God is present, but not where many expect right now. God is rallying people for peace, and many who let themselves hear what God is saying, are recognizing the perilous path down which we are being led; well, not LED — for that implies leadership — but taken. What does a now clear willingness to engage in pre-emptive war say to those who believe that the United States is intent on forcing its Western ways upon the rest of the world? Does this not make much greater the possibility of some horrific unleashing of THE long-awaited “JUDGEMENT upon the infidels” that the extrmist Islamic fundamentalists. None of this is justified. Them. Us. Which leads to Them again, and Us again, and on and on down the ever increasing slope of violent madness; both sides convinced in their DIVINE mission, when the only real divine mission is anything but this. But its more than ANYTHING BUT THIS. It is the vision of the Kingdom, which is NOT what the Religious Right would have you believe it is, and NOT what the Bush administration is leading us toward, and NOT what the terrorists have in mind. None of these are of God. They are all three right now agents of the ultimate in AntiChrist, since they are , in concert and in reaction to each other, capable of ending it all, for ALL of us. There is a greater vision which is LIFE, first and foremost. Anyhing else is ultimate self-deception, all in the name of some insane idea.

The whole “Meetup” and the related encouragers of “letting the conversation happen” and “enabling people who crave (and NEED) conversations to have them” has suggested to me that this could be an important and needed technology for the Church. I just checked “Peace” as a listed issue under Meetup.com, and there were not enough in Nashville to hold a meeting. Columbus, OH had 30, and yet Nashville has less than (what is it, 4? 5? that are required to “have a meeting”) Perhaps I should find a way to communicate with Edgehill UMC and have us try to found a Nashville meeting. Perhpas this would enable others who have looked and seen no meeting happening to come and be part.

This is a direction of hope for me; yes, it is very small, but in this seemingly insane world of the conformist Church; a Church without much at all in the way of “voice” on this issue (war, and the deception and evil of it) , there can perhaps be some moments of meeting where the isolation so many of us feel can be put on the table.