1985 -- 2007 Not Much Has Changed

"Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations Delivered October 25, 1985 by Leon Shenandoah, former Chief and Tadodaho ("Firekeeper") of the Iroquois Six Nation Confederacy, Haudenosaunee Brothers, listen to the words of the Creator given to the first United Nations -- the Haudenosaunee -- over 1000 years ago.
"The Chiefs of the Haudenosaunee shall be mentors of the people for all time. The thickness of their skins shall be seven spans; which is to say that they shall be proof against anger, offensive action and, criticism. Their hearts shall be full of peace and good will, and their minds full of a yearning for the welfare of the people. With endless patience, they shall carry out their duty. Their firmness shall be tempered with a tenderness for their people. Neither anger nor fury shall find lodging in their minds, and all their words and actions shall be marked by calm deliberation."
In every nation there are wise and good men. These should be appointed Chiefs. They should be the advisors of their people and work for the good of all the people., and their power comes from the "Great Peace." A chief must never forget the Creator of mankind, never forget to ask him for help. The Creator will guide our thoughts and strengthen us as we work to be faithful to our sacred trust and restore harmony among all peoples, all living creatures, and Mother Earth...
We were instructed to carry a love for one another and to show a great respect for all the beings of this earth...
In our ways spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics...
When people cease to respect and express gratitude for these many things, then all life will be destroyed, and human life on this planet will come to an end.
These are our times and responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth, from whom all life comes. In order to do this we must recognize the enemy -- the one within us. we must begin with ourselves.
We must live in harmony with the Natural World and recognize that excessive exploitation can only lead to our own destruction. We cannot trade the welfare of our future generations for profit now. We must abide by the Natural Law or be victim of its ultimate reality.
We must stand together, the four sacred colors of man, as the one family we are in the interest of peace.
We must abolish nuclear and conventional weapons of war.
When warriors are leaders, then you will have war. We must raise leaders of peace.
We must unite the religions of the world as the spiritual force strong enough to prevail in peace.
It is no longer good enough to cry, "Peace." We must act peace, live peace, and march in peace in alliance with the people of the world.
We are the spiritual energy that is thousands time stronger than nuclear energy. Our energy in the combined will of all people with the spirit of the Natural World, to be of one body, one heart and one mind for peace.
We propose, as a resolution for peace, that October 24th be designated as a Day of Peace, and a world cease-fire take place in honor of our children and the Seventh Generation to come.
Day nay toh."

Not much has changed in over 20 years. We still have the same violence, war, environmental pollution, religious fanatics killing each other, and leaders who cannot lead. Let us pray that we can change some of these before our children have to take the responsibility for leadership of our world.

Love and blessings to all.

PLAIN TALK ABOUT JESUS

I. Who Am I?
A. Who I am can best be described by telling you who I am not.
B. I am not a pastor, a professor, divinity school graduate, nor a famous religious speaker.

C. I am a Christian, a wife, a mother, a friend and a fellow traveler trying to stay on the

"straight and narrow road."

II. Who Are You?

A. You are a truck driver, a stay-at-home parent, a teenager, a lawyer, a mechanic,

a secretary, a doctor, a computer technician, teacher or retiree.

B. You are a parent, a child, a brother, a sister, a spouse, a friend or an enemy.

C. You know what Church is; it's that big building around the corner from the market.

D. You know that family, work, money, possessions, sex, drugs, alcohol and all the world

has to offer has not quieted that little voice inside of you that asks, "Is this all there is?"

III. Who Is God?

A. God is the Creator of all, seen and unseen.

B. God is Love.

C. God Is.

IV. Who Is Jesus?

A. Jesus is God's solution to the problem of sin and death.

B. Jesus is your personal savior after you believe and confess His name.

C. Jesus is your personal advocate in Heaven, reminding the Father daily that you are His.

V. Who Is the Holy Spirit?

A. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God who comes to live inside each believer.

B. The Holy Spirit guides, comforts and changes believers from within.

C. The Holy Spirit is much more than a conscience.

VI. What Is the Bible?

A. The Bible is your Owner's Manual.

B. The Bible is your opportunity to learn about God and yourself.

C. The Bible is the inspired, living Word of God.

VII. What Is Salvation?

A. Salvation is God's offer to keep you safe with Him in Heaven forever.

B. Salvation is trading death for eternal life.

C. Salvation is through God's grace through Jesus not laws, rules, or the works of man.

D. Salvation is a gift from Jesus as He bled and died on the cross for all of us.

VIII. What Are the Ten Commandments?

A. The Ten Commandments are a way of life, abundant life.

B. The Ten Commandments are a Father's teachings to His children.

C. The Ten Commandments were personified in Jesus.

IX. What Does God Want From Us?

A. God wants our unconditional love.

B. God wants us to love each other as He loves us.

C. God wants to show His love to the world through Us.

CONCLUSION: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM GOD?

WRITE OR WRONG, BUSH AND IRAQ

OK folks, "The War!" Do I believe George got us into the war for the reasons originally expressed? No. I do have a couple of active brain cells left. Do I think we should drop everything, just leave their country and come on home now? Not! Now we have a moral responsibility to the people of Iraq, those everyday folks just like us, to try and get things to some kind of normal for them to resume their lives in safety.

