Here’s a video I filmed of a courageous young man, who took a stand last year, publicly refusing orders to deploy in the face of his First Sergeant. Just released publicly on the VisionForce initiative, www.StandWithHonor.com. Watch his story!

http://www.cpt.org/files/images/gene_stoltzfus.jpg

While driving with Thad Crouch today, he told that a man I’d met last summer at the National Assembly to Honor Freedom of Conscience had passed away two days ago. His name was Gene Stoltzfus, the Founding Director of Christian Peacemaker Teams, and he’s someone I aim to be like. http://www.cpt.org/

I had been looking forward to getting to know Gene better, because his life as a visionary peacemaker is nothing short of incredible and deeply inspiring. As I stand with Thad Crouch and the upcoming iStand for Soldiers of Conscience this June (still not publicly announced), I was hoping to learn from the rich, deep, hard experience this man has had.

Thad has known Gene about 15 years, and told me how this man had been a Conscientious Objector to the Vietnam War, and that he had chosen to perform his alternate service in a curious location: Vietnam. Even though he was a pacifist and refused to fight, he went to the war zone to do his service.

Later in his life, Gene, a Mennonite, was present in a church gathering, where another man asked this bold “What if” question: What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?

It was then that Gene took a stand and co-founded Christian Peacemaker Teams based on the visionary idea that “disciplined and trained teams of people could be put together into highly charged, critical situations and they could make a difference.” Talk about standing boldly in this world!

Since its beginnings, CPT members have been engaged in such situations in Chiapas, Mexico; Haiti; and other locations in North America and around the world. Current CPT locations include Colombia, the West Bank and Iraq.

Gene was at the heart of those who planted and nurtured the vision for teams of peacemakers partnering with local communities in conflict zones to build justice and lasting peace which has grown into CPT.

To get a sense of who Gene was, listen to this audio. http://peace.mennolink.org/resources/atlanta2003/gene.mp3

He speaks about using a “language of invitation,” verses speaking in shoulds, etc., or what I would call Visionary language vs. Positionary language.

What a beautiful man. I only wish I’d gotten to know him in person. I am coming to know by knowing those whose lives he has touched and the legacy that is Christian Peacemaker Teams.

Gene, thank you for your years of humble service on behalf of all of us, that we may one day live in a world that stands united for peace, with reverence for human live and dignity. Thank you for standing in the face of incredible fear, pressure, doubt and who knows what else as you personally headed into conflict zones, and met with real people dealing with the kinds of fears, anger and violence that many of us never really touch. Thank you for standing for the ones, who are not being heard. Thank you for being a man who leads from the front, who is willing to walk his talk, and honor his conscience. Thank you for being an example of what is possible for all of us, and standing even in the face of being supported by only a small percent of people in the world and in your own religious community.

I can barely begin to imagine the rejection you’ve faced. The fear you’ve faced. The anger of people, who aren’t really angry with you, but you’re the one standing in front of them. The frustration and disappointment you’ve faced when hope seems lost, or results or promises go unmet. I aim to stand as you stand, and I pray I may stand as courageously and with as much commitment. I promise to carry forth the torch of peace in our world, standing as you’ve stood.

Gene Stoltzfus, I honor you. May you rest in peace.

We’re the proud Executive Producer for Shawn Madden’s Garden of Dreams… have a listen to a rough cut: http://shawnmadden.bandcamp.com/?autoplay=true

You’ll want to save this one, share it, sing it, dance to it and replay it!

For time immemorial, we’ve honored those who are willing to go to war, risk their lives and kill others to fight for their country, for their life and liberty.

At the same time, history honors great soldiers of conscience, who risked their lives to stand for something peacefully: Gandhi, Galileo, King, Jesus, the unknown protestor in Tienanmen Square, Iranian protestor Neda, the list goes on…

Yet every day, soldiers who dare to defy orders from their superiors, when it conflicts with their conscience, are shamed, imprisoned, dishonored and even killed for disobeying orders.

This Saturday, I’m taking a stand to honor soldiers who dare to follow the orders of their conscience first, especially those who are standing for peace, and I invite you to join me and spread the word.

I’ll be speaking at the National Assembly to Honor Freedom of Conscience in Austin, Texas, about an hour outside of Fort Hood in Killeen, TX, the largest US military base in the world. For more information, click here.

We should just trust what our leaders tell us, and everything will be OK.

Or…

Is it time each found the visionary leader in ourselves???

I’m always eager to connect you with fellow visionaries who are bringing a fresh perspective to bear on the big questions of our time. So, I’m delighted to share with you an invitation I recently received to participate in what I see as a leading-edge endeavor to evolve our understanding of spirituality in the 21st century.

The Great Integral Awakening: Pioneering a New Spiritual Path is a FREE online teleseminar series where you can interact with many of today’s leading visionaries—including Ken Wilber, Diane Hamilton, Andrew Cohen, Marc Gafni, Don Beck, Michael Murphy, Genpo Roshi—in an in-depth exploration of the next stage in humanity’s spiritual development.

Over the next three months, you can join them each week online and by conference call to explore the burning questions facing all of us who aspire to live an authentic spiritual life in our increasingly chaotic, fast-paced world.

Questions like:

* How does the spiritual path need to evolve to meet the evolutionary challenges and opportunities of our time?

* How can we make sure our own spiritual path and practice is “integral” and informed by both the timeless wisdom of Spirit and an up-to-date understanding of the human condition?

* What does it mean to live a life of passionate evolutionary engagement that integrates our deep longing for spiritual transformation and our desire to improve the world?

* How can we come together with other evolutionaries to begin to create microcosms of evolutionary culture?

* How can we engage our spiritual practice not just as a path to personal growth but as a contribution to the further evolution of humanity, life, and consciousness?

Each event will explore this set of questions from a unique angle. We’ll look at how the discovery of evolution is giving birth to an entirely new spiritual impulse—as well as a new framework for engaging in spiritual practice. We’ll ask how the great traditions of the past can be brought up to date and kept relevant to a rapidly changing, increasingly complex world. We’ll explore some of the new, integral forms that spirituality is taking, from the emergence of new paths of self-inquiry to the birth of collective enlightenment. And we’ll think together about the vital role each of us can now play in creating a more integral—and more enlightened—future for humanity.

There is no charge to participate. All of the luminaries have volunteered their time so that as many of us as possible can come together for this groundbreaking FREE online event. I hope you’ll join them in creating the future.

CLICK HERE to learn more and register today.

Standing with you and for you,

Michael

Jim Rogers – The Future Requires An Independent Mind

How can we prepare our children for the demands of an increasingly chaotic, changing present and future? It’s time we all invest in our Visionary Mind.