I made the following video this evening with my new best friend, Animoto. It took 10 minutes.  TEN!

About two months ago the Ep fellas were sitting around a restaurant thinking of ideas for a commercial for the upcoming conference.  We gave those ideas to Nathan who gave them to a team in Sarnia and voila- our first Evolving Church commecial.

The URL is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TpjtwJws24

Feel free to take the video and post it wherever you can…!!!

I’m a little late in posting this but figured I’d throw it up here, especially in light of Israel’s full out invasion of Gaza this evening.   The following is the statement released by the World Council of Churches regarding the Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.  It was released about 4 days ago and as such, the deaths quoted are slightly out of date since recent numbers claim casualties are at about 450 dead and 2000 wounded. 

The first word to say to the violence against Gaza is ‘Stop’. Over 300 lives lost, more than 1,000 people wounded, uncounted thousands traumatized, bombardment of one of the most densely populated places on earth… this must stop immediately. Governments in the region and abroad, the Arab League, the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations must use their good offices to see that all those who are at risk are protected, on both sides of the border, and must ensure access for emergency and medical aid. The deaths and suffering of the last three days are dreadful and shameful and will achieve nothing but more deaths and suffering.

People around the world are looking for change that brings peace closer in the Middle East. A terrible period of deadlock and deprivation has now erupted into greater violence. Policies that rely on cutting off shipments of food, medicine and fuel for 1.5 million Gazans and on sending rockets across borders at random or ‘surgically’ only confirm how far from the path of peace the current authorities have strayed. To use ground forces would deepen the current disaster. Collective punishment against one’s neighbors is illegal and has no place in building peace.

In the countries involved in this conflict, churches and church members are looking to their governments to take up the urgent work of securing a viable future for Palestinians, Israelis and their neighbors. The tired logic of public officials blaming others while denying their own government’s responsibilities has led to the loss of many lives. Governments need now to be accountable for peace.

At the beginning of 2008, the World Council of Churches central committee condemned attacks on civilians in and around Gaza, called for all who exercise authority over Gaza including the government of Israel and Hamas to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, and urged member churches to pray and work for a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

At the end of 2008, in this season of religious celebrations, it is a tragedy that the same measures are more necessary than ever. Our prayer is that the New Year will bring new courage, new leadership and new commitment to the difficult work of peace in the Middle East.

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
General Secretary
World Council of Churches

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli warplanes rained more than 100 tons of bombs on security sites in Hamas-ruled Gaza today and early Sunday, killing at least 230 people in one of the Mideast conflict’s bloodiest assaults in decades.

You can read the rest here.

It’s been a while since I posted anything about Palestine or Palestinians. There were rumblings in West Bank last year at this time that Israel was gearing up for a big strike- something to flex their military muscles in Gaza and attempt to eliminate whatever infrastructure Hamas had left.  The rumours had Christmas 2007 as a big week.

It turns out that Israel was gearing up- they just delayed a year and graciously waited until after Eid, Hanukkah and Christmas to  unleash their wrath.  It is kind of interesting that they would strike on Sabbath; a symbol or military strategy?  My Palestinian friend Saad’s facebook status currently reads, “Now who is the terrorist?”,  with the following display as profile pic.

I don’t completely agree with this picture but given the fact that at least 15 civilians were killed yesterday, you can’t entirely argue with its message.

It wouldn’t be hard to make a clear case of the need to disarm Hamas and avoid further rocket fire into Israel.  That said, I think that we in the West, and especially Christians, view Israel’s violence as necessary and Palestine’s violence as terrorism.  Of course that is a completely false dichotomy since Israel has been dehumanizing and provoking Palestinians for [at least] the past 60 years and Palestinians have responded as anyone would- by saying ‘no, you can’t do that to me’.  I’m not saying that Israel shouldn’t do anything, only that people can’t be fooled into believing that everything Israel does is justified and everything Palestinians do is unprovoked and without justification.

Some Christians may say that we should support Israel because God still has a plan for her; a theological interpretation I won’t confirm but can’t deny with exact certainty.  What I can say with certainty is exactly what the prophets said to Israel 3000 years ago when they mistreated the alien among them: God hates it when you do that.

