Today on Listen Up: a look back at 2006!
Today, some of the stories that shaped our year…
It’s
common for people to look back at year end. Taking time to reflect on
the past can be a fruitful process: one that gives birth to fresh
resolve and new ideas for tackling old challenges.
Today, we’re remembering the year that was.
First,
the international view. 2006 is just getting started when Iran
announces plans to restart work on its nuclear energy program. Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffers a massive stroke. And Palestinians
elect the terrorist organization Hamas in a stunning election result.
Here at home, Canadians also go to the polls, and deliver the reins of
the federal government into the hands of the Conservative party -- for
the first time in more than a decade.
February, and the Winter
Olympics in Torino, Italy captivate the world, providing a happy
distraction from global problems. Also in February, the Muslim world
erupts in angry, violent demonstrations, following the publication of
newspaper cartoons negatively depicting the prophet Muhammad.
Meanwhile,
Canada’s largest cities get a lot of attention with concerns
highlighting gangs and gun-related violence, homelessness and poverty.
Listen Up hears from Dr. Eugene Rivers, that help could be a close as
the local church down the block.
It’s March and former
Yugoslavian president, Slobodan Milosevic is found dead in his prison
cell at The Hague, just as his four-year war crimes trial is drawing to
a close. Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein testifies at his trial for
the first time. And North American students eager for freedom from the
constraints of studying and school, take part in that annual ritual
known as Spring Break.
Listen Up is looking back at 2006, at
stories which caught our heart – like the elections in Haiti – and the
struggle for democracy there. Amid the turmoil, we spoke with former
playboy model Susie Krabacher who has found a new purpose in life,
caring for Haitian orphans.
For Easter, we visited the
fire-ravaged community of Lewis Creek and Barrier B.C. – to hear an
incredible story of a community’s forgiveness.
From forest
fire to heated controversy. Throughout 2006, Canadians debate our role
in Afghanistan, where our soldiers are engaged in active combat. And as
the casualties mount, politicians wrestle over the extent of our
involvement.
In May, thousands of people are killed and
hundreds of thousands left homeless in Indonesia when an earthquake
strikes Java Island. Former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey
Skilling are found guilty of fraud and conspiracy by a Houston jury.
And theatre goers around the world await the release of the movie
version of The DaVinci Code – based on a book hailed as the most
popular and controversial novel of our time.
Two African
nations: Uganda and Sudan. Both have endured struggles that have
devastated their populations, victimizing innocents and displacing
countless thousands of people. Listen Up went looking for hope behind
the headlines.
Closer to home, one of the top issues of concern
to Canadians in 2006 was the environment. Listen Up went looking for
the spiritual side of the story.
September saw Americans mark
the fifth anniversary of nine-eleven, Pope Benedict 16th create a furor
in the Muslim world for quoting a derogatory 14th-century text, and
thousands of Canadian women flock to Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, when
Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, comes to speak.
In
Canadian politics, Canada’s First Nations citizens unite to say their
historic native land claims can no longer be ignored. Caledonia,
Ontario becomes the focal point for that unrest. Plans to build a
subdivision on land the Six Nations people claim is theirs are
overtaken by force.
October. International outrage follows the explosion of a nuclear device in the mountains of North Korea.
Americans
are stunned by three school shootings in the space of a week. Listen Up
travels to Pennsylvania to learn about the amazing story of forgiveness
that arises in the midst of one of those tragedies.
In November,
former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is found guilty of crimes against
humanity and is sentenced to death. Lebanese Christian cabinet minister
Pierre Gemayel is assassinated and Israelis and Palestinians agree to a
ceasefire in Gaza. Here at home, delegates from around the world gather
in Halifax to discuss micro-credit – the big business of giving tiny
loans to poor people. And when Canada pledges 40-million to
international micro-credit programs, Listen Up is there to find out why.
December, and Canada’s parliament wrestles with the issue of whether to reopen debate on same sex marriage.
We’ve just had a look back on a year of stories
around the world that have caught our attention at Listen Up TV. It’s
our hope that reflecting on the year that was, gives some energy to our
resolve to make the year ahead the best yet.
Seasons of fresh
resolve are important to humanity. Having the opportunity to begin anew
can be nothing less than a gift of grace. A gift that God, in His
wisdom, gives us not just with every New Year, but with every new day.
In
many areas, what happens to our physical world will always be beyond
our own choice in many areas. But our spiritual realities, that is our
choice. As a Christian – I’ve written about this on my blog at
listenuptv.com, because, this dawn of a new year, is a new time for me
to bring my life to the God who loves us all, and ask for a new
beginning - for me. And as sure as a new day rises tomorrow on 2007,
God responds to my plea for a new beginning for my soul.
There’s more on this on our website. You can download the show on podcast or watch it online.
I'm Lorna Dueck. Happy New Year.
Listen Up with Lorna Dueck is available ON-LINE in a variety of ways.
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Read Lorna's Globe & Mail columns by searching
our archive.
Read 'Media & The Message'. Lorna says if the church wants to impact society, we need to share our stories.
On April 30, 2005 Lorna was privileged to receive an honorary Doctorate of Christian Ministries from Canada's largest Christian university, Trinity Western University. Lorna was recognized for the witness and leadership that Listen Up TV has provided in public messaging: "a leader in the voice of evangelical life in Canada."
