A Poem in Light of the Sandy Hook Massacre

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
When 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"This is heaven." declared a small boy. "We're spending Christmas at God's
house."
Then what to their wondering eyes did appear,
But Jesus, their Savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
Those children all flew into the arms of their King
And as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace,
One small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.
And as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
Then He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe
Then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"May this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"
Then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"Come now my children, let me show you around."
Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.
And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"In the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

A Response to the Sandy Hook Massacre

This blog was originally posted by Andrew Wommack. To view the original post click here.

“While many ask, “Where was God last Friday?” The answer is that He was right there.

Jamie and I have shared the shock and sadness with you over the terrible events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, where twenty children and six adults were brutally massacred. Our hearts go out to those who have lost their precious children. We can only imagine what they are going through. But I know that the Lord loves them even more than we do, and I’m confident He is moving to comfort their hearts. We mix our prayers with yours that although the Lord didn’t do this, He will bring good out of it.

Such evil is hard to understand and shakes our sense of security. We want to understand how this could happen so we can fix it and move on with our lives without fear.

In the coming days, all kinds of causes for this senseless act will be put forth with corresponding solutions. Much of the talk will center around how we protect ourselves and those we love from tragedy like this. While it’s prudent to adjust to the reality of the world we live in, I don’t think any of us want to surrender our freedoms and live in a rigid police state. And I don’t believe we have to.

As the governor of Connecticut said Friday, “Evil visited us today.” This wasn’t just natural. This was pure evil. It was demonic. Certainly, government is an impediment to evil, and there are things that need to be done. But the only way to truly beat evil is to change the hearts of people with the power of God’s love. God’s kind of love works no ill to his neighbor (Rom. 13:10), therefore the antidote is to inject people’s hearts with God’s love.

I know that many, or even most people, will reject what I’ve just said and say it is impractical. But in reality, this is the only solution that is practical. We can’t build fortresses strong enough to keep evil out. This is not just a physical battle (Eph. 6:12); this is a spiritual war.

And this reveals why there is an increase of these terrible acts. Our society has systematically rejected God by rejecting His standards of morality. Although morality hasn’t been banned in America, immorality has been legalized and promoted. Its prevalence has weakened and in some cases eliminated the fear of God from public life. Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil…” It’s now “politically incorrect” to hate evil in this country. This moral vacuum allows and encourages demonic activity.

And make no mistake, this kind of act can’t happen without demonic involvement. No human being would kill an innocent child without being controlled by evil. The devil and his demons are real. Anyone who believes the New Testament would have to admit that. This is a spiritual battle, and our best weapons are spiritual weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

The ultimate weapon against evil is the power of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16). This most recent incident is a reflection of the church’s failure to influence our culture as we should.

But as bad as all this is, it could have been worse. While many ask, “Where was God last Friday?” The answer is that He was right there. He was in teachers who made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of the children entrusted to them. He was in a janitor who ran down the halls giving warning and saving lives. He was in the first responders who entered the school cutting short what the shooter wanted to do. He had hundreds of rounds of ammunition left and obviously planned to do much more than he did.

God was in all these people who resisted and ultimately stopped this rampage. The Lord didn’t cause this to happen or allow it to happen. He gave us a free will, and He doesn’t control us like pawns in a chess game. This shooter gave himself over to evil. Others resisted the devil in him and eventually stopped him. It could have been much worse.

It’s easy to see the evil that has already happened, but we will never know until we are in eternity just how much evil was thwarted by all the godly influences. John 10:10 says the thief ONLY comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He’s after nothing else. There isn’t any good in the devil. If he was unchecked, we’d all be dead.

But there is much good all around us. I can show you hundreds of people scattered all over the world who are giving their lives to confront evil every day. I heard Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott who was murdered in the Columbine School shootings in 1999, talk about how he and those associated with him have spoken to over three million students since that terrible tragedy. They know of three school shootings that have been thwarted and over 500 suicides that have been prevented through their efforts.

I have friends who have left the comfort of America to travel to impoverished nations where they are sacrificing their lives to make a difference. Thousands are being impacted.

One of our Bible college graduates who lost her husband while she was in school continued on, raising six children by herself, and is now supporting twenty-nine children in an orphanage in the Congo. My good friends, Darey and Karen Jolly, have laid their lives down to minister to thousands of children in Nicaragua. The first graduates of their K-12 schools are now entering college. Only the Lord knows what tragedies they stopped and what good will be done through these children who have been loved and shown the true Gospel.

Our Charis Bible Colleges are impacting thousands of lives. We now have more people actively participating in CBC right now than all those who have gone through the colleges over the last eighteen years. The numbers are growing, and I believe this is making a difference.

Our students in Uganda have impacted that nation. I met with the president and first lady of Uganda who have totally embraced what we are doing there. President Museveni recently addressed the nation and publicly repented of his personal sins and the sins of the nation and dedicated the nation of Uganda to the Lord. Praise God!

There are people all around us who are resisting the devil and his influence, but obviously there is much more to be done. We are in a battle. We live in a fallen world and evil is everywhere. But so is God. However, He can only flow through us to the degree that we seek and submit to Him. He doesn’t sovereignly control all things.

I think it’s good that terrible things like this, shock and sadden us. We should always hate evil and grieve with those who grieve. I pray this never becomes so commonplace that we are insensitive to atrocities. But we should not be discouraged to the point of thinking, What can I do? Each one of us is a soldier in this war, and every godly thing we do makes a difference.

I don’t know what toxic mix of things caused this shooter to break and do what he did. There is no single cause that will ever be identified. But we have read that he was diagnosed with high-functioning Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. One in eighty-eight boys are afflicted with this disorder in the U.S.A., and it is said to be incurable. Yet we have seen that condition healed by the power of the Lord. If you believe the medical profession alone, you are in despair. If you believe the power of the Word of God, nothing is incurable. What do you believe?

Just days ago, our Television Department completed a video of the healing of two brothers, Timothy and James, one with high-functioning Asperger’s syndrome, the other with autism spectrum disorder. This story has been prepared for an upcoming DVD titled Healing Journeys Volume IV. Although there is no scientific connection shown between Autism and violence, there is a wonderful connection between God’s healing power and this story, with a very happy ending.

Please feel free to click on this link to view the miraculous story of Timothy and James McDermott, and be encouraged to share the love of God with all you come in contact with. You are the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13). Only God knows how His life preserving flavor inside of you might change the world around you.

Finally, I want to once again say that Jamie and I weep with you and the entire world over the slaughter of these innocent children and their heroic teachers. Our prayers are that these families will be comforted by the Holy Spirit in ways beyond our understanding. At this Christmas season, I am reminded that our Lord Himself, as a mere infant, barely escaped such a slaughter of children in Bethlehem. Scripture reminds us that He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and that He is a high priest who can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He is near to the brokenhearted, and He is their healer.”

The Professor and the SEAL

A Navy SEAL was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in, looked to the ceiling, and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."

The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Five minutes passed and nothing happened. Ten minutes, and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting."

Finally, it got down to the last couple of minutes when the SEAL got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The SEAL went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were stunned and sat there looking on in silence.

The professor eventually came to-- noticably shaken-- struggled up, and yelled at the SEAL "What the... what the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

The SEAL replied, "God was busy today protecting America's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an moron. So He just sent me."

(NOTE: This is a commonly forwarded email. I do not know if it happened in actuality, but it's worth a good laugh.)

'Tis Only A Season

Once again, I know this blog is moving incredibly slowly and casually. I do hope this hasn't annihilated any readers. I've tried to keep things moving a bit. Some posts have been my work and some are cited as from others. The effort is not as futile as meets the eye. I've made some technical changes to the site several times. I've also created a Twitter account (@UnambiguVision) for your convenience. Be sure to Follow! Finally, I have written nearly a dozen half-written essays of epic proportions. I have never really had writer's block until now. Writing, speaking, and running a good site takes time and energy that my body doesn't have right now. I will keep this site moving as I can and I hope you'll remain a reader! I have an inkling it gets better! Yet, I make no apologies.

Why?

There is a season for everything.

Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes chapter 3:

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (NIV)

kConsider, my friends, that this might not be my season for writing or speaking out to a larger audience. This might instead be my season of rest, mending, growth, building, and healing.

Remember that Joseph spent a season in prison before his season of freedom and leadership. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness before freeing Israel for a season of rejoicing. Paul and John both spent time in the desert seeking God before their respective seasons of ministry.

Yes, this may be my time of testing, learning, and preparation. Who can say for sure? God works in mysterious ways.

I will put my trust and hope in Him. I will not fret. After all, 'tis only a season.

Archives: When I Think About Easter

When you think of Easter what pictures conjure up in your mind? The Easter Bunny? Colorful eggs? Chocolate eggs? Dressy church attire? Fluffy yellow chicks?

