace-making…and is the REAL DEAL.  (My mother-in-law knows him quite well and has the utmost respect for his character and work.)

04.15.11

the limits of our categories

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel — 9:48 am

One of my Palestinian heroes for peace recently made the comment:  “I don’t think it’s helpful to divide this conflict into ‘Muslims vs. Jews’ or ‘Palestinians vs. Israelis’ or ‘Islam vs. Christianity’.  I think it’s much more helpful (and accurate) to see this conflict as ‘people working for peace vs. people working against peace’”.

steps in the West Bank

There are peaceful Muslims and violent Muslims.  There are peaceful Israelis and violent Israelis.  There are peaceful Christians and violent Christians.  Rather than blindly defending our tribe and demonizing all others, what if we united with peace-loving people of all traditions to join God’s work of reconciliation?  Rather than aligning ourselves exclusively with “our kind”, what if we aligned ourselves to this mission of peace, and invited any other lover of that mission to join us?  Can you imagine how much Redemptive Good we could do together?

This doesn’t mean leaving or compromising our traditions.  In fact, some could argue that as a Christian, choosing to be a peacemaker with “my enemies” would actually make me more Christian.  Jesus was very clear about peacemaking and very clear about how to engage our enemies, and I think a follower of Christ is best defined by what we do, rather than what group we belong to.  (Matt 25:31, Matt 21:28, Matt 7:17))

More and more, I worry that our old categories often do more harm than good.  But I’m not entirely sure what to do about it.  How can we find new, more accurate, more gracious, more bridge-building categories with plenty of room inside?  Or taking it further, will we ever be able to move beyond categories?  Should we?  What do you think?

03.24.11

Take “the other” out to lunch

Filed under: creativity,God's movement,Palestine / Israel — 3:27 pm

This is sincerely one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever seen.  It’s not a complicated idea – in fact, it’s very simple – but I honestly believe that it’s the kind of idea that would change the world…if we actually did it.  Would you take 11 minutes and watch?

Like I wrote last week, I believe that our current polarized, either/or, “us vs. them” culture is the single greatest threat to humanity.  Whether politics or culture or (most of all) religion, our mistrust and demonization of “the other” causes so much pain and violence and destruction.  But rather than beginning huge and globally, let’s begin personally…

Who is “the other” to you?

Who do you naturally mistrust?  Who are you the quickest to blame?
Who would you never want to be “lumped in with”?
Is it a specific person, or a specific kind of person?  Is it an ethnicity?
Is it a certain kind of belief-system?  Or a political perspective?
Who do you have heated, fictional debates with (in your head)?
Who is the last person that you’d want to be on a two day road trip with?
What is the last kind of person that you’d want your friend or kid to marry?

Really…honestly…who is “the other” to you?
And would you consider taking them out to lunch some time in April?  Can we commit to it together?

There are two “others” that come to mind for me.  One will be enjoyable because I’m excited to learn more, but the other will be really, really difficult.  I don’t want to…at all!  But I commit to these two connections – and to let you all know how they go.  If you don’t see a post about it by the end of April, that means I chickened out!   Call me on it!

And I’d love to hear your story also.  Please share!  What did you learn?  How did it go?  We need your courage to rub off on the rest of us.  Blessed are the peace-makers…

03.12.11

Jesus, Peter King, and Islamaphobia

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel — 11:18 am

"Keeping an Eye on Each Other"

As you know, I’m feeling more and more concerned with the widening distance between Christians and Muslims in America (and the world), and more and more captured by Jesus’ call to be a peacemaker.  Bridges are more beautiful than bombs, and I want to spend my one and only life humbly discovering commonality, rather than fearfully magnifying differences.

And so the current Congressional hearings about “The Radicalization of Muslims in the US” trouble me.  I fully support and am thankful for our government’s role in protecting it’s citizens, but I fear this is the wrong way.  However, I’m not entirely sure!  What do you think?  Would you consider checking out these three links and letting me know your perspective?

