Wednesday, September 21 is the United Nations International Day of Peace. It’s also the kickoff day for an initiative called Global Voices of Nonviolence that will continue through October 3. The catalyst for Global Voices of Nonviolence is the extraordinary film, Little Town of Bethlehem, which powerfully documents the true stories of three Middle Eastern peacemakers committed to nonviolence: an Israeli Jew, a Palestinian Muslim, and a Palestinian Christian.
To launch Global Voices of Nonviolence, the film will be screened on September 21 at 7pm ET at The Catholic University of American in Washington, DC. Immediately after the film, a distinguished panel will discuss how nonviolence can become a path to peace and a greater humanity in the Middle East and around the world.
What will make this event truly extraordinary is that it is available to a global audience. By live online streaming of the film and the panel discussion on Beliefnet.com on September 21, audience members anywhere in the world can join in the conversation and become part of an innovative “screening without borders.”
This live launch of Global Voices of Peace in Washington DC will be followed by 12 days of Little Town of Bethlehem screenings throughout the world on college campuses, houses of worship and online. Never before has the message of nonviolence been given such a powerful and expansive platform.
A year ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to screen Little Town of Bethlehem in our home. We moved the furniture out of our living room, brought in folding chairs to create a private theater and showed the DVD on our television screen. Afterwards we facilitated a lively discussion in support of peacemaking and nonviolence. It was a simple, but powerful event that helped galvanize an active group of Christians committed to the ongoing work of nonviolence.
Why don’t you register to be part of the live online launch of Global Voices of Nonviolence? http://littletownofbethlehem.org/globalvoices/#watch
Or find out where Little Town of Bethlehem is scheduled for a live screening in your area? http://littletownofbethlehem.org/screenings/north-america-screenings/
Or better yet, why don’t you plan your own screening event? http://littletownofbethlehem.org/screenings/host-a-screening/
For an excellent article on nonviolence written by Palestinian Christian, Sami Awad, one of the peacemakers featured in Little Town of Bethlehem, go to
http://www.christatthecheckpoint.com/index.php/blog/52-sami-awad-wwjd
Don’t miss this opportunity to add your voice to the Global Voices of Nonviolence!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Two Ways to Join the Good Fight for Global Peace and Justice
The Forgotten People Conference
This coming Saturday, September 17, I’ll be joining three extraordinary speakers at the Forgotten People Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to talk about ways to positively engage with the suffering people of our world. David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World, will talk about global hunger. Princess Kusane Zulu, from Zambia, will talk about HIV/AIDS. Rev. Mitri Raheb, from Bethlehem, will talk about living the Christian life in the midst of ongoing conflict. I’ll be talking about the church’s mandate to engage with the brokenness of our world and about specific lessons I’ve learned recently in the Middle East. I know each of the speakers personally; I’ve seen their ministries, I’ve learned from their expertise, and I’ve caught their passion.
If you’re in the Fort Wayne area, please join us from 8am-4pm on Saturday. Register at http://www.forgottenpeopleconference.com/
Illinois Town Hall Meeting to Combat Human Trafficking
If you’re in the Chicago area and you’re grieved by the horror of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression—which is big business globally and in the US—please join me on Monday evening, September 19 at 7pm, at Park Community Church in downtown Chicago. I’ll be hosting the event that will feature a panel of state and national leaders including US Congressman Peter Roskam, Holly Burkhalter, Vice President for Government Relations at International Justice Mission, a local law enforcement official who has been responsible for dramatic rescues of trafficked girls in the Chicago area, and a young woman rescued from the Chicago sex trade. Join us to educate yourself about human trafficking and to discover simple ways you can join the movement to combat modern day slavery.