Incidentally, let’s also not be fooled into thinking that this particular series of attacks is Israel’s big plan.  No, they’re too smart for that.  What they really would like to have happen is for Fatah to get involved and come to the aid of fellow Palestinians (and thus Hamas) in Gaza which would give them license in the eyes of the world (the US) to then further their military grip on West Bank.  That is,  if they can just get Fatah to cavort with terrorists, as it were, they can do whatever they want and the US will back them.  And if they can further their military grip it means they can make life more difficult for Palestinians in West Bank which will hopefully get them to do what Israel really wants them to do: leave.

The trouble is, Palestinians lost their homes once 60 years ago and they’re not going to go down that route again.

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In related news, it was nice to see so many people at the mall today showing their solidarity with Palestinians by choosing to wear a Palestinian scarf.  I trust this truly is a gesture of solidarity and that the scarf, as a Palestinian symbol of oppression, hasn’t been co-opted for fashion purposes.  I hope not anyway.

Well folks my flight was delayed by about 25 minutes which in the grand scheme of things is pretty good.  So, in the words of Ozzy Osbourne… momma i’m comin’ home.

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In other news, a guy goes to Haiti for a week and suddenly National Association of Evangelicas vp Rich Cizik gets fired for not expressly condemning gay marriage?  Ya, that will teach anyone in the NAE ranks to think twice about not alienating homosexuals!

Also, Obama has asked Rick Warren to pray at his presidential inauguration.  Wait.  If Obama is the anti-christ, why would he ask Rick Warren to pray?  Ah.  All part of the plan.  I bet Russia finds a way to squeak into the ceremony as well.

I thought Cizik would have made a good choice.   Oops.  Guess that’s not going to happen.

I can’t say that I would have picked Rick Warren but I get it Obama.  I get it.

*boarding*  adios florida.

A couple of things.

1. I’m in the Fort Lauderdale airport approximately 30 minutes into a 6.5 hour layover.

2. Fort Lauderdale Terminal 2 has free internet.

3. Apparently there is a snowstorm in Toronto.

4. The Toronto Star tells me that this storm should not affect incoming international flights.

5. I really, truly hope this storm does not affect incoming international flights, specifically from Fort Lauderdale at 7:55pm, EST.

EI Country Director/ Pastor, Jovin Martinez, standing on the foundation of a house we’ll build next month.

This man’s home was right there- and then four hurricanes came and now it’s not.

a little meeting after church.  i’m purposely trying not to smile as well.

haiti in a nutshell

whose to say if it’s a bad idea to tie propane tanks to the top of your land rover while four wheel driving it through the mountains?  not me, i’m not one to say.

do you think these kids would sit still for a picture?…

You can see the remnants of the mudslide near the top of the bridge.  Yikes!  Also, there may or may not be a naked boy in this shot. oops.

Internet is fairly accessible in the place that I’m staying but I haven’t had the time to get on here as I’ve been traveling around the country from early in the morning until 8 or 9pm.  I don’t think I have a ton of time either right now but I thought I’d post something up here that proves I’m still alive.  Perhaps the most fun part of this little jaunt happened tonight when I hopped in the back of a Ford Ranger and was taken through the back roads (roads?) through Port-au-Prince nightlife with about 7 others on our way back to the house I’m staying at.  Fun.  Weird.  Surreal.  But mostly fun.

In other news, I’ve decided that I’m the only white person in Port au Prince.  Apparently there are others in Haiti but not too many around these parts (from what I can tell).  I did see one other guy and when he saw me our eyes locked and he looked at me like I was the prettiest girl at the ball.  It was kind of creep actually- but still, I’ve never been such an obvious minority before; it’s a weird feeling.

And just to quell the Canada Christian College rumours:  1.  I would not last an hour a CCC.  2.  I’m thinking of taking one class at MacDiv with Josh Mutter this coming semester.  It’s Saturdays and it’s called something like “Exile: Ministry in a Postmodern Context”.  I’m not sure I appreciate just yet what the title of the class presupposes (to me, it kind of says that exile is something forced upon the church by culture…but we know that’s not true).  I’ll investigate further and keep you posted.

Thanks to Shannon Brisco my people in Haiti have been contacted and it turns out they were aware of the info the whole time.  A less exciting day is now ahead.