I'm Feeling a Little "Loopy"

OK, folks.  I have an announcement to make and it is both good news and bad news.
The bad news (since everyone always wants that first) is I am not going to be able to do my usual blog entries at hopehorner.com for about 12 weeks.
Why?
Well, that's the good news.
I recently entered a contest to be a featured blogger on GOVLOOP.com  and well, I won! So, I will be blogging for GovLoop for the next twelve weeks.

What is GovLoop? ( Check it Out Here! )
Think of it as the Facebook or LinkedIn of Government employees. Their motto is "Connect government to improve government." Based out of Washington D.C. and with over 120,000 members, GovLoop provides information, resources and training for government professionals of all levels. Those of you who know me know that my "day job" is working for city government as a Human Services Administrator (overseeing prevention & intervention programs among other things) so this is my field. For the next three months, I will be passing along the things I have learned over the years to thousands of other professionals in my field.
Needless to say, I AM THRILLED.
I have been published before (Faithwriters, Burnside Writers...), but this is a huge honor and validation.  It is also going to take a considerable amount of time, hence the reason that I may not be able to post here as often in the coming months or my posts may be shorter than usual. I will do my best to keep up on the stories and inspiration this blog is known for, but please understand if I am "out of the loop" (urr, in another loop?) for awhile. I want to do the best possible job I can for GovLoop and I hope that it will serve as a platform to launch even more writing opportunities for me in the future.

So far, GovLoop has said I will be a featured blogger on Mondays on the website - so be sure to check in out Here starting on Cinco de Mayo. (That's May 5th for the gringos out there.) Every Monday, there should be another post all the way through July if the schedule sticks. Most of my topics will be about leadership and outreach, in fact, my first article will be a revised version of "How To Turn a Truck Stop into a Home" from this blog, ( Read it Here ) so you won't have to be a government employee to relate to the articles I post. I hope you will follow along with me on this new writing experience! As always, your prayers, support and feedback are appreciated.

-Hope Horner
Contact author on gmail at hopeh1122
www.hopehorner.com
#govloop

Pass the Peace

Here's a quote I saw recently:

"You want to know where sin and death is?
Follow the violence.
You want to know where the gospel is?
Follow the peace."
Read the full blog post here

My peace I give unto you.
Go in peace.
Peace be with you.
Blessed are the peacemakers.

Jesus said a lot about peace and we still hear a lot about peace today. In some churches, they even "pass the peace" or "exchange the peace." No, it's not a code word for sharing drugs. It means the church-goers are going to get up and give each other hugs or handshakes and say something like "God's peace to you" or "Peace be with you" to everyone in the room. Yes, even the shy folks trying to hide in the back are going to get a dose of God's peace.
Why?
Because they are celebrating--commemorating--what Jesus did. He bore the violence of sin & death on the cross--defeating them both so that we can have peace. Not fluffy, rainbow-y peace. Not-two-fingers-in-the-air-barely-visible-through-the-pot-smoke-peace. Peace in our relationship with God. Peace in the face of our own death. Peace in the face of hardship. Peace that passes understanding. Peace that extends beyond feeling into faith and action. Peace that soothes, simmers down, and supports. Peace that forgives and heals. We may seem like we are a long way from peace and we are. But there is a lot of peace out there if you turn your eyes away from the news for a minute. 
To find the gospel, look for the peacemakers...
Those serving Easter dinner to the poor and homeless this weekend.
The family who took in a foster child.
The junior higher who stood up for her friend when he was being bullied.
The co-worker who helped two warring clients find a compromise.
The crisis center volunteer who takes a phone call from a suicidal teen.
The youth advocate who helped a teenage girl through her pregnancy.
The gang counselor who helped a hardened street thug find a job.
The soccer coach who insisted on good sportsmanship from all his players.
The college student who stayed sober and drove his friends home after the party.
The woman who lost her leg in the Boston marathon bombing who helped a child from Latin America walk again, too.

These are just a few of the peacemakers out there.
They are sharing the gospel whether they realize it or not.

True, we will not find complete peace until we are reconciled with the ultimate Peacemaker and he restores and harmonizes all creation - makes it the way it was supposed to be before it was war-torn by the sins of violence, hatred, arrogance and greed.  However, that is not an excuse to just be complacent--to just wait, hope for the best and pray.  It is not enough to "give peace a chance."  We must PASS the peace.

See where you find the peacemaking story of Easter today and let's pass the peace wherever we are.

-Hope Horner, 2014
www.HopeHorner.com
Follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/hopenote
Email author on gmail at hopeh1122

#passthepeace #eastersunday #peacemakers
#brianzahnd