Are Violent Immigrants Our Main Problem?

American politicians and journalists need to say a word that has not been said by them in a long time: SIN.  I have heard some conservative news analysts say the word "evil," which is a step in the right direction, but what we are suffering from in our nation is a cancer of the soul called: "sin."

I think Kate's Law should have passed, and I believe we need to buckle down on illegal immigration, especially when they are violent offenders.  What makes a crime by them a little worse than by an American is that they "aren't supposed to be here."  They are "the problem" of the country they came from, and disrespected our laws and government by sneaking over here and then attacking its citizens.  It multiples the disgusting act by being here illegally and then committing a crime.

But I have heard a lot of stories in the news of crimes being committed by American citizens.  Yes, they "belong" here, but they are disrespecting human life, including the American way of life and people's livelihood and safety.  The illegal immigrant is doing the same thing, but add to that the fact that they disrespected our government by violating its laws of immigration.

Well, let's face it.  Our politicians, whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent, cannot solve the problem of sin.  And isn't that what is at the heart of crime?  Sin in the heart!  We can't blame guns, because knives, trucks, explosives, and other weapons have been used.  It is not the gun that pulls its own trigger, and crime is done when a sinful heart is on the other end of that gun with an evil will to commit harm to another individual.

Remember that physical injury is not the only harm that can be done by an individual; slander and harming someone's reputation with lies and a false witness is a crime as well.  It might not always be punished, but it is a crime nonetheless.  With freedom comes responsibility.  You might have the freedom of speech, but not the freedom to slander or harm others with your words.  Your freedoms do not trump the freedoms and rights of others.  You cannot breach the peace with your religion or your protests.  Everything must be done in a peaceful and organized way if this is to remain a civilized society.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34: "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame."

Our fine police officers are "putting out fires," so to speak, by trying to fight evil and protect the innocent, something that deserves our adoration, respect, and gratefulness.  If everyone desired to do what's right, and respected the lives and property of others, then they would have an easier job such as helping people who locked themselves out of their house, or got in a car accident.  Those who say we do not need police officers are ignorant of the human heart.  Every day we have to die to self and put others first because we have the sin nature in us from the time we're born until the day we die.  It's a constant battle.  Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31: "I die daily."

Police officers risk their lives every day to protect people, and often do not get thanked for doing so.  Job or no job, they are still good people to pick a job that puts them in harm's way to protect others.  Every occupation has some "bad eggs" in it, some corrupt individuals who bring shame to that career and/or the organization they work for.  But the vast majority of police officers work in humility to protect people and keep a civil union so that we do not become an anarchy, where everyone is doing what's right in their own eyes and many are getting hurt.  Law and order are at the core of a civilized society, and it works WELL.  

Plain and simple: if you do wrong, you deserve your punishment.  If someone shows mercy to you, then praise the Lord!  But you cannot demand mercy; you can only ask for it.  If you do not get it, you must face your punishment.  If a police officer thinks you are doing wrong and says, "Freeze!  Put your hands up!" you need to stop, put your hands up, and be quiet until you are given your time to speak, preferably with your attorney.  Go through the process.  Yes, it has failed a few, but it allows for a fair trial. If you don't have an appreciation for that, take a trip to a third world country, and then come back and thank the Lord you have the privilege to live in America.

Jesus actually is pleased with you if you are punished wrongly and take it patiently.  He respects that.  Don't forget you can pray to an Almighty God who loves you, and can work behind the scenes on your behalf.  He can change the hearts of kings; He can change the hearts of American political leaders and corrupt officers.  1 Peter 2:20: "For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God."  Proverbs 21:1: "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."  

Remember Joseph in the Bible?  He was wrongly accused and sent to prison.  God was with him, and he was put in charge of the other jailors.  He was well respected because he didn't allow his circumstances to change his heart.  He kept serving the Lord, no matter where he found himself, whether it was after being sold as a slave by his jealous brothers, working for a wealthy man in a leadership position, being falsely accused and put in jail, or being promoted to the second in command of the greatest nation on earth at the time: Egypt.  All those hard times and times of responsibility were training grounds for something greater God had in store for Joseph, and then he was ready for that huge job that led to him saving many lives, including the lives of his family.  What was meant for evil, God used for good.

