It's A Choice

Twice in the past six weeks I have heard three words which profoundly impacted me. Those words are:  It’s A Choice.

At the Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer? Robert Rogers told the heart breaking story of losing his entire family during a flash flood in Kansas.  He shared the memory of his deep pain and how those around him would have understood if he had turned to drugs, alcohol or other things to ease his suffering. Instead, Robert said, "You either trust God or you don’t. It’s a choice." Today, Robert’s life is a testimony to his choice. Not only the choice to trust God initially, but the choice to trust God everyday. In his choice to trust God he has given hope and strength to countless others who are suffering. Truly, if Robert can make that choice, I can make that choice.

Later I heard Dalia Eshkenazi speak. Her story has been written by Sandy Tolan in "The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East". Dalia shared that as a Jew, her first choice for peace was opening the door for Bashir, the Arab, whose home she now lived. Dalia shared that her journey of making peace between one Jew and one Arab required a choice. Again, as with Robert Rogers, not just one choice, but a choice needed to be made every step along the way to stay on the path to peace. She shared events where that choice seemed almost impossible to make. Truly, if Dalia can make that choice, I can make that choice.

As a follower of Jesus I am compelled by the mystery of Christmas. The mystery that God would become flesh and know the suffering of humankind. The mystery that God would become a baby and be born in a profoundly humble setting; that he would carry our sins in his death; and be resurrected so that I am free to live. It is in understanding that mystery that I am compelled to heed the words of Jesus. In Matthew 22 Jesus says "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." This Christmas I pray that I will make the choice to love God and to love my neighbor. For truly, it is a choice.

An Interfaith Event: April 11th, 2012

The date for the next Interfaith Event has been changed to Wednesday, April 11^th, 7:00–8:30 pm.  Please mark your calendars with this new date. I am in the process of finalizing the topic and I am beginning to invite speakers for the event. 

Comments on An Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer?

Over the past few weeks I have received many emails and notes about An Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer?  I am thankful for the convicted civility demonstrated by the speakers and for an audience who was committed to being humble listeners and willing to learn about others. Below are some of the notes which I have received.

Protestant:
Powerful. Highlighted commonality. We all grow when facing life's greatest obstacles.

Muslim:

The selection of the topic and the presenters was excellent and the experience of each of them was a lesson for all of us to be grateful to Almighty God for the little and the great Blessings that He has bestowed upon all of us and for the trials and tribulations of this life. Thank God for the old friends and the new ones. May God provide all of us with the knowledge and understanding to appreciate each other.

Christ-follower:
This was a precious two hours we had together to discuss the pain of suffering, common to all people, that unites us with each other and with God.

Judaism:
It was a wonderful experience to come together and share our theology and humanity.

Muslim:
We all suffer in the same way, we all have the same feeling, pain, and look to the creator to help us through.

Protestant:
Together for a brief time. Going our separate ways. Knowing we share, but not always remembering that.

Muslim:

This was an excellent event.We were totally spellbound.This kind of event makes us appreciate every single moment, every little thing that we are blessed with.The topic and selection of speakers was excellent.We really enjoyed it. No matter what race, religion, color, ethnicity we belong to, we are all human beings and we all feel pain, suffering, happiness in the same way and we all breath the same air. God bless you and all humanity.

Catholic:
Suffering often triggers the questions, "why?". Why me? Why my friend? Why my child? Why anyone? Getting lost in that question can block us from an awareness of how close God is to us during suffering. "Why God?" is rarely answered and distances us from God. "Be with me" is answered and brings us closer to God. It's always answered. Stop asking "why?".

Evangelical:

Thank you for hosting the series of Interfaith Dialogue events at Canterbury and especially this most recent event focusing on suffering.  I was very impressed by how cordial and respectful the group conducted themselves.  I found their comments and perspectives interesting.

Muslim:
A powerful discussion by representatives of various faiths. An eye-opener in regards to commonalities among faiths. Liked it very much.