(1) Here is CNN’s coverage of the hearings:  Peter T King news

(2) This is a perspective from the brilliant Miroslav Volf:   A Political Spectacle that Perpetuates Prejudice

(3) Finally, here is a beautiful blog post from Lynne Hybels:  An Apology to my Muslim Friends

Would you consider taking 30 minutes to read through these three short articles, wrestle with the ideas, and share your perspective?  What do you believe is the best path to peace and security and justice today?  And how do you feel called to participate in it?  In what ways are you wrestling with all this?  I’m trying to form my own opinion, and would find your thoughts helpful.  Thanks!!!

02.24.11

Trying to make sense of our Middle East policy

Filed under: Palestine / Israel — 9:45 pm

I was really confused and disappointed last week when our government vetoed the UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements.  I’m certainly not an expert, but here are the cliff notes…

building settlements in Bethlehem

What are Settlements? The government of Israel has been acquiring Palestinian land and building their own neighborhoods there.  Israel believes that it’s ultimately their land (given by God), but the entire international community calls them illegal (in direct violation of UN resolution 242).  Even the United States, Israel’s strongest ally, has repeatedly called settlement building “illegitimate” and “the biggest obstacle to peace.”

One of the men we met with in Palestine told us, with a pained look on his face, that “building settlements during peace talks is like two people deciding how to split a pizza while one continues to eat the pizza.”

Last Friday, the Palestinian Authority proposed a UN resolution, sponsored by 100+ other countries, calling settlement building “illegal”.  The 14 other security council members voted “yes”, but the United States voted “no” and vetoed the bill.  Settlement building is unjust, against the will of the entire international community, an obstacle to peace, and against our own interests…and yet we still voted to protect it.  So hard to understand.  But here are a few perspectives…

The story – in case you missed it.

Last Friday at the UN – this is a REALLY gracious perspective from my friend Todd, who spent a number of years working for the State Department.

When Will 3.5 million Palestinians Get Their Chance for Freedom – fantastic, honest words from a really smart professor

A video from my friend Greg – talking about settlements while standing on his property in the West Bank…looking at the Settlement in his family’s back yard

Another Peace Process Trifecta – this is a piece written from a completely different vantage point, illustrating the complexity of this situation.

01.30.11

Jews, Muslims, and Christians

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel — 10:03 am

As I’ve been getting involved in the Middle East, many things have risen to the surface.  Here are two:

Three Faiths

(1) My life is WAY too homogeneous. Most of my friends are Christians, only a few are Jewish, and I don’t have a single Muslim friend.  One out of five people on earth are Muslim, but I’m not in a meaningful relationship with even one.  This is a problem.  I don’t want to be this guy.  So one of my biggest goals of 2011 is to build friendships across as many divides as possible…

Thursday night we went to the Abrahamic Traditions Dinner – a gathering of all three monotheistic religions.  We were a table of Christians, hosted by The Niagara Foundation (a Muslim organization) at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.  It was just a small step, but such a great experience.  I’m embarrassed at how rare these moments have been in my life.

The second learning is (2) We are all WAY more similar than dissimilar. First, as human beings, we’re made of the same stuff!  We love our families, get hungry, long for Eternity, love to laugh, get gripped by fear, want the world to be better, etc…it’s amazing how much people are people are people, no matter where they were born.  The video below is of a kid I met in Hebron (a really rough Palestinian city).  He was awesome and reminded me so much of my own kid.  Henry would have loved him!!

But more than our humanity, I was surprised and moved to learn how much common ground we had as people of faith.  Christians, Muslims, and Jews all trace their beginnings back to the same person:  Father Abraham!  And even though we retain strong, distinct differences, we also share many beliefs and convictions.  For example, both Christians and Jews share a deep reverence and respect for the Torah (the Old Testament)…we have the same roots!  And I was humbled to learn how highly Muslims think of Jesus.  In fact, much of what is written about him in the Qu’ran resonates deeply with the Bible.  Very inspiring.

