When violence boils over as the inevitable response to systemic racism and injustice, white Americans rush to dust off quotes and images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. “Look at King and Gandhi!” cries white America. “They were nonviolent and they changed the world!” There is some truth in that — but only … Continue reading If we want peace, we must listen to the peaceful cries of the oppressed
Peace
Endless water
I recorded this brief video clip last year while Tammy and I were visiting Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City. We sat for quite some time, just watching the water flow down these steps at the garden's reflecting pool. I found it incredibly soothing then, and happened across it again this week while cleaning out … Continue reading Endless water
Finding inner peace among shadow puppets
What does it look like when we’ve found inner peace? I pondered that question a lot recently, while writing a lay sermon on the topic for church, within the context of Advent. I certainly can’t claim to have a special hold on the topic myself. Admittedly, in the realm of finding inner peace, of not … Continue reading Finding inner peace among shadow puppets
Wage the war that makes all for peace
It appears our society is coming apart at the seams. Our seemingly irreconcilable differences, fueled by bad actors’ desire to capitalize on fear and hatred, drive wedges between us in ways that mirror some of the darkest periods of our national history. You might look at the state of our disunion and reach the … Continue reading Wage the war that makes all for peace
History begs us to avoid another bloody war
We, in the United States, are not very good at learning from history. After our protracted, bloody and ultimately pointless war in Vietnam, the United States adopted the Weinberger Doctrine, designed to prevent wars not vital to our interests, and the kind of aimless blood-letting that carved more than 58,000 names on the Vietnam Memorial … Continue reading History begs us to avoid another bloody war
Praying for Peace with Our Lady of Fatima
After my last piece on thin places, I decided to spend some time today in another of my favorite thin places -- the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, in the small town of Bison, Oklahoma. Quite by accident I noticed (yes, I had overlooked) that today was the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, recalling the … Continue reading Praying for Peace with Our Lady of Fatima
100 years later, World War I offers lessons on war and hate
Art Reed, of Enid, Okla., has learned many lessons from war, from watching his father die a slow death from wounds inflicted in World War I, to his own time as a soldier, and from a chance encounter with the daughters of the German officer he credits with killing his father. Reed, now 81, enlisted in … Continue reading 100 years later, World War I offers lessons on war and hate
Praying their names
A reflection in prayer on the victims from Tree of Life On Sunday our nation learned the names of the 11 victims claimed in our nation’s latest round of senseless, hate-driven gun violence. An anti-Semite, armed with an AR-15 rifle and three handguns, murdered our brothers and sisters while they were worshiping and celebrating the … Continue reading Praying their names
Calming the storm
“A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and … Continue reading Calming the storm
Peace should not be a partisan preference
I don’t much like our president. That’s no secret. But, I do favor peace. I support ending old animosities and preventing unnecessary conflict, and any initiatives to bring prosperity and freedom to the oppressed. For that reason, I applaud our president for his efforts to open dialogue with Kim Jong-un. I pray our nations achieve … Continue reading Peace should not be a partisan preference
James R. Neal 