After Amen

By Gimbiya Kettering

After tragedy comes prayer. What comes after prayer?

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. —Romans 8:26 (KJV)
For the past month, people have shared articles and essays and online photo albums with me on every possible social media platform about the shootings, about the shooter, about South Carolina’s flag, and about the complicated, terrible story of race in our country. I have been grateful for every day that has passed in peace—without protests turning violent and self-destructive. I have stopped mid-step to listen to the radio reports about Charleston. I have read articles and editorials and tweets but I have not known what to say.For the past month, I have been praying—or trying to pray for the grieving families of those killed, the congregation of Emanuel AME Church, for the people of Charleston, the leaders of South Carolina, for the wider African Methodist Episcopal denomination, for all of us as Americans. Often words have failed me in the rising tide of my grief, rage, and confusion. I have wanted, perhaps more than anything, to be able to push back time. But I cannot continue to pray for a return to the week before last week, before any of this happened, and to pray for something different. That is not the type of intercession God does.

I may never find the words for the prayers that I want to articulate. But, in my silence, I am also preparing for the strength and courage for the actions I need to take next week and the week after that. The actions that will make a difference.

What have you done or said in response to the shootings at the Emanuel AME Church?

How have people received your contributions?

What actions do you think we could take as individuals, as congregations, and as a denomination to be part of the healing after these shootings and other incidents of racialized violence in our community?

Please share your stories so that they can inspire me and others who are seeking a ways forward in our broken, beautiful world. You can send your stories to gkettering@brethren.org or call me at 1-80-323-8039 xt 387.

Gimbiya Kettering is the director of Intercultural Ministries — and this blog series is a way of continuing the conversation about how race, culture, ethnicity, and language impact our relationships with one another and how we do ministry. If you have a question or comment to share, please email her directly at gkettering@brethren.org. More about Intercultural Ministries at:www.brethren.org/intercultural

A story of Courage

A Story of Courage by Donna Parcell

Monica - Picture by Donna Parcell

Monica – Picture by Donna Parcell

Her name is Monica.  She is 29 years old, and she is a widow.  Her life changed forever in 2009.

She lived in Michika village in Borno State, Nigeria.  She had three sons, Godwin (age 12), David (age 11), and Joseph (age 6).  The schools had just been closed, and she had taken David to her mother’s house.  Even though grandmothers do not have favorites, her mother and David have a special bond so he was going to spend some time with her.  Then she returned home to her husband and other two sons.

Three days later, in the middle of the night while they were sleeping, Boko Haran attacked their village.  Monica’s husband yelled for them all to lie down on the floor.  But the attackers entered their house.  Monica witnessed them beheading her husband, and cutting the throats of her other two sons and killing them.   They also brutally cut Monica’s left arm as she had her arms raised in defense.  Then they cut her throat, leaving her for dead.  But she lived.

A neighbor found her and took her to the hospital.  For the next year and five months she was in the hospital several times for surgeries to repair her arm and throat.  Three years later another series of surgeries had her in the hospital over the course of nine months.  And there are still more surgeries scheduled.DSC_1034 sized

She has had to cope with the loss of her husband and two sons, plus the trauma of her own attack and recovery.  She has been reunited with David, and is living is Jos.  Monica finds comfort and strength in her Lord Jesus Christ, and has found support from other widows and friends.  She receives food and supplies from organizations such as CCEPI, run by Rebecca Dali.

Monica is thankful for our prayers, and leans heavily into Jesus for comfort and strength.

Counting the stars

2015 COVER

 

Genesis 15:1-6, 12-18

Question for the day: 
Where is God calling you to join him in service?

Prayer: 
Source of all Creation, invite us out of ourselves and open our senses to your guidance and the leading of your Spirit. Give us the courage to let go of our desires in order to join your cause.

~ David Doudt, member of the Church of the Brethren Spiritual Directors Network

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lent Devotional written by Craig H. Smith, district executive for the Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren and ordained minister. (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Craig’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Fear and I: Cliff and Boko Haram

By Cliff Kindy, Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteer reporting from Nigeria

Fear of Boko Haram has a major impact on the people of EYN today. Fear has driven most of the members of EYN to move from their homes. That fear impacts where I am allowed to travel as one who works with EYN. That same fear shapes the impressions that members of the Church of the Brethren have of Nigeria.

Fear is the primary tool of violence. Fear is used to immobilize an enemy. Fear can terrorize and incapacitate an enemy. Fear prevents an enemy from considering ways to overcome its power. Fear is used by Boko Haram. Fear is used by the Islamic State. Fear is used by Al Qaeda. The attack on the World Trade Center was an act to stimulate fear. Of course the Islamic State learned its tactics in the prisons and torture chambers of the United States when it controlled Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq.

