In response to the tragedy at Blacksburg, Covenant Life Church, where our older brother Josh serves as senior pastor, has put together a special resource page with sermons, articles, and recommended books. As Christians we must be prepared to give an answer to a hurting and grief-rocked world. These resources can help.
The Rebelution, Defined:
The Myth of Adolescence:
Do Hard Things:
Why Do Hard Things?
Keep Moving Forward:
The Importance of Character:
The World Is Flat:
The Rise of the Kidult:
Brothers & Sisters:
Modern Day Chivalry
Teens In The News:
Teens and Technology:
Rebelution Videos:
The Modesty Survey:
Real Men, Real Women:
A Teenager's Resolutions:
Comic Strips:
Movie Reviews:
Independent Guest Articles:
Independent Posts:
Créme de la Créme:
Great Blogs:
Rebelutionaries:
Magazines and Webzines:
Websites and Ministries:
Tools and Services:
Other Websites:
April 29th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Responding to Tragedy at Virginia Tech…
…
April 29th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Is it just me, or are there really a lot of insanity cases popping up?
All the time in the news I hear of mothers murdering their own children, and then they’re labeled as insane…
Are those people really insane, or has satan’s grip just grown tighter?
31 people died in a 3 hour time span. Their lives snuffed out as easily as you blow out a candle. I wonder how many Christian friends of those who died are grief ridden because they did not try harder to spread the gospel to their companions…If OUR family and friends started dying left and right we would be much more concerned in sharing the good news every chance we get.
The news of Virginia Tech was devastating and unexpected. It shows just how fast and out-of-the-blue our deaths can be. We need to share the gospel. It is the only thing that can save us and it’s the only thing that can heal us.
April 29th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
And yet, Lucy, God is in controll of all things. He uses Chirstians to bring others to himself but if those Christians are not witnessing God will still find a way to bring His children home. Situations like this do encourage me to witness more but I think one of the best witnesses is to be loving and excepting of people. If God wants them, He will use us to comvert them. (How wonderful that would be!) It is so much more comforting not having to blame ourselves for someone else going to hell.
Even in the grief God is amazingly in controll. He uses all things (even horrible tragedies) for His good somehow. Remember Christ’s crucifiction. Remember Jim Elliot. Remember Columbine and Virginia Tech. Remember the Turkish Chirstians who died this week.
April 29th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
This may sound sensitive, but my pastor asked this question: “Where is the ACLU in all of this?” They have adamantly tried to stamp out God in our world as we know it. In these times of grief, they don’t dare step out with rants for fear of offending the hurt. Hopefully even the ACLU will see that there is a God in this terrible time. But I doubt it. May the Lord comfort those who are hurting.
April 30th, 2007 at 6:05 am
I agree with Laura. While we should witness to people we don’t need to shove it in people’s faces. God has chosen the ones that will come to him. My pastor last week said something like this: “we(those who are already Christians) can choose to be part of God’s plan or we can just sit back and watch.” I would rather be part of God’s plan. All in all, God IS going to use this situation for His glory. I have prayed that many people will heal and see Christ in this situation.
April 30th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I’ve heard alot of things about the VT massacre, but I think the greatest was something a missionary friend(a tenager no less) of mine wrote on her blog the day after VT:
Thinking on Virginia Tech…trying to wrap my mind around the horror of it all…my heart aches for the families who experienced such sudden, horrific, and devastating loss.
I thought of the young man who was responsible for so many deaths. He was described as sullen, and a loner. Depressed. Unloved and unnoticed for the most part. And that´s all people ever saw. Aren´t we all surrounded by people like that? People living without something that we know we have?? A reason for living. So how often do we actually take the time to realize that people who are the hardest to reach are the ones who need it the most desperately? I plead guilty. People like that often intimidate me…I don´t want to get involved in deep dark pasts and troubled minds. But their hearts-they´re crying for life-for hope-for Someone to trust in…to be loved by.
Don´t we have all those things?
The devil-the destroyer and liar is overjoyed at what took place yesterday. That, if nothing else, should move us into action. We, children of God, MUST reach them before our enemy does. And this young man was not the enemy! For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We have been called-and we have the power and grace of God on our side.
I´m preaching in the mirror really. God forgive me for my own complacency.
Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eye.
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where?
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear.
Laughter hides their silent cries,
Only Jesus hears.
We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right.
What would be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who’s lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear.
They must hear the words of life
Only we can share.
When will we realize?? People need the Lord.
April 30th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Yes, God has chosen the ones that will come to him, but it is so important to remember that WE don’t know who the people are whom God has chosen. We, as mere human beings, are unable to visualize time and space the way God does. He is outside of time and space. He can see the beginning from the end. We are trapped in this space-time continuum, and must follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit without trying to ascertain whether or not someone is “chosen”. I’m sure that that’s not what Maria was trying to say, but I just wanted to make things a little clearer. Here is a very good illustration from Green Baggins (greenbaggins.wordpress.com): “Imagine salvation as a door. On the front side is an inscription, ‘All who will may enter.’ You walk through the door. On the back side of the door is this inscription, ‘Elect from all eternity.’ The point is, you can’t know whether or not you are elect, unless you walk through the door, and even then it might take you awhile to be able to read that door correctly.” While it is definitely wrong and detrimental to present the gospel in an “in-your-face” manner, shouting at people that they’re going to hell and they have to hurry up and get saved, we must still be as concerned for the souls of others as we would be for the life of a child hanging from a precipice. Today is the day of salvation…
April 30th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
On one hand, assuming ‘God must want to use ME to bring this person to Him.’ can be adverse to the goal. Only God can change someone’s heart: ‘this is the work of God, to believe in the one he sent.’ In other words, you can’t argue someone into heaven. HOWEVER, I tend to over-spiritualize witnessing, using a double standard. I didn’t pray about whether or not I’d eat cereal this morning, yet I’ll often only approach someone with a thought provoking question after I pray about it. We can’t use our insensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit as excuse for inaction. We should air on the side of grace, praying that God will use our bumbling for good. So there’s the old balance between walking in the flesh under the excuse that God can’t steer a moving boat, or stalling like Gideon asking for sign after sign. Ultimately though, like Laura said, God is in control. Humanity is optional when it comes to spreading the good news…thankfully.
APPLICATION? Life is too short, eternity too long, and salvation too precious to think only of yourself. PRAY FOR AN OPPORTUNITY EVERYDAY TO SHARE THE GOSPEL!
April 30th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
This really is a wakeup call for me and well alot of Christians out there. How in this day in age sometimes it takes stepping out of our comfort zones to be a wittness for Christ.
This is something I wrote some time ago for someone I love, before all this. but I want to share it.
I see a someone who was ridiculed and beat down
I see a someone brimming with bitterness
I see a someone who needs Christ
I see someone who is afraid
I see people who pushed away instead of pulled to HIM
I see someone crying out.
I see an man who was beaten, whipped, ridiculed and betrayed
I see a man who took away my sin
I see a man who took all of the bitterness, hate, fear, and anger on himself
I see a second chance
I see an empty stone tomb
I see a man who loves us sitting at the right hand of God
I see man who wants all of us, no matter what
Waiting on you to say yes, to have all of your fears and sin taken away.
No matter what we will always “fit in” with God.
April 30th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
In reference to Kyle and anyone else. I wasn’t trying to say that I know who is chosen or elected. I hope it didn’t sound that way. Only God knows and we can only follow.
May 1st, 2007 at 6:15 am
I have found that if God wants me to witness to someone for Him, He usualy gives me the words to say and pushes me in the right direction. I seem to have no control over myself. However, when God doesn’t give me the words to say I inevitably end up making a fool of myself. That works too though, ’cause then the people see that I’m willing to humble myself because of my love for God and others.
I’m NOT an expert in this area. I really a very young Christian. I came to Christ through my mother’s words that weren’t even really MENT to bring me to Him. And yet they still worked. There really is no point in worrying about it because God can use any act of kindness (or even unkindness) to bring others to Him.
More words of insight from the insightless. Thanks for ya’lls comments!
May 1st, 2007 at 8:46 am
I never said everyone was to ‘get in their faces’ with the gospel.
I meant, when your in a room watching a movie, and a sex scene comes up, you leave the room. You don’t laugh it off and keep watching, and you don’t stay because it would cause an uncomfortable situation. You’re intolerance for sin can set an example.
I see it all the time, especially in a group of young people like those at Virginia Tech, that when a touchy subject comes up and someone asks a Christian in a disgusted or irritated voice, “So you think being gay is bad?!” the reply is weak nod or shrug, or they try break it gently—instead of having scripture ready to prove our point and a firm and sure attitude saying YES! It IS wrong. God says it’s wrong.
I see it happen aaaallllll the time. It’s the acceptance of the unacceptable. Quiet complacency rather then cause a scene.