Christian:
I attended the Interfaith Event on suffering. It was the first Interfaith Event I have attended. I just wanted to say how impressed I am for someone like you to take time out of your busy schedule to put together an event of that nature. I'm a Christian but found a little something from all the guest speakers to be interesting. My favorite two verses in the Bible come from 1 Peter 4:7-8, " The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins." To me this lets us know as Christians how we should live.

Video of "An Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer?"

Once again I would like to thank Dr. Prasad Mantravadi, Arjia Rinpoche, Robert Rogers,  Amani Elhefni, Dr. L. Michael Spath, and Rabbi Mitchell Kornspan for speaking at "An Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer?. Lance Clark of LC Media in Fort Wayne filmed the event. As I watched the event I appreciated the willingness of the speakers to let us enter into their lives as they shared their stories of suffering. Using the topic of suffering we were able to learn about other faiths in our community. I also appreciated the honest manner in which the speakers spoke in explaining their faiths. Hopefully as you watch the event you will more fully understand your own faith and also be willing to learn about  others.

Shalom! 

The event has been posted to Youtube in six sections.  

Introduction:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chs8MKSbVMY 
 

Sharing of life stories:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-6u3vUAOiE

Answering the question, why must I suffer?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYnIiCzLKJ4 

From the viewpoint of your faith, what words of hope can we give to those who are suffering?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M7LCLgZE28 

Discussion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIscIO2Tm1Y&feature=related

Conclusion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7rB7apX3mo

Spiritual Hospitality

When I began my interfaith journey I never expected that my own faith would be deepened and strengthened. It has come as a complete surprise to me. If I would have known this was going to be the result of making friends with people from other faiths I would have started along time ago. I feel so blessed by my new friends.

Richard Mouw, who is the president of Fuller Theological Seminary and actively involved in interfaith dialogue, writes about spiritual hospitality. It is through spiritual hospitality that my faith has been deepened and strengthened. When showing hospitality I attend to a person’s physical needs, I make room for them in my physical spaces. I prepare food. I provide a bed. I make sure their needs are met. Spiritual hospitality is making room for people in my heart and my mind. Making room for someone does not mean that I change my beliefs. Instead when I make room for someone my life is enriched. I care about them as my friends. I pray for them. I listen to them. I want to know them. My faith is deepened and strengthened.

As we approach the Thanksgiving season I hope that you will demonstrate spiritual hospitality to those in your community. In the Fort Wayne community there are two important interfaith services occurring were hospitality can be demonstrated.

The first is an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service to be held at First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, November 22, beginning at 7:00 pm.  It is being jointly sponsored by Plymouth Congregational Church UCC, First Presbyterian Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, Trinity English Lutheran Church, Temple Achduth Vesholom, and the Fort Wayne Islamic Center (Masjid al-Quds).  This year's preacher is Imam and Khateeb J. Tamir Rasheed from the Muslim community.

The second is on Sunday, December 4, 6:00 pm, at First Presbyterian Church. Representatives from nine religious traditions in our area (Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Ethical Humanist, Earth Traditions, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Sikh) will gather together to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in an Interfaith Prayer for Human Rights.  Prayers, Scripture, song, dance, and other expressions of faith from the various religious traditions will be shared.  Dalia Eshkenazi Landau, from Jerusalem, founder of The Open House of Ramle, and a main character of Sandy Tolan's internationally-acclaimed “The Lemon Tree”, will be the keynote speaker.  Fellowship will follow with sweets and treats from various cultures.

            Showing spiritual hospitality will enrich your life more than you can imagine. Happy Thanksgiving.

Suffering Leads to Understanding

Last night was a powerful experience for me.  Using the topic of suffering as a lens to look at the faiths in our community proved to be a powerful tool of understanding. More so then I could have imagined. We truly did learn much about each other. Each story that we heard was heart breaking but moved us closer to understanding each other.

