Thats is interesting really, thank you for sharing that here.

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Nonviolence is our most powerful weapon. If they cannot accuse us of terrorism, they cannot stop us. The world will support us.

- Mohammed Khatib, secretary of the Bilin, West Bank, village council, referred to as "a modern-day Gandhi" whose nonviolent resistance, in cooperation with Israeli peace activists, has earned him arrests, beatings, and death threats by Israeli forces -- as well as modest legal victories, which have yet to be enforced, to change the Israeli separation barrier's route through his village's lands. (Source: Los Angeles Times)

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A Mother speaks with compassion after her son's death
I was touched to hear how loving and wise she was - she was not seeking revenge, not bitter, not angry.
Her son, a 23 yr old Irish backpacker, died after a fight in Sydney at the weekend.
Tressa Walsh arrived from Dublin on wednesday. She said goodbye to her son, and his life support was turned off. Mrs Walsh said that she was happy that several Australians had received organs from her son, who was an organ donor.
In her appeal Mrs Walsh said she doesn't hold a grudge against the man responsible for her son's death.
Gearoid came to Sydney last weekend to celebrate his sister's birthday. Late on Sunday night Gearoid Walsh was in hospital on life support. He'd been involved in a fight at a Coogee takeaway shop. He never regained consciousness.
"I'd really like to say as a mother, I really feel for this guy who got into a fight with Gearoid," Ms Walsh told reporters.
"I am heartbroken for him because we don't blame him, we don't want him to serve time in prison. I feel he was just very, very unlucky.
"Myself and my family are appealing for him to come forward and get closure on this and some peace. We don't want him to torture himself over this."
Following the mother's public appeal, a 28-year-old Clovelly man handed himself into police.
(Link to news story http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26283571-421,00.html)

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God, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and

confusing world; give them strength to hold their faith in you, and to keep alive their joy in your creation. For peace, for reconciliation, for wholeness, for grace, for love -- may these things characterize your children. 

                                        Adapted from The Book of Common Prayer

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Conti...

-2-

Please God,
Bless each one of these friends
that have touched my life in one way or another.
Forgive those God that have hurt others,
help them learn the true meaning of
Love and Friendship.

I know that each person
that I have met through the Internet
has been placed in my path for a reason
so I ask you once again God,
protect them, guide them,
keep them safe, love them and
Bless them throughout their lives.

Amen

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Maker of all things, Creator of heaven and earth, we thank you for the wonder and beauty of nature. May we be ever vigilant and responsible with the world that you have given us, keeping mindful not only that we are your stewards, but also that your creation is a gift for all generations, and that we are meant to live in peace.

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On this day that we remember the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, we pray for the reconciliation of tribes, of peoples, of nations, of ethnicities, of races. We ask for humility and openness to those who are different from us, and we thank you for the heritage and identity we all share as your children.

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Defender of the oppressed,

help us to value those you value.

Help us speak up for those who have no voice,

feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty,

welcome the stranger, clothe the naked,

take care of the sick, and visit those in prison,

recognizing all the while that we are serving you.

жжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжжж

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God who seeks the reconciliation of all people, we pray for our neighbors, for those who live around us. Bring your peace to our neighborhoods and establish your community through us in the places we live. Enable us to be ambassadors of your peace and reconciliation.

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Lord, we pray for
Peace for those who weep in silence
Peace for those who cannot speak
Peace when all hope seems to disappear.

In the midst of rage, of violence and disappointment,
In the midst of wars and destruction of the earth,
Lord, show us your light in the darkness.

Lord, we pray for
Peace for those who raise their voices to demand it,
Peace when there are many who do not wish to hear of it,
Peace as we find the way to justice.

Friends! May you find peace in your hearts now and forever!

Love you all - ivy

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God is the one who comes to us
He, is the peace of mind
we long so much to know
He is the only purpose, everywhere we go
He directs our time
And makes us as we need to be
He is all we'll ever need
To live within and know

He forgives our sin, our failure
and shows us how to grow
He is our ever present strength
to bear each heavy load
He is the ever present joy
to keep our spirits high
He guides us into light
and is the future -all unknown
He is the treasure of our search
where we can be at home

He knows just what to do
so we shall not be proud
taking us through trial
So the struggle's broken down
He is our security
to relieve our every fear
He can heal our past
open wide each aching grief
and comfort every tear


He is, yes God is truth
for He alone is true
He is the One to hearken to
with a listening ear
to discover all He's doing
to draw us ever near
He is our understanding
in all we do not comprehend
We never need to fear,
but trust we always can
For He will always be
our very dearest friend........

