President Ahmadinejad, Part 2

Thanks to Patty Horridge for telling me that only part of my letter got posted. In order not to type the whole thing again. I ask you to accept my apologies and read this second part of what I consider to be an important letter.

President Ahmadinejad, part 2
You have said that the current world conditions cannot continue. You are absolutely correct. But we are all guilty of perpetuating the conditions. Imposition of one's thoughts on the international community is wrong whether it is in order to promote capitalism or religion. The killing of infidels or sinners doesn't help anymore than promoting poverty in order to produce profits.
I agree that the situation in Palestine and Israel is critical to world peace. As it stands now, it is not fair or just. But killing won't solve anything and revenge is self defeat. The military will not produce true peace; it will only maintain fear and mistrust. The military budgets are too large for every developed nation both East and West. War is not the answer. Liberalism and capitalism are not the main causes of war. Greed, fear, ignorance, and indifference are. Terrorism is the number one enemy of peace today. We are all victims. Terrorism is war without courage, responsibility, or honor. It is committed by cowards who purposely attack the innocent. It is almost always committed for some political or religious bias. It weakens all nations and prevents the trust that is needed to achieve real peace.
You have said that rulers distance themselves from values, morality, and divine teaching. I believe it is best seen in the separation, which is growing, between the rich and the poor in every country. Rulers have forgotten they are called to serve their people, not to have the people serve them. We could argue about human rights, especially the rights of woman, but I am not writing to argue, but to try to help.
I commend you for continually honoring the major prophets of God who came to promote peace and love, and to eliminate war, hate, injustice, and indifference. Then why aren't governments pursuing those God given mandates? I have studied many of the world's religions. To the best of my understanding they all acknowledge one God, known by many names, in some manner. The goal of every one of these religions can be summed up as: Honor God and be a blessing to one another. There will come a time when humanity will return to this knowledge that god is One, that God is good, and that He has given us all things necessary for justice, truth, love, and peace among all mankind.
War is a loser's game. No one ever wins and humanity always loses. All the great powers in history have fallen. The Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Germans, English, Russians, Spanish, and perhaps now the Americans have lost the vision for being a means of good for the world. Perhaps Islam is next in line. However, I believe it too will fail if it continues the pattern of expansion beyond need and control which has doomed all who have gone before. We are not created nor intended to control one another, but to support and enable one another as a way of honoring God.
Governments have been unable or unwilling to bring about peace, prosperity, and cooperation among nations. Religion has had its share of failures as well, usually caused by people who tried to play God.
My brother, Mahmoud, if you are serious about changing conditions and seeking peace, I humbly suggest that you and President Obama seriously consider calling for, and enabling, a conference of world religious leaders, not to argue theology, but to pursue "the peace of God that passes all understanding"(Philippians 4:7). I have many thoughts on how this would happen, but this is not the time for it. As I said, I intend for this letter to get out and become as public as God wants it to be. I expect this letter to make some people happy and some people angry, but that is the price of trying to honor God.
May God bless you and keep you, may God lift up His face and be gracious unto you, may God lift up His countenance and give you peace, now and always.
In His Name,
The Rev.Chuck Woehler

This letter has been sent to the Iranian Embassy in DC. I have talked to them and they will translate it and decide whether or not it will be sent to President Ahmadinejad. I have sent a copy to President Obama. I have trie to get in touch with the NY Times but they have not answered my phone calls or emails. Pray that God will use this for the wellbeing of all peolpe.

Open letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

President Ahmadinejad,

Grace and peace to you in the Name of the One True God. I pray that all is well with you and those you love. I pray that you are faithfully seeking truth and justice for all people. I pray that you will be able to help the people of Iran and all the Middle East improve their quality of life.

My name is Chuck Woehler (pronounced Wayler) and I am an Episcopal Priest in San Antonio, Texas. I listened to your speech at the United Nations onSeptember 23rd of this year. It caused me to go back and read some of the other speeches youmade there in previous years. I have thought and prayed long and hard about responding to you. The easy way out would be to do nothing, but that would be unfaithful to my Lord. I truly believed I have been called to write to you. I do not know if you will receive this letter; and if you receive it, whether you will read it; and if you read it, whether you will respond. I am also going to post this letter on a blog and/or send it to a newsparper. I trust that whatever becomes of it it God's will.

You have said that there are two conflicting outlooks in the world. One is based on materialism, inequality, and oppression. This outlook promotes poverty by imposing its will on other nations. The other is based on the oneness of God, the teachings of His messenger, respect for human dignity, and a secure world for everyone. Apparently, the former isthe western nations, especially the United States; and the latter is the Islamic nations, especially Iran. With the questionable exception of the oneness of God, these two outlooks could apply to the opposite group of nations, depending on your viewpoint. Neither group is truly blameless, holy, or right.

I don't remember the first time I took the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. Could have been before seminary, but I'm just don't know. I do know that I taken it in various groups for various reason at least 6 times. The first 4 were all the same - ENFP - with an extreme E. The last 2 times - INFJ. Kathryn says I must have lied the first 4 times because I've always been judged mental(intentional spelling). But the I really threw me for a loop. I consider my self friendly and outgoing, a real extrovert. I was sharing this change with someone who knows about these things and he asked me where my favorite place was. I said it was up in the mountains or in my study reading and listening to music. He said, "Well, there is your answer, you want to be alone." But immediately and almost defensively I said, "But I love being at St. Thomas on Sunday morning." He said he thought that I was more of an introvert, but that I probably got my energy from being with that group of people. I think that is true.
The reason I say all that is because of some reading I am doing now, by myself, about community. Eugene Peterson, in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, says, "Sectarianism is to the community what heresy is to theology, a willful removal of a part from the whole." He says it is a willful and deliberate decision to leave the large community, in order to form a smaller community of special interests. In terms of the Christian community it says YES to Paul's question in 1 Cor 1:13, "Has Christ been divided?" It is group selfishness. It confuses uniformity with unity, and tries to make holy that which is not, because separation from the Body of Christ is separation from Christ. It is built upon self-spirituality, which is cafeteria style: I'll take a little of this and a little of that, oh, and some of that as well. Earlier he speaks of the Biblical sense of 'spiritual'. Spirituality is not even in the Bible. St. Paul used the word 'spiritual' to refer to actions or attitudes derived from the work of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't until the medieval Church that the word 'spirituality' was widely used and it was used to speak of the study and practice of living life as Jesus called us to and enabled by sending the Holy Spirit. Spirituality must be grounded in Christ and that is why the Eucharist is the central act of worship for Christians, because without it our spiritual formation in dominated by ideas about Jesus instead of receiving like from Jesus. And, Peterson says. "Spiritual formation is primarily what the Spirit does." Which means it is not so much about what we are doing. And this happens in community, because that is where Jesus is - the Body of Christ, His holiness and our humanity.
Sooooo, my time alone must be fed by guided by my time in community.
God bless you.

standing sideways

In my photo I am not lying down I just can't straighten up. Any suggestions.