Sonny Melton was an emergency room nurse in Tennessee. He attended Sunday’s concert in Las Vegas with his wife, an orthopedic surgeon. When shots were fired, he protected her with his body. His wife later told reporters that he “saved my life and lost his.”
What are the people who survived the massacre feeling today?
Dr. Lane Ogden is a longtime friend and a psychologist with more than twenty-five years of experience. I asked him for his thoughts regarding those who survived the worst mass shooting in US history.
He described their feelings as “a sense of unreality, of disjointedness—sort of like waking up on another planet where one is not sure what rules pertain or what expectations can be trusted as accurate to manage the shifted environment.” They experienced a “cascade of fear, grief, confusion and anger” that continues today.
Tragedies forever change those who survive them: “Experiencing trauma permanently alters the landscape; it demands a reshuffling of perspective, a redefinition of what’s possible within the realm of a frightening new reality and a shifted, more thinly stretched deployment of coping mechanisms.”
Dr. Ogden also noted that you and I are survivors as well, whether we were at the Las Vegas concert or not. Such tragedies mark us as well: “The impact of traumas like this is cumulative with each reminder of our fragile mortality, combining with those previous to strip us (even from afar) of our sense of stability, control, and the thin illusion of real safety.”
My friend defined the problem I’m addressing today: the hopelessness that follows senseless violence. Country singer Kane Brown performed in Las Vegas hours before the attack. He tweeted a four-word reaction to the shooting: “This world is sick,” a sentiment many of us share today.
But someone responded: “The ‘world’ is not sick. One person was sick. One person does not represent the world at large.” That’s exactly right. Police officers shielded citizens while people turned their trucks into makeshift ambulances and military veterans treated wounds. One man transported a wounded victim by wheelbarrow.
Responding to such heroism, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated, “The memory of those who displayed the ultimate act of love in the midst of an unimaginable act of hate will never fade.”
Now it is our turn. Rather than yielding to despair, we can find ways to help.
First, we can “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Intercede for those affected directly by this tragedy. Ask God to comfort them in the “fear, grief, confusion and anger” they are feeling. Ask him to raise up believers to minister to those in shock and pain.
Second, we can “serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10).
If you’re in the Las Vegas area, you can donate blood that may save lives. We can donate money to organizations working to support the victims and their families. We can ask God to direct us to those we know who are personally affected by this tragedy.
Third, we can “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19).
There have been more than 270 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. The ultimate answer to violence is the Prince of Peace. Only his Spirit can transform broken sinners into loving servants.
The Las Vegas shooting reinforces the urgency of praying, serving, and sharing God’s love with everyone we can, whenever we can. Tomorrow is promised to no one.
Police in Pakistan Beat Christian Boy to Death, Father Says
Police in Pakistan beat a 14-year-old Christian boy to death on Monday (Oct. 9) because he had gotten into a fight with a Muslim classmate who tried to bully him into renouncing his faith, sources said.
Mushtaq Masih, father of Arsalan Masih, said that his son was a student at a private center in Jhabran Mandi village, Sheikhupura District in Punjab Province. Arsalan was at the center when seven policemen from the Bahu Chowk Police Post arrived at about 5 p.m. in their official vehicle and stormed the premises, Masih told Morning Star News.
“Arsalan was attending his tuition classes at the Ideal Science Academy when Head Constable Imtiaz, Driver Rashid, Constable Arshad and some other unidentified policemen kicked open the door and dragged him out of the classroom,” Masih said. “Sardar, alias Billu, a police constable, helped them to identify the boy. With this, they all started beating Arsalan with fists, kicks and rifle butts.”
Teacher Farhan Ali tried to stop the assault, but the officers shoved and slapped him and continued beating the boy, Masih said.
“Rashid struck Arsalan’s head with a pistol, and he started bleeding,” he said. “When they bundled him into the police van, Arsalan collapsed and died. Later the police team threw Arsalan’s body on the roadside and fled.”
Numerous bystanders witnessed the assault, but the policemen threatened them if they intervened, he added.
Four months ago Arsalan had fought with a Muslim boy after the classmate tried to bully him into renouncing his Christian faith, said Masih, a member of the Presbyterian Church in Pakistan.
“I did not know about the fight until recently,” he said. “Arsalan had reportedly beaten up a boy whose uncle, Sardar alias Billu, is a constable in the Sheikhupura District police. Billu nurtured a grudge against Arsalan, and that’s why he brought his police friends with him to teach the poor boy a lesson.”
Masih said that he had registered a case (No. 653/17) with the Sheikhupura Saddar Police Station against seven officers, but that police had so far been unable to arrest them.
Accused Police Flee
Sheikhupura Superintendent of Police Sarfraz Virk told Morning Star News that he had ordered the registration of a case against the accused policemen and also suspended the in-charge of the Bahu Police Post for negligence in official duties.
“We are trying our best to arrest the nominated accused, who have fled the area since the day of the incident,” he said. “The boy was not wanted in any case, and it’s quite clear that the policemen had gone there on their own and misused their official authority.”
Sub-Inspector Safdar Javed of the Bahu Police Post told Morning Star News that he had just taken charge and was investigating the case.
“So far, no accused has been arrested,” he said. “My investigation till now has revealed that no case or complaint was registered against Arsalan with the Bahu police. The policemen transgressed their authority and will be brought to justice at all costs.”
He said investigators were taking into consideration the family’s claim that the killing was religiously motivated.
The maternal grandfather of the Arsalan, identified only as Pastor Shafqat, said that there were 300 to 400 Christian families in the Jhabran Mandi area.
“Fights do take place among boys from both communities over petty issues, but this is the first time a boy has lost his life,” he said. “The murderers didn’t even [have pained conscience] for a second that they were ruthlessly beating a 14-year-old boy. What had he done to deserve such a brutal death?”
The case has been taken up by the Pakistan Center for Law and Justice (PCLJ). Attorney Kashif Naimat of the PCLJ told Morning Star News that police were initially reluctant to register a First Information Report (FIR) against their colleagues.
“However, the police were forced to register the FIR after Arsalan’s family and other Christians blocked the main highway for several hours on Monday night in protest,” he said. “PCLJ has taken up the case voluntarily, and we will do our best to bring perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice regardless of their influence.”
In August, another Christian student was killed. On Aug. 27, 17-year-old Sharoon Masih was killed by a Muslim classmate during school hours in Punjab’s Vehari District because he had drunk water from a glass used by all students – an act many Muslims hold in disdain as they regard Christians as “unclean.”
Christian rights activists said the killing showed that religious intolerance was seeping into all sections of society, including government departments. Rufus Solomon, a leading Christian rights advocate, said it was tragic that another Christian boy had fallen victim to “extremist Islam.”
“The situation won’t improve for Pakistani Christians until the government repeals the blasphemy laws,” he said. “These laws promote extremism and encourage Muslims to force their views on members of the minority communities, particularly Christians. No government in Pakistan has the spine to take on religious extremism therefore our people will continue to suffer losses, both human and material.”
It is highly likely that police will favor their own colleagues even though the murder of the Christian boy took place in front of numerous witnesses, he said.
“Arresting the accused is one thing, taking the matter to its logical end is another,” he said, adding that like other departments, the Pakistani police too had double standards when it came to issues involving members of the minority communities.
Napolean Qayyum, another Christian rights activist, echoed Solomon’s views, saying he saw little hope for justice for the family of the slain boy.
“How many people actually believe that the police will build a strong prosecution against their own fellows? Not many, I’m sure!” he said, adding that no Christian political leader had shown interest in assisting the family in the case.
Pakistan ranked fourth on Christian support group Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at http://morningstarnews.org/donate/?
Photo: Arsalan Masih’s mother mourns over his body.
The woman who made the accusations can be seen in the background of this video clip
Things got awkward at a church service on Sunday morning when a woman unexpectedly stood up to accuse the pastor of sleeping with her daughter.
The allegations were made against Billy Walker, pastor of Word Fellowship Baptist Church in Prentiss, Mississippi.
The woman’s moment to level her accusations was caught on video as she claimed in the middle of the church service that the pastor had been having an affair with her daughter for the last three years.
The angry mom is seen shouting at Pastor Walker and telling him to leave her child alone.
She also makes further accusations against the pastor, including that he was seeing another woman in addition to her daughter, and that he was ‘going to press charges against her’ after confronting him about it.
‘I’m a mother, that’s my child. No mother in this church would do what I’m doing for my baby,’ the woman said.
‘Three years you’ve been messing with her. And I know about it.’
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the pastor’s wife, Vivian, was present at the service while the accusations were being made.
The video clip, which was uploaded to YouTube, does not identify the woman making the accusations against the pastor.
Other parishioners at the church sit in silence as the woman vents her anger, while the girl filming the clip giggles in disbelief at the commotion.
A man can be heard making inaudible comments to the congregation after the mom leaves but the congregation appear happy to carry on with the service as they respond with a loud ‘Amen.’
The Christian Post has reached out to the church with a request for comment.
REUTERS/Mario AnzuoniKevin Hart and Eniko Parrish’s marriage is being tested by his cheating scandal.
