Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
The path out of here....
"I believed that God had spared me during the genocide for a reason: to talk to as many people as possible about how he had touched my heart amidst the holocaust and taught me to forgive. I was to bear witness to how this one act can save a soul crippled by hatred and sickened by the desire for revenge." - Rwandan holocaust survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza, Led by Faith
"Without forgiveness, there's no future." - Desmond Tutu
"Without forgiveness, there's no future." - Desmond Tutu
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Truth About Veteran Suicides....
Eighteen American war veterans kill themselves every day. One thousand former soldiers receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs attempt suicide every month. More veterans are committing suicide than are dying in combat overseas.
"The Pentagon regularly reports on the numbers of American troops "wounded" in Iraq (currently at 31,948) but neglects to mention that it has two other categories "injured" (10,180) and "ill" (28,451). All three of these categories represent soldiers who are so damaged physically they have to be medically evacuated to Germany for treatment, but by splitting the numbers up the sense of casualties down the public consciousness....Here's another number that we don't often hear discussed in the media: 287,790. That's the number of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who had filed a disability claim with the Veterans Administration as of March 25th
Read more: here
"The Pentagon regularly reports on the numbers of American troops "wounded" in Iraq (currently at 31,948) but neglects to mention that it has two other categories "injured" (10,180) and "ill" (28,451). All three of these categories represent soldiers who are so damaged physically they have to be medically evacuated to Germany for treatment, but by splitting the numbers up the sense of casualties down the public consciousness....Here's another number that we don't often hear discussed in the media: 287,790. That's the number of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who had filed a disability claim with the Veterans Administration as of March 25th
Read more: here
Water-boarding your kid?
This article: "Soldier father accused of 'waterboarding' daughter, 4, because she can't recite alphabet" is a painful reminder of the potential abuse that arises out of situations that soldiers are forced to go through, endure, process and carry with.
I do not incriminate or point to this act as an attempt to say that the army did this to this man or is solely responsible but...isn't it fair to examine the issue? Do folks have a right to examine religions that produce extremists? Do we have a duty to examine the "input/output issues of violence, media and our cultures effects on the young and old alike? Isn't most of life a testimony of cause and effect? Not in all cases...but probably easily observed. The man was probably simply sick and in need of mental health support...but maybe not?
Just because a Priest sexually abuses a child, it shouldn't incriminate the Catholic church...but it should cause us to examine its' position on "celibate clergy" and ask tough questions as to wether that policy helps create a culture of potentially sexually repressed men and women?
As a pastor, I am concerned about the re-entry issues facing men and women who are in the service or are veterans. PTSD is a hot button in some circles...It's affect on marriages, relationships, parenting, friendships and inner psychology are serious issues to me. We use certain phrases in interpersonal conversations that are unspoken truths...like when someone off handily remarks that their father was in the military. The general assumption is that would mean that certain issues of intimacy, authority, discipline, displacement, attachment challenges for transitory families are or have been experienced. Does this mean all MK's deal with this or all Solider or Vets fall into such classifications or stereotypes...I don't think so...but are they generally accepted distortions, seems so.
"Supporting the Troops"...is taking on a whole lot more meaning in my mind these days.
I do not incriminate or point to this act as an attempt to say that the army did this to this man or is solely responsible but...isn't it fair to examine the issue? Do folks have a right to examine religions that produce extremists? Do we have a duty to examine the "input/output issues of violence, media and our cultures effects on the young and old alike? Isn't most of life a testimony of cause and effect? Not in all cases...but probably easily observed. The man was probably simply sick and in need of mental health support...but maybe not?
Just because a Priest sexually abuses a child, it shouldn't incriminate the Catholic church...but it should cause us to examine its' position on "celibate clergy" and ask tough questions as to wether that policy helps create a culture of potentially sexually repressed men and women?
As a pastor, I am concerned about the re-entry issues facing men and women who are in the service or are veterans. PTSD is a hot button in some circles...It's affect on marriages, relationships, parenting, friendships and inner psychology are serious issues to me. We use certain phrases in interpersonal conversations that are unspoken truths...like when someone off handily remarks that their father was in the military. The general assumption is that would mean that certain issues of intimacy, authority, discipline, displacement, attachment challenges for transitory families are or have been experienced. Does this mean all MK's deal with this or all Solider or Vets fall into such classifications or stereotypes...I don't think so...but are they generally accepted distortions, seems so.
"Supporting the Troops"...is taking on a whole lot more meaning in my mind these days.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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