Good morning…
Olga from Ukraine continues to interact with our written word community through our friend Pam.
After receiving our blog post Day Of Prayer For Ukraine, Olga sent an immediate response: “People all over the world are united. It’s really impressive and supports us!”
“I’m overwhelmed to know the Ukrainians are hearing the worldwide message of harmony,” Pam texted me yesterday.
“Yes,” I responded. “God’s love is shining through in brilliant, unexpected ways. Thank you for being a channel for the amazing outpouring of God’s Spirit that unites us around the globe.”
She added, “Olga and I just exchanged… “We hope one day again to share a meal at each other’s homes.”
Intimate. Authentic. Life-giving friendship is anchored beneath the whirlwind of war.
Then in the Sunday school class I taught yesterday morning, a couple who have been my longtime friends shared insights from their son-in-law who served as a lieutenant in the US Navy and worked with the Ukrainian Navy on military intelligence and training. I asked permission to share this young man’s firsthand perspective.
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Some friends have reached out for my thoughts on Ukraine so I thought I would organize them below. I rarely post – I hope you understand that this is an issue that hits close to home.
• Vladimir Putin is not a rational actor – and never has been – so any attempt to persuade him by rational means is fruitless.
• Eight years of pressure by Russia has united the Ukrainian people. I was in Ukraine in 2019 for the election of Volodymyr Zelensky, a landslide victory in every region. This was the worst possible outcome for Putin and I believe he has been planning an invasion since that day.
• I have friends on the front lines and friends at the command centers. They need help and we should send it. I strongly support sending additional aid, both humanitarian and tactical in nature.
• I think it’s important to remember many of these Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have family members that live across the border in both directions. The intermingling of cultures and families is common.
• The sanctions announced to date were initially mediocre and have improved slightly – to me, isolating the Russian energy sector would have a much larger and immediate impact. I strongly support immediately re-establishing our energy independence with Nuclear Power among other measures. A simple fact: The US imports over 500,000 barrels of refined oil produces ($50M +) a day from Russia. That’s a lot of money.
• As the Russian economy struggles, the Russian people will want change. This may be the beginning of the end for Putin and Putinism.
Pray for Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine.🇺🇦
Молись за Україну! Будь з Україною!
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The earth and everything on it belong to the Lord. The world and its people belong to him (Psalm 24:1, CEV). “All human beings are created to live with a life-shaping God consciousness and a willing submission to God’s authority,” explains Paul David Tripp in his February 27th devotional from New Morning Mercies.
We are each created to ponder two crucial questions, day after day.
- Is a growing God consciousness shaping my life?
- Am I willing to submit to God’s grace-filled authority?
We all belong to the same loving Lord, yet those who answer “no” and “no” can stunt spiritual growth. Those who answer “yes” and “yes” continue to expand God’s healing presence in this hurting world.
Right now, how might you answer these two crucial questions?
…Sue…
P.S. Thanks to Corinne Adams for the inviting beach photo.
P.S.S. At 3:56 am, I pressed “send” on the above message. At 5:01 am, the Henri Nouwen Society continued God’s conversation.
DAILY MEDITATION | FEBRUARY 28, 2022 – You Belong to God
You are not what you do, although you do a lot. You are not what you have collected in terms of friendships and connections, although you might have many. You are not the popularity that you have received. You are not the success of your work. You are not what people say about you, whether they speak well or whether they speak poorly about you. All these things that keep you quite busy, quite occupied, and often quite preoccupied are not telling the truth about who you are. I am here to remind you in the name of God that you are the Beloved Daughters and Sons of God, and that God says to you, “I have called you from all eternity and you are engraved from all eternity in the palms of my hands. You are mine. You belong to me, and I love you with an everlasting love.”
May God’s everlasting love continue to expand throughout our globe as we grow in higher consciousness of the God who whispers to each one of us, “You are mine. You belong to me, and I love you eternally.”