Church leaders and Christians, it is not the job of the politician to save the souls of the American people.  That job belongs to Jesus, and that must be communicated by the church because that is Jesus' plan.  Politicians must uphold the constitution and make sure our rights are protected and we have freedom of religion so we can do our jobs as ministers of the Gospel.  But if we do our jobs and get out there and evangelize, write, sing, preach, hold Bible studies, work in the community in a faith-based organization, volunteer at church, create a blog, or even just be a witness at your job, we can reach people's souls, and lead them to the ONLY ONE who can forgive sin and cleanse a heart: JESUS CHRIST.  HE is the hope of the world, not Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.  God can use people to make good change in this world, but they cannot take care of the core of the problem.  When you sweep away all the mess and complication of the matter, burn off all the extraneous issues, and get down to the bottom line, it is sin.  Sin is by definition a rebellion against God and his commands.  How do you find out who God is and what His commands are?  Read the Bible, and study it.  Jesus is STILL the answer for modern mankind.  

2 Timothy 2:15

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 

Imagine if we had a spiritual REVIVAL in 2016, repenting of our sin on our knees in humility to God?  That would change the WORLD!  May it start with me.

Fear of Failure? Bah Humbug!

If you want to be someone who fails at nothing, try nothing. You'll have a 100% success rate and have nothing to show for it. May I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and fail. Study each failure and take notes so you don't make the same mistakes twice, and glean wisdom from each failure. Certainly try your best and educate yourself to avoid blatant failure that could have been avoided easily, but please don't let fear of failure or the many things that could potentially go wrong keep you from trying. Worst case scenario: if you die trying, you'll at least have left a legacy of hard work and giving it your best shot! That's a beautiful thing! 

3 Remember that the journey is the exciting part - the destination just means take a little rest, recharge, and then it's time to find a new challenge. Embrace it!

What's Really Behind Racism in America?

I've been pondering about racism lately.  It's difficult for me to understand it because I really have not seen it  much living up in the North.  I'm sure it's there, but I get the feeling that it's more prevalent in the South.  Up here we are all crazy busy, and it seems like we don't have time to think about someone's skin color.  We're just working our tails off to earn enough money to pay our taxes!

As a nurse, I understand that we are all humans.  We do have different genes, and different risks for various things such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, etc.  We have different texture to our hair, and more or less melanin in our skin than others, making it darker or lighter.  We have different bone structure from others, some more petite and some bigger boned.

We've been able to divide people up into "families", or groups such as blacks, whites, Hispanics, Asians, Africans, Europeans, Middle Easterners, pregnant women, old, old old (yes, that is a group!), children, infants, etc., and risk factors are assigned to each one based on research, prevalence, etc.  In the medical field we also divide some people up by socioeconomic class, because their risks will be different based on where they fit in society, education level, income, etc.

Our environment can affect us, as can our family history, our personal history, our habits, our lifestyles, our sexual activity, etc.  But bottom line: we are all people, and we all find ourselves in a particular class, a particular society, a particular neighborhood, etc.  How we bloom where we are planted, with the abundance of resources or lack thereof, is largely up to us.  The foods we choose to put in our mouths, the harmful substances we ingest or smoke, and even the words we choose to speak, resulting in actions that we do, is largely up to us.  Everyone has to divvy up what they have and decide what to do with it, whether it be material possessions, time, or talent.  Those decisions will often be based on one's attitude of themselves and the world around them.

So getting back to what is really behind racism in America, I was thinking about attitudes and subcultures.  There are quite a few subcultures in America.  From the Amish to the ghetto to the mob to the wealthy in elite clubs, there is usually a language and way of life that they share.  There may be words that only those in that subculture will understand.  There are certain things you have to know to fit in or else you will be considered an outsider.  You may have to adopt a certain skill to survive in some of these, whether for good or even for bad.  There are cultural norms within each group.  You may even have to adopt a certain attitude toward others to fit into that group.

Jobs such as computer specialists, medical professionals, and musicians also have a lingo and a certain subculture among them as well.

Cliques are often like this as well, but on a smaller scale.  The "geeks", the "jocks", the "cheerleaders", the "skateboarders", etc. gather together because they fit in with each other.  You know what I'm talking about!  Even in churches, people working in certain ministries will click better with each other because they have similar interests, spend more time together so know each other better, and maybe even have similar personalities.