For more information: http://www.ijm.org/calendar/illinois-town-hall-meeting-combat-human-trafficking
This coming Saturday, September 17, I’ll be joining three extraordinary speakers at the Forgotten People Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to talk about ways to positively engage with the suffering people of our world. David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World, will talk about global hunger. Princess Kusane Zulu, from Zambia, will talk about HIV/AIDS. Rev. Mitri Raheb, from Bethlehem, will talk about living the Christian life in the midst of ongoing conflict. I’ll be talking about the church’s mandate to engage with the brokenness of our world and about specific lessons I’ve learned recently in the Middle East. I know each of the speakers personally; I’ve seen their ministries, I’ve learned from their expertise, and I’ve caught their passion.
If you’re in the Fort Wayne area, please join us from 8am-4pm on Saturday. Register at http://www.forgottenpeopleconference.com/
Illinois Town Hall Meeting to Combat Human Trafficking
If you’re in the Chicago area and you’re grieved by the horror of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression—which is big business globally and in the US—please join me on Monday evening, September 19 at 7pm, at Park Community Church in downtown Chicago. I’ll be hosting the event that will feature a panel of state and national leaders including US Congressman Peter Roskam, Holly Burkhalter, Vice President for Government Relations at International Justice Mission, a local law enforcement official who has been responsible for dramatic rescues of trafficked girls in the Chicago area, and a young woman rescued from the Chicago sex trade. Join us to educate yourself about human trafficking and to discover simple ways you can join the movement to combat modern day slavery.
For more information: http://www.ijm.org/calendar/illinois-town-hall-meeting-combat-human-trafficking
Monday, September 12, 2011
A Thoughtful 9/11 Sermon
For anyone who has mental and/or emotional space for one more reflection on 9/11, I want to recommend the sermon my husband, Bill Hybels, preached this weekend. The video clip begins with a brief interview of political analyst David Gergen by Willow Creek Association president, Jim Mellado. Then Bill's sermon focuses on what we should all learn from 9/11. The video ends with a recent email from Lisa Beamer, whose husband Todd Beamer led the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 in downing the hijacked plane so it couldn't crash into its intended Washington DC target. Lisa's challenge for all of us is to be "Christ-like servants."
http://media.willowcreek.org/#content
http://media.willowcreek.org/#content
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Words Fail
Greetings from Turkana. There is nothing like death by starvation. Would love it if you could spread the word…
I received the brief email above from my friend, Don Golden, who was in Kenya. The subject line read simply: “words fail.”
Like you, I’d already heard much about the famine in East Africa. I’d wondered what to do, how to engage. But Don’s words gripped me like none of the other reports I’d seen or read. Perhaps that’s because I know Don has already seen the worst of the worst; I’d traveled with him to Eastern Congo and sat with women who had been brutally raped. And I know how articulate Don is in describing what he sees in his global role with the Christian humanitarian organization, World Relief. So when words fail Don, I know I need to pay attention.
Watch this brief video called “Crisis in Turkana” to learn more.
To give directly to the life-saving intervention in Turkana, go to
https://worldrelief.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=3066
There is still time to save the children of Turkana, but not much time. Even a small contribution can make a huge difference.
I received the brief email above from my friend, Don Golden, who was in Kenya. The subject line read simply: “words fail.”
Like you, I’d already heard much about the famine in East Africa. I’d wondered what to do, how to engage. But Don’s words gripped me like none of the other reports I’d seen or read. Perhaps that’s because I know Don has already seen the worst of the worst; I’d traveled with him to Eastern Congo and sat with women who had been brutally raped. And I know how articulate Don is in describing what he sees in his global role with the Christian humanitarian organization, World Relief. So when words fail Don, I know I need to pay attention.
Watch this brief video called “Crisis in Turkana” to learn more.
CRISIS in Turkana, Kenya from World Relief on Vimeo.
To follow World Relief's efforts in Turkana, visit their blog: https://worldrelief.org/blogTo give directly to the life-saving intervention in Turkana, go to
https://worldrelief.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=3066
There is still time to save the children of Turkana, but not much time. Even a small contribution can make a huge difference.
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Welcome to my blog page. I write mostly about places I've been and people I've met along the way. Also about social issues that matter to me. And a bit about my family. A thread of Christian spirituality tends to weave through everything I write. 
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