ISIS on my mind, Lifting high the Cross

Went to bed last night and woke up this morning with ISIS on my mind. After another beheading, who can doubt that there is real Evil in the world?

"Our warfare is not against human beings but principalities and powers..." (Ephesians 6:12)

Headed to Church at St Vincent Martyr in Madison, hoping for a prophetic word of peace. Fr. Jose, who turned 35 this week, after the Processional Hymn--"Lift High the Cross"--announced that today was for Adoration of the Cross.

The Cross of Christ, he said, "is a symbol of cruel torture, pain and suffering. But it is also a symbol of Love." He encouraged us to let the sign of the cross be a daily reminder of our connection to the suffering of Christ and the world, to let it be a feature of our life of prayer, of sacrifice and letting go, and the promise of peace, liberation and victory.

After partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we prayed together this prayer for peace through St Michael, the Archangel:
"...be our protection against all evil. Send your holy angels to protect and guide all those who suffer persecution. Strengthen their faith and enliven their hope. Deliver them speedily from all danger...inspire world leaders to work effectively for peace in our day. With your divine assistance, may we overcome violence with compassion, war with peace, and thus establish your law of love and justice on this earth. Amen!"

Let the River Flow: Why WorldHope Corps digs village wells

Sunday Sermon at the The Water's Edge in OB , San Diego, CA. "Woman at the Well" (John 4:7-15) When you think about the gospel story of the Samaritan woman with Jesus at Jacob’s well, I’d like you to picture this Woman at a similar well in northern Malawi. Sitting and talking with Pastor Dennis Singini about water. Her name is Nyang'oma, which means "drum." Her Christian name is Mary Botha. She is 85 years old and lives in a village in the Kampenda area of Northern Malawi. She has cared for 11 children, two of whom have died. And her husband has died. When Dennis and I first met Mary in 2008, her village did not have a deep well or access to clean water. Nor did the six surrounding villages with over 1,500 people. Women and children had to drink with animals from shallow seasonal wells or walk about of 5km away to drink from the closest stream. Sometimes they would get sick and complain of stomach aches. Cholera and dysentery were widespread, and m...

Not Afraid of Death by Julia Esquivel

In reading your blog, Michael, I immediately think of these two poems is poem by Julia Esquivel, from Guatemala, whom I had the pleasure of meeting years ago. Un abrazo, Ada Maria I AM NOT AFRAID OF DEATH I am no longer afraid of death I know well Its dark and cold corridors Leading to life. I am afraid rather of that life Which does not come out of death, Which cramps our hands And slows our march. I am afraid of my fear And even more of the fear of others, Who do not know where they are going, Who continue clinging To what they think is life Which we know to be death! I live each day to kill death; I die each day to give birth to life, And in this death of death, I die a thousand times And am reborn another thousand Through that love From my People Which nourishes hope! THREATEN WITH RESURRECTION They have threatened us with Resurrection There is something here within us which doesn’t let us sleep, which doesn’t let us rest, which doesn’t stop the pounding deep inside. It is t...

Twelve New Wells in Malawi in 2012

New Well for Mayaka UMC sponsored by Church of the Resurrection Villagers in Zomba Mayaka wait their turn for clean water from COR well. WorldHope Corps, Inc. succeeded in drilling 12 new villages wells in 2012, including three for Church of the Resurrection in Leewood, KS; two for World Childrens Fund in San Jose, CA, one for Helen Ford in Ocean Grove, NJ; one for Pittman Presbyterian Church in NJ; and five for local sponsors in Malawi. From 2007-2011, WorldHope Corps drilled a total of 18 wells in northern Malawi by hiring borehole drillers from the southern Malawi. In April, 2012, we acquired our own well rig and equipment, hired our own crew, and learned how to drill wells ourselves. By the end of 2012, we had drilled 12 new wells for a total of 30 wells since 2007! Over 50,000 villages now can drink clean, fresh, safe water and not get sick from water borne diseases. For this we praise God! For 2013, we have 2 more boreholes to drill for Unite...

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