Vote for Love

On November 7, Be Smart: Vote for Love

Patch Adams, Common Dreams

While the State Department's Alberto Fernandez felt obligated to take back his comments that elements of U.S. policy in Iraq have been arrogant and stupid, the truth is that U.S. policy post-9/11 has been driven by arrogance and stupidity. What could be stupider than the idea that violence could end the threat of terrorism and make us safer at home? Simple logic tells us that responding to terror with more violence will only lead to more terror and more violence. Now we have that logic confirmed by the grim facts on the ground in Iraq.

Isn't it time for a radical change of course? There's only one thing more powerful than violence, and that's love. So shouldn't we be fighting violence with love? I don't mean relational love. I mean treating people with love. Feeding them. Educating them. Healing them. That kind of love.

As a doctor—and a clown—I've seen the tremendous healing power of love. The number one factor for surviving a heart attack is having a loving community. A study of 4,000 women with breast cancer found that with a little love—six hour-long support sessions—their survival rate increased five-fold. With the situation in Iraq imploding, tensions increasing with Iran and North Korea, and our government's policies leading more and more people to hate Americans, it's time to take the healing power of love to the global level. It's time for a love platform.

What's a love platform? It's a set of policies that shows compassion for the elderly, the mentally ill, the homeless, the poor. It's a platform that treats the environment with the loving respect it deserves.

A love platform would call for kissing, not killing. You switch two little letters and you get a whole new outlook on life. Kissing, not killing.

A love platform would put women in charge—women with loving instincts who would treat the world the way my mother treated my friends when they came to my house. She fed them, she wiped their noses, she was nice. That's it. We'd have a policy called "Be Nice." If everyone treated people like my mother did, we'd put an end to violence.

We need to create a massive global movement for loving. It would be like the Peace Corps times 10,000. People who have resources would go, en masse, to help those without. People with skills would teach those without. People who are healthy would take care of those who are sick.

We'd save cabinet positions for the Amish people who embraced the family of the man who killed their children. We'd put in charge of foreign policy the people who lost loved ones on 9/11 but insisted that revenge was not the answer, or the women of CODEPINK who tried desperately to stop the war in Iraq before it even began.

It really amazes me that we spend so many hours as a society focusing on love as sex or love that some consider perverse: Mark Foley sending emails to underage boys, Bill Clinton with an intern, love between people of the same sex. But we spend no time focusing on the big love that should drive our lives and our policies, i.e. love for the human family. We spend no time in school teaching young people how to grow up to be loving adults. The media gives us never-ending examples of violence and hate, but rarely gives us the uplifting examples of the kid who spends his lunch money on feeding the homeless.

We hear about the brave soldiers who fight, but not about the people—often women—who force the soldiers to put down their guns.

For those who say that a love platform is ridiculous and naive, I ask them to compare the results of the $300 billion we've spent on war in Iraq with what we would get if we had spent that money on setting up health clinics all over the world and feeding people who are hungry. I travel around the world and meet lots of people who fear and hate us. If we spent our energy and resources uplifting people in need—spreading laughter and light instead of bombs and bullets—we'd live in a world that was happier, healthier and safer.

So come November 7, be smart. Vote out stupid and arrogant candidates who think that occupying Iraq by force or bombing Iran will make us safe. And vote for candidates who understand the simple notion that love is not only the best medicine, it's also smart policy.

Patch Adams, M.D., is a nationally known speaker on wellness, laughter, humor and life.

1 Corinthians 13 for Today

Adapted from Maria Fontaine by Josie Clark

1. Though I can speak five languages and talk intelligently on dozens of subjects, if I don't have enough love to keep from gossiping or putting down others, I'm not just making so much useless noise, I'm being downright destructive.

2. And though I read the Bible regularly and even know parts of it by heart, and though I pray daily and have a lot of faith and other spiritual gifts, if I don't have enough love to sometimes sacrifice some of my personal desires for others' sakes, then all of my "spirituality" amounts to nothing.

3. And though I work two jobs to provide for my family, and though I give to charity and volunteer for every community project that comes up, if I don't show love and kindness to those I live and work with, all my hard work and self-sacrifice are worthless.

4. Love has a long, hard, frustrating day at the office, yet doesn't get snappy and short-tempered. Love is happy for the other guy when he gets all the breaks. Love doesn't have to drive the flashiest car, live in the biggest house, or have all the latest gadgets. Love doesn't always have to be the boss or have the last word.

5. Love isn't rude or crude, isn't selfish, and doesn't gripe, guilt-trip, or pressure others to get what it wants. Love is too busy being concerned about the needs of others to spend much time worrying about its own. Love doesn't freak out when things don't go its way. Love is quick to believe the best about people and slow to believe the rest.

6. Love hates to hear gossip and instead wants only to talk about others' good qualities and the good that they've done. Love knows that what it listens to, watches, or reads will affect its attitudes and actions and thereby have an effect on others, so it's careful about how it spends its time.

7. Love is flexible, takes everything in stride, and can handle whatever comes its way. Love is always ready to give others the benefit of the doubt and looks for the best in them. Love wants to see others reach their full potential and does all it can to make that happen. Love never runs out of patience, even with those who are slow to get with the program or do their share. Love doesn't keep looking at its watch when others are talking.