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God of justice, pour your mercy on the tens of millions of victims and survivors of human trafficking and modern-day slavery, many trapped in the cycle of poverty. We ask that you would restore them to wholeness and to freedom, that you would restore to them a fullness of life and of identity as children of God. We ask also that those who perpetrate such crimes would be brought to justice. Give us the boldness to speak out on behalf of those who have no voice, and the courage to act where the need arises.

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God of Peace, we lift up our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. We pray that you would bring an end to the wars that have ravaged this country for over two decades, and that you would restore the nation to peace and stability.

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So many posts kindly shared here have left me deep in thought after reading them. I wish I could tattoo them onto my skin, or place them around my walls so I could see & read them all of the time. Maybe I'll simply add a few to my profile pages to begin with. 

Thank you everyone! Peace for us all!

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God, who creates and cares for all,
move us to be good stewards of the resources
with which you have blessed us.

May we be intentional in our use of our talents,
time,
wealth,
and the Earth’s resources,
and may we use them to glorify you.

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Oh wow! Jai, Sanky, Patricia, Che, Yvonne. I thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for peace and harmony on planet earth. Right now I am reminded of a prayer of St Francis of Assisi which has touched me a lot.

                     St Francis of Assisi

                           His Prayer......

Love you - ivy

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"The fruit of peace is love and the fruit of love is forgiveness."

By: Mary of Mejugorje

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Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.

- Mohandas Gandhi

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Henry Van Dyke

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Hope which brings about change,

which produces new realities,

is what opens one's road to freedom.

Once hope has taken hold, courage must unite with wisdom.

That is the only way of avoiding violence,

the only way of maintaining the calm one needs

to respond peacefully to offenses.

- Oscar Arias Sanchez,

President of Costa Rica 1986-1990

 excerpted from his 1987 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

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Reverence declares:  “All the things God established

please me.  I do not hurt any of them.”

ÍÎÏÐÑÒÓÔÍÎÏÐÑÒÓÔ

- Hildegard of Bingen,
  1098-1179 CE
   Book of Life's Merits

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I call on humanity to support this sensible and achievable goal. Let us each do our part in this common journey, and thereby ensure that there will be no more victims such as those we honor today.

- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, calling for complete nuclear disarmament on today’s 64th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. (Source: Guardian)

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peace, love and happiness...to all

sanky

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That is very nice Jai, peace to you too!

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Jai And Perempuan welcome on board the GI bandwagon. We are so happy to see that you are already so active in this wonderful thread.

At this juncture, I wish to thank Jai for that beautiful prayer - a prayer of hope, peace, comfort, love and joy!

Perempuan once again we are so sorry to know about the hardship you folks face due to the terrorist activities in your land.

Take care and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Perempuan so sorry to hear about the bomb blast near your office. I just don't understand why people are behaving in this manner. Why don't they have compassion for other human beings as well? My prayers are with the people of Indonesia. Hope they will find that kind of inner peace so that they will not be affected by the merciless killings of those known as terrorists.  Hope your people will be protected and guided by the hands of the Almighty. Prempuan are thoughts and prayers are with you and your people.

Love & hugs!

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Lets win a peace not a war

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Yesterday boms attack near my office...i dont know...what the terorist thinking about this....kill the other people in the name of God... I think God not.. need ... a blood.... i just pray...i hope everything is gone a be alright .... with peacefuly heart reta in indonesia...

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GOD GIVES YOU

Strength, to achieve goal

Trials, to remain strong

Health, to do your duty

Sickness, to correct yourself

Wealth, to be happy

Poverty, to be thrifty

Happiness, to feel great

Sorrows, to behave human

Hope, to be optimistic

Problems, to be active

Success, to feel encouraged

Failure, to behave humble

Friends, to feel relaxed

Enemies, to remain watchful

May God also give you

Determination

To make each day

Better than yesterday !

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let's speak for peace...

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Let's pray for peace to all nations...

...the most recent bombings in Indonesia is a sign of war. A lot of people hurt and some died. We don't need a lot of these if we only to voice out that we need peace...not only in our country but to all countries who need this...

