WHAT IS "COMING THROUGH"?

I'm not a Christian, but a very convinced Monotheist. So much so that I simply

can't take either of the easy ways out when evil triumphs; I can't just mumble

something about "mysterious ways" of the True Believer, nor can I be dismissive

in the manner of the atheist. What I can do - what any of us can do - is assume

that I don't know everything, that our maxmum capacity may be to evolve to the

limit "inside the box" as Stephan Wolfram's "New Kind of Science" would have the

coherent universe -- and assume, ipso facto, that (A) there is an "outside the

box" but (B) my trying to figure that out would require a Great Whatsit beyond

my ability to understand....nevertheless, I can observe the box we are within

and infer whether I think the Whatsit exists (I do) and that it is by nature

benovolent (I do). I do not infer that the Whatsit doesn't come through, I

assume that's our job mostly, and we are not in any case capable of what "coming

through" means. Henry_Allen

Where Is God?
Written by Rick Vassar
Published April 23, 2007

There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere
Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair
Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break
In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

- Bob Dylan, Every Grain of Sand 1981

In the beginning, God...

- Genesis 1:1

When a tragedy occurs in the magnitude of the shootings last week at Virginia

Tech, we look for answers. How could such evil be in the heart of one man, and

why did this evil take the lives of 32 innocent lives? Has evil and hate taken

over the world?
And one question many will ask:

Where was God when this happened? How can a loving God stand by and watch such

evil and not stop it?

I don't have the answers, and I'm not even close to understanding. I do know

that all of us are confronted by evil and hate every day. We all know right from

wrong, and sometimes, despite our greatest efforts, we succumb to the wrong and

somehow are able to justify it at the end of the day.

Bad things happen. When they happen to bad people, we understand. An eye for an

eye, we say. But when bad things happen to good people, we don't get it. And

many question God, his place in their lives, and his very existence.

Here are just a few of the horrific examples of evil that have cut to our

hearts:

- On July 27, 1981, Adam Walsh was abducted from a shopping mall. His

dismembered body was found 16 days later...

- On October 1, 1993, Polly Klass was abducted from her home at knifepoint

during a slumber party. Her body was found 65 days later...

- On April 20, 1999, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris entered Columbine High School

in Littleton, CO and killed 12 classmates, a teacher and injured 20 before

taking their own lives...

- On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho, a student at Virginia Tech, kills 32 before

taking his own life...

If your faith is shaken by this event or one that is much more personal, then

the evil has won. God is here, and He is great. Evil exist in all our hearts,

and God loves us enough to allow us to make these choices yourself. God could

force you to love and obey him, but what kind of love would that be? He wants

you to come to Him of your own free will and love Him because you want to and

not because you have to.

God mourns for the dead, and He did not want this to happen. From this tragedy,

He will work to show His love to all in this world and He will ensure that none,

especially the innocent, have died in vain.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now

being done, the saving of many lives...

- Genesis 50:20

- Adam Walsh's father, John Walsh, co-founded the National Center for Missing

and Exploited Children in 1984; the television show America's Most Wanted has

led to the arrest of 932 criminals to date; in 2006, President George W. Bush

signed the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

- Mark Klass, father of Polly, founded The Klasskids Foundation which is

dedicated to educating the public on the necessity of stronger laws and

cooperation among law enforcement agencies to protect our children. The first

line on their website is 'The KlaasKids Foundation arose like a phoenix out of

the ashes of despair.'

- Cassie Bernall was killed at Columbine after refusing to deny her faith, a

symbol of faith in a fallen world, doing what Peter could not...

These are just a few examples of how God has taken the evil in this world and He

has used it for good. God did not intend for the horror of Virginia Tech to

occur, but from it, His love will shine through.

God is good. God is here. Your distance from Him is up to you. Draw near.

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord

Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen

- Revelation 22:20-21

"God"
Tori Amos

God, sometimes you just don't come through
God, sometimes you just don't come through
Do you need a woman to look after you
God, sometimes you just don't come through

You make pretty daisies, pretty daisies love
I gotta find what you're doing about things here
A few witches burning gets a little toasty here
I gotta find
Why you always go
When the wind blows

God, sometimes you just don't come through
God, sometimes you just don't come through
Do you need a woman to look after you
God, sometimes you just don't come through

Tell me you're crazy maybe then I'll understand
You got your 9 iron in the back seat just in case
You heard you've gone south
Well, baby, you love your new 4 wheel
I gotta find
Why you always go
When the wind blows

Will you even tell her
If you decide to make the sky fall
Will you even tell her
If you decide to make the sky fall

God, sometimes you just don't come through
God, sometimes you just don't come through
Do you need a woman to look after you
God, sometimes you just don't come through