I’m not trying to minimize the very real differences – pretending that we’re all exactly the same – but there are many similarities to celebrate and build on.  And as a follower of Christ, I want to maximize what we share and build as many bridges as possible.  Blessed are the peacemakers!

12.20.10

the line between good and evil

Filed under: God's movement,Palestine / Israel,quotes — 3:30 pm

-

For some reason, I’ve had a handful of conversations in the last 24 hours that have brought to mind a famous quote by Solzhenitsyn.  One was about creationism/evolution (which I believe is a really unhelpful either/or debate), one was about Israel/Palestine, and one was actually a blog about atheism by Ricky Gervais.  In each situation, both sides were claiming to be “the good guys”, and they built their case by making the other side “the bad guys”.  In order to be 100% right, I need to prove that you’re 100% wrong.  Right?

This polarizing, either-or, good vs. bad thinking is the source of so much conflict on earth – whether between nations or religions or friends or spouses.  And I hate to admit how often I slip into it.  But here’s a freight train of a quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn:

“It was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. Even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained; and even in the best of all hearts, there remains a small corner of evil.

“…If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

12.05.10

What I Saw in the Middle East (part 7)

Filed under: Palestine / Israel — 1:05 pm

Thanks so much for stopping by this week!  I hope it’s been helpful or interesting in some way.  This last blog is a story and then my dream for how we Americans might approach the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…

In front of the Dome of the Rock

Al Asqa Mosque

We had the rare opportunity to visit inside both The Dome of the Rock and Al Asqa Mosque.
After Mecca and Medina, these are the holiest sites in Islam…and we considered it a huge honor to enter the sacred space of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and very thankful to our gracious host.

After visiting The Dome of the Rock, and even getting to touch the rock (that Muslims believe Muhammad ascended from), he led us across the temple mount and into the stunning Al Asqa Mosque.

Shells collected after the fighting

But when we got to certain cabinet, our host gathered us around.  In 2000, Arial Sharon (Israeli political figure) marched into this area with 1000 Israeli police officers and declared it forever in Israeli control.  This was a very provocative act and many believe it began the Second Intifada.  In the next five days of violence, 47 Palestinians and 5 Israelis were killed.  (The 5 year “uprising” would claim 5500 Palestinian and over 1100 Israeli lives. Tragic.)

Our host pointed to a cabinet (pictured right) full of the Israeli shells, gas cartridges, and ammunition picked up inside the Mosque after all the fighting.  Getting a little quiet, leaning toward us, he pointed to the used weapons and said “made in America”.  We were speechless.

Now obviously, the situation is more complex than this, but when Israel acts – especially militarily – much of the world sees America as complicit.  (We give Israel $2-3 Billion per year…about $7 Million per day.  And we also veto any action that the UN security council tries to take to enforce international law in Israel.  We fund and protect the State of Israel in many ways.)

And so when you’re in Bethlehem – a city under heavy Israeli military occupation – it’s no surprise to stumble upon this graffiti on the wall…

graffiti from the wall in Bethlehem

One of the heaviest realizations of my journey has been that America has become largely one-sided.  We talk about peace while building the army of one side against the other.  And as Father Chacour says, this only adds to the conflict.  I am thrilled that the US is unshakably pro-Israel.  Me too!!  We need to be deeply committed to their security and right to be a nation, especially in such a hostile part of the world.  But I wish we could be equally pro-Palestine:  deeply committed to their equality, human dignity, and right to be a nation.

Can you imagine if the U.S. was not simply known as “friend of Israel”, but “friend of Peace”?  Can you imagine if we weren’t just known for helping the strong get stronger, but also for helping the powerless find their place?

It’s hard to say what our governments are going to do.  Honestly, things feel so broken that I’m not very optimistic.

But I want to be a person of peace.