For me, I see two wooden logs perpendicularly joined. On them, a shadowy figure hangs- by the tendons in His hands and feet. The pain is gut- wrenching. His eyes are half open, looking up occasionally to the bleak sky. His lower lip, dry and flaky, quivers as He struggles to survive as any human would. His tan skin, tamed by the desert sun, now a deathly pale. The flesh of His back, cut and exposed, cannot rest against the log, His body aches as if fever has taken Him. Nothing can ease the pain. No position, no movement, nothing. His head, made to be crowned, is crowned. Crowned with thorns and draped with cuts and matted, bloodied hair. Below him, several people weep. But He does not mind them, not with the pain, and certainly not with the purpose of this pain. Blood drips from His body slowly. The trickling of the blood is a constant reminder as to why He bears this immense pain. The wailing below does not distract Him. He mumbles, only loud enough for a man below to hear, “Father , forgive them, for they know not what they do”. How sobering is it that a man in such pain can only think of others? Others: the only reason, He, a fleshly man of supernatural being allows this? Others: the reason He resists to use his unlimited powers!

He makes it to the finish- but not alive. No, death was the finish for Him. He ceased to struggle against it. He allowed His own death. While two others being punished beside Him have their legs broken, this man has His heart speared. The blood from His immortal heart spurts from His ribs and falling to the ground below. It falls in an instant in time, yet, falls in slow motion. For the moment it splattered on the ground was the most piviotal moment in history.

How could such royal, holy blood be allowed to shed? Others: it is that word again! Others! This stout, sinless heart- now a sagged, lifeless organ, shed its own blood for others. There has to be a sin in this! Who are we as mortal men to cause the blood of this immortal man to be shed? At the last hope that He may retain life spurts from His ribs, a flash of light streaks the sky. Seconds later a voice booms and moans in response to the light. It seems as if the sky is crying. Crying for joy that such heathen, imperfect men as we can now find salvation through the gift of this immortal man’s life! Yet, the voice booms in deep sadness. Shame on us that we pitiful men had to require this royal, holy blood to be shed.

As the clouds scatter, several men gather below. These mortal men were the followers of this immortal man who was now dead. They had become well disliked, but they continued to follow this man. How must they have felt seeing their leader, whom they knew was immortal, in a deceased state? A sagged, bony body with pale, bloodied skin. Cuts exposed from His flesh and flies feasting on his dried, crackled blood. His hair matted, and bloodied and His lips bare and dry. His eyes shut tight and his brow slightly furrowed- as if He died wincing at the pain. As they wrapped Him and carried Him to a tomb, these men wept as children. Their insides cringed and their souls sobered as they put Him in a tomb and covered it with a large, heavy rock. A rock no man could move, and only levers could move.

For three days, His followers were mocked. Mocked that their King was no king after all. Mocked that their dead Savior was no savior after all. Did he not have a purpose? How could he be immortal if he is dead? Had they wasted their time with Him? Three days had passed and gloom was still on their idle faces and racing minds. But their spirits were lifted on this third day. The rock to the tomb had been removed and the swaths of bloodied cloths He had been wrapped in remained! This was not the work of a human. Who would want a naked, rotting, bloodied body? Who would carefully separate the dried patches of blood and skin from the cloth on this dead, naked man? Supernatural, was it not? His followers were reminded that this King of theirs, this Savior of theirs was, indeed, immortal and of a purpose on this earth. He had risen Himself and was alive! The blood was shed, they were saved by His grace, through their faith and yet....He was alive! He was a King! An immortal King. A Savior! A supernatural Savior. Indeed, this was proven by Him rising again- rising alive AFTER the price was paid. This man did this for us ALL but He did this on one condition: that an individual believes in Him, confess it to Him, repents, and accepts the gift of eternity- paid for by His blood.

Surely, if He DIED for us, we can LIVE for Him! What a gift! Who is this man to give such a selfless gift?? This man was Jesus. The spurting of Jesus’ blood from His ribs, His allowing it, and His ceasing to use His supernatural powers until His own blood was already shed is what conjures in my mind when I think of Easter.

A Bit on Darwinism

This video is a conversation with a former University of California - Berkley professor. Usually that raises all kinds of red flags as Berkely is a bastion of everything hostile to Truth. This professor, Phillip E. Johnson, however became a professed Christian and left behind the godless ideologies of many of his colleages. He became a champion of Intelligent Design and is often focal on the terminologies used in evolutionist and creationist debate. Just a little something for you to watch!