Praying As Bullets Fly

Like many people, I find myself struggling to cope with the sadness and horror of what now seems commonplace: mass shootings in the United States.  Our son was a student at Virginia Tech and on campus though not involved during the shooting there in 2007, so the pace and regularity of these events strikes us close to home.

I feel the same press to "Do Something, ANYTHING!" and  "do more than pray!" so I do have a number of legal and cultural steps I would like to see implemented.  But I do continue to know that prayer by God's people is an important part of the turn-around need to "fix" our national sickness.  Here are some prayer resources that have helped me:

Grieving The Tragedies in El Paso and Dayton - Click Here

From Heavenward - the Daily Prayer Post of Scotty Smith on Sunday, August 4
As Providence would have it, Mary Lynn and I were driving through Dayton, OH on our way home less than 18 hours after the shooting there.  There was an eerie sense of normalcy as we drove the sign directing people to the "Oregon District" - typically a local, social hotspot, but on that day a crime scene.

I’m a Shooting Survivor. If You’re Going to Pray for Us, Here’s How. - CLICK HERE

Posted August 4 on the Christianity Today site immediately following the El Paso and Dayton shootings. Talk about timely!  Author Taylor Schumann is a writer, shooting survivor, and contributor to the forthcoming book If I Don’t Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings. She lives with her husband and son in Charleston, South Carolina.

Emanuel - The Untold Story of the Victims and Survivors of the Charleston Church Shooting

This is a critically important documentary that was developed in part with NBA star Stephen Curry’s initiative.  The film was publicly available for two days on the anniversary of the shooting this summer.  Mary Lynn and I saw it and were deeply, deeply moved as well as informed.  CLICK HERE for website.  At this point, the DVD is waiting to be released - CLICK HERE for pre-order - but I can whet your appetite with the trailer:

Emanuel – The Untold Story of the Victims and Survivors of the Charleston Church Shooting