The Bible is full of passages that try to debunk fear. The angel’s words to Zachariah in the temple, to Mary when she was told she would carry the Messiah, to the shepherds waiting on their flocks in the dark of night and Jesus’ words to his disciples hidden behind locked doors are all paths to alleviate fear and build courage for the road ahead.

Boko Haram is a new manifestation of fear. It is mostly invisible because few people from the outside have spent time with this group. Those who have experienced the violence of Boko Haram are often immobilized by the shock of the acts carried out by Boko Haram. But what if burial teams of Christians and Muslims went into the areas conceded to Boko Haram and offered to bury the bodies? Those teams might take back conceded space in their willingness to face down fear.

Night and invisibility assist the growth of terror. Boko Haram has learned its lessons well. Surely torture and fear have a long bloody history. The torture chambers of the Inquisition, the hell holes of the Nazi Holocaust, the cells of Guantanamo Prison and the hidden rendition sites of the United States all are training schools of terror and terrorist groups. Their invisibility allows imagination to blow things out of proportion and then glimpses of them can be used to increase fear and terror. The training manual of the School of the Americas (the school now in Ft. Benning, Georgia) refined the tools of fear. Those tools of fear became the tools to “re-form” civil society to fit the needs of Empire. So religious leaders, political activists, union leaders, human rights workers and ordinary farmers became the targets of pressure, torture and death. The parallel school comes from the Israeli military. Its experiences and the tools used to destroy Palestinian society are marketed around the world for dominant political societies to control or eliminate their opposition.

Learning to deal with fear is an important tool for followers of the Prince of Peace, for nonviolent practitioners. I compare the learning process to Arlene’s (my wife) steps in preparing to cook for large numbers of people. She is a good cook but she didn’t start out cooking for a crowd of three hundred. I don’t start out facing down Boko Haram in the village streets of Gwoza, their center of operation in eastern Nigeria. But I do want to reach the place where I would be willing to go there. What if a team went to take gifts to the leaders of Boko Haram? Gifts of one thousand moringa tree (miracle healing tree of Nigeria) starts, a peace choir from the women’s fellowship (ZME) of EYN, a tool box of nonviolent tools to replace the dysfunctional violent tools they use, and a trauma healing team of Muslims and Christians? Acting with this spirit counteracts fear.

When Arlene prepares raised donuts for three hundred people she works in a helpful context. 1) She has cooked donuts often, 2) she has helpers, 3) she has favorite recipes which she has tested, 4) she has tools that expedite the process and 5) she has spaces to let the dough rise, cook in hot fat, cool, hang from dripping racks after icing and 6) spaces to feed hungry people.

When I visit a war zone I try to build a favorable context by reading all I can find about the place. I pray while working in the garden. I dream scenarios of possible situations and my responses. I go by invitation so I know that there are others to walk with me and teammates with whom to work.

I have practiced fear management in other places while working with Christian Peacemaker Teams. When suicide bombers came to our house in Baghdad or when the armed robbers raided our compound in the Democratic Republic of the Congo we spent hours debriefing the experiences. Deconstructing the experiences helps me to understand the pieces and also deal with the trauma.

Yes, trauma does affect most of us in these and other types of situations. Trauma healing works to frame the experience in ways other than terror. Trauma is our body’s safety fuse that blows when fear is about to overwhelm our body’s capacity to cope. But then trauma comes back to haunt us because the normal emotional circuits have been broken and need to be rebuilt through long patient work. Forgiveness is one way that can change the dynamics and understanding of an event. Or if I can understand violence and fear in a way that allows me to envision a positive future then I regain control of my responses in both energizing and life giving ways. So dealing with fear both before it happens and after it happens, and doing it many times, allows me to understand the construction and deconstruction of fear. Maybe this parallels the ease with which Arlene can undertake a cooking assignment for a large group of people.

Realizing that fear impacts any nonviolent actions that I use helps me to recognize my reactions to fear and move to minimize its effect so that I can be the one who takes the initiative rather than being immobilized by the fear that an “enemy” throws at me. What if we held a 50,000 person march from central Nigeria toward the northeast where Boko Haram is ensconced? It would attract heavy media coverage. Muslims and Christians would make up the marchers since both are about equally impacted by Boko Haram’s violence. Invite the Catholic archbishop, the Muslim Emir of Kano and Pope Francis to participate. Take the choir of ZME, the Muslim youth who protected the churches of Christians during Christmas celebrations and the Christian youth who protected the mosques during Muslim holy days. The message would be that together we desire a different and better future from what Boko Haram is creating. Invite them to help shape the future in ways that all benefit. Clearly a caliphate with no people, with wells containing dead bodies, destroyed homes, burned medical clinics and destroyed harvests does not lead to a workable future.

