'ACTS OF GOD' IN THE US

Recently, American states bordering the Mississippi River have been flooded. The great river about which Mark Twain wrote so much has been swollen by rain, rain, and more rain.

     (Here in the US we have a saying about April showers bringing May flowers. I don’t know where it comes from, but the April showers certainly have come late this year.)

     They call such things “acts of God” in the insurance business, I understand. If floods and hurricanes and whatnot are acts of God, He surely does work in mysterious ways. What did the victims do to deserve this?

       MICAH TILLMAN writes about the debate over the recent floods along the Mississippi... | more... |

IRISH NO VOTE - EU LEADERS MUST ACT LIKE LEADERS

On Thursday of last week, the voters of Ireland sent waves of discomfort and confusion through the ranks of the EU establishment in Brussels.

    They voted a resounding 'no' to the ratification of the treaty which replaced the earlier constitutional treaty, which was rejected by French and Dutch voters.

     Well, some will say, it was Friday the 13th after all - so what can you expect but bad news? But it's arguably likely that the same result would have occurred whatever the date of the vote.

     The EU bangs on all the time about championing the cause of democracy, the popular vote and the involvement of the electorate in decision-making. It's time for the EU to put its political will where its mouth has been. It's time for it to not only listen to the people, but to be seen to be listening to the people.

Writing from London, MAL FLETCHER reflects on Ireland's decision to vote 'no' to a new EU treaty... | more... |

SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA'S DECISION TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE LEAVES MANY QUESTIONS UNANSWERED

On 15th May, the California Supreme Court changed the legal definition of marriage for its state. Our federalist system in the US will keep that ruling from having any official effect on the other 49 states, but the unofficial effects are expected to be huge. “As goes California, so goes the country.”

What makes the decision particularly controversial is that the court overturned a law which was enacted by 61 percent of “the people” of California (who voted). The law was voted on at the ballot box, not in the Capital Building, and thus the court’s ruling is a rebuke to “the people” of California, not just their legislators.

     Of course, not everyone in California took the ruling as a rebuke. The state in general, and San Francisco in particular, is (in)famous for being a center of gay culture. (Do you remember in Remember the Titans when Petey tries to turn some girls off Sunshine by telling them he’s “from California”?)

    MICAH TILLMAN reflects on the ramifications of California's change to the legal definition of marriage... | more... |

JAPANESE SUICIDE RATE REVEALS SEARCH FOR 'GREATER MEANING'

Spring is in the air in Japan, yet while the trees are blossoming and spring flowers display signs of new life, all around there are reports of people taking their own lives in Japan.

     Everyday there is news of more suicides in Japan, affecting all ages and social groups. According to statistics, over 100 people a day commit suicide, at a rate of one every 15 minutes. For most people living in Japan, these terrible statistics don’t come as a surprise. By just picking up a daily newspaper one can read a stream of disturbing suicide reports.

     The suicide rate in Japan is not only frightening but it’s complex. There are so many factors contributing to this social epidemic, such as stress and competition in schools and the work place, reluctance to discuss mental health issues, family breakdown, isolation, loneliness and financial insecurity.

    CORAL VASS reflects on a tragic trend in Japan... | more... |

WHAT HOPE FOR JAPAN'S "HIKIKOMORI"?
They’re the group of young Japanese people who, overwhelmed by anxiety about the world, have chosen to shun the world in which they live, locking themselves away in their bedrooms for years on end. 

     Known as “hikikomori” - which means "pulling away, being confined" and refers to the sociological phenomenon as well as the reclusive individuals themselves - it has been said there may be as many as one million of them in Japan, a staggering figure which equates to 20 per cent of all male adolescents in Japan, or one per cent of the total Japanese population. Up until recent times, this phenomenon had not been found in any other culture in the world.  

     CORAL VASS takes a look at what Japan's "hikikomori" is all about... | more... |

BRINGING HOPE TO FUTURE GENERATIONS IN KENYA
I met John at KE722, a Compassion project in Kenya. He is a seven-year-old Kenyan boy who is both an orphan and HIV positive. His single mother died of AIDS, leaving a shy and withdrawn John to join her brother’s family of six. They live in a shack on a tiny piece of land on the rural outskirts of Nairobi with little food and no work (Kenya’s unemployment rate is 60 per cent).

    John’ eyes showed the sadness of his existence, yet he has some hope because of God’s intervention in his life through the Compassion child development project.

