Another tragedy today. A school shooting in Connecticut has left 27 dead, 20 of whom were young children. I can't help but grieve for the families of the victims and for those who were injured, and for that whole community. I wonder why on earth these things happen, but I remember that this is a fallen world and these things will happen. But I wonder if our culture isn't partly responsible for these things. We don't teach our children about God anymore---Christians are told to only worship in churches. Deuteronomy 6:4-8 reads: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving your today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead."
How many young people are learning the Word of God anywhere? Many churches today water down the gospel or distort it to suit today's society. The Israelites were commanded to teach them to their children, and Orthodox Jews today still do this, which I suspect is why they stand out from everybody else. If you don't go along with the world in sin, you tend to stand out. I don't presume to speculate on what the gunman was thinking, especially since one of the victims was his own mother, but I wonder if he ever heard the gospel. I wonder if we were to return making sure that we were teaching the Bible to our kids (and by we, I mean parents, grandparents, etc, NOT the schools), if kids knew there was a Father in heaven who loved them very much and wants a relationship with them, if fewer of these shootings would occur.

Lord, I pray that you will comfort and surround that community and that you would bring your peace to the victim's families. Amen.