I carry tools that counteract fear too. The New Testament is full of tools that re-take the initiative for peace. Paul invites us to overcome evil with good. Jesus says to love our enemies, pray for those who misuse us, feed our enemies if they are hungry and give them something to drink if they are thirsty. He said that the peacemakers are blessed!

Sure, we could encourage Nigeria to do what the United States military did in Iraq and Afghanistan, Somalia and Libya, Syria and Yemen… I don’t wish that on Nigeria. I think we have much more effective tools at our disposal. The suggestions I have peppered through this writing may not be the ones for Nigeria but perhaps they can stimulate even better and more creative ideas for Nigerian peacemakers to use.

Ananias in Acts 9 is resistant to the prodding of Jesus because of his fear but finally agrees to lay hands on the Boko Haram leader of the early church. So Saul/Paul regains his sight and receives the Holy Spirit. He is transformed, as is Ananias. This Paul goes on to write about half of my New Testament. So where are the Ananiases in Nigeria who, in spite of their fear, will lay hands on the Sauls of Boko Haram? See, one needs to be close to them to do that — close enough to share some of Arlene’s donuts with Boko Haram.

Star rising

AWAKE_ADVENT_4Matthew 2:1-12

Question for reflection:

What signs of Jesus have stood out for you during this Advent and Christmas season? Where have you witnessed the Light of Christ disrupting the darkness and shining brightly?


Prayer for the day:

Once again we have traveled the road of God’s promise, arriving at a simple manger occupied by an infant child. This, this is the light of the world? Thank you, God, for humble beginnings through simple servants. We marvel at your creativity and courage, entering this world as a human. We see Jesus, and we give you praise! Amen.

~ Jonathan Shively, Executive Director, Congregational Life Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Advent Devotional written by Sandy Bosserman, a former district executive and an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Sandy’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Cost of complacency

AWAKE_ADVENT_4

Proverbs 1:20-33

Question for reflection:

Where in your life are you resisting God through complacency? What change might you initiate to proactively mend and make amends, with God and with those around you?


Prayer for the day:

Give me ears to hear your direction, God, and then grant me courage to live beyond my complacency. Make me wise enough to discern your ways and follow your advice. Thank you for the safety of your promises. Amen.

~ Jonathan Shively, Executive Director, Congregational Life Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Advent Devotional written by Sandy Bosserman, a former district executive and an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren. (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Sandy’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Unchanging faith

LENT_real_rest_FRONTPAGE

 

Luke 19:41-48

Prayer for the day:
Forgiving Lord, help us to throw out the things in our hearts and minds that distract us from you. Restore in us a new openness that will keep hanging on to every word of your teachings.

Question for reflection:
What preoccupies you from staying focused on God?

~ Sarah Neher, National Youth Conference Coordinator

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Alive in lonely places

LENT_real_rest_FRONTPAGE

 

Luke 5:12-16


Prayer for the day:
Holy Spirit you speak in many ways, including through the sound of silence. Grant me the courage to be quiet and wait to hear your voice within the stillness. Help me recognize more quickly the signs, within myself and within others, when a quiet rest with you is urgently need.


Question for reflection:

How can you create a “deserted place” in your life, perhaps without even leaving your home or office? What would a place need to be without in order for you to be more fully with God?

~ Becky Ullom-Naugle, Director for Youth and Young Adult Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

 

Prelude to a decision

LENT_real_rest_FRONTPAGE
Luke 6:12-16

Prayer for the day:
Lord of both the sunrise and sunset, we seek you in the nighttime that we may come to see the day. In our prayers we seek to understand your ways, longing to know how we might live more faithfully from day to day. As we pray ourselves into your light we know our decisions may not make sense to those around us. Grant us courage to do what others say cannot be done. Give us your Spirit that we might see your path before us. Amen.


Question for reflection:

As you seek to discern God’s work around you, how do you pray?

~ Josh Brockway, Director for Spiritual Life and Discipleship

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Almost unspeakable

2013 Advent good_news_hi_res   Matthew 2:16 -18

Prayer for the day:
Soften my heart O, God, that I might have compassion for those who are forgotten, oppressed, and hurt. Harden my resolve, that I might have the courage not to look away but to hear their stories and learn their names. Move my hands, that I might be a servant of peace.


Question for reflection:

As a pacifist, New Testament Christian, I often like to gloss over the genocide, civil war, and violence of the Old Testament. Matthew 2 is a reminder that it continued even after Jesus was born and continued after Jesus died and continues today –2000 years later. Sometimes, my prayers for peace feel so ineffectual and vague against the tide of violence reported in the local news broadcast and global current events. I wish I could do more. How can I hold in my heart the seeming contradictions of God’s loving mercy and the violent realities of our times?

~ Gimbiya Kettering,  Intercultural Ministries Coordinator

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Advent Devotional written by Tim Harvey, pastor of Central Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Tim’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.