      Here, he has an opportunity to be fed, educated, socialised and, most importantly, develop his relationship with God through Jesus. The anti-retroviral drugs are paid for through a complimentary intervention for HIV/AIDS which is operating through Compassion in the area and John is responding well to the drugs which is an answer to prayer.

    ANDREW MERRY tells of how he saw hope for the future during a recent visit to Kenya... | more... |

STREET KIDS IN SUDAN - WHAT CAN I DO?
As I walked to work, I passed motionless bodies lying in the dirt, their clothes impregnated in this grey filth. A closer glance revealed that this pile of rags is a young human life, probably no older than 16 years. What can I do?

    The sight, which I saw when visiting North Khartoum recently, saddens me no less than when it confronted me the first time with the reality of how hard life is in Sudan.

      On a walk back to where I was staying, I saw a couple sitting in the squalor with their young daughter. Both adults had what are, in these parts, the symbols of hopelessness expressed on their faces - a rag stuffed in their mouth so they could inhale glue or benzene. Their senses were numbed, their faces were blank; their small, maybe two-year-old child stood naked with her hand holding on to a small fruit juice container, sucking out the last remains that someone else had just discarded.

    JOHN HARRISON writes of how God stirred him to reach out to the street kids of North Khartoum... | more... |

SHHH! FINDING GOD IN THE SILENCE

For an overachieving, working mother with a 'Type A' personality and a tendency toward anxiety, the concept of being still is rather foreign...and a little frightening. Like so many Christians, I can be silent and listen to God for oh, about 15 seconds, before the noise of my over-stimulated mind breaks in. So imagine putting me in a place for 36 hours where true silence and isolation are observed? Then consider that this bona fide city girl would have no electricity or indoor plumbing and you’ll get an idea of how daunting the whole concept was for me.

      But that’s exactly where God led me. Finding myself at a career crossroads, I sought solace at Pacem in Terris, a Franciscan centre of spirituality located in rural Minnesota. Nestled among almost 100 beautiful wooded hectares are 16 simply furnished one-room cabins called “hermitages.” Within their walls believers can find peace and solitude - and most importantly - God.

      Silent retreats are “in” and centres are popping up all over the world. Facilities vary from primitive one-room cabins to luxurious lodges, tents and teepees and are operated by a wide variety of religious traditions.

     AMY HAMMOND HAGBERG takes time out to listen... | more... |

INDONESIAN OBSERVATIONS

Sometimes you see a photographer or artist lock their thumbs and index fingers in an effort to frame a portion of a landscape. Travelling for 30 days through three Indonesian islands gave me faint glimpses of the heart, soul, muscle and sinew that lie beneath the skin of a complex and chaotic culture. But mostly, as a cashed-up Westerner, I saw an index finger/thumbs view.

    Here’s a dozen observations:
    The Wet Season: Often names come from irony, a big person nicknamed ‘Tiny’, a redhead named ‘Blue’. No irony here. Pure reality. Sometimes it’s hot enough to make your sweat sweat. The dampness cloisters your nostrils with the promise of rain and humidity becomes a personality that clings at first light and grows on you sometimes for days until it weighs like heavy old blankets. Then it bursts and the rain comes down, not in drops but like a giant tray of water dropping out of the sky.

    ADAM KELSALL's Indonesian odyssey... | more... |

ART AND FAITH IN NYC
‘The Poet’s Corner really exists, doesn’t it?’ I asked Jo while settling in. It had been the place in her novel where the protagonist, Jordan, finds respite and inspiration when the pressures of city life threatened to engulf her.

      Jo nodded, a twinkle in her eye.

     ‘I’ll have to do the pilgrimage, you know. You’ve started something!’

      Imagine my delight, then, when I stepped off the subway at Manhattan’s 110th street and wandered around the block to discover the Cathedral of St John the Divine - large enough for a couple of games of football to be underway inside - and its Poet’s Corner. The Poet’s Corner was inspired by one in Westminster Abbey, and quotes carved onto large stones paved into the floor pay tribute to the great American writers.

    JO HOPPING tells of how she looked 'beyond the surface' during a recent trip to New York... | more... |

LLOYD HARKNESS finds himself somewhere between statues and murals at the Spanish Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa in California... | more... |

TANYA BENNETTS is encouraged by Mandela's acknowledgement that his son died of AIDS... | more... |

DEB MACKIE writes of her experiences at a Bali orphanage...

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