Friday, November 16, 2007

An Invitation to Come Home!


In these times of every type of people group fighting with each other, this was a poignant reminder that people can work together and be kind. Also a reminder that when we do work together, the sky is the limit! I saw this picture and story and had to put the link here for you all to see. At a church in Baghdad, local Muslim residents placed a cross on a church and sat inside for a service. Not because they were Catholic, but because they were united in the cause to bring back their neighbors, who had been forced to flee by Al Qaeda. The service was conducted by a Catholic auxiliary bishop for the diocese. The bishop made sure to thank the "American solidiers of the 2-12 infantry battalion, many of whom had fought hard to secure these neighborhood streets. Members of the hard-fighting Iraqi Army 3rd Division also were here for this special day." The local Muslim people who attended, want the hue and cry to go out to their former Christian neighbors that the coast is clear, they are free to come home!

As the article says: "The Muslims in this neighborhood worry that other people will take the homes of their Christian neighbors and that the Christians never will come back. And so they came to St John’s in force, and they showed their faces, and they said, "Come back to Iraq. Come home." They wanted the cameras to catch it. They wanted to spread the word: Come home. Muslims keep telling me to get it on the news. "Tell the Christians to come home to their country Iraq."

For the article in it's entirety, click here. I would love for this to spread everywhere!

2 comments:

heidi @ ggip said...

Interesting. I hadn't heard of this.

She Rose Up said...

Hello, Heidi!

I know, cool, huh?

Hope your Thanksgiving is a magnificent one, beyond your expectations!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

What Does it Mean Anyway? "Free to Fly"...

Well, it's like this: Here are some of the Webster's Dictionary definitions of Free: a : having the legal and political rights of a citizen b : enjoying civil and political liberty c : enjoying political independence or freedom from outside domination d : enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another2 a : not determined by anything beyond its own nature or being : choosing or capable of choosing for itself...having a scope not restricted by qualification 7 a : not obstructed, restricted, or impeded ...Now, here are some of the Webster's Dictionary definitions of Fly:1 a : to move in or pass through the air with wings b : to move through the air or before the wind or through outer space c : to float, wave, or soar in the air ... a : to take flight ...6 : to work successfully ...Examples which apply from Websters: fly high : to be elated - fly in the face of or fly in the teeth of : to stand or act forthrightly or brazenly in defiance or contradiction of

What does this mean in my life? This means that in life we are meant to be free. While historically mankind has not always enjoyed the opportunity to fully appreciate what that means, we are so indescribably fortunate as to live in a time of the greatest spiritual, physical, financial and political freedom ever known. Freedom doesn't come cheap, nor does it come easy. But the best things in life don't come that way do they? As I write this I am struck by how this sounds like a political statement, and for me this is much more of a spiritual thing, but, same goes for that (political that is). Freedom doesn't come easy. And it's worth whatever fight you have to make to overcome in your life in order to live a life that succeeds. Now the questions is - what is success for you? What is your standard? In my mind what is needed is a definite target - because you can't hit and maintain a moving target. A stable, rock-solid, anchor with no variable, yet multi-faceted. Something pure, just and worthy. If you look at any web page of news you can see that our society is certainly lacking in this area. What a great time to live as a rebel! Nowadays to be a rebel, all you have to do is be willing to engage in the battle of life, while anchored to Christ!