I was reflecting on my ‘real’ job which is peace and reconciliation via The David Group International. Specifically I am evaluating plans for a fall meeting in the Middle East. It may or may not happen, but just the idea of it triggered a plethora of thoughts in my mind.

Governments are corrupt. Often to the core. What a shocking statement, eh?

There are times when, while looking at the big picture of anything from corporate greed leading to the abuse of third world countries to political and geo-political war games, power struggles, egoic madness, et.al, that I’m tempted to say that things are relatively hopeless regarding justice for what has become the nameless/faceless masses of earth’s citizenry.

It takes a while to talk myself down from these episodes – usually a good long cigar and a bit of Frangelico helps – added to that a very large dose of ‘just do what you can do and leave God’s business to God’ and eventually I rebound again.

But today, for whatever reason, I couldn’t get past these political statements of ‘regret’ put out by the U.S. over such issues as the recent Gaza blockade debacle where innocents (one of them a U.S. citizen) are slaughtered – yes, I believe that’s the appropriate word – and little if any action from the international community is taken.

For our part, the word from the Oval Office was that we ‘regret’ that the Israeli government has committed such a senseless and lawless act upon the high seas.

How nice… a group of people (unarmed and representing no particular government) giving their lives to putting politics aside in the name of extending humanitarian aid are killed and the best we can say is, “we regret this.”

Wow, way to invoke justice on behalf of the victims of this lawless act of unabashed murder. We showed them, didn’t we? We REGRET what they’ve done.

Let’s say that President Obama’s oldest daughter gets mad at his youngest daughter, bloodies her nose and shoves her down the steps and out onto the White House lawn. What should he do? What would he do?

Can you imagine the absurdity of telling his youngest that he ‘regrets’ what her older sister has done and then leaving it at that?! Really? No punishment. No discipline. No consequences whatsoever? Is that what happens in the real world of parenting? Could even the most abusive of parents respond that way?

Eckhart Tolle says that the only thing more insane than the “I” is the “we.” It seems that when the collective is involved all sense of reality is sometimes lost. And so it is that the collective world looked at the actions of the Israeli government and responded with sheer, unabashed insanity. Not even a slap on the wrist.

Do you remember the 60’s song War? The lyrics blare with the words “War, good god ya’ll, what is it good for?!” I’m hearing it in my head right now… except it goes “Regret, good god ya’ll, what is it good for?!”

To orient to our current global (and backyard) water realities, I’d recommend watching the documentaries ‘Flow‘ and ‘Blue Gold.’ And then move on to some of the other links to further research.

Thanks for reading!

1% For The Planet
Alliance For Democracy
ABC-TV News Report
African Boreholes
Ashoka’s Youth Venture
Be Water Wise
Blood: Water Mission
Bottlemania
Center For Environmental Law & Policy
charity:water
Clean Water Action
Council of Canadians
Defending Water For Life In Maine
Delaware Riverkeeper
Do You Drink Water?
Earth Echo
Eshare Water
E.P.I.C.
Fish Now Female
Food and Water Watch
Freeflo
Global Water Fund
Global Water Organization
Go Green Online
Green Grants
Holistic Moms Network
IdealBite
Infinite Energy
Inside the Bottle
International Rivers
Jiduma
Living Water International
Love Bottle
Mamma Manifesto
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Mouth To Source
Mocha Club
National Environmental Education Foundation
National Environmental Education Week – ‘Be Water Wise’
Nikken
NRDC
Nuba Water Project
Nubius Organics
Organic Consumers
Oxfam
Pacific Institute
PlayPumps
Polaris Institute
Potomac Riverkeeper
Project Blue
Project Concern
Prosalus
Rainwater Harvesting For Drylands & Beyond
Rajendra Singh
Right To Water
Riverkeeper
Salmonnation
San Diego Walk for Water
Save Our Rivers
Save Our Springs Alliance
Sierra Club
Sprite Industries Inc.
Ten For 10
The Water Project
Take Back The Tap
Think Outside the Bottle
The Bottled Water Industry
United Nations Association Film Festival
Urban Semillas
Wastewater Works
Water Charity
Water For All
Waterkeeper Alliance
Water Voices
Water1st.org
WaterAid Australia
WaterAid UK
Water Pure International
Whenever The Need
We Ministry
World Water Day
World Neighbors
Xziex
Youth Venture and Wateraid

Prior to my first trip to the Middle East a decade ago, I’d been aware of the plight of Jews and Palestinians – both locked in a struggle that all-too-often appears as one without answers and maybe even fewer reasons to hold hope for a peaceful resolution.

In a world of conflict, the Israeli/Palestinian situation seemed as deep, complex and constant as any conflict on earth.

Knowing that it would follow closely on the heels of my participation in the ‘Pathways to Peace’ summit in Amman, Jordan, I decided the timing might be right in re-engaging the Land in order to more clearly hear what God might be saying.

If I may be vulnerable: A part of me wanted to listen. A part of me did not.

The voices in my head were multiple: Ten days. That’s a chunk of time, I reasoned, and it’s not like I’m silent on this issue anyway. And it isn’t like a plethora of others much more qualified than I aren’t addressing this situation – realistically, what could I bring to the table? I’m just one person.

But then there was that voice in my heart – you know the one – the one that won’t be silenced, the one promising that if I’d listen and follow that something wonderful would occur that otherwise would fail to manifest itself.

In the end, I knew what I needed to do. So I went.

What I discovered was more than I can share in a blog post or even a series of such posts and a big part of me wonders if people even have the stomach for it anyway. So I’ve decided to spend this week and possibly next sharing some of what I saw and heard and experienced and then defer the rest of my thoughts to a brief e-book on the issue, available for free to any who desire to explore this situation in greater detail.

