Is the Suspect Black?

I’ve been debating whether or not I should share this post for a long time.  With the readers being so diverse, I wasn’t sure what type of reaction I’d get.  However, the issue keeps coming up, so I feel almost obligated to put it out there and get your feedback.

Recently there was a shooting at Northern Illinois University.  This is one of many shootings recently.  And each time there’s breaking news about some tragedy, I found that I ask myself the same question EVERY TIME.

What is the first question you ask yourself when you hear about a tragedy?

For me, it’s not…Is everyone OK?  It’s not…Has the person been caught?  It’s not…What made them do such a thing?

No.  My FIRST question is…Is the suspect Black?

Yes, I do ask the other questions.  But my initial reaction involves the racial identity of the perpetrator.

Does anybody else ask themselves a similar question?

The Way You Make Me Feel

For the last two days, the blog has addressed issues related to violence.  As I thought this morning about sticking with that them, I heard about the shooting in Las Vegas.  Six high school students were shot getting off their school bus.  They believe the shooting was in retaliation of a fight that occurred earlier that day at school over a girl.

To be perfectly honest, I’m sick of hearing, and talking, about violence.  And since I’m a lover, and not a fighter….let’s use these recent incidents to talk about love.

I’ve noticed that most of the people that commit these crimes are individuals that don’t feel loved.  They are the “outcasts” of society, the “loners”, the ones that don’t fit in.  And here’s what I’ve learned about love,

Love is less about how you feel about another person.  It is more about how a person makes you feel ABOUT YOURSELF.

Think about it.  You could be with the greatest person in the world.  But if they treated you like dirt, you probably wouldn’t feel loved.  And I believe the opposite is true.  You could be with some that the world considers a loser, but that person can treat you right and make you feel like the most loved person on earth!

Spread a little love today.  Make somebody you love feel special!

Shot…at Church

Isn’t church supposed to be a sacred place?  A refuge?  “Holy Ground”?

Well, yesterday, a gunman opened fire on worshippers at a church in Colorado.  (Click to read artice.) 

There are a lot of little stories in this big story: the troubled history of the pastor, the fact that a church has armed security guards, etc.

I’m sure we’ll hear a lot of discussion around some of those issues.

But here’s my concern…Are we at a place in human history where there is no such thing as a safe place?

Within the last week or so, we’ve heard of a professional football player killed in his own home, another killer went to a mall to massacre shoppers, and now, a shooter comes to a church to kill people. 

Is there any such thing as a safe place?