peace

Peace and the Kingdom of God

Posted on by jptanabe

This month of April I was reading two books by the famous Christian couple, Rick and Kay Warren. My motivation is always to find out how they make their marriage work and how do they work well together.

First I read a most moving testimony by Kay Warren somewhere on Facebook. I was moved to tears because her marriage was not working and she was in the pit of hell. As you all know, Faith moves mountains. She could work her way up and be victorious. Her book is called “Choose Joy.” Her joy is rooted in gratitude: No joyful heart without a grateful heart. I had great admiration for Kay Warren, because she could practice “With God all is possible.“

Then I read “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick warren, her husband and Pastor of the Saddleback mega church in California. My take away from this inspiring book is that all research demonstrates than when people lose a sense of purpose in life, they lose the motivation to live at all, so whatever time we have we need to be purposeful. Rick Warren also says “You must begin with God your creator. You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense.”

Today one in four teens wants to commit suicide. In my opinion they are confused where to find their purpose and goal in life.

My husband was wondering in his early twenties why Jesus could not marry and show the way to build successful families and a peaceful world. Today as many of us show the way, God again is speaking. Who searches finds, qui cherche trouve.

Let’s go against the trend to be whoever we feel we are, with many different pronouns and genders. Let’s be simple by asserting that a family is the beginning of God’s kingdom. A peaceful family brings a peaceful world.

And as our Heavenly Parent loves us as a Father and Mother, He also gave us commandments throughout the Bible of how to live. In the Old Testament we got 10 commandments. Jesus told us to love one another and love our enemy as well. In my church we are reciting the Family Pledge, as peaceful families make a peaceful world.

Your friend, Elisabeth Seidel

End of Times and Kingdom of God

Posted on by jptanabe

This morning I stopped at my Wells Fargo bank in sunny San Diego. My teller, Laura, had a sign stuck under her name. It says: I am Ukrainian. She was a pretty, blonde young lady with sparkles in her hair in the form of pink barrettes, like princesses have, and sparkling rings on her fingers.

I told her “I am so sorry for all the suffering in your country,” and asked her if she had relatives there. She said her mom and dad just made it to America and now are staying with her, but all her other relatives were killed and died in the first two days of the war. For a moment I thought I misunderstood. She repeated it and was teary-eyed. I became teary-eyed too, and could not contain my tears as my heart was going out to her people.

As you all know by now my husband and I are from Europe, Austria-Germany and France. From Dietrich’s side there are ancestors as well from Hungary and some other eastern countries. In fact, Gisela, my husband’s sister, and I had planned an adventure trip (which was never realized) to take the train from Vienna, Austria, through Hungary and arrive at the first town in Ukraine, and spend the night there. Hungary is on the border of Ukraine.

I always felt Hungarians and Ukrainians are the same family, and all of my and my husband’s ancestors are one family now. We come from so many different countries and they all share the same descendants with my Americans kids. How can we fight?

One day I had a beautiful experience in Hungary, in Sopron. Lots of Viennese go there (one hour by train from Vienna) because it is very cheap there: the restaurants, clothing, massage parlor, hair salon etc. The city is also very artistic and I went there several times to connect with the life of our ancestors’ family.

A few years ago when I went to my habitual hair stylist there, she asked where my husband was as he usually came to pick me up and return together to Vienna. I told her he passed away, and then she remembered all the beautiful moments she witnessed with our couple. She started shedding tears for someone she saw just a few times. I did not know that our love could reach a stranger. She remembered my man.

I read in the news that at least 50 trains a day are pouring into Vienna, coming from Ukraine through Hungary with refugees from the war zone. May they finally find peace as they rebuild their lives, and may global leaders pray to find a way to global peace in consultation with God.

What I wanted to say is we are all one family under God, Our Heavenly Parent, who since the beginning of time wished to have only loving families who care for and love each other. God could not prevent the fall of man because he gave us freedom and responsibility.

Freedom is so precious; people now are giving their lives for it. We are born free, but because of the fall of man we needed a savior. Jesus came and went and said he will come back.

When the marriage supper of the lamb happens will we see the signs, and recognize the Lord of the Second Advent and his bride who will show the way of true love, and after all these terrors of wars and rumors of war truly establish the kingdom of God on this earth, together with us with our own hands.

Watch the video above to learn more about God’s kingdom.

Your friend, Elisabeth Seidel

The new “Handsome” comes from North Korea!

Posted on by jptanabe

Usually, I do not like to watch any series on television. Most of the time I find them boring or not interesting, although I do like “The Crown” stories of the British queen.
 
Then I tried another series, this time from Korea, and I simply loved it. “Crash Landing on You” is the story of a rich South Korean girl, head of a business empire, who while paragliding in bad weather landed in North Korea. She becomes trapped there, and during the series, you follow her adventures trying to go back to South Korea, in the meantime falling in love with a young high official.
 
The new handsome, superman comes from over there. The emotions there are strong. Their love is from their bone marrow. The food tastes like heaven.
 
I just loved it. Being transported to another world where I never went before, but someone found true love there.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon chaired the inaugural meeting of the International Alliance for a Unified Korea. Nicknamed “Think Tank 2022,” this initiative comprises an international network of experts dedicated to a collaborative search for solutions to world problems, including the re-unification of the Korean peninsula, still divided into the communist North and democratic South even 7 decades after the cease fire that was the culmination of the Korean War.

