More response to the health care letter …
This email (in response to my previous open letter) reflects what a lot of people feel ...
I just wanted to write to you and say thank you very much for your open letter. It said so much of what I have been feeling and thinking with great eloquence and simplicity. I have been afraid to speak out as most of my friends as "hard right" conservatives with some believing vehemently every conspiracy theory imaginable. Your letter gave me courage and I have posted a link to it on my facebook account. No doubt I will get some hazing....!
During the recent years I have been disheartened and discouraged by how so many high profile Christians have acted. The 2008 election brought a new wave of shame as I saw the vitriol and hate ramp up. I thought it couldn't get much worse but the current health care reform debate, specifically the disgraceful conduct of people at the town halls, have sadly, proven me wrong.
I have shed tears in prayer over the terrible witness of professing Christians. I must admit I was losing hope that things could ever change in this country. The honesty in your letter has reminded me that God is indeed faithful. That His timing is perfect and that His purposes sure. I will continue to pray and continue to hope. To strive to live according to the Word and the teachings of our Lord.
Above all - I will continue to strive to live according to the commandment that God gave us. To love others as we love ourselves.
Lastly - thank you for showing me that there are some conservative Christians who are not racist, gun toting, vein popping people with toxic anger! And thank you for reminding me to pray for these people the most. May God have mercy on His children and may we continue to be salt to the world.
0 Comments2 Minutes
Ramadan 2009: Part 3
(Continued ...)
This desire to build relationships and seek collaboration with people of other cultures and religions has been strong in my life for as long as I remember, even before writing EMC.
But it got even stronger when Phyllis Tickle invited me to write the introductory volume to a series of books she was planning. The series would explore seven practices shared by the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The book was called Finding Our Way Again. I concluded the book with the dramatic story of St. Francis in the court of the Sultan of Egypt, Malik Al-Kamil, where a Christian and a Muslim individual each transcended the hostility of their warring religious communities long enough to respect one another as human beings. As I wrote the book, I felt how much we needed more Christians to follow the path of St. Francis today, and I rededicated myself, before God, to that pathway.
One of the seven practices shared among Abrahamic faiths, of course, is fasting. But fasting among most Christians is haphazard at best. Most of what I wrote about my own experience of fasting in the book veered towards the humorous, because when it came to fasting, I was admittedly a clumsy neophyte.
All of this was simmering on the back burner last year when Nadyne Parr came up to me and told me about her group Peace Moms. She told me how a Muslim woman and fellow mom named Soraya Deen had become her friend, and for the last two years, Nadyne had joined Soraya in observing the fast of Ramadan. As soon as she told me this, something in my heart said, “Yes! This is a good thing! I should join them!”
So Nadyne kept checking back with me to see if I was serious. I knew I needed a Muslim partner to do for me what Soraya was doing for Nadyne. My first choice was Eboo Patel, a fellow writer and blogger whose work I respect greatly. (If you’ve never read Acts of Faith or learned about the work of Interfaith Youth Core, now is the time to do so.) My hunch was that Eboo might be too busy to add to his duties being my partner in Ramadan, but he responded with warmth and enthusiasm to the idea.
I had shared the idea with a few Christian friends who I know also believe in the importance of interfaith friendship. One of them told me he had already been observing Ramadan for over twenty years, and it had become his favorite month of the year. Another told me he had a lot of friends who he thought would join in too. So here we are … without a lot of lead time … we’ve decided to embark on this journey of faith and friendship.
If your heart moves you, you can find a Muslim friend and see if he or she would be your partner or fast-friend as well. If you're a blogger and would like to participate, and you'd like to be listed on a synchro-blog list ...
(more after the jump)
0 Comments6 Minutes
Q & R: electronic versions of my books …
A would-be-reader asked:
I've been trying to buy your book in electronic format.
It is available through Sony and through Amazon. However, both of these services are not available outside the united states.
Is there anywhere else those of us who do not have the privilage to live in the USA can get this electronicly.
I have an eReader and would like to read it on this as opposed to as "dead tree book".
Let me know ASAP (today??).
I'm sorry you're having this frustration. This is something we're working on with my future books - to be sure this sort of thing is facilitated from the start. With my older books, I think they'll eventually become available in a variety of digital formats outside the US, but since I'm not a million-seller, it will happen gradually. I wish I could speed up the process somehow! Please accept my apologies and shared disappointment.
0 Comments1 Minutes
brighten your day …
My friend Claudio Oliver sent this link to a song by his friend Dago Schelin. He said it would add happiness to my day, and he was right. Beautiful song, great videography too. Enjoy!
One note samba from Dago Schelin on Vimeo.
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