God, Guts and Guns

I have been troubled to read about the shootings at New Life Church. In 1991 Brian and I attended New Life when services were held in rented space; through the years we have visited but never made it our Church home. Ted Haggard--sadly, the infamous Ted Haggard--blessed our two daughters when they were infants. My husband, less a fan of church than I am, expressed his displeasure with Ted Haggard after he shut a man down for asking a question. My husband, who is humble, does not appreciate egotism and felt both New life Church and Ted Haggard possessed too much pride and we stopped attending.

When, in November of 2006, Ted Haggard "fell from public grace" my husband and I were shocked. We were disappointed in a man who deceived not only the people who looked to him for spiritual guidance, but a man who betrayed his beautiful wife, Gayle, and their five children.

That unfortunate drama at New Life Church reinforced our beliefs regarding church, and while we would eventually like to find some sort of Church home, we will never believe church leaders to be morally or ethically superior.

And now, New Life Church is in the news once again. I really can't imagine what it must be like to get up one morning, attend a place of worship, and encounter such death and destruction on what would typically be a peaceful day. My heart grieves for the Works family who lost two sisters - Stephanie, 18, and Rachael, 16. Their deaths prove that our very existences are both fragile and all too fleeting. Any day, any moment could be the time that our lives on earth end, and while the fear of death provokes worry in many hearts, no one should live in a state of dread.

I would hope that when death comes to take me home, I'll have lived in such a way that I tried to made amends, learned from the mistakes I made and grew in both empathy and generosity. I know that when I stand before God, I didn't arrive because I was "good" but because I wanted and accepted His forgiveness and grace.

And while I grieve for the Works family, I also grieve for both the killer, Matthew Murray, 24, and the family he left behind. I'm sad for Matthew that he let hatred and rage take complete control of him. We all feel those emotions on some level, but we make a choice on whether to indulge them or to let superior emotions, like love and forgiveness, temper them.

I'm sad that Matthew rejected God because he hated God's people. Didn't he know that people, because we're mere human, will always let down, disappoint and fall short of expectations?

How is that God's fault? In the darkest, loneliest moments of my life, I knew that the only one I could ever count on was God. I would never let any man or woman have the power to affect my personal relationship with God. No one else should, either.

I would also like to mention the heroine, Jeanne Assam, 42, who was labeled as a "security guard" but, in reality, was merely an armed citizen (oh, the horror!).

The MSM, of course, is in full attack mode trying to discredit her by digging up dirt in her past (as if that's relevant to the story, right?). But no matter how they try to spin it, Jeanne Assam stopped Matthew Murray.

When he began his planned massacre of Christians, he expected unarmed easy targets. What he ultimately encountered was a heroic Godly woman who, by no accident, but by God's will, was there at that exact moment for a face-off between good and evil.

This woman who stood before a killer remained calm, aimed her firearm and shot, hitting him several times. Matthrew must have known he was finished and then shot himself in the head. Either way, a brave woman put an end to his carnage (keep in mind he was armed to the teeth).

Jeanne Assam should be commended for taking action on behalf of others and not torn down by those who will never have such selfless courage. I would hope that should I ever find myself, or my loved ones, in such a position, that either one of us, or perhaps another, would be a defender via conceal and carry.

Recommended Links

'God was with me'

The Woman Who Stopped The Killing

How Many Lives Did The Concealed-Carry Licensee Save?

Because Others Say it Better

God exercising His just sovereignty used this woman as an instrument of protection of innocents, and then, in His extravagant mercy, spared her the lifelong struggle of wondering if He really called her to kill that man. His ways are not our own.
- Unknown