prayer today from Sojourners

Break our hearts, Lord, break our hearts. For the lives lost in Haiti, each one loved by you, break our hearts. For those who have lost family members -- sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers -- break our hearts. For those who have lost homes and belongings, who sleep on the streets, break our hearts. For the crippling poverty that afflicts millions of Haitians, break our hearts. For our complicity in the sinful structures and systems that lead to oppression and injustice, break our hearts. For the state of your creation -- groaning for redemption and restoration -- break our hearts. And then put us back together so that with peace, humility, and your perspective, we might work toward seeing your kingdom on earth. Amen.

Canada - Afghanistan: I weep

How sick did it make me to see the picture of S. Harper standing, smiling, with his cronies cheering in the background in the House of Commons. So they challenged the Liberal party of Canada to a game of Chicken, and they won. They won on the backs, on the lives of Canadian military personnel and Afghan citizens. The citizens of the world have become pawns on the slippery, oil soaked game board of power and greed. This form of 'democracy' has got to go. What does it mean anymore to measure public opinion, except perhaps to count exactly how many people you've just thumbed your nose at and done what you want anyway?