I want to embrace the glorious humanity on both sides and be a voice for equality and dignity and justice.  I want to help both (every!) stories get told in a way that humanizes instead of demonizes.  I want to speak Truth whenever necessary and be a force for Grace whenever possible.  As someone who is trying to follow Christ’s example, I want to play some tiny role in “God’s will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven”.

Lady Liberty weeping over Palestine

Let me end with one more image from the wall in Bethlehem.  This is a picture of The Statue of Liberty weeping over Palestine.  (She is holding Handala – a symbol of Palestinian refugees).  After seeing so much anger and ugliness, finding this image of compassion stopped me in my tracks.  I thought: “What if the world saw us like this – brokenhearted over all the suffering – rather than paying for the bombs?”  And even better, “What if this was really true?”

I’m still at the beginning of this journey and have SO much to learn from SO many people.  But I can’t turn back.  Oh God, please help me to love who you love (everybody), serve who you serve (everybody), and be about what You came to earth to do (proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, sight for the blind, and set the oppressed free.)
Luke 4:18-19

Peace, friends
Aaron

12.04.10

What I saw in the Middle East (part 6)

Filed under: Palestine / Israel — 9:04 am

In the same way that the American political dialogue is often two extreme voices shouting at each other, the middle east conflict often sounds the same.  At least in the media.  But one of the most encouraging discoveries during my trip was that there are WAY more moderate, peace-loving Israelis and WAY more moderate, peace-loving Palestinians than CNN or FOX News ever tells us.

Danny teaching us about modern day Jerusalem

One of these inspiring voices is Danny Seidemann.  Danny is an Israeli attorney, passionate “Zionist”, and a leading expert in legal and public issues in Jerusalem.  But in spite of his commitment to Israel – or precisely because of it – Danny is absolutely committed to speaking the truth to power and helping both sides find a sustainable peace.  As he gave us a tour of the greater Jerusalem area, he blew our minds and said “The destruction of the two-state solution is the existential threat to the State of Israel.  But the end of occupation is the liberation of Israel.”

Here’s my understanding of what he was saying.  The Zionist dream was built on three principles:  (1) A Jewish state, (2) All the historic land, and (3) A democracy.  But many clear-minded people are beginning to realize that all three are no longer possible.  For example, a) If Israel become a pure democracy on this historic land, it will eventually become a minority to the growing Arab population and cease to become a Jewish state.  Or b) If Israel decides to remain a pure Jewish state on this land, then it will become a non-democracy with the few ruling the many – and lose international support.  Basically, Israel must choose two out of three, and the only way is the Two State Solution.  So, in Danny’s mind (and many other Israelis and Palestinians), it is in the best interest of Israel to do what is in the best interest of Palestine…allow them to become their own sovereign state.  This is one of many examples where blessing Palestine is, in fact, blessing Israel.

Danny then turned to us and said “The problem is really not very complicated, but most people have a vested interest in the conflict continuing.”

However, some are choosing the other path.  (1) Salim Munayer, Palestinian Christian, decides to start Musalaha as a bridge of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.  He told us “If my theology isn’t a blessing to my enemies, then it isnt a proper theology.”  (2) Israeli human rights group B’Tselem believes that human dignity trumps even nationality, and has committed to help their government make the most humane choices.  They led us on a tour of Hebron – showing us the painful reality.  (3) Or George Sa’adeh, principal of the Greek Orthodox school in Beit Sahour and Deputy Mayor of Bethlehem.  In 2002, his 12 year old daughter was killed by Israeli soldiers in front of him.  But instead of revenge, he forgave the soldier on the spot (it was a case of mistaken identity) and went on to join the Bereaved Families Forum – which is a group of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost family members to the violence.

These brave women and men inspire me like crazy.  I want to be more like them – whether in international matters or just in my daily life.  Blessed are the peacemakers, indeed.

(The final post coming tomorrow!)

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