It may even be age groups, such as "yuppies", single adults, married with children, those who are retired, etc. who find themselves spending more time together than with others. They have things in common, so will be more comfortable hanging out.

Religion is another example of subculture.  Some have certain rules, preferences, interpretations of the Bible, music styles, preaching styles or personality, so finding the right church will often be a search for the right match of preferences.  We do this with dating, too.  We like to find people with similar interests, chemistry, beliefs, values, etc., especially if we are going to make a long term commitment with them.  The same goes for job employment.  Finding the right match for us is important for longevity.  Sports also show us that certain people tend to be more likely to play basketball, track, football, or golf, for example, based on their size and abilities and desires.

Some of these tendencies to find a group in which you belong are natural and given to us by God.  We even see it with plant life, as some grow better in the sun, and some better in the shade.  In the animal kingdom, animals of the same kind flock together for safety and protection from predators.  So cultures and subcultures tend to be groupings of people with similarities or differences that compliment each other for a common goal, purpose or identification.

These are just some examples, stereotypes and generalizations, but I think you get the point.  Being divided is not in and of itself a bad thing.  So when does it become bad, wrong, or dangerous?

When pride gets in the way.  Prejudice is a form of pride.  It essentially says you are not as good as me because you are not like me.  I'm better than you.  How silly for the hands to ridicule the feet because they are different, or the eyes to ridicule the ears.  The appendix might be small, but if it's "unhappy," everything stops!  Just like every part of the body is important, even though some are smaller or different or even "uglier" than other parts, they all have a purpose and are vital for the well being of the organism.  If something is missing or injured, it matters.  It's all special, because it's part of you, of your whole.

Think about racial disparities.  Why would we think that anyone is better than another, as far as human value?  Certainly, some people might have higher ranking jobs, such as the brain as compared to a toenail, or a doctor verses an exterminator, for example.  But can a doctor practice medicine in a building that is overcome by termites?

Let's go a bit deeper.  If your value system or set of morals is different from mine, does that make me better than you?  No, we are all humans.  Does that mean that both are right?  No.  If one person believes there is no God and another believes God exists, whatever is true makes one of those people right and the other wrong.  But each of their lives has great value.  It is not diminished because they do not agree.

How about if one person is athletic and the other is a "book worm"?  The athlete may get more attention because of the sports he or she chooses to participate in, but more exposure does not equate to greater worth.  This also applies to Hollywood stars, political candidates, and others who are on the front lines of popularity.  People deserve our respect for their accomplishments, but people who have not accomplished much still deserve the basic respect of being born in the image of God, a human with an eternal destination, one who is loved by God.

Someone should not assign more value to themselves or anyone else because of physical features, socioeconomic status, education, disability, hardships, accomplishments, etc., nor should they assign less value.  Some may warrant pity or praise, but that does not change their value.

In a world where people believe evolution and that we came from monkeys, and that there is no eternal destination for the soul, murder has become an acceptable form of conflict resolution.  How wrong is this!  No one has the right to take the life of another because they are weaker, different, disagree with them, are in the way of a goal, or whatever reason!  Souls are eternal, and life is sacred.

Now, don't get this confused with punishing wrongdoers through a fair legal process.  Laws are set forth to protect the innocent from evil.  That is good and well.  But it deserves a fair legal process.

Let's learn to not look at each other in a negative way because we are different, but to rather celebrate it.  Opposites often attract each other in a relationship, because if there were two of the same people, one wouldn't be necessary!  It's better to draw from each other's strengths to make a better couple than one can be alone.

Knowing Jesus Christ unifies us, because we have a common love, we realize we have a common enemy, we are in a common bind, and we are using the same guide, the Bible, to live by and be saved out of our chains of darkness.  It doesn't matter which group or subgroup we are from, which race or ethnicity, gender, status, employer, etc.  We are all creations of God Almighty, made in His image, for His purpose, so let's join hands and work together to the glory of God, to bring honor and praise to His name.  Let's drop our pride and get to know and understand each other better, not try to kill or destroy each other.  That is contrary to one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Listen to a song I wrote on unity called, "In One Accord."  It's based on Philippians 2.
"In One Accord" by Dawn Foss

The Diety of Jesus, and the Angel of the LORD

This is a great article written by my friend, George Zeller.  I wanted to share this, because it might be helpful to you, especially if you have questions about the deity of Jesus Christ, as do Jehovah's Witnesses.

