Pacifist Psalm

Psalm 120
1I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.

2 Save me, O LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

3 What will he do to you,
and what more besides, O deceitful tongue?

4 He will punish you with a warrior's sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom tree.

5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!

6 Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

7 I am a man of peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

Happy Christmas (War Is Over) 1971
By John Lennon

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas War is over
For weak and for strong If you want it
For rich and the poor ones War is over
The world is so wrong Now
And so Happy Christmas War is over
For black and for white If you want it
For yellow and red ones War is over
Let's stop all the fight Now

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas War is over
And what have we done If you want it
Another year over War is over
And a new one just begun Now
And so Happy Christmas War is over
I hope you have fun If you want it
The near and the dear one War is over
The old and the young Now

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over if you want it
War is over now

My Advent prayer for all of you

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

~Romans 15:13

Franciscan view on impeachment

This was a fascinating find- a older gentleman who calls himself a "secular Franciscan," blogged the following at: http://sfojourney.blogspot.com

NeoCons and Christ

There is a good read I came across on Jim Wallis' blog. It's entitled, "NeoConservativism and Christain Faith. I enjoyed reading it. I'm grateful that there are Christians like Jim Wallis. I read yesterday that Senator Hagel is talking impeachment of the president if he can't be held accountable. I don't think it's if. There is no doubt that George Bush is and has been off the reservation for some time. I also think it'll be the Republicans who will wind up impeaching him after we go to war with Iran. The Democrats don't have the stomach or the political will. We really only have one effective political party in the United States these days. We've become dangerously like the old Soviet Union. We have become a one party system. The Democrats have become the "New Jersey Generals" of politics.

As I understand it, a "secular Franciscan" is simply a lay-person (not a priest or monk) who practices a Christianity as understood and taught by St. Francis of Assisi, one of my favorite Catholic Saints (I'm Lutheran). Here is the beautiful Prayer of St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith:
Where there is despair, hope:
Where there is darkness, light:
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love:

For it is in giving that we receive:
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned:
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen