Extinguished

The event that took place in Newtown, CT last Friday has sparked a number of responses. The media is messy. That fact has caused me to think with integrity about my own response. During our drive home on Saturday I had 12 fresh hours to truly think about my response, trying to decide if this is my place to blog or not. After seeing a couple of things on Facebook, I soon decided that it needed to be.

Like I said, the media has been really messy. A couple of different things being passed around on Facebook need to be extinguished and quickly. On Friday, shortly after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, I saw a picture going around on Facebook that concluded that God couldn't be present at Sandy Hook on Friday because we have pushed Him out of our schools. I've seen another political post being passed around with this same message. People of God, this lie must be extinguished. 

To say that God was not present on Friday is to deny God's sovereignty. It's to deny God's kindness. This is not the God I believe we serve. I know that my own heart has been grieved by the events that took place on Friday. If we are image bearers of God himself, can you imagine how much more God must be grieved? A million times over, indeed. Do yourself a favor and don't believe that God wasn't present on Friday. I think he must have been present beyond what we can fathom and imagine. 

As you process through this event yourself I pray that you would do so with integrity. May you believe that God is so kind, grieved by the event that took place on Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary. May you believe in his sovereignty and his ability to make all things good. I only pray that my tiny voice might be heard among louder voices spreading, what I believe to be, falsities about God's character. I hope, at least, this falsity for you might be extinguished. 

Seasons

For those following,

Things have been going well around here. Life, like always, has been quite busy and we've seemed to completely by-pass fall, which I am rather bummed about. 45-50 degree weather shouldn't be allowed yet ;). I am, however, enjoying the beauty of fall--especially here in Winfield and at SC. It seems like God hand paints our campus every fall, and as a girl from Western Kansas where there's no tree in sight, I LOVE it! That's been great. Our campus, over the past week has had somewhat of a hard time. One of our fellow students and his family lost his parents in a tragic car accident last week, another student lost his brother to an illness, another his cousin in a car accident, and I had a friend that lost one of her high school classmates in a car accident.

Looking back, last week was a week of challenges. As things were happening, there would be so many times that I would be in prayer asking God "why!?" Sometimes we just don't understand--sometimes we will never fully understand purpose and tragedy until we see God face-to-face. Through it all, I felt God telling me, very clearly in fact, to hold on to the knowledge that "He is good." Grief is an interesting thing. It's something that is so difficult to see and even more difficult to go through. However, it has such a bonding quality. I've never seen our campus come together more than they have since last week.

Today, chapel was quite the blessing. The student whose parents passed last week was there to sing and help lead with all of his heart in worship--a very touching sight and a testimony of faith to many. Another couple of ours at SC also got engaged at chapel today! It was very sweet. Chapel was packed out with many SC students and staff to come together and celebrate--a very different feel and theme from last week's chapel. Last week, the SC family came to grieve and realize that in life, there is a time for sadness. This week, the SC family came together to celebrate, and realize that in life, there is also a time for joy!

At the end of chapel today, I yet again heard God's voice in my heart whisper "See, I am good...." and He didn't just say that to prove a point and I don't just say that because today was a day of joy. Without last weeks sorrow, this week would have been "joyful" in a very different way. I don't exactly understand the mystery of grief, but I know there are seasons of it and those seasons contribute to the joy factor that follows. SC had a valley last week--the lowest one at that, but our "mountain" was only as high as it was this week because of our sorrow last week. I am not sure if this exactly makes sense, but I sure hope it does. I think it's important to pick up on.

May I pass on the message again, and again, and again....

God is indeed good. He's good.

And may we believe it again, and again, and again