Angels are visiting Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. At crime scenes and police stations they are appearing. Ten feel tall they stand. Some carry signs saying, “murderers repent.”
At a small evangelical church, teenage boys and girls are painting their faces and their hair with a silver-colored paint. They are writing on signs and building wings. As sirens in the background scream to the scene of yet another crime, these boys and girls get into a van and follow the police vehicles. Getting out of the van, they unfold chairs. Adjusting their long robes, they get on top of these chairs and let the robes fall to the floor. In an area that has been terrorized by crime, these young boys and girls look bravely ahead and boldly call sinners to repent. Their courage is commendable. The risk they take is great. But they do it because of a firm belief that something needs to be done in their city to stop the downward spiral.
I read an article about these “messenger angels” a couple of weeks ago in the New York Times and wanted to record how impressed I felt by what they are doing. Their efforts are inspirational given what Ciudad Juarez has been going through. I think that the bold steps they are taking are clear indications that people are still willing to take great risks in order to promote peace over violence. There are still good people who are working to better society. They have certainly inspired me to stand up for what is right in the face of fear.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Ants
Every day ants get out of their little ant beds, put on their antennas for the day, eat their ant cereal (which usually has depictions of the most popular ant athlete), and get ready for their little ant day. They walk outside to see all the other little ants already making their way to school or to work or wherever they are going.
The ants get into line with everyone else and walk in the same steps, go to the same places. They do this every day. Their little ant teachers give them little (sometimes big) ant assignments and the ants go the the library in a little ant line. They stay there until late and then take the same line back to their little ant homes.
After one little ant did this day after day, he wondered if there might be more to life than staying in the same line as all the other ants. Only, he was scared. He was scared that if he didn't do all the little ant things that he had been told he needed to do, he might not be happy. But all this little ant work wasn't easy and a lot of the time he felt pretty worn out with all the work load that was put on the little ant's back. One night while walking home from the little ant library,the little ant noticed that all of the leaves had fallen off of the tree. The little ant felt sad because he hadn't even seen the leaves fall because he was in the library or too distracted to notice. The little ant thought and couldn't remember the last time that he took five minutes to watch the leaves on the tree. He saw them on the ground and realized that he had hardly even seen them change color. And now they were already off of the tree.
The little ant looked up at the beautiful mountains with snow now lightly blanketing them and wondered at their greatness. The little ant had often wanted to go into the mountains and explore them but most of the time he was too busy and if he did have free time (which was quite rare), he just wanted to relax.
When the little ant got home, he was really tired. Before he went to bed though he looked out his little ant window and saw the sky beautifully lit up by the moon. The clouds looked like islands over a dark blue ocean. The light shined down on the little ant as he walked away from the window and snuggled up with his little ant blanket on his little ant couch (his roommate was snoring so the little ant had to sleep in the living room). The little ant dreamed of spending time reading the little ant books that he wanted to read and doing the little ant projects he thought were important. The next day the little ant got up, put on his little ant antennas, ate his little ant cereal (which usually had a depiction of a little ant athlete), and got back in line with the rest of the little ants to go back to wherever they were going.
The ants get into line with everyone else and walk in the same steps, go to the same places. They do this every day. Their little ant teachers give them little (sometimes big) ant assignments and the ants go the the library in a little ant line. They stay there until late and then take the same line back to their little ant homes.
After one little ant did this day after day, he wondered if there might be more to life than staying in the same line as all the other ants. Only, he was scared. He was scared that if he didn't do all the little ant things that he had been told he needed to do, he might not be happy. But all this little ant work wasn't easy and a lot of the time he felt pretty worn out with all the work load that was put on the little ant's back. One night while walking home from the little ant library,the little ant noticed that all of the leaves had fallen off of the tree. The little ant felt sad because he hadn't even seen the leaves fall because he was in the library or too distracted to notice. The little ant thought and couldn't remember the last time that he took five minutes to watch the leaves on the tree. He saw them on the ground and realized that he had hardly even seen them change color. And now they were already off of the tree.