The Deity of Jesus Christ as it pertains to the Angel of the LORD

Near Death Experiences

Have you ever wondered what life will be like after death, or if there is any life after death? How do we find out?

This is a wonderful article by George Zeller about near death experiences.  There have been a lot of movies out lately on this topic, and people flock to them.  But are they biblical?  What parts are real and what parts are imagined, and how do they line up with Scripture?

Read this article for the answers to those questions and more.

article about near death experiences

A Summertime Teen Challenge

I'm reading a great book this summer called, Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.  I highly recommend it!  I bought it for my teenage daughter a few years ago by her request!  She had read it at school and wanted to own the book so she could reread it.  She also got the sequel to it, Start Here by the same authors.  It clarifies a myth about adolescence: that it is a time to party and have fun, and you better get in all you can before you have to become an adult and spoil all the fun!

Some people have a failure to launch, and go into their 20's, 30's, and even 40's or beyond never launching into adulthood.  There is even a name for that: Kidults.  They view adulthood and maturity as bad, as a party pooper spoiling all their fun, and hard work as the enemy.  We do see trends in our culture of selfishness, laziness, and despisers of those who impose hard work upon us.

In times past it was not like that.  There wasn't even such a thing as the word "teenager."  You were a child or you were an adult.  This is a more contemporary thing we as a society have created over the past few decades.  1 Corinthians 13:11 says: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."  Once you are no longer a child, you become an adult.  As a young adult, you have energy and enthusiasm to do hard things, great things, wonderful things to prepare you for mightier things!  Think of what you can accomplish if you take advantage of these years now to study, learn another language or an instrument, work as an intern at a business you could see yourself in one day, build your character, strengthen yourself, prepare so that when you finish school, you have some experience under your belt and a mindset for accomplishing great things.

Too many adults have regrets of their younger years.  They have lost relationships because they didn't have the skills they needed to succeed.  They wasted time when they could have invested their money in the right places, working hard to earn while they could.  They were left behind by others who did take advantage of that time and have passed them in the marketplace.  They have a desire to do something but can't get past themselves and their laziness in order to start over.  But the good news is that it's never too late to start.  Many adult learners go back to college, they work hard to make something of themselves.  However, it's often more complicated because they have a family, they have to juggle work and school, they don't have much money, and they have further obstacles that wouldn't have been there had they prepared themselves earlier on.

History is filled with teens who started doing great things in their teen years, such as Clara Barton and George Washington.  You don't usually hear about that, but there are many in history who did not look at their youth as an excuse to delay adulthood, but rather to start now doing something of significance.  Their age did not deter them, and because they didn't have a low expectation of themselves, neither did anyone else.  Even Alex and Brett Harris did some amazing things in their teen years that you can read about in their book.  It's very inspiring because it's not out of reach.  We all can step out of our comfort zones and accomplish something great - it's exhilarating!

My challenge to you teens out there is to think ahead, think about how you picture yourself in five or ten years, and take steps now to begin that journey.  You don't have to wait until you're "grown up."  Read, prepare, do something that will propel you in that direction.  Adults, you can do the same.  Start now, start right where you are and begin to prepare for something great for your life.  Begin by praying about it, and asking God for His wisdom and guidance for what would be best for your life according to His will.  Then give God the glory for what you have been able to accomplish.

I decided to go back to school as an adult.  I had a family already, two young daughters and a husband.  I went to school as a secretary and was one for 10 years, but wanted to do more.  My dad was retired, so was able to babysit, and I went part time taking a course or two each semester.  I was in my 20's and 30's.  It took me 11 years, but I became an ICU nurse, a PACU nurse while getting my education (became an RN first), then eventually a nurse practitioner in family practice.  Now I am able to work part time doing what I love, and making a decent salary so I can work in ministry on my days off doing what I'm passionate about.  I wouldn't be able to afford financially doing the ministry alone.  Those years of hard work paid off in spades because working for one dream made other dreams of mine come true that I thought were beyond my reach.  I figured, "Where will I be in five or ten years?"  If I'm still alive, I will be somewhere in five or ten years, whether I like it or not!  The time will come and the time will go.  I have some say over which path those years will take me, again, seeking God's wisdom and will through it all.

