An Introduction
My college dorm had a tradition of watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy during finals week. The last time we watched them I couldn’t help but feel a bit like Frodo as he prepares to leave the Shire. I too was in a comfortable place, surrounded by great friends and having a wonderful time. I too was becoming restless and ready for something more. I too was about to leave my comfortable home, and enter an unknown world filled with tribulations I have never known.
As I prepare to join Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Hebron, in the West Bank, I can imagine how Frodo felt: uncertain, unprepared, anxious, sad. In the movie (and the book) Frodo has a great help to overcome these negative emotions, the Fellowship. Frodo has a group behind him, supporting him through his trials. Even when Frodo and Sam are separated from the rest of the Fellowship, there is continued support in ways seen and unseen. Frodo’s connection to the Fellowship gives him hope, even in the most hopeless situations, and strength even in his weakest state.
My friend, and long time CPTer, Cliff Kindy was asked why, when a CPTer, with no power or authority, stands up to soldiers (or other authority figures), do they listen? His answer was that a CPTer does not stand alone. What give us authority, is that when we stand we have our home communities backing us up. The soldiers know that anything we see, hundreds of our friends will see, and our friends will take action.
This is the purpose of my blog. Not to merely tell you about a travel experience, or share cool stories, but it is an attempt to create a fellowship. I hope it becomes a blog in which the reader does not passively spectate, but which demands the readers participation. This is an essential part of the work I will be doing, as it was essential for Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Although the fate of the world does not lie in my hands, and I doubt the Fellowship will include any elves, dwarfs, or hobbits; I hope it will include you, and I hope that together we can do our part for peace, justice, and the Kingdom of God.
“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”
-Bilbo
Thanks for running this post, Jonathan. We’ll follow it. Our children, and Gregory in particular, sees you as a role model. The other day he got into the ukulele, and was talking about how you playit. So we’re glad you are showing the way down another good path as well.
(love the Bilbo quote too, Dustin)
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
I believe in you Jonathan. Hope will rise, and Love will overcome.
also….one more J.R.R. Tolkien quote…
“Never laugh at live dragons.”
Jon, I’m proud of you.
They are all going to be positively impacted by you if they know you even a fraction as well as I do. Just take it one day at a time, and don’t let the size of the task overwhelm you. Baby steps