Ain't Complicated

Where is God when an angry person shows up at school with a gun? How could God allow these ugly school shootings? Where is God when we hurt? The human mind clamors for answers.

Our country was shocked when violent death struck in a rural Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania. Even there?

The response of the Amish was the next surprise, and the nation talked about it for a long time. Courageous, deliberate, unsolicited forgiveness–some seemed surprised that such a thing exists.

While many were vaguely familiar with the culture of the Plain People (as they are often called), few thought much about their way of life. But after bullets buffeted one community of Plain People, the country listened and tried to watch (the government very graciously assisted in assuring that the Amish were unbothered by media cameras) while grieving families forgave.

However, one ministry is thanking God for protection. AMG International works in Indonesia. AMG’s Roger Thomas says, “We have 23 child care projects in Indonesia, serving over 500 children and a number of church planters working with young congregations.”

The National Security Council has issued an updated travel warning that urged Israelis to leave virtually every country in the Middle East.

Gingrich said the subject of his two divorces, including an affair that took place as he led impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, is a “very painful topic and I confess that to you directly.”

Dobson told Gingrich he knew him to be a “professing Christian” with whom he has prayed, but said that when they discussed the subject privately in Washington a few weeks ago, “you spoke of it with a great deal of pain and anguish, but you didn’t mention repentance. Do you understand that word, repentance?”

Gingrich replied, “Absolutely,” adding he was raised Lutheran and became a Southern Baptist in graduate school.

“I believe deeply that people fall short and that people have to recognize that they have to turn to God for forgiveness and to seek mercy,” Gingrich said. “Somebody once said that when you’re young you want justice and that when you get older you want mercy. I also believe that there are things in my own life that I have turned to God and have gotten on my knees and prayed about and sought God’s forgiveness. I don’t know how you could live with yourself and not end up breaking down if you didn’t find, try to find, some way to deal with your own weaknesses and to go to God about them.”

Pioneers New Zealand national director Jamie Wood is excited about the trend after preparing 12 long-term missionaries for the field last year, eight of whom have left for six different countries.