Shooting Rampage in Colorado

Addition: Link

From the article at the above link:

"The gunman was identified as Matthew Murray, 24, who was home-schooled in what a friend said was a deeply religious Christian household. Murray's father is a neurologist and a leading multiple-sclerosis researcher.

Five people — including Murray — were killed, and five others wounded Sunday in the two eruptions of violence 12 hours and 65 miles apart.

The first attack took place at Youth With a Mission, a training center for missionaries in the Denver suburb of Arvada; the other occurred at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where Murray was shot to death by a security guard. The training center maintains an office at the 10,000-member church."

"A real hero", Jeanne Assam, church member, shot and killed Murray. She rushed toward the scene and shot and killed him. It was said that she probably saved over 100 lives!

"The gunman opened fire at 12:30 a.m. at the Youth With a Mission center. Witnesses said the man asked to spend the night there and opened fire with a handgun when he was turned down. They described him as a young man, perhaps 20, in a dark jacket and cap.

Later, at New Life Church, a gunman wearing a trench coat and carrying a high-powered rifle opened fire in the parking lot and later walked into the church as a service was letting out.

Jeanne Assam, a church member who volunteers as a security guard, shot and killed Murray, who was found with a rifle and two handguns, police said. The pastor called her "a real hero."

"When the shots were fired, she rushed toward the scene and encountered the attacker there in a hallway. He never got more than 50 feet inside our building," he said. "There could have been a great loss of life yesterday, and she probably saved over 100 lives."

Boyd said the gunman had a lot of ammunition and estimated that 40 rounds had been fired inside the church, leaving what looked like a "war scene.""

Church Sign Smack Down

Can you relate? Have you ever been in a discussion that ended up like this? Just click on the title!



H/T: Cheryl

The God Who Really Sees

"To the outcast on her knees, You were the God who really sees"

I love that song written by Michael Card, 'El Shaddai'. It so reminds me of my early days as a believer where everything was so new and fresh. I still love to sing that song as I go about my daily work in my home.




El Roi is one of the names for God and it literally means the "God who sees".

You can find the usage of this word in Genesis 16:13 where Hagar, Sarai's maidservant, runs into the wilderness and is met there by God, Himself.

Not once, but twice, God meets a lowly slave at the hour of her need. He sees her pain and He gives her the strength and hope she needs to face her situation.

Sarai had given Hagar, her maidservant, to her husband, Abram, as his wife so that he could have children with Hagar. This was an ancient custom in the Assyrian culture and it is found in the "Code of Hammurapi". This law was there to ensure the birth of a male heir. Sarai was old and beyond the years that women normally conceived. Hagar, being a slave, was not in a position to say "no". She was a piece of property to be used as sees fit. As a slave, she knew that once her baby was born onto her mistress's "knees", it would no longer be her baby any more.

After Hagar had conceived, Sarai noticed that Hagar began to despise her. So, Sarai, in turn, treated her harshly. Hagar ran into the desert, presumably to die, for no one in that culture would run into the desert thinking that they would survive very long. The angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar and Hagar told him why she fled. The angel of the Lord told her to go back to Sarai and submit to her authority. He also told her that her descendants would be so great that they would be too many to count.

The next time we see Hagar is in Genesis 21.

We see Sarah, whose name has been changed, conceiving and giving birth to a son of her own. Ishmael, Hagar's son, is now 15 years old. When Isaac was about 2 or 3 years old, Sarah noticed that the son of Hagar was mocking her son, Isaac. She ordered Abraham to drive the maid out and God told Abraham to do what Sarah has said.

Abraham, rose early in the morning, and took some food and water and gave it to Hagar. He sent them out into the wilderness. When Hagar ran out of water, she left the boy under one of the bushes and she sat down opposite him about a "bowshot" away. "Do not let me see the boy die." She then lifted up her voice and started to cry.

We learn that God heard the boy crying and the angel of the Lord called from heaven to Hagar and said to her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him."

Then God opened up her eyes and she saw a well of water and she gave her son some to drink. And they lived in the wilderness of Paran and he became an archer and Hagar took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

"Thrown out! Like a soiled, worthless rag! Used for another's pleasure and then mistreated. It was too much; she couldn't handle it. She felt like an outcast.......Have you ever been thrown out, cast away? You fulfilled someone's pleasure, and then you weren't wanted anymore? Did you run away? Or were you unjustly cast out? Do you wonder if somehow you failed or were inadequate? Maybe if you had behaved differently, maybe if you had been more than you were, maybe if only you....speculations go on." Kay Arthur, "Lord, I Want to Know You"

God knows your pain. He sees your pain. He knows the sin that was committed against you. If you know Him as your Savior, then you need to trust that He will use any mistreatment for good. He is the God who turns ashes into beauty.

Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Me Church

Would you like a church that revolves around you? Do you believe that others were created to cater to your needs? Then I have a place for you! Just click on the title!

British Teacher in Sudan Jailed for Naming of Teddy Bear

It seems that Gilliam Gibbons, 54, asked a young Sudanese boy what he would like to name his teddy bear and he told her "Muhammad", which is his own name. The 7 year old boy is defending his teacher, saying that this had nothing to do with the Prophet Muhammad or insulting religion.

"If charged [with the abuse of religion] and convicted of insulting Islam, Gibbons could be sentenced to 40 lashes, six months in prison or a fine, lawyers said."

"The case brought widespread calls in Britain for her release. The Muslim Council of Britain calls upon the Sudanese government to intervene in the case.

"This is a very unfortunate incident and Ms Gibbons should never have been arrested in the first place. It is obvious that no malice was intended," said Muhammad Abdul Bari, the council's secretary-general.

British opposition Conservative party lawmaker William Hague called on the British government to "make it clear to the Sudanese authorities that she should be released immediately."

"To condemn Gillian Gibbons to such brutal and barbaric punishment for what appears to be an innocent mistake is clearly unacceptable," he said.

Omar Daair, spokesman for the British Embassy in Sudan, said embassy officials were in touch with Sudanese authorities and had met with Gibbons. He said he expected authorities to decide whether to bring her to court, and on what charges, within a few days. "Her lawyer is trying to get her released on bail in the meanwhile," he said."

40 lashes and six months jail time for allowing a student to name his teddy bear after himself? Words escape me.

Please join me in prayer for Ms. Gibbons.