The little ant looked up at the beautiful mountains with snow now lightly blanketing them and wondered at their greatness. The little ant had often wanted to go into the mountains and explore them but most of the time he was too busy and if he did have free time (which was quite rare), he just wanted to relax.
When the little ant got home, he was really tired. Before he went to bed though he looked out his little ant window and saw the sky beautifully lit up by the moon. The clouds looked like islands over a dark blue ocean. The light shined down on the little ant as he walked away from the window and snuggled up with his little ant blanket on his little ant couch (his roommate was snoring so the little ant had to sleep in the living room). The little ant dreamed of spending time reading the little ant books that he wanted to read and doing the little ant projects he thought were important. The next day the little ant got up, put on his little ant antennas, ate his little ant cereal (which usually had a depiction of a little ant athlete), and got back in line with the rest of the little ants to go back to wherever they were going.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Letters
About a month ago I was finishing up the audiobook version of David McCullough's John Adams. I was utterly amazed at the life that this man led, along with the deep love that he had for his wife. While listening to it, I realized that one of the reasons that we have so much information about the life of this man, along with the relationships that he held with friends and family members (aside from his journal), is because he wrote letters.
I remember thinking how I wanted to start sending letters around to people, friends, people I met while in El Salvador, family, etc. Doesn't the idea of it sound somewhat Romantic? Doesn't a letter, hand-written have more of an appeal than a typed up email?
I still like getting emails from people too though.
With technology making everything so easy (and instantaneous), there is this great opportunity to keep in contact with people like never before. I've got a roommate in Taiwan and we've been sending little things back and forth. It's been a blast and I've chuckled a time or two looking back on the way we express ourselves through writing.
I guess what I'm saying is, writing is about communication. It's also about creating a record. It's also pretty fun and provides a conduit that leads back to countless memories that would have been forgotten if you would have not recorded them in that letter or journal.
I remember thinking how I wanted to start sending letters around to people, friends, people I met while in El Salvador, family, etc. Doesn't the idea of it sound somewhat Romantic? Doesn't a letter, hand-written have more of an appeal than a typed up email?
I still like getting emails from people too though.
With technology making everything so easy (and instantaneous), there is this great opportunity to keep in contact with people like never before. I've got a roommate in Taiwan and we've been sending little things back and forth. It's been a blast and I've chuckled a time or two looking back on the way we express ourselves through writing.
I guess what I'm saying is, writing is about communication. It's also about creating a record. It's also pretty fun and provides a conduit that leads back to countless memories that would have been forgotten if you would have not recorded them in that letter or journal.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Calm After The Storm
I was thinking about how peaceful I was feeling when the thought crossed my mind "This is like the calm after the storm." It took me a second to realize the mistake I had made in the well-known phrase "the calm before the storm." Isn't it true though, that there is a calm after every storm?
I think about the apostles of Jesus as they toiled across the Sea of Galilee (which is actually a lake I might add) against contrary winds. They awakened their Master and he calmed the storm. How symbolic of the storms that He calms in our own lives.
I feel like for the last few weeks I have been scrambling, always one project behind, one day behind, one minute behind. This weekend I finally felt the calm after the storm. No doubt this calm only precedes the next storm, but at least for a few days, hours, minutes, I have peace--and oh how thankful I am for it!
I think about the apostles of Jesus as they toiled across the Sea of Galilee (which is actually a lake I might add) against contrary winds. They awakened their Master and he calmed the storm. How symbolic of the storms that He calms in our own lives.
I feel like for the last few weeks I have been scrambling, always one project behind, one day behind, one minute behind. This weekend I finally felt the calm after the storm. No doubt this calm only precedes the next storm, but at least for a few days, hours, minutes, I have peace--and oh how thankful I am for it!
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