The purpose of the Interfaith Events is to learn about those in our community who are of different faiths so that we can live at peace together. For truly how can we say we live at peace together if we know very little about each other? In the past I have challenged the speakers and the audience with the words of Martin Marty, a Lutheran theologian, "People these days who are civil often lack strong convictions and people with strong religious convictions often are not very civil. What we need is people with convicted civility."  When I met with the speakers several weeks ago we once again discussed convicted civility. I told each speaker to be convicted about what they would be presenting, so that I could learn, so that the audience could learn. But I also asked them to be civil in how they presented their theologies to the audience. The answers the speakers gave to the second question, “Why Must I Suffer?”  highlighted the differences in our theologies. As the speakers spoke we could clearly identify the differences in our faiths. The speakers were civil, kind and convicted in telling us their beliefs.

It was in the answering of the last question, “From the viewpoint of your faith, how should we response to those who are suffering?” that we once again saw the commonalities among our faiths. Each speaker discussed the importance of just being present when someone is suffering. They also talked about the importance of silence.We heard the common things that meet our heartfelt, human need when we are suffering.

After the event someone made the comment to me that even though we have our own beliefs, an event like this reminds us that we are all people. "And just like me," she said, "we all suffer."  Thank you to the speakers who were convicted in their theologies but who were civil in their presentations. They helped us find our similarities and they helped us identify our differences. Thank you to the audience for being humble listeners. You truly demonstrated the desire to learn and to strengthen our community. Thank you for a great evening!
Photographer for Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer? Maria Kirkland, Fort Wayne, IN. She may be reached at mkirkland@canterburyschool.org.

Speakers:

Buddhist: Arjia Rinpoche, Protestant: Dr. L. Michael Spath, Islam: Amani Elhefni

Ramona Fisher - Moderator

Judaism: Rabbi Mitchel Kornspan, Hindu: Dr. Prasad Mantravadi, Catholic: Robert Rogers

Come Early or Stay Late

At the Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer there will be tables set up to purchase books written by the speakers at the event and to become aware and involved in several important causes.  Attendees of the event can look at the displays and purchase books before or after the event. After the event the speakers will be at the tables to talk with audience members.

The week of the Interfaith Event, Canterbury School will be in the midst of their annual canned food drive for Associated Churches of Fort Wayne. It would be wonderful if the attendees of the Interfaith Event would bring canned food to the event to support Associated Churches and their important work in Fort Wayne.

Bright Stars of Bethlehem will have information about the work they are doing in Bethlehem at Dar al-Kalima College. The Dar Al-Kalima College is committed to building a culture of democracy, critical thinking, and free expression, thus contributing to the strengthening of the civil society in Palestine.   

 http://www.brightstarsbethlehem.org/

 

Compassion International is an organization who focuses on the spiritual, physical, economic and social needs of children in poverty. Through their sponsor-a-child program Compassion is actively involved around the world in meeting the needs of children in poverty. 

http://www.compassion.com/

Robert Rogers, will be offering his book, Into the Deep: one man’s story of how tragedy took his family but could not take his faith, for a donation of any amount.  In 2004, Robert began Mighty in the Land Ministry to help others Know God and Live a Life of No Regrets.  Robert depends on God mightily in his life.  After the Interfaith Event, Robert will be available to discuss arranging a speaking engagement at your church, community, or organization.  (He has no agent and charges no fees.)

http://intothedeep.org/

Arjia Rinpoche will be selling his memoirs, Surviving the Dragon: A Tibetan Lama's Account of 40 Years under Chinese Rule.  This book provides insight into the situation in Tibet and China after the Communist occupation.  Rinpoche is accompanied by seven monks from Tashi Kyil Monastery, a Tibetan refugee monastery re-established in north India by monks who escaped from Tibet in 1967.  Tashi Kyil  is very poor and its ninety-plus monks are in need of help and support.  Rinpoche wishes to assist them and he hopes with all of his heart that his friends will help them.   

http://www.tmbcc.net/info/Main.aspx?Page=Rinpoche

The mission of the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace is to promote critical awareness of issues that impact a just peace in the Middle East and to facilitate intercultural and interfaith awareness both locally and globally.  We host monthly lectures and symposia with local, national, and international speakers, as well as sponsor study and solidarity tours to Israel and Palestine where we meet with Jews, Christians, and Muslims who are working for a non-violent, just peace.

http://www.indianacmep.org/

The mission of Associated Churches Food Bank states, “We are communities of faith united through acts of compassion, education and service to our region.” Associated Church is drawn into fellowship by the recognition of the gift of Christian Unity offered to us through the example of Jesus Christ.  They honor the community of rich culture from which we come. As such, Associated Churches will strive to build relationships that are humane, compassionate and just while committed to ecumenism that engages and partners with other faith traditions.

http://www.associatedchurches.org

Why Suffering?

