A Nation Mourns

Today, I am taking a different route and sharing a quote, not from the Bible but from the newspaper.

The following words are from the Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff.

"Many of our best qualities are most in evidence in childhood.

We’re excited and excitable, curious, adventurous, unconditionally loving, quick to forgive, oblivious to subtle slights, unafraid to the point of recklessness – basically in love with life.

When life is so stretched out before such an exuberant, wide-eyed and open-hearted child, nothing could knife through the soul quite like seeing that thing of such beauty and limitless promise cut down at an assassin’s hand.

The horrible mass shooting Friday in Newtown, Conn., ranks right up there with the most tragic news events in most of our lifetimes: so many people slaughtered, so many of them children. The term “innocent victims” doesn’t begin to describe the incongruity. No one deserves such a fate, but certainly our young tucked away in elementary schools are sacrosanct. Or should be.

We throw around the term “crimes against humanity.” This is. This attack defies any notion of humanity or decency.

Within moments of the attack, people across the nation were mourning openly in social media, and for good reason. It really could’ve been any of us, any of our children. We can only begin to consider the searing pain of their parents and loved ones. We can only imagine the roiling panic and torment in the hearts of parents wondering if their children were among the dead.

Love on your children a little extra today. And pray for those touched by this inexpressible horror.

God help us."

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Please join me in prayer for our nation and for comfort for our families that mourn in Newtown for their grievous loss

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• Charlotte Bacon, 2/22/06, female (age 6)
• Daniel Barden, 9/25/05, male (age 7)
• Olivia Engel, 7/18/06, female (age 6)
• Josephine Gay, 12/11/05, female (age 7)
• Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 04/04/06, female (age 6)
• Dylan Hockley, 03/08/06, male (age 6)
• Madeleine F. Hsu, 07/10/06, female (age 6)
• Catherine V. Hubbard, 06/08/06, female (age 6)
• Chase Kowalski, 10/31/05, male (age 7)
• Jesse Lewis, 06/30/06, male (age 6)
• James Mattioli, 03/22/06, male (age 6)
• Grace McDonnell, 11/04/05, female (age 7)
• Emilie Parker, 05/12/06, female (age 6)
• Jack Pinto, 05/06/06, male (age 6)
• Noah Pozner, 11/20/06, male (age 6)
• Caroline Previdi, 09/07/06, female (age 6)
• Jessica Rekos, 05/10/06, female (age 6)
• Avielle Richman, 10/17/06, female (age 6)
• Benjamin Wheeler, 9/12/06, male (age 6)
• Allison N. Wyatt, 07/03/06, female (age 6)
• Rachel Davino, 7/17/83, female (age 29)
• Dawn Hochsprung, 06/28/65, female (age 47)
• Anne Marie Murphy, 07/25/60, female (age 52)
• Lauren Russeau, 1982, female (age 29)
• Mary Sherlach, 02/11/56, female (age 56)
• Victoria Soto, 11/04/85, female (age 27)

In this time of mourning we can seek comfort from our Messiah who tells us:

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:1-4

And we must never give up. Never stop praying. Every word is true and these children will be brought back by our Creator.

What can you do now?

Consider a prayer: Please, God, guide me as to what I should do.

It's time for you to repent and return to God's voice, return to hear and do His word and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your coming assignment.  God is a sovereign God. He is a loving God and He has provided a way to offer His salvation and eternal life to you and those that you know. You can accept His gift of eternal life. Consider carefully what your life consists of, look at it and repent of any willful sin, ask God's forgiveness and accept His gift of love through Messiah Yeshua. You can do this now!

Today is the time. If you know you need to get your life right with God, don’t wait for tomorrow, get it right with Him now!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17

God is pleading with you, if you do not know him turn back to the Lord and let's pray and invite Him back into our lives, into our homes, our communities and our schools before it was too late. As God's marvelous light is driven out of our nation, darkness and grave evil is moving in. There is only one way to stop it. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the only way. Joel 2 tells us that God is calling you:

"Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning... Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not make Your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they among the peoples say, ‘Where is their God?"

There will not be another posting at this website for at least 30 days in honor of these children and their teachers.

Shalom.