God told US to go out into the world and preach the the news, He uses US because we have God’s Spirit in us. He has commissioned us to spread the gospel to every nation. He said we should have a -ready- answer when somebody asks us the reason for the hope that is in us. God has already given us the words and a spirit of confidence so that we can boldly say the Lord is my helper. I don’t need to wait until He nudges me, because He has already commanded me to spread the word.
Well…this is getting off topic, so I’ll stop.
And, yeah, I know God is in control…He’s ’shown’ me plenty of times. He’s showing it to us right now by my message…I should be dead, see. By the laws of this world I should be dead. But God saved me.
“APPLICATION? Life is too short, eternity too long, and salvation too precious to think only of yourself. PRAY FOR AN OPPORTUNITY EVERYDAY TO SHARE THE GOSPEL!”
Amen.
Goodbye!
P.S. I don’t want to turn this into a debate, I just thought I was misinterpreted.
May 1st, 2007 at 10:51 am
It’s good to see so many young adults thinking through such a tough tragedy to wrap our minds around. Witnessing is essential to Christians, for Jesus himself said, “Go….and make disciples…”. No one can be a disciple without at some point, repenting of their sin and believing in Christ. And no one will come to Christ without someone telling that person about Him. So we are all called to share our faith, true enough. But I think “sharing our faith” has some bad stigmas associated with it these days.
With the rise of the “how to” programs out there with regards to sharing faith, many people feel they’re inadequate to “properly”(as though there’s a right and wrong way to do it) evangelize someone, without first learning the way of the Master. I believe these techniques about how to get someone talking about God are superficial and can really turn someone off to the gospel. A better way of reaching people, I believe, is to be a friend, not an evangelist, to the people within your circle of influence. Evangelists speak to large crowds and look for quick decisions. Friends speak in private and are genuinely concerned for the person, not just the person’s decision.
As people grow to trust you and see that you have only their best interests in mind, (not just their conversion), they will (by the Lord’s prompting) begin to open up to you in due time.
We need’nt rush things. Jesus took his time with the Samaritan woman at the well, with Nichodemus, Zacheus, his disciples, and so on. In fact, we don’t even know when his disciples became believers. The bible doesn’t say, and Jesus didn’t even ask out side of asking Peter who the people and he say that he is. But we know that at some point (when God determined) the disciples (minus Judas) and many more came to believe in Jesus as their Savior. Jesus even waited 30 years to begin his public ministry. If he didn’t rush things, I don’t think we have to either.
I would encourage you all to be missionaries to whatever culture God has placed you in. Seek to meet needs as they arise around you. Befriend the lonely, help the widows and single moms, embed yourselves within the culture that people you love are a part of. Plant when you can and water when you’re able too. Then step back and allow Jesus to cause the growth.
As far as the VA Tech shooter, could someone have reached him before he did what he did, yeah, someone could’ve. But trusting in the sovereignty of God like I’m called to, I have to believe that the Lord prevented that from happening for His own reasons. Remember, no one reached Hitler, Stalin, or Mousalini either, and combined they murdered far more innocent people than Cho Seung-Hui.
As a Father of 8, since the shooting, I can’t help but think of the gunman’s Dad. What kind of relationship they had? What he told him life was about? Did he have his son’s heart like Dad’s are suppose to according to scripture? Did he even want his son’s heart? I know his son gave his heart away to something or someone. What a shame it wasn’t to the one who was suppose to lead him to Christ, his Dad.
May 1st, 2007 at 11:15 am
Lucy, I’m VERY sorry if it sounded like I contradicted you. I agree with you 100% about all of the above. I was really only trying to add to what you were saying. And yes, let’s not start a debate
.
Your sister in Christ,
Laura
May 1st, 2007 at 11:28 am
I live in Blacksburg, where this tragic shooting took place about two weeks ago. It was / is hard to get through, and I want to thank everyone who has prayed about this devastating event. But just to let y’all know– yes. God’s glory is shining through this murky mess.
Praise the Lord, for He is Good!
May 1st, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Laura,
Oh! I guess I was the one that misinterpreted!! Sorry.
Your sister in Christ.
May 1st, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Your blog has a purpose. You blog about Godly subjects, and it’s easy to tell that you are a Christians. Your whole ministry is based on Christ.
As a result of this, I am giving you a blog award. The Blogging with a Purpose Award.
You should post the banner at the link below, and nominate five other Bloggers.
Here is the banner you can put on your blog:
http://homeschoolblogger.com/BlogBoy/320992/
If you have any problems with the code, just e-mail me.