As far as partying, killing your brain cells on drugs and alcohol, living a promiscuous life of unsolicited sex - it's a myth that you deserve this, that it's what the teen years are for.  What that's for is damaging your body and mind, the temple of God He has entrusted to you, and causing yourself diseases, regrets, and memories that you cannot erase.  You can have fun at any age by keeping it clean, wholesome, and healthy, and not allowing it to dominate your life.  You can hang out with friends at a frozen yogurt shop rather than a bar.  You can join a youth group and go to Six Flags with people who have high ambitions and know how to have a good time without damaging themselves or others.  You can stand for what's right and for a good cause by rescuing animals or volunteering at a nursing home or getting politically involved in such a way to better other Americans rather than joining a cause that is destructive to humans or property.  YOU make that choice.  Make it a good one, and be super proud of it as you roll up your sleeves, shed a little sweat, and work hard for the glory of Jesus Christ.  You won't have regrets; you'll have powerful, amazing memories that will launch you into harder things, greater things, and mightier things that will make a lasting difference in this world because you weren't afraid to try.  That, my friend, is truly satisfying, failures and all, just knowing that you are trying and learning from your mistakes and moving in the right direction, leaving a legacy and an example.  Life is a journey; the ups and the downs come along with the ride and make it interesting!  Embrace life and the goodness of hard work!

Lamentations 3:27: "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."

God bless you as you decide how to spend the rest of your summer.  Here is a link to Alex and Brett Harris's website with a video trailer with links so you can order the books if you want.  There are also endorsements and links to other resources available on that site. They have a great blog on there as well.  I have no financial connection to them; I just think it's a great book, and I'm enjoying reading it myself and getting more inspired to do great things!  They call it the "rebelution", a teen rebellion against low expectations that society has put on young people.  Teens everywhere are rebelling against those lies and myths and low standards, and showing the world that they can be exemplary.  Their theme verse is a great one: 1 Timothy 4:12: " Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."   http://therebelution.com/books/do-hard-things/

I also written a character-building book called, I Will Stand, a book of commitment to do what is right, which is also an excellent book that is interactive and will inspire you to become a champion of character.  I Will Stand by Dawn Foss

                                               

Super Hero Syndrome

In thinking about our fallen heros, I wanted to share a song I wrote to honor community servants. It's called, "Super Hero Syndrome." I'm a nurse, my brother-in-law is a police officer, and I work in ministry. Sometimes we need to just rest spiritually in the arms of Jesus, our true hero, and regain our strength for the daily battles that come with saving lives, spiritually and physically. I pray this song is an encouragement.

Listen to "Super Hero Syndrome"

Release Date for The Sonic Adventure Gang book

I am very excited to announce that September 6, 2016 is the release date of "The Sonic Adventure Gang," my first book of a series. The second book is currently in editing. 

Miss Suzanne is the kids' new Sunday School teacher from Europe. She seems a bit mysterious. Her uncle, a retired physicist, invented a supersonic time travel machine. Join the class as they go on adventures to various times and places in history. But look out! Something always goes wrong. Miss Suzanne has a few secrets up her sleeve to help them get back to safety. Enjoy this first adventure in a series of adventures that will take you through sonic speed as you learn truths from God's Word with the Sonic Adventure Gang!

Check out The Sonic Adventure Gang book at Tate Publishing!

I hope you will check it out!

Video of OKC at night (from our trip)

This is a video from our trip the beginning of June 2016 to Oklahoma City.  My daughter Rebecca Foss made this, and did a great job!  It brings back so many fun, happy memories.  That night was so much fun. OKC is beautiful at night with all the lights!  I hope you enjoy this!

OKC video

Temporary hold on "Sherrill's Summertime Adventures" eBook

I have temporarily unpublished my "Sherrill's Summertime Adventures" ebook.  After thoughtful consideration, I'm going to expand it and add more adventures into this book rather than doing a series of short books.  Keep an eye out for it - I hope to have it done in the next few weeks.

This book is an inspirational book for young people, seeing life through a Christian Tween's eyes as she goes through various life activities, events, and challenges with a heart of love for God and desire to please Him.  It gives a practical application to the wisdom of the Bible.

Sherrill's Summertime Adventures - new release!

