Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
COLUMBINE STUDENT'S FATHER SPEAKS TO CONGRESS 12 YEARS LATER!!
Guess our national leaders didn't expect this. On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, w...as invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:
"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good &evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.
"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.
"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent
I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.
What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws.
The people responsible would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.
"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him.
To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"
- Darrell Scott
Do what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech. Please share this!
"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good &evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.
"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.
"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent
I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact.
What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws.
The people responsible would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.
"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him.
To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!
My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"
- Darrell Scott
Do what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech. Please share this!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
What would Jesus change about Christmas?
I hope you and your family had a blessed and holy Christmas day. There is no season like the one now ending. It reunites families and friends who might not be together otherwise. Businesses and stores close for Christmas if for no other day of the year. No birthday in human history has been as celebrated as the birth of our Lord.
At the same time, it seems that the Christmas season becomes more secularized with each passing year. "Happy Holidays" is replacing "Merry Christmas"; long-standing traditions such as outdoor nativity scenes are being challenged in courts across the land. I sometimes wonder how Jesus feels about the way our society observes his birth. If he could change one aspect of Christmas, what do you think he would choose?
Here's my guess: the fact that our celebration ended yesterday. His birth, while indescribably miraculous, was only one part of the first Christmas. Jesus was the only baby to choose every circumstance of his birth. Every dimension of that holy night was intended to communicate the significance of Christmas for every day of the year.
Consider the place of his birth. He could have chosen Jerusalem, the Holy City and capital of the land, or any of the other significant cities of his day. Instead he chose to be born in Bethlehem, a tiny hamlet with no cultural status. He could have been birthed in a palace, but he chose a feed trough in a cow stall. Why there?
Consider his ancestors. He could have selected kings, rulers, rabbis, priests. Instead, he chose some of the most nefarious characters in all the Bible: Tamar, who seduced her father-in-law and bore twins to him (Matthew 1:3); Rahab the prostitute (v. 5); Ruth, from the hated Gentile land of Moab (v. 5); Bathsheba, party to one of the most notorious acts of adultery in literature (v. 6); Manasseh, the king who sacrificed his own children in the fires of idolatrous worship (v. 10). Why them?
Consider his first attendants. The "shepherds living out in the fields nearby" (Luke 2:8) were anything but the idyllic figures we imagine. Shepherds in the first century were so infamous for stealing and lying that respectable citizens would not buy from them and courts would not allow them to testify. They could not keep the ritual purity laws of the day and thus were barred from the temple and synagogue. Why them?
If Jesus would be born in Bethlehem's feed trough, would he be born again in your heart? If he would choose infamous characters for his ancestors, would he receive you into his family? If he would welcome the worship of grimy field hands, would he welcome yours?
The Christmas gifts that matter most are offered to us every day of the year: "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Have you opened his presents of grace yet today?
Source/Article comes from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture.
At the same time, it seems that the Christmas season becomes more secularized with each passing year. "Happy Holidays" is replacing "Merry Christmas"; long-standing traditions such as outdoor nativity scenes are being challenged in courts across the land. I sometimes wonder how Jesus feels about the way our society observes his birth. If he could change one aspect of Christmas, what do you think he would choose?
Here's my guess: the fact that our celebration ended yesterday. His birth, while indescribably miraculous, was only one part of the first Christmas. Jesus was the only baby to choose every circumstance of his birth. Every dimension of that holy night was intended to communicate the significance of Christmas for every day of the year.
Consider the place of his birth. He could have chosen Jerusalem, the Holy City and capital of the land, or any of the other significant cities of his day. Instead he chose to be born in Bethlehem, a tiny hamlet with no cultural status. He could have been birthed in a palace, but he chose a feed trough in a cow stall. Why there?
Consider his ancestors. He could have selected kings, rulers, rabbis, priests. Instead, he chose some of the most nefarious characters in all the Bible: Tamar, who seduced her father-in-law and bore twins to him (Matthew 1:3); Rahab the prostitute (v. 5); Ruth, from the hated Gentile land of Moab (v. 5); Bathsheba, party to one of the most notorious acts of adultery in literature (v. 6); Manasseh, the king who sacrificed his own children in the fires of idolatrous worship (v. 10). Why them?
Consider his first attendants. The "shepherds living out in the fields nearby" (Luke 2:8) were anything but the idyllic figures we imagine. Shepherds in the first century were so infamous for stealing and lying that respectable citizens would not buy from them and courts would not allow them to testify. They could not keep the ritual purity laws of the day and thus were barred from the temple and synagogue. Why them?
If Jesus would be born in Bethlehem's feed trough, would he be born again in your heart? If he would choose infamous characters for his ancestors, would he receive you into his family? If he would welcome the worship of grimy field hands, would he welcome yours?
The Christmas gifts that matter most are offered to us every day of the year: "His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Have you opened his presents of grace yet today?
Source/Article comes from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
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