VT Tragedy-Lessons to Learn

Have you ever been questioned about something and had someone say to you, “Ignorance is NO EXCUSE!” Maybe this is something you even heard from your dad or mom when having to give an account for some action. You might try pleading ignorance with a police officer who has stopped you, yet it is likely that if you broke the law you will still be fined for what you did. In an information age like the one we live in today, it is becoming increasingly clear that ignorance just isn’t a sufficient reason to excuse any action or especially a lack of action. We must learn to grow up and use the minds GOD has given us. We must learn from our own mistakes and from the lessons others have learned throughout history. We must stop ignoring the reality we see or simply turning away and trying to forget what we find uncomfortable. Ignorance is NO EXCUSE!

After reflecting on my last article (“The DisCONNECT”) and noting the irony and tragedy of two famous celebrity deaths on a personal judgment day for me (my 40th birthday :-) ), I have been thinking a lot more about life and death (which is a separation or disconnect in itself). The vast media coverage surrounding the life and death of pop star Michael Jackson especially reminds me of what a person must do to have an abundant life and be able to personally prevail through any tragedy or trouble. It reminds me of what God has clearly revealed about our eternal destiny and life after death. It is a good reminder at the core of all I am talking about in my articles and on this website: What do you see when you look at the Man In The Mirror?

One thing that has become explicitly clear to me through my ongoing tragedy is the disconnect that exists in our society. There was a disconnect in place that allowed for the 04-16-07 Tragedy. Following this, the personal disconnect that I have experienced from friends and family has helped me better understand the disconnect that exists throughout our society on so many levels. Many are personally disconnected from the whole person they are created to be. This disconnect is illustrated through relationships and in various organizations. I see a disconnect in many homes between spouses; it is often seen between parents and children. The disconnect is seen in neighborhoods; it is reflected in the relationship between employers and employees. It exists in our court and mental health systems. It is evident in the government as well and many more are realizing this. When is the last time you believe a political leader was really representing your interests? It even exists in the churches between leaders and laity. In order to learn to truly prevail through any tragedy and prevent future tragedy and even collapse, we must CONNECT the disconnect.

In a world enamored with political correctness and often overwhelmed with litigation, a particular problem arises: How do you go about APOLOGIZING to keep relationships in good standing? When someone says or does something that is offensive to another, a relationship is hindered. The result is that people and groups are divided until the ones offended are somehow satisfied. Typically, an apology is given and then there is a waiting time to see if it is accepted or not. This whole process needs correcting. Even when an apology is accepted and forgiveness is granted, it takes extra effort to bring healing and true reconciliation. In fact, you need to think more about all of this to better understand what I am saying. This article today is an Apologia for the faith I believe and the truth that needs to be learned about Apologizing, Forgiveness and Reconciliation.

Mind your own business! That’s none of your business! How often we hear a comment like this when someone says or does something that seems a little too personal. The circumstances in my own life and what I know about situations with others brings me to write about this today. I believe that a misunderstanding of this very thing is one of the greatest problems that we have today in our society! Learning the truth about “minding your own business” is also one of the most important lessons you will ever learn. It will help bring you peace. It will improve every relationship in your life. It will give you a sense of purpose and meaning. It would help fix the problems in our Country and would help Virginia Tech live up to its own motto. If we had better understood and applied the truth here, then 04-16-07 would have never happened.

By now, you may have heard the news coming today that there was another shooting—this time at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Being a relatively slow news day and given the location of this shooting, much attention is and will be given to this event. Initial reports indicate there may be some religious motivation, just as was recently true in the shooting of the infamous abortion doctor in Kansas and at the Army Recruitment Center in Arkansas. I will take this opportunity today to comment further about all of this, tie it to the horrific tragedy that happened at Virginia Tech and the many other modern day shootings, and even speak about the horror of the Holocaust itself that comes to attention in this….

On this “D-Day” in world history, rather that discuss the important War of D-Day, I want to speak here about the WOR-D. WORD! WORD UP! My WORD! Keep your WORD. God’s WORD! The WORD! A WORD by any number of expressions means so much! It is such a basic 4 letter WORD that volumes have been written about it, especially in its Greek, philosophical, and biblical form—Logos. In English, WORD is so foundational that it refers to any accepted combination of letters with meaning and can even mean various things itself depending on how it is expressed. Regardless of how you understand WORD, it is indeed tragic when you fail to understand THE WORD and fail to keep your word.

An important aspect of living that enables one to survive despite tragedy or during difficult times and that will even allow one to thrive is to properly understand the BIG, Middle and little. Failure to grasp this will confuse you or even distract you from having a proper balance in life. If you neglect any one of these three things, you will no doubt have more problems in your life, which will necessarily lead to tragedy. In fact, the reason we all function as we do today is because of those who have gone before us and explored these three areas. Read more if you dare to see whether you understand the BIG, Middle and little.

After observing a “moment of silence” at 3pm today, as requested by our American President (and for me it was a reflection and prayer to the LORD), I am now not remaining silent and am even still praying as I am writing these words that you now are reading. We must NEVER FORGET! Our human tendency is to just forget some things, while holding onto others. As time passes, we may even come to change the things we think about or choose to remember. We have this Memorial Day Holiday today, not simply as a vacation day from work or even a time to be with family, but to focus our memories on ways that others have sacrificed to enable us to enjoy freedoms that we so often take for granted. What will you choose to remember? Will you NEVER FORGET?

Would you know if someone was trying to deceive you or even outright lie to you? Can you tell when an eloquent speaking politician promises something whether or not they are going to live up to or follow through with what they say? Do you believe something to be true just because it is written or maybe you learned about it at a College or University? Are you ever deceived by what some authority or maybe even some family member tells you? How can you know for sure whether something is real and true? Could it be that you are being DELUDED?...