People often ask me how I pick my topics for the Interfaith Events. There is no one set way that I determine the topics. The topic of suffering has been brewing in me for awhile. Over a year ago a friend of mine lost her recent husband to cancer. My friend and her young child were left behind to carry on this life. A life which she was hoping to build with the love of her life. I did not reconnect with my friend until several months after the death of her husband. When we spent time together she had determined that she did not believe in a God who would allow this sort of suffering. She also could not come to terms with how Christians had prayed during her husband's suffering. I am a follower of Jesus so my friend's words challenged me in my own views of suffering and how people of faith communicate their beliefs about suffering. Then over the past year our school community has had unexpected deaths, accidents and illnesses. A community often experiences sadness but what we were experiencing was heartbreaking. The topic of Why We Must Suffer? comes out of my own experience in my own community.

Once I had chosen the topic I knew who spoke at the Interfaith Event was crucial. In my experience, I am not interested in listening  to someone talk about 'suffering' if he/she has not experienced suffering. This is one of those topics where life experience gives a person the right to be heard. Each of the speakers for this Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer? have walked through their own fires. For some of them it has been heartbreaking personal tragedy and for others they see suffering daily in their professional life. It is their depth of understanding of suffering that will make this event especially an enlightening evening. Each speaker will be addressing how their suffering has been formed by their faith.

At the end of the evening hopefully we will have learned about the faith communities in Fort Wayne through the lens of suffering.  As the topic of suffering is discussed, hopefully we will also see more deeply that there is hope even in our suffering.

Questions for Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer?

Five of the six speakers for the Interfaith Event: Why Must I Suffer? were able to attend a meeting yesterday to discuss the event. The speakers for the event are:

Arjia Rinpoche, Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, Director

Robert Rogers, Mighty in the Land Ministry, Founder

Dr. Prasad Mantravadi, Radiation Oncology Associates, Physician

Amani Elhefni, Universal Education Foundation Islamic School, Principal

Rabbi Mitchell Kornspan, B'nai Jacob Congregation

L. Michael Spath, D.Min., Ph.D.Religious Studies - Department of Philosophy; Peace and Conflict Studies Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne; Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

We started the meeting by sharing our own stories, including where suffering has occurred in our lives. This time of sharing about suffering immediately built a bond among the speakers. Suffering crosses all religious lines, for it is a human experience. After we discussed my vision and purpose of the Interfaith Events we determined the questions to be addressed and the time limits for each question.

Question 1) Share with us how you have known or experienced suffering; being either a personal experience or a professional experience.

Question 2) From the viewpoint of your faith, why do bad things happen to good people? Why must we suffer?

Question 3) From the viewpoint of your faith, how should we respond to those who are suffering? What are words of comfort that we can give to those who are suffering?

Questions for the discussion time:What part of your faith helped you during your suffering? How do I get through my suffering?  In religions there is often self-imposed suffering (example: fasting). From the perspective of your religion tell us why this is important for a person's spiritual life? Is it seen as suffering?

We had a wonderful time together. Each person was warm, caring, and has a desire to help others who are suffering. I'm anticipating a great event.

Hidden Picture

Five years ago when I started my first interfaith parent group I was also moving into a new classroom at school because of a remodeling project at Canterbury School. In my classroom I wanted to have a piece of artwork that would represent the faith communities at our school. Canterbury School is an independent school and the school is founded on Christian principles. Even though the school has been founded on Christian principles we have many different faiths at our school. With the help of my interfaith parent group and Maria Kirkland, an artist and art teacher at Canterbury School, a piece of artwork was created. A picture of the artwork is on the right side of this blog. The artwork has 9 squares. Each square represents a different religion at our school. The artwork is to represent that we are different in our theologies but we are united in our community. There is a hidden picture in the artwork to represent our common community. Throughout all nine squares there is a dove and an olive branch.  It is difficult to see the dove and the branch in a reproduction. It is a beautiful work of art that is a statement for who we are at Canterbury School.