Is George's present course of action going to accomplish this? No. Apparently not, as it has not helped up to this point. What to do? Do we call on the UN to help? Well, they did such a good job in Bosnia, Ruwanda, and now in the Sudan.....maybe not. Maybe George could get a coalition of countries in the actual region of Iraq, including those difficult to deal with (darn those pesky folks) and work together with them using some of Condi's famous political savvy. George could pull out all the stops (shocking the world no doubt) and base the negotiations on his self-professed Christian beliefs of love, forgiveness and grace.

Or at least the negotiations could be focused on real internal issues important to the residents of the region and country. Folks in Iraq just want to go the grocery store more than one person once a week for an entire block without fear of getting killed. They would like their lights to work and their kids to be able to go out into the yards and play. They want the same things we do. They want not to be afraid. They want to see their children grow up laughing and free just like we do. This is more basic than politics folks, cut to the chase! Am I saying this is easy? No, nothing important ever is. (Matthew 19:26)

WATCHING GOD AT WORK

Established religion has made the concept of seeing God's handiwork in our lives and in the lives of those around us harder than it was ever meant to be. After raising three daughters up to various stages, our son was born. He was always a joy and I considered him to be an answer to my prayers. I had named both him and his oldest sister when I was still in high school, long before they were "a twinkle in my eye" as my daddy used to say. When he was a little slower walking than his sisters had been, we chalked it up to the fact that with so many spoiling arms to hold him it was no wonder. He was slower beginning to talk clearly, but he was always so expressive and loving we stayed enchanted with his childish speech. At age four we had an official evaluation done to determine if our son might need special therapies before he began school. We were given a diagnosis of dyspraxia, which we had certainly never heard of. We were told it adversely affected gross and fine motor skills, and that he seemed about 24-28 months delayed or more. Also he would be learning disabled because his ability to process information would be different than others. He would be able to learn, but it would be in his own way and his own time. The list went on and on, odd things, like he would probably not do well in team sports but would love swimming (which he does); he might get lost easily as his internal map would not be well developed. And that we were lucky because many children with the syndrome did not like to be held or hugged and some even kicked or bit, and our son has always been a "snuggle bunny." But even at just four, the testing staff were impressed with the fact that our son had already implemented innovative coping skills to do things differently. For the next several years he underwent many different levels of speech, physical, occupational and educational therapies. Some through the public school system, more we hired privately, and additional we had done through Duke Hospital.

Fast forward ten years, we have been watching God working in our son's life all this time. One of his favorite early pastimes was making creations out of paper, tape and crayons. So, later we started him in art lessons with a wonderful lady, thinking it would be fun for him. It was more than fun. He amazed us all with his talent and has continued to do so for the past five years. And this same boy who took so many hours of speech lessons, now loves to get up on stage with the local theater group and speak out lines loud and clear for all to hear in his big deep voice. All the former problems with motor skills don't prevent him from singing and dancing his way across the stage either. He is still awkward around the edges, what fourteen year old isn't? But he is a joy in our lives every day, a true blessing from God. I don't have to look any further than that to see God working or feel surrounded by His faithful love and grace.

Blessings to all.

ACCIDENTAL PAIN

Have you ever been with a group of friends, parents and kids all together? A cook-out, a party, maybe a lunch? Have you watched the interactions between the individuals there as the conversations change and merge? The laughter, the energy, and the interest as it spreads out among the group. When the seating is relaxed, the conversation is much easier and more varied. Sometimes when the group is broken up by awkward seating, you also observe awkward breaks in conversation. And there's always that moment when you hear that whisper meant for someone else, then there is accidental pain. Bad if about self, worse if about spouse, worst if about child. We are all struck by accidental pains in our lives and must determine how to deal with them. The ones meant for me, I let burn up in the atmosphere like falling stars. If meant for my husband, pretty much the same. But moms have this thing about their kids, and they think differently about the situation when their kids are concerned. I guess it is that Mother Bear syndrome.

STRAY THOUGHTS

Even a card-carrying Christian can have stray thoughts not covered by Bible verses or Sunday sermons. Sometimes my small knowledge of physics and science combine with my sense of curiosity to come up with some good ones. For instance: Scientists cannot find a majority of the mass in the universe; they call it dark matter. What if God is the dark matter? Holding the universe together.
God created us in His image: OK, do I think it means arms and legs, etc? Maybe. But more so, I feel it means how we are on the inside, mind, soul and body. The holy trinity. In the Garden of Eden there were limits on human perceptions until the apple incident. The apple changed how Adam and Eve viewed themselves and the world. Like God, humanity has the capability of doing infinite good and unlike Him, we can do infinite evil.
You'd think I have too much time on my hands. My friends can vouch for me that is not the case. :) Stay strong, be blessed.

DREAMS

Dreams are the stuff magic is made of, or so they say. They can be good for the soul. Daydreams can let the imagination soar to the ends of the universe and beyond. Dreams can be imagined "what if's," choices not made, roads not taken. Dreams can be of things yet to come or still hoped for in days ahead. Some would have us to believe that it is the belief only that brings the dream to fruition. I am a little more practical. I think it takes more than just the working of the mind. At least for us humans. As I told my children often as they were growing up and expected miracles from their mother, "I gave up my psychic powers when I took my human form. " :) And there is the dark side to dreams as well. Some dreams are not meant to come true. Dreams that would cause more damage than good, though we can't see it in our limited perspective. Selfish dreams, dark dreams. Everyone does not have dreams that are bright and full of light. Yet in their own way dreams are real. They are a part of each of us in a way I doubt any of us fully understand. Part of the shadow-land, the in-between. Maybe they are a treasure or a puzzle still to be solved?