It Tolls for Me.

Something To Think About, The Tolling of the Bell:

(Please forgive the lateness of this email.  I wrote it yesterday when these events were even fresher than today.  The reality is ongoing.) They weren't really neighbors, but Alison Parker and Adam Ward used to appear on the local news, the same news that sometimes included stories about my little town nestled in the lovely Alleghany Highlands.  A friend of mine--almost a relative--had recently been shopping at the mall where the reporter and the cameraman were gunned down by a former colleague seeking some warped vengeance. A friend from another part of the world but familiar with the area where the crime took place commented, "If you aren't safe there, where are you safe?"  His question was rhetorical, but the answer is, "No where." John Donne observed, No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if a promontory were. As well as if a manor of thy friend's Or of thine own were: Any man's death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind, And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;  It tolls for thee.  (Emphasis added) I pray for Alison and Adam's families. I pray for the family of shooter.  Their sorrow must be profound. I am aware, though, that what happened this morning in a lovely resort area does not only impact those directly involved.  It has to do with us all. I am reminded that life is short, this world is full of wickedness, and people need the Lord.  Lord, as I hear the bell tolling, announcing that two more children of Adam have been ushered into eternity, help me to hear it not only as a bell ringing the grief of loss, but as an alarm calling me to service.  Lord, You have made your children ambassadors for You.  We get to proclaim that there is reconciliation in Jesus Christ.  There is peace, there is hope, no where else. Oh, faithful and true one, make me faithful to your call. Amen It's STTA.   You can find out about hope in Christ on this page.