Since the artwork has been in my room I start each school year by having the students look at the artwork, explaining we are a school based on Christian principles but we have many students of different faiths at our school, and we are different. We talk about symbols and we identify and name each of the symbols on the work of art. Finally, there is the wonderful discovery of the hidden picture. My students love the artwork. They love to see ‘their’ symbol and they love the hidden picture.

It is in communities that the true lessons of the hidden picture are discovered. There are nine squares because we do have different theologies. In a community that practices hospitality one-with-another we feel safe to honestly acknowledge our differences. We are not compromising our own beliefs by acknowledging our differences. But we can not stop there. The squares are obvious. It is the hidden picture that we must strive for. Even though we have different theologies we do live in a common community, we have a common ethic and we need each other to work for the common good. My hope is that some day that picture won’t be hidden.

Readings and Prayer for Unity Walk in Fort Wayne, IN

September 25th is the United Nations International Day of Peace. In support of a Day of Peace the Fort Wayne community held a Unity Walk. Several weeks ago I was asked to participate in the walk as the Christian representative. I invited Nathan Baker, a Taylor University student, to participate in the event with me. As a follower of Jesus I thought my words at the Unity Walk should reflect Jesus' teachings. Here are the scriptures that we read and my prayer for the Unity Walk.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"  He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'  "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"  The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." 

The Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-17 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Dear God, You are our creator and the creator of all. We acknowledge our dependence upon you. You have demonstrated your love for each of us through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection . As Jesus taught us, we are to love you with our  heart, soul, strength and mind. With all of our being we are to love you.  We are also to love each other. One way we demonstrate our love for each other is by such events as this Unity Walk.  We are different in our theologies but we are united in this community, for this is our community, and we are to love one another. We desire to live in a reconciled community and would ask for You to examine each of our hearts as we strive for peace. As Jesus taught, blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God. We pray that as we come together as a united community that we would reflect Your love that  you have shown for each of us  by making peace with each other and by helping those who are suffering and who are in need in this community.  We pray this in Jesus name. Amen

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110920/NEWS01/110929972

Why Must I Suffer?

The topic has been chosen and the speakers finalized for the next Interfaith Event. The title of the Interfaith Event is “Why Must I Suffer”. The event will be held November 9^th from 7:00-8:30 pm. There are six speakers for the event. The speakers are:

Arjai Rinpoche, Buddhist Monk

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arjia_Rinpoche)

Robert Rogers, Catholic (http://intothedeep.org/)

Dr. Prasad Mantravadi, Hindu, Radiation Oncology Associates, Physician

Amani Elhefni, Muslim, Universal Education Foundation Islamic School,

Principal

L. Michael Spath, Protestant, D.Min., Ph.D.Religious Studies - Department

of Philosophy; Peace and Conflict Studies Indiana University Purdue

University Fort Wayne; Indiana Center for Middle East Peace

Rabbi Mitchell Kornspan, Jewish, B'nai Jacob Congregation

The purpose of the Interfaith Events is to learn about other faiths through a common topic or experience. The topic of suffering, which is a universal experience, is dealt with in all religions. I foresee a thought provoking evening. Hopefully you can attend the event.

Not Alone

As September quickly approaches I am plotting a course for the Haven Interfaith Parent group which I lead. This is the second interfaith group which I have led. The first group met once a month for three years. This second group has met once a month for one year. We are on the start of our second year. As I’m planning the first meeting I wonder if the other members feel what I feel. Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, since I am the leader, but before each meeting I feel apprehension. Before each meeting I wonder, is this going to work? Throughout the years I have found many amazing people around the world who are striving to make peace through multi-faith or interfaith dialogue but when I started this journey I was aware of only a few. When I began this journey I was not using a tried and true tested ‘model’ of interfaith dialogue; I was on my own.  I knew what I was asking of the HIP members was not easy and it made me apprehensive. It still does.