8. Love never fails. I fail others, and others can fail me. We all can be mistaken, misguided, or confused at times. Our words and deeds often fall short, and our bright ideas don't always play out the way we want or expect them to.

9. We're frail, fallible, and often foolish, and our understanding of the world we live in, not to mention the world to come, is only partial at best.

10. But when God's Spirit of love lives in us, that changes everything.

11. We're really just children when it comes to practicing real love, but God can help us outgrow our childish ways.

12. Without Him we're clueless when it comes to love and the other things that matter most in life, but when we live in His kingdom—the kingdom of Heaven that Jesus said is even now within us—we can see things as He does, get our priorities straight, pull out the stops, and live and love to the full.

13. There are lots of nice things in life and lots of good things, but none are as good or as important as love!

The Essence of Love

All the best things in life come packaged in a ribbon of risk. You untie the gift, you assume the risk, and equally, the joy. Parenthood is like that. Marriage is like that. Friendship is like that. In order to experience life in the full sense, you expose yourself to a bottomless pit of vulnerability. That is the essence of true love.—Kristin Armstrong

Reflections © 2006 The Family International
Visit our Web site at www.thefamily.org.
Josie Clark is a member of the Family International in the U.S.
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I Believe in Miracles

by Peter Van Gorder
Every so often we read or hear about some happening that so completely defies explanation that the people involved are con-vinced that they have been part of a miracle. For the rest of us, it takesfaith to believe those accounts—faith that miracles are possible, and faith in those giving the accounts. But faith has its rewards. If we can believe that “impossible” things havehappened to others, then perhaps we can believe that they can happento us too.
The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal called miracles the “lightning strokes of God.” There’s no “perhaps” about a lightning strike, especially to one who is standing on the spot where it hits! Lightning is powerful, and it happens often—about 100 times persecond in as many locations aroundthe world. I’m sure that if every miracle were recorded they would far outnumber lightning strikes. What makes me so sure? I’ve yet tobe struck by actual lightning, but I’veexperienced many “strokes of God.”
One such miracle that comes to mind happened when I was living in Uganda, East Africa, and it ties in with another one that happened to someone else there.
My son had been visiting from Japan, and his flight home left early the next morning. I lived quite some distance from the airport, which meant he needed to leave the houseat 4 AM.
Realizing that it wasn’t going to be easy to find a taxi at that hour, we prayed for God to supply one and went to the main road, hoping to flag down a taxi driver who would agree to pick up my son the next morning and take him to the airport.
As we were standing by the side of the road, a jeep pulled up. “Can I help you?” the driver asked.
“Thank you, but I don’t think so,” I said. Then, without meaning to, I explained our situation.
“I’ll do it,” the man said.
He’s just trying to make some money on the side, I thought, but entering into a deal with a freelance taxi driver can be dicey. “Thank you,but we are looking for a regular taxi,I said.
“I’m not a taxi driver. My name is George, and I’ll drive you for free.”
George seemed sincere, but whyanyone would stop and offer to helpin such a big way was curious. We invited him for coffee at our home toget to know him better. It was there that he told us his own miracle story
Years earlier he had been workinas an electrician for the city’s main power station. Huge amounts of electricity flowed through the lines he worked on, so one small mistakecould be fatal. One day that “small” mistake happened. Someone else had failed to flip a certain switch, and thousands of volts of electricity coursed through George’s body. He should have been killed instantly, but for some inexplicable reason he wasn’t. Everyone said it had been a miracle.
This brush with death changed George’s priorities and perspective on life. “Since that accident,” he said, “I try not to make a move unless I hear from God. I was sittingin my room tonight, watching TV, when that inner voice that I’ve cometo recognize as God’s spoke to me. Get up, get in your car, and drive. You’ll meet someone who needs your help. When I saw you by the side of the road, I knew you must be the ones He was sending me to.”
Now convinced of his sincerity, we thanked George profusely for his willingness to drive my son to the airport so early.
“God also told me to fill my gas tank,” he said. Full tanks are almost unheard of in Uganda because thieves routinely siphon gas from parked cars, but this time it made sense; no gas stations would be open at 4 AM, and we were far from the airport.
The next morning George arrived right on time and drove my son to the airport. He did not ask for money, but rather gave my son a generous donation for his volunteer work, which came as another answer to prayer. The amount happened to be exactly what my son needed for his next project.
Few people would question that God saved George’s life by a miracle, but what about our meeting him the way we did? Ours wasn’t a life-and-death situation, but does that make God’s intervention in answer to prayer any less miraculous? I believe that every time we have a need, it’s an opportunity for God to work on our behalf. Ask for, look for, and expect miracles, and you will get them!