I am happy to announce I have just released my newest ebook, Sherrill's Summertime Adventures, through amazon.com.  It is $2.99, or free if you have Kindle Unlimited.   I'm trying my hand at self publishing, but still have books through Tate Publishing, whom I love.  However, there are benefits to self publishing as well.  I would appreciate any feedback on my ebook.  It is the first book of a series called, "Sherrill's Adventure Series."

It's about a young teen who is off for summer vacation, and the various fun activities and adventures she experiences during her time off.  It is Christian fiction.  There are 10 chapters, an easy read.  I hope that it will be a fun adventure for you!

Check out Sherrill's Summertime Adventures book

My Response to the Dallas shootings

I am trying to pillow my head tonight, and having a very difficult time doing so in light of the grief I feel over the Dallas shootings, where a well trained man full of hate killed five police officers and injured many others.  But it's not just this tragedy we have seen recently, but many more.  I see on TV many protests and hatred, accusations, vengeance, outcries, sorrow for loved ones, defiance for others, murder being used as a way to communicate a grievance, and it's like the world has gone mad.  Some of this is in the name of religion or politics, some of it in the name of justice and peace, some of it in the name of racism.  Where or when does it end?  I see this thing snowballing out of control.  These families need our prayers, as does this country as a whole, and I for one have been praying for them. Will you also?

People are losing faith in the justice system of the United States, and some are losing faith in the decency of mankind.  We are becoming more and more disunified as a nation and as a world.  All these groups, including ISIS, believe they are doing what's right.  By whose standards?  There are various standards being used, various worldviews and moral value systems, and these are clashing with those systems and world views of others.  What a mess we are in.  The result is not justice, it is not peace, it is not security, but rather crime, fear, and insecurity.  Blame is thrown around to many different people, but I haven't yet heard someone say, "It's my fault."

Let's remember one thing that does unify us, regardless of our skin color, our faith, our religion, our gender, our economic status, our age, our health or lack thereof, our race, our occupation - we are all human beings.  This is what I believe to be true: God's Word.  In His Word we are told that we are all wonderfully made (Psalm 139).  We are also told we are all sinners ("For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23).  We are also told that there is forgiveness of sin to all ("If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:9).  There's something that unifies us - we are all humans with sin who deserve death ("For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" Romans 6:23), but have all been given the free gift of salvation for our sin ("For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:12, 13). The ground is level at the foot of the cross.  Salvation, however, is not ours until we accept it by humbling our selves, getting rid of our pride, and calling upon God in repentance for forgiveness and healing.

Vengeance belongs to the Lord.  This is His earth, His universe, and we are His creation.  We need to be in the business of working on ourselves to make sure we are in right relationship with God, and then in right relationship with our fellow man.  We need to respect others and find the good in them.  If we look for the bad, we will always find it.  But if we seek the good, we will also find it.  It's what you choose to look for that makes the difference.  Oh, how quickly hatred and anger can sweep our nation, like a fire that goes from one heart to the next to the next.  It's a slippery slope, and can grab a hold of all of us if we are not careful.  Give it to the Lord.  Romans 12:19: "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."  No, our justice system is not perfect, but it is their jobs, not ours, to punish wrongdoers.  When the justice system fails, we still  have power to vote responsibly, to write letters, peacefully protest, make our voices heard, but never with hatred or sweeping accusations that breeds hate and violence.  And lest we forget, we have the power of prayer to our Almighty God who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7: "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you").

My challenge to you and me is to look at our neighbors, our brothers and sisters of humanity, regardless of all the details in their lives that make them who they are, and realize that we are all in the same boat.  We are all lousy sinners in the hands of an angry God, and yet a God who loves us and provided freedom from that sin that binds us in chains and ruins us.  As all the world is going crazy, look up.  John 12:32: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."  That's powerful!  That says, ALL.  Let's lift up Christ so all can see Him so they can gaze on Him as the Savior of this world.  It will not be a president or a group leader, a man or a woman, but Jesus Christ.  He is STILL the answer for all of mankind.  Look upon Him.

This song I wrote is called, "Something We All Have in Common."  I sang this at our state capitol last Fall, and was a pleasure for me to have that opportunity to voice this on loud speakers to be heard on the city streets of Hartford.  Let's unify together at the foot of the cross and look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.").  He alone is worthy of our praise because He alone died for us and then conquered death and the grave and sin for all eternity.  That's my King!  Praise be to God!

Listen to "Something We All Have in Common"