Peacemaking is not an easy task. In fact, it is quite difficult. Finding common ground is essential in peacemaking endeavors. And there is much common ground to find. Finding common ground let’s us relax in our friendships and realize we are a community. That is the fun part. But peacemaking cannot stop there. It is when discussing those areas where we disagree that is the difficult task. And as I have said before that is where true peacemaking occurs. Both HIP groups have bravely ventured into this arena with me.

At each interfaith meeting I have some sort of ‘activity’. This ‘activity’ typically causes much laughter but we also learn more about each other.  In the second year of meeting with the first group I planned a different sort of activity. On a piece of paper each person was to finish this sentence: When I’m at HIP I fear…? Once the response was written on the paper, the paper was folded and put in a bowl. After all the responses were in the bowl we each took out one of the responses to read. This way we were not reading our own responses.  What we discovered through this activity created a deeper bond among us. You see, we were all apprehensive and fearful. Here are the responses:

When I’m at HIP I fear…

•  saying the wrong thing and offending someone
•  a wall may be built instead of a bridge
• I may hurt other people’s feelings, since a lot of my beliefs are so very different
•  not knowing what to say
• expressing a very contrarian idea or viewpoint
• others will think less of me for my beliefs
• loss of my family
• not knowing my faith enough to be a good representation and thus not educate the group in the importance of our religion

Even though I am starting my fifth year of interfaith dialogue, I am apprehensive as I’m planning the next meeting. I’m still asking, is this going to work? I'm still asking that question even though after every meeting I have felt a feeling of exhilaration. After each meeting I have realized that we did do the hard work of making peace. And it was amazing. Thank you to my dear friends in HIP for teaching me so much. I am not alone.

Depending on God

Once again this year I was invited by my Muslim friends to the Taste of Ramadan. The Taste of Ramadan is an 'iftar', a community meal to break the fast during Ramadan in which the Muslim community in Fort Wayne hosts people like me, a non Muslim. The Taste of Ramadan organizers invite Muslim and non-Muslim speakers to speak on various topics before the fast is broken. We broke our fast at 8:53 pm. Fasting is not easy and as much as I was trying not to watch the time, I was completely aware of the time. The organizers had a wonderful meal prepared with food from around the world. As a community we broke our fast together.


Once again this year I decided to fast for one day. Ramadan lasts for thirty days so my fasting for one day is quite insignificant. As a Christian I have to admit that I have never fasted as a spiritual discipline. Many Christians do, but I have not. That is not something I am proud to admit. As I fasted again this year I realized that there is something powerful about coming  together as a community, as in the Muslim faith, that says we are doing this together. This being my second year of fasting for one day (and it truly is insignificant) I begin to sense the power and life changing force of the spiritual discipline of fasting. Quite honestly, the first year I fasted, my mind was on survival. I remember opening and closing the refrigerator and pantry doors what seemed like a zillion times. I remember counting down the hours. But since I had done it once, this year I knew I would survive. I knew it was not a good idea to stay around my home so I kept my mind and body occupied. And when I did get hungry (at 2:30) I prayed. I prayed that my life would depend on God as much as I depend on food to maintain my life. During my one day of fasting I did not wonder if I would survive, but instead I begin to contemplate my dependence on God. My insignificant one day of fasting made me admire my Muslim friends for their discipline, but I also became, maybe somewhat envious, because I experienced how fasting deepens a person's spiritual life. As a follower of Jesus I am thankful for what my Muslim friends are teaching me. Maybe next year I'll fast for more than one day.


I'm wondering if there are spiritual disciplines that you do or have partaken in that have deepened your faith? If so, please post a comment and let me and fellow readers know about your discipline and how it impacted your faith.