What is a miracle? I know of nothing else but miracles. Every hour of the light and the dark is a miracle. Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same; every foot underground swarms with the same. The sea is a continual miracle. The fishes that swim, the rocks, the motions of the waves, the ships with men in them. What stranger miracles are there?—Walt Whitman

Real Servants

Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks. The little things in life determine the big things. Don't look for great tasks to do for God. Just do the not-so-great stuff, and God will assign you whatever he wants you to do. But before attempting the extraordinary, try serving in ordinary ways.
There will always be more people willing to do "great" things for God than there are people
willing to do the little things. The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants. Rick Warren

From A Lumb Of Coal

From a Lump of Coal


By Curtis Peter Van Gorder

Diamonds and coal are both comprised of carbon. So why are diamonds so prized, while coal is merely thrown into the fire to burn? What makes the difference between the glistening gem that is a symbol of purity and strength, worn in the crowns of royalty, and given as engagement gifts or to celebrate 60 years of marriage, and its humble cousin, coal? It is the amount of heat and pressure that each has undergone.

Coal is formed when a layer of eroding vegetation is compressed under the weight of much dirt, rock, or water above it. Diamonds are crystals of pure carbon that have been subjected to tremendous heat and pressure in the bowels of the earth and brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions. It takes much more pressure and heat to make a diamond than it does coal.

Diamonds are truly extraordinary! They are the hardest natural substance known to man. Diamonds are transparent over a large range of wavelengths, from ultraviolet to infrared, and have a higher refraction index than any other substance. They conduct heat better than anything else—five times better than the second best element, which is silver—and have the highest melting point. The atoms of a diamond are packed closer together than are the atoms of any other substance. The English word "diamond" comes from the Greek adamas, which means "unconquerable."The trials and tribulations that we face in life are like the heat and pressure that are exerted on carbon atoms to shape them into diamonds. If we are going through particularly hard times, it may be that the Lord is making something precious of us. Imagine if a lump of coal refused to go through the process necessary to make it what it was destined to be—a diamond. It would remain a lump of coal.

Even after the diamond is formed in the earth and discovered by man, it must be cut and polished before its beauty and value can be fully appreciated. Diamonds are cut and polished by friction using other diamonds. God often "cuts and polishes" by means of adversity. People who have gone through the process already—other "diamonds"—can help bring out the best in us too, if we let them.

One way to tell if diamonds are genuine or mere imitations is by placing them in water and shining a light on them. Imitation diamonds lose their sparkle when submerged, but real diamonds continue to brightly glisten. The contrast between the real and the imitation is apparent even to the unskilled eye. Like genuine diamonds, we too will continue to shine with God's brilliance even when the waters of difficulty and sorrow overwhelm us, if we stay in the light of His presence.

* * *

Stick to Your Job
Diamonds are only chunks of coal
That stuck to their jobs, you see;
If they'd petered out, as most of us do,
Where would the diamonds be?

It isn't the fact of making a start,
It's the sticking that counts. I'll say,
It's the fellow that knows not the meaning of fall,
But hammers and hammers away.

Whenever you think you've come to the end,
And you're beaten as bad as can be,
Remember that diamonds are chunks of coal,
That stuck to their jobs, you see.

—Minnie Richard Smith

For Mothers on Mother's day

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Rules the World Mothers of the next generation are the ones who are molding the future! Motherhood is just about the greatest calling in the World! What an important job a mother has!—Of course, it may sometimes not seem very important taking care of nothing but a baby. But don't ever despise it or minimize it. It is a serious sobering responsibility! Who knows how important that child may be to the Lord one day? Motherhood is a big job! It takes the strength of Samson, the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job & the faith of Abraham, the insight of Daniel & the courage & administrative ability of David!—It also takes the Love of God, that's for sure!—What a job!! The thing that makes a mother so wonderful is that self-sacrificial spirit that is willing to sacrifice her own time, her strength & even her health for the sake of that child. Any mother can have a baby, but it takes a real mother to learn how to "train up a child in the way he should go!" (Pro.22:6) —David Brandt Berg
The bravest battle that ever was fought,Shall I tell you where and when?On the maps of the World you will find it not,It was fought by the mothers of men!

For ANZAC Day in Australia

A Soldier’s Prayer

The following verse was written on the back of a cigarette carton by a soldier shortly before he was killed on the field of battle in World War I, and found by a stretcher-bearer.

Look, God, I have never spoken to You,
But now I want to say, “How do You do?”
You see, God, they told me You didn’t exist,
And like a fool, I believed all this.
Last night from a shellhole I saw Your sky.
I realized right then they’d told me a lie.
Had I taken the time to see things You’ve made,
I’d have known they weren’t calling a spade a spade.
I wonder, God, if You’d shake my hand?
Somehow I feel You would understand.
Funny I had to come to this hellish place
Before I had time to see Your face.
I suppose there isn’t much more to say.
But I’m glad, God, I met You today.
I guess “Zero Hour” will soon be here.
But I’m not afraid, since I know You are near.
The signal: Well, God, I’ll have to go.
I like You a lot, and I want You to know.
Look now, this will be a horrible fight.
Who knows? I may come to Your home tonight.
Though I wasn’t friendly to You before,
I wonder, God, if You’ll wait at Your door?
It’s not a matter of worry or tears;
I just wish I had known You all these years.
Well, I have to go now, God. Goodbye.
Strange—since I met You, I’m not afraid to die.