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Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared.
- Henri Nouwen
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God of Peace, give us the courage, patience, and love to walk beside our brothers and sisters who struggle with mental illness. Comfort the afflicted, and embolden us to preach the truth about this often confusing illness.

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And this follows the same train of thought:

More combat planes, missiles and soldiers won't provide additional bread for our families, desks for our schools or medicine for our clinics. All they can do is destabilize a region that continues to view armed forces as the final arbiter of social conflicts.

- Oscar Arias Sanchez,
president of Costa Rica, from his Washington Post op-ed on July 9, 2009

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God has made of one blood all nations under heaven. No man can suddenly become my enemy just because he happened to have been born on the other side of a river or a boundary line, and his government has issued an ultimatum against mine. Is it not time that we refused to fight?

- Muriel Lester,
social reformer and pacifist (1883-1968)

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Charity is commendable; everyone should be charitable. But justice aims to create a social order in which, if individuals choose not to be charitable, people still don’t go hungry, unschooled, or sick without care.

- Bill Moyers,
television journalist and social commentator

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Sarvo,
Your "prayer" echos the thoughts and writings of the  great mystics of many religious traditions. The desire to assume the sufferings of others to free the others of pain is a noble goal, not a masochistic one.  Perhaps your universe has cracked and been flooded with new darkness/light.  For you...

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Out With the Tide
Sand sculptures of Michael Jackson, a guitar and his fedora hat, made by Sudarshan Pattnaik, stand on the beach at Puri, India.

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He was the best, I dont think there will be anyone like him ever!!!

Rest in peace Micheal!

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LOS ANGELES: Pop icon Michael Jackson has died, a Los Angeles County Coroner's office spokesman confirmed on Thursday. ( Watch)

Lieutenant Fred Corral said Jackson, 50, was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm (2126 GMT) local time after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest. ( Watch)

"I can tell you at this time that we were notified by West Los Angeles Police Department detectives that Mr Jackson was transported ... to the hospital, and upon admitting, he was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at approximately 2:26 this afternoon," Corral said. ( Watch)

Corral said an autopsy would "most likely" be carried out on Friday but would not speculate on the exact cause of death.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/King-of-Pop-Michael-Jackson-dies-at-50/articleshow/4703988.cms

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“Air power contains the seeds of our own destruction ... We can lose this fight.”

- Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the new American commander in Afghanistan, pledging to sharply restrict the use of airstrikes there in an effort to reduce the civilian deaths that he said were undermining the American-led mission. (Source: The New York Times)

I could be quite cynical about this quote.  But all of YOU call me to a better place, so I will say that such a quote plants seeds of hope.  Without hope we have nothing.

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A PRAYER FOR PEACE

Redeemer of Israel and the nations, we pray for peace in the Middle East. Make friends of enemies, and may your loving spirit melt away all hatred and fear.

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I'm asking God to bring everyone's suffering and trauma onto me. There is so much pain and sickness in the world. If there's some way I can take it all and free everyone else from all their trouble then I'm praying that God will allow it. Pain comes and goes. When I experience pain it's practically as if nothing else exists. The pain nearly seems like the only thing in my entire universe. Then when it goes I can hardly even exactly remember just what it was like. It's so intense and all consuming and then when it fades away it's hard to clearly describe it. Since it's so vague and hazy and ephemeral and eventually fades why should I worry? If I have only this one life, it would be wonderful to give it for the benefit of others. If, as some say, we have many many births and deaths, then what's the problem with giving one of them to lessen the burden of as many others as possible? So I'm praying to God. I'm saying, "Oh God, whatever I do let me do it for You." That's the maha mantra. It's the great chant for deliverance recommended in all the Vedas.

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Prayer
Liberator God, we pray for redemption for children and women who are subjugated to forced prostitution and slavery.  Save them, and may they know only the easy and gentle yoke of your love.

from Sojourners

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What a lovely idea to think of prayers for peace Patricia!

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India is steeped in religious and philosophical traditions which favor peace and caring for neighbors.  I offer two to begin this discussion:

It is the acid test of nonviolence that ... there is no rancor left behind, and in the end, the enemies are converted into friends.
  -Mohandas Ghandi

prayer
Embolden your people, O Holy One, to cry out against injustice. Raise prophetic leaders from the midst of oppression, and may your Word speak and act through them.
  -Sojourners 06/16/09

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