An Interfaith Event: When I Die

Shalom! My summer has been filled with growth and God's grace. The academic calendar is such a wonderful thing because it typically gives me the opportunity to become refreshed with new ideas. This summer, though, was different. There has been much sadness and pain experienced with those I care about. And there has been much celebration and joy with those who I care about.  Isn't that the how life works? Even amongst our pain we celebrate, and when we celebrate we often have pain. My own growth comes out of much sadness and much joy. I'm reminded that God is a God of completeness and wholeness.  I am often asked why I even bother with this endeavor of Interfaith Dialogue, because it seems so hopeless to many. These verses from Psalms 25:4-5 are my prayer. "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Amidst the sadness and the joy, my hope is in God for He desires us to live in peace.
I am just now getting the last Interfaith Event, "When I Die" up on YouTube. I apologize for the delay for many of you have asked about it. Here is the link to the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrAsedoVqv0&feature=related
I am anticipating a great year filled with God's hope of living in peace.

What Are You Doing To Be A Peacemaker?

What are you doing to be a peacemaker? Seven years ago David Streight, the president of Council of Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE) asked a group, which I was apart of, that question. He had us go around the room and answer the question. My heart started pounding. I could not think of anything. Here I was the religion teacher at an independent school and I could not think of one thing. Different people around the room began talking about their peacemaking efforts. Everything seemed so amazing. In my head I was frantically trying to think of something because I did not want to look totally inept! I did answer the question. The things I mentioned were positive things but what I remember from the day is I was not doing enough!! This experience was another powerful experience for me that moved me in the direction of the interfaith work I am doing in my community.

When I say that as a follower of Jesus I am compelled to be a peacemaker I am thinking in terms of the word Shalom. The Hebrew word for Peace is Shalom. Often times we think of peace as the lack of conflict. And the lack of conflict is an important aspect of peace. But as a peacemaker I don’t desire just a lack of conflict. Shalom refers to a hope of completeness or wholeness for the individual and the relationship. And what I love about the word Shalom is that it also refers to actions that move to completeness or wholeness.  My hope is that my efforts are moving our community towards Shalom.

This will be my last blog post for awhile. The next six weeks in my life are busy with the very good things that occur in a family. My youngest son is getting married to an amazing young lady. They are having a destination wedding which is exciting and full of adventure. Both of my sons are moving to new locations. My husband and I will be assisting in this exciting new phase of their lives. Our oldest son is moving with his wife to Nashville, TN and will be starting his PhD program at Vanderbilt University in Community Psychology. Our youngest will be moving to New Haven, CT to start his PhD program at Yale University in Cognitive Psychology. For the next few weeks I will be traveling and helping these two great young families get settled in their new lives.

I leave you with this question.

What are you doing to be a peacemaker?

Topic for Next Interfaith Event

At lunch today I was asked if I knew the topic for the next Interfaith Event. (The next event is November 9th.) Many ideas have been floating around but I have not decided on a topic and am open to suggestions. If you have a topic which you would like addressed at An Interfaith Event please post your suggestion in the comment box below.

Connecting at the Heart

During my first several years of working as the religion teacher I had a difficult time understanding my context. We were a school based on Christian principles not Christian faith. I was constantly asking myself, what did that mean for me as the religion teacher? The school’s religion curriculum used the Bible as a textbook, we celebrated Christmas and Easter and yet there were students from many different religions at the school. I often felt like I was walking on a fence trying to balance the school’s curriculum with the many different faiths that were represented at our school. Attending the school at that time were Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Mormons and Earth traditions. I was not aware of any Muslims at the school even though there were many Muslim families living in the community.

Ten years ago a Muslim family moved to Fort Wayne and they wanted to send their oldest, who was going to go into kindergarten, to Canterbury School because of its strong academic reputation. So as parents they came to see me.  They weren’t asking the question, ‘what good are you going to do for my child?’ they wanted to know if I was going to harm their child. The exact same questions my husband and I had asked seven years earlier.  I understood that this conversation was important.  When the parents came to see me I started the conversation by talking about understanding their fear. I wanted them to know that even though I am Christian and they are Muslim, I too had faced that same fear when we sent our son to Canterbury School. We immediately connected as humans, as parents. We connected as parents who valued and tried to raise our children in the faith and belief system that we followed.  Then I went through the curriculum showing exactly what was taught and how it was taught.  This was my first understanding of the importance of interfaith dialogue to connect with others in what we have in common. We both were parents trying to raise our child in the manner we believed to be important. They did not ask me to change and I did not ask them to change.