If unification can be achieved in Korea, it will be the beginning of peace for the whole world. If one can do it, everybody can do it. It is fascinating. Please watch the latest news from Korea, “Sowing Seeds of Peace,” with crème de la crème presenters and well-known politicians in Think Tank 2022.

Elisabeth Seidel

Together is Better

Posted on by jptanabe

Upon getting up one day, I was mad, mad at my husband. Super mad. I did not like the habit of his to be late, very late or a little late, but late anyhow.

I preferred Princess Diana’s way. She could be late because of who she was, but she was always on time or earlier. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. This is a way to show love and gives the message, “I care about you.”

When my daughter Diesa was at Marist college in Poughkeepsie, part of the Red Foxes basketball team, they had a rigorous training schedule. They had to be on the court or the gym at 5 am, which meant be there 15 minutes earlier for warm up. If they were late, they had to do push-ups. This has stayed with her for her whole life. She is always early for appointments.

Of course, Dietrich’s mom (Oma) knew of her son’s habit of being late, because whenever we were invited to her favorite restaurant, or any other place, it was hard to make it on time. One day Oma noticed I was frustrated and gave me some advice: “In these circumstances take your purse and go. Do not wait for him.” Nice advice when your mother-in-law takes your side!

We were living in the woods one hour from Vienna. That morning, Dietrich was preparing to go to Vienna to teach at the Vienna International University, and I was supposed to go to the city with him. As usual things got scrambled and hurried, and I knew my husband was going to speed all the way to the capital, leaving me in a state of anxiety.

So that morning I took my purse and went. I not only took my purse, but I took the car as well, so he was left without transportation. He had to walk to the train station, change trains and get the subway. He would not be on time for his class for sure, and because of that, he was very mad as well.

Meanwhile I was climbing in the Vienna woods with the car, almost surprised by my actions. But I did not feel comfortable with the negative emotions stirring in my heart.

I was climbing up to the famous Hohe Wand, fuming all the way there. It is about 1000 meters high with a breathtaking view well loved by the Viennese for weekends or holidays.

I started walking away through the evergreens, trying to pray for the day, but was not doing so well. Then I found a hut, as you always do when you go through the paths in the Vienna woods. I decided to have some breakfast there. It was still in the early hours of the morning, so no guests were there yet.

I started feeling awkward as the owner was staring at me not understanding my German. He was wondering, “Why is she here by herself at this early hour, alone when everybody still in bed, and she can’t even speak the language.”

The breakfast that day was not tasting so good. In fact, it was tasting almost bad. There was no flavor, no warmth to it. It tasted cold and unappealing. I was starting to feel all alone, from lonely to miserable. Was it worth all the drama? Could there be another way? I was feeling I was right and my husband was wrong. But is it not that we can let the right go, for the sake of peace?

I was not too proud of myself. I had to make a plan to become smarter than him, because deep inside I never wanted to fight. I like harmony and peace. So that day I made up my mind that I would say the time of all my appointments will be half an hour earlier. I will change the time with Dietrich and then relax and still be on time for my schedule.

Let’s not react with toxic emotions. I never liked to fight with my husband. Neither did he. The hardships and difficulties made us grow. To attain a better character and lifestyle we should learn to harmonize with each other and always make peace. Together is better.

Elisabeth Seidel

Let’s Not Break the Laws of Heaven

Posted on by jptanabe

Violation of heavenly law is called sin. Sin originated with the Fall of our first human ancestors. Disobedience to God’s commandments brought misery and corruption and a swamp of immorality. Jesus fought evil by fasting 40 days and liberated people suffering under the influence of evil spirits. “Sin no more,” he said.

At a recent virtual Sunday service we had a special guest speaker, Dan Burton, an American congressman of 30 years. He said the reason he likes our movement for peace is because it is based on moral values. Without moral values we cannot achieve world peace.

I totally agree with this comment. It was totally refreshing.

I believe also this is why for the seven years prior to our marriage, the Holy Marriage Blessing, Dietrich and I lived a life of abstinence, and traveled the roads of beautiful America and Europe as missionaries inviting people to hear a message of hope and world peace. In these travels we found God our Heavenly Parent. We tried to live a life of prayer and sacrifice for others, loving people. Rejection made us develop a heart of love and forgiveness, made us stronger in our faith, made us the kind of person who can love our enemy. Sleeping on hard floors with simple food, fasting often, we were so hopeful to change the world quickly. It takes so much longer than we hoped to change the world, but it was a chance for us to develop a better character, a better personality.

On this foundation, after our most beautiful, romantic wedding, we could love each other with divine love, working out our differences and including God in whatever we were doing. I truly felt God’s love the most when I was with my beloved. The bickering and fights were forgiven as soon as we made peace with each other. Dietrich always said the best part of our fights was making peace.

Of course, we still hope for world peace; it is our purpose in life. Today God is actively working with humanity, even if we do not see His guiding hand yet. We need to go back to moral values to achieve peace.

The most important thing for our Heavenly Parent is that we reconnect with Him, through connecting with the church of our choosing; that we live a life of integrity, practicing the seven virtues, living a life of fidelity in our marriage, and avoiding temptations.

Today is a lucky day. Without being a missionary, we can do all of the above.

Join me in building God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven.

Your friend forever,
Elisabeth Seidel