In today’s post I thought I’d share a thought or two about those who also made the trip with me. It was a group of authors, activists, pastors, singer/songwriters, a journalist and others who are very much gifted in reaching out to others in bringing healing to the nations. Honestly a part of me felt out of place and even a bit insecure in being part of such a group… I guess those old voices never quite leave us, do they?

However, gifted as these folks may be and impressive as their resumes are, it all pales in the light of the greater issue of who they are as children of God – Love. This was a group of twenty of the most authentic people I could ever ask to be a part of. For ten days they all shared from the depth of their passion, humor, insight and love – and because of this, I will forever be a better person for it.

To me, they are my heroes. Does that sound odd? Maybe come off as an overstatement? Not really – not in the context of Hebrews 11, Scripture’s chapter of the great heroes of faith. Like those heroes of old I’m fairly certain the people I travelled with to Israel/Palestine have their weaknesses, shortfalls and struggles too – but I’m also certain they are willing to live and die for peace and justice among God’s creation. And I’m certain I want people like that surrounding me on all sides in a life I have partly chosen and that has partly chosen me.

Oh, and one more thing – maybe the most important thing – you can be a part of this list of heroes too! You don’t have to be super-human to qualify, just human; a person of love and passion toward those who are oppressed, confused, angry, disappointed, poor and searching for better ways of being in a world that has not always been kind to them.

So what do you say – can we invest a little time together in a few posts to address this situation further? I hope so. And I hope you’ll point a friend or two this way as well – the people of Israel/Palestine will welcome such love and attention with open arms. And I think God will too!

Stay tuned.

There it was mentioned that the idea of sports and fate is about competition and economics and the will to triumph whereas the idea of sports and faith (in each other, the integrity of the game, God, etc.) is about community involvement, social covenant and hope.

It begins with the very youngest, then spreads to their parents, then up to the university level and from there to entire nations as a spirit of deep cooperation, mutual respect and dignity for all begins to take hold.

Regardless of the track, this conference is filled with people who are doers, not just passive observers. It’s a conference not so much filled with ideas of ‘what’ to do, but of stories of ‘what’s being done.’

The medical track touched us deeply as people shared stories of great despair and yet great victory birthed from within its midst. We learned of widows adopting the orphaned children of the very people who had made them widows to begin with – adopting the children of those who had killed their husbands and brothers, friends and neighbors.

We were brought into the reality of a difficult world as we were told of the 30,000 children and youth who have been killed in Rio de Janeiro in just the past five years – of the 1,000 people who die yearly from stray bullets alone.

We learned of the estimated 14,000 children between the ages of 8-18 who have been heavily armed and employed in the services of the drug trade in South America. And most of all, we heard the stories of the people who risk their lives daily just to reach these kids and deliver them from a life of hopelessness and despair.

We also were blessed to hear from several artists and the ways they are using their talents to reintroduce beauty into cultures now filled with an ugliness born of the dark deeds of lost souls.

Finally we were blessed to hear numerous simple tales of communities of disparate faiths reaching out to one another in a spirit of love, acceptance and embrace.

It is a conference for those who have lost hope in the human race and the possibility that perhaps someday the world might actually awaken from its insanity. The cure is here for these are the messengers sent by God to reach such a world. They aren’t preachers filled with the eloquence of oratory skills – they are, instead, living epistles with a message written upon their heart – and that message is nothing less than Love.

I wish all of you could be with me. What you would find in the experience of every encounter, no matter the religion and no matter the race, is the deep beauty and profound feeling of having just been given an authentic glimpse into the very face of God.

He gave us some startling stats such as 70% of all children nine months of age living in Palestinian refugee camps are malnourished. Many of my peers are unaware that a Palestinian could be 50 years old (my age!) and have been born in a refugee camp in the Middle East and still be living there!

At some point the mss of his talk should be posted online – when it is, I’ll get you the link.

At an international conference such as this you can probably imagine the eclectic nature of the entire group as a whole. Some 37 countries are represented this year and the rich flavor and sharing has already been a great blessing.

Before coming I did a bit of research about greeting etiquette with those I’m meeting. None, however, as important as what I’m saying to them on the inside – Hooponopono! Strange word, eh? Does it sound a bit Hawaiian? If so, that’s because it is and it’s a practice I love.

‘Hoo’ means ‘cause’ while ‘ponopono’ means ‘perfection.’

Many cultures have ways of silently or verbally greeting others in a spiritual way. In India they say ‘Namaste’ – the divine in me recognizes the divine in you. Jewish people may say ‘Shalom’ (peace) while Arab countries would say ‘As-saluma Alaykum’ (peace be upon you).

Hooponopono carries with it not just a greeting, but a practice that helps keep the one using it more centered and awake to the holiness of meeting others made in the image of God. Greetings such as this help us deal with areas of unconsciousness and inner-toxicity within ourselves – you know, those cavernous places sealed away from view, still in need of healing.

As a practice, it recalls the idea of ‘forgive me.’ Not in the sense that I have already done something to alienate them, but in the sense that as part of a humanity that inflicted much pain against itself, I seek forgiveness – from myself and others. It is a way of keeping humility as a core principle when in the presence of others.

The practice of Hooponopono also invokes a strong sense of saying ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you.’

‘I love you’ because you are made in the image of the God that has compelled me to sit in an (expletive deleted) airline seat for waaaay too many hours just to come to be a part of co-creating  a world of peace. ‘Thank you’ because you are willing to do the same because of the hope and divine calling with you as well.

With only 3 hours sleep last night I did my best to remain coherent but must admit I lost the battle here and there. I’m hoping for greater rest tonight as I’m pretty sure God told me to have a cigar and drink some banana rum… that should do it:-)

God willing, more tomorrow…