Eric Novak
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:05 am
I’ve heard the salvation sales pitch, especially when there was a designated time to evangelize or witness during a mission trip, Christian outing, etc. I love Christians like my sister. Although she wouldn’t call herself an evangelist, she fearlessly proclaims the word of God everywhere and prays for those who have a need regardless of the circumstances (the fact that we’re checking out at a grocery store, or that they just stated they’re atheists, etc doesn’t really bother her
. She doesn’t share the good news to make a point, guilt, urgency, or to be showy. She does it when she’s prompted by God, i.e. all the time.
She shares the good news at home, too. Her work as an international missionary is an extension of ministry at home and in our community. It’s harder to minister at your home town or to your family then it is to witness in another country to a stranger. That’s why I believe the verse in Acts 1 says ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of all the earth.’ Jerusalem was the city they were in. Judea would be comparable like our state or country. Samaria - our neighboring country or state. Then He said ‘to the ends of all the earth.’ This is not a box that God works in, but I do believe that route would be the logical progression. Start at home.
Notice that verse said to minister after the Holy Spirit comes on you. I’ve tried to witness to someone without God calling me to, and I fell flat on my face. My prayer today is that I didn’t turn them away from the gospel. If you go out on your own without being prompted by God I believe you’re stepping outside of God’s covering. I’ve seen what my flesh accomplishes, and it isn’t pretty. It’s great to know that the Holy Spirit can convict by the presentation of the law, like many methods teach. But what if God knows that person is broken, guilt-ridden, and despairing? What would a presentation of the law accomplish in comparison to a prompting from God to hug him, tell him ‘Jesus loves you, and He desperately wants you to come home to Him?’ What are we without the Holy Spirit and His leading?
I know that some of us disagree about being sensitive to his prompting, and that’s okay. This may be the way that I’m supposed to live, not you all. But there’s scriptural support for street evangelism AND relationship evangelism. Its awesome that God uses both…
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – 11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
People don’t care what you know, they want to know you care. God uses both witnesses; the verbal explanation and the daily quiet example. In both cases we need to maintain our sensitivity to His voice, and SEEK an opportunity to share the good news. Did you pray for that opportunity today?
May 2nd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
It seems to me that guns are all too readily available to any Average Joe and Jane. In the TIME Magazine article about the VT tragedy, the writer’s revealed that “Cho underwent a federal instant check at both stores where he bought guns. He had proper identification and no criminal record, so the purchases were approved.”
That’s fine when one just looks at it from the surface but if you look deeper, the article mentions that “…on Nov. 27, 2005, a female student reported that Cho had made annoying contact with her through the phone and in person.” It goes on to state that “Police requested a temporary detention order, and Cho was evaluated at a psychiatric facility, Carilion St. Albans Behavioral Health Center in Radford, Va. Following that evaluation, a judge indicated on a court document that Cho ‘is mentally ill and in need of hospitalization, and presents an eminent danger to self or others as a result of mental illness, or is so seriously mentally ill as to be substantially unable to care for self, and is incapable of volunteering or unwilling to volunteer for treatment.’ The amount of time Cho spent at the hospital remains a mystery.”
I don’t know about you all but if a place is going to sell guns, they should also be doing a check for hospitalization in mental or behavioral institutions. Had the shops Cho bought guns from (Roanoke Firearms and an unnamed pawn shop near the VT campus) checked for a previous record of such criteria, this tragedy might never have occurred.
Unfortunately, this event did get marked in history alongside Columbine and the Amish schoolhouse tragedies. The best we can do is pray for the families of those whose lives were so inconsiderately snuffed out by Cho Seung-Hui.
May 8th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
I couldn’t help but wonder at the picture of the prayer vigil. I haven’t heard much about the VTech shooting itself, never mind how local Christians have responded. This picture portrayed a divine glimpse of hope and beauty amidst the ugliness of tragedy. It’s an encouraging reminder of the opportunity we Christians have to minister to those who are suffering.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Hi, I am a freshman and am homeschooled. I live in Kentucky.
I think that the shooting is so sad. I don’t understand how someone could be that cruel to kill people. Something my friend said really got me thinking. “I wonder how many of them were actually saved.” I hope that through this horrible trajedy people will see how short life can be. We aren’t even promised tomorrow. My youth minister at my church told my youth group, “We are all one minute away from disaster.” Besides, praying I’d like to do more to help and witness to those grieving. Do you have any ideas?