This family has become dear friends to my husband and me. They did enroll their son in our school and they participated in my first interfaith group. They have taught me so much. They have helped me see that I do not need to feel like I am walking on a fence. Instead my own faith is deepened while I’m making new friends and learning about other faiths.

Will I Do Harm?

For the past 17 years I have been the religion teacher at Canterbury School. Canterbury School is an independent college preparatory school for preschool through 12^th grade. The school’s philosophy states, “We believe that students should develop a strong and broad base of knowledge, a genuine love for and appreciation of the challenges of learning and an understanding of the implications of Christian principles in their daily lives."  The wording of Christian principles instead of Christian faith is intentional so that students off all faiths will be comfortable attending Canterbury School. The school is fortunate to have many different faiths represented in the student body.

Before I started working at Canterbury School my husband and I decided to send our oldest son to the school. I remember so clearly visiting the school and reading about the various curricula. But the area we as parents paid the most attention to was the religion curriculum. We wanted to know what was being taught, who was teaching it, and how it was being taught. We weren’t interested in meeting the music teacher or the PE teacher but we were interested in meeting the religion teacher. And we weren’t wondering if she was going to do ‘good’ for our child, like we would have wondered about the other teachers. We wanted to know if she was going to do 'harm' to our child.  Our faith was important to us and so it was important to know what our child was learning.  We did meet the religion teacher and we decided she would not be doing any harm to our child and his faith.

The next year I became that religion teacher. Now those parents whose faith was important to them would be asking the same question that I had asked the year before. They would not be wondering what ‘good’ I would be doing for their child. Instead they would be asking me, will I do 'harm' to their child? I understood the importance of the question. That was the beginning of my interfaith journey.

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Search Me, O God

Psalms 139:23 states, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead in the way everlasting.” This past February I heard Richard Mouw, the president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA speak on this verse in regards to interfaith dialogue. He talked about examining our own hearts and our own motives before entering into interfaith dialogue.  Often times we assume the worst of other religions and put the worst of other faiths alongside the best of our own when in fact our own motives are not always pure and the histories of our own religions have aspects in which we are not proud.

When involved in interfaith dialogue, instead of assuming the best of myself, I should assume the worst of myself and the best of others. If I do assume the worst of myself while participating in interfaith dialogue it enables me to be a humble listener. This then allows me to truly hear and to hear for understanding. The two interfaith groups that I have been involved with have helped me understand the importance of assuming the best of others and the worst of myself.  The Haven Interfaith Parent groups have been instrumental in my growth in understanding other faiths and the deepening of my own faith. Search me, O God.

Ground Rules in Interfaith Dialogue

Four years ago I started an Interfaith group of six couples each from a different faith. My hope for the group was to create a safe place where we could say to each other those things we truly believe, those things we hold closely to our hearts. My hope was we would discover a common ground among all of our faiths. And we did. But I also wanted to create a safe place where we could talk about the areas which we do not have in common. It is important to find the common ground but how can we truly know each other and live in peace if we only talk about what we agree upon. It can be difficult and quite scary to say what we truly believe, especially if the beliefs are opposed to each other. Sometimes we just say nothing, thinking we are preserving the peace. And sometimes we say what is believed to be The Truth, in an offensive manner that is harmful to the relationship. I knew creating an environment of safety, where we could discuss those things which we hold close to our hearts, was essential for the interfaith group to become a group who understood each other, cared for each other and would be committed to being at peace with one another. To help us in the process of creating a safe place, we as a group wrote ground rules for our discussions. The purpose of these grounds rules was to know that we had agreed together on a manner in which we were going to communicate with each other, even and maybe especially if we disagreed with one another. Martin Marty, a Lutheran theologian has stated "people these days who are civil often lack strong convictions and people with strong religious convictions often are not very civil. What we need is people with convicted civility." Those ground rules helped us create a safe place where we could be convicted about our beliefs but where we were civil in how they were expressed and in how they were heard. This allowed for friendships to deepen and for understanding to occur.