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Contents
¬ Lessons from mindful gardening by Susan Mark Landis
¬ Otterville by Merrill R. Miller
¬ A campaign for abundant life by Theo Sitther
¬ It's time to build a new world by Max Ediger
¬ Congregations and immigration: What does God say? by Susan Mark Landis
¬ Save me from my tongue by Brother James Dowd
¬ Revisiting cluster bombs by Tom Beutel
¬ Prayer for peace
¬ Readers respond to the June issue
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Road Construction
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Lessons from mindful gardening
by Susan Mark Landis
Years ago, my spiritual director suggested that I plant sage in my herb garden. She knows I need contact with wisdom in whatever form. Typically I have three types of sage in the garden, since her advice is worth heeding several times over.
<read more>
Otterville
by Merrill R. Miller
"Otterville" is copyrighted and is not to be reproduced in any form without permission. Contact Merrill Miller at <merrill@mph.org>
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Capitol Reflection
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A campaign for abundant life
by Theo Sitther
The biblical vision for abundant life articulates an economic system that meets basic human needs for all people. The biblical narrative, from the Old Testament through Jesus in the Gospels to Paul's writing, calls on the church to respond to the needs of our neighbors both near and far.
<read more>
| Do you pray on paper?
Almost 200 people/congregations rely on the weekly prayers for peace we send them. Here are past prayers: http://peace.mennolink.org/iraq_a_prayers.html.
Some congregations forward the prayers to their members, some print and distribute them on Sunday mornings, some display them on a front screen for meditation as people come in for worship, or read them when lighting the peace lamp. One teacher uses them in her Catholic school. Each week we receive emails from people expressing appreciation for the prayers.
- Would you consider writing a prayer?
- Can you suggest names of people we should ask?
- Would you like to receive the prayers?
Please send a message to Krista Martin request the prayers or the guidelines for writing prayers. |
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WorldViews
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It's time to build a new world
by Max Ediger
Part 3 of a 5-part series on Agent Orange.
Mr. Huynh Van Thiet is 86 years old now. From 1962 until 1969 he served in the North Vietnamese army and led patrols along the east side of the Truong Son mountain range where the Ho Chi Minh Trail served as a link between the North and South. Many times planes flew over his unit, spraying the mountains with Agent Orange and other herbicides. The people tried to protect themselves from the poisons with plastic sheets but still the toxins entered their lungs and bloodstream. Today Mr. Thiet suffers from severe pain in his bones, his teeth have fallen out and heart problems burden him.
<read more>
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Peace Currents
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Congregations and immigration: What does God say?
by Susan Mark Landis
An interview with M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas), PhD. Daniel is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary and will be the keynote speaker for And You Welcomed Me: A consultation of the people of God on immigration <http://mennonitemission.net/immigration/>.
<read more>
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Peace Before The Sun Goes Down
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Save me from my tongue
by Brother James Dowd
As a monk, I often find myself thinking about the desert, which is, of course, where Christian monasticism first developed. In fact, we monks are taught from our earliest days to see the monastery and, in particular, our cells, as a kind of desert--even if you live in the very green and rainy (at least this year) Hudson Valley of New York State!
<read more>
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Balancing Acts
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Revisiting cluster bombs
by Tom Beutel
The April issue of PeaceSigns included an excellent and informative article by Titus Peachy (< http://peace.mennolink.org/cgi-bin/m.pl?a=605>) describing the problem of cluster bombs and the Mennonite Central Committee-sponsored cluster bomb postcard campaign. This issue is one that on the surface seems insurmountable, but is one that each of us can do something about.
Student Aid Fund for Nonregistrants
PLEASE NOTE: Application deadline is September 1.
The purpose of this special non-budget fund is to help replace potential government grants and loans lost by students who for reasons of Christian conscience choose not to register with the U.S. Selective Service System. Applicants are asked to complete a statement outlining their reasons for choosing not to register.
The goal of the Student Aid Fund for Nonregistrants (SAFNR) is to replace the same amount of grants and loans that young men are denied. SAFNR is available
- to any nonregistrant attending a Mennonite Church USA college or seminary and
- to any nonregistrant attending a congregation of Mennonite Church USA and enrolled in undergraduate or graduate studies in other-than-Mennonite institutions.
Funds for grants, loans, mailings and staff time to administer this program come solely from donations. Thanks to your contributions, we have been able to replace student grants. However we need to borrow to offer loans, and interest rates continue to increase. Our goal is to become self-sufficient over the next few years by reducing the need to borrow these funds.
For more information, read our guidelines at http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/safnrdoc.html.
To apply, print out the application form (http://peace.mennolink.org/resources/safnrform.pdf) and mail it to the address listed on the form.
We invite:
- your prayers for these young men during this time of heightened emphasis on war. More than 25 states have enacted legislation restricting non-registrants' access to state education benefits or employment, and many states are now enacting legislation linking registration with the privilege of obtaining a driver's license. For more information on these developments see http://www.sss.gov/FSdrivers.htm.
- your contributions to the fund.
- your suggestions of other people and congregations who might want to contribute.
To donate and for more information, see https://giving.mennoniteusa.org/project/detail/2543. |
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Praying for Peace
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Prayer for peace
This month's prayer was written by Anne Meyer Byler, Reference and Instruction Librarian at Goshen College.
<read more>
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Reader Response
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Readers respond to the June issue
Reader responses and editorial corrections from our June issue.
<read more>
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