American actor Kevin Hart often plays the good guy in the movies he stars in. He’s always this hilarious guy who is deemed a loser and yet manages to be a good husband and father to his kids.
But reel life is different from real life. Sadly, Hart recently made a public apology to his pregnant wife Eniko Parrish and kids, saying that he indulged in “wrong behavior” and he is now praying the price for it. He made the apology in a video posted on Instagram (@kevinhart4real), which has now amassed over six million views.
“It’s a [expletive] moment when you know you’re wrong and there’s no excuses for your wrong behavior,” he said. “I’m also not going to allow a person to have financial gain off of my mistakes and in this particular situation that was what was attempted. I said I’d rather fess up to my mistakes.”
It’s not easy for any man to own up to his mistakes, but that’s why Hart’s move has really inspired Pastor Craig Gross of XXX Church, an online ministry dedicated to helping people with porn and sex addiction.
“Someone might not be forcing you to come clean about something, but bringing something to the light is always the best move. I watched this video with Hart many times,” Gross wrote on his blog. “Hart is a comedian. Hart is a family guy. Hart plays the good guy in his movies. All those things make this confession on his Instagram even harder.”
So when Hart braved his mistakes and bared it all out on social media, Gross said it was a “gutsy move” that he can appreciate.
And importantly, it’s something other people who’ve made similar mistakes can actually learn an important lesson from.
Gross said even if they don’t share their mistakes with millions of social media followers like Hart, they can start with a close family member or friend, and it will do the same thing.
‘In the end, when you bring someone or something into the light, “Light exposes the true character of everything” Ephesians 5:13),’ he said.
‘Bringing something to the light is always the best move,’ Gross continued. ‘Be honest with someone and bring your junk to the light.
‘This stuff is messy. These issues won’t resolve easily for Hart and his family [but] I know from working with thousands of people each month that there is hope for this couple, and this could be the beginning of a turning point for them in their relationship. It’s a hard lesson to learn but sounds like Kevin Hart understands this.’
In an ongoing trial, Andrew Soper (also known as Father Laurence Soper) is being charged with 16 cases of indecent assault against young boys and 19 offences allegedly committed overall. He denies all of them.
The Roman Catholic priest, 74, used to be the head of Ealing Abbey in West London and was a headmaster and senior priest at St Benedict’s School there.
The Prosecution say he carried out punishments for “fake reasons”, such as “failing to use double margins”. He is accused of using caning as “a method to rouse and to gain sexual gratification”.
At the Old Bailey, the jury heard how Andrew Soper was summoned for questioning in 2011 from Rome, accused of historical sex abuse in the 1970s and 80s.
A week before he was due to attend a police station in the UK, he withdrew £182,000 from his Vatican bank account and travelled to Kosovo. He claimed he had been paid to study a mystical strand of Islam in the Balkans.
Mother Teresa greeting people at the Missionaries of Charity For Destitute Children in New Delhi in 1997. (Photograph: Ravi Raveendran/AFP/Getty)
Nun’s former lawyer says he will take legal action against unauthorised use of design to combat ‘misuse’ of reputation
The white, blue-rimmed cotton sari made famous by Saint Teresa of Kolkata has been trademarked in a case the nun’s former lawyer has claimed as a first for a religious uniform anywhere in the world.
The design of the sari, which Teresa is said to have purchased from a Kolkata market the evening she was granted permission to start working in the city’s slums, is now the exclusive intellectual property of the Missionaries of Charity, the order the nun founded nearly 70 years ago.
A lawyer for the order, Biswajit Sarkar, said he had applied for the trademark in 2013 to combat the “misuse” of the saint’s reputation, often for commercial gain. The trademark was formally granted in early 2016 but only recently publicised.
He said he would now take “severe” legal action against unauthorised use of the design, even by charitable enterprises that the order’s nuns had been willing to tolerate.
“There are many organisations starting schools naming themselves after Mother Teresa, and wearing the uniform, where the Missionaries of Charity have no connection,” he said.
Teachers at some schools named after Teresa had been writing to the Missionaries of Charity complaining about late salary payments, unaware their schools were separate entities, he said.
A cooperative bank had also been established in the nun’s name, he said, and in another instance, religious books were being published with the blue-striped trimming, giving the impression they were endorsed by the Kolkata-based order.
Sarkar, who has also had the name Mother Teresa trademarked, said the “soft-hearted” nuns had initially objected to also copyrighting the uniform. “They don’t like taking court cases,” he said. “They say, ‘One day the people will understand they are doing the wrong thing.’
“But we cannot allow that. Now if anybody is misrepresenting the Missionaries of Charity we can take severe legal action.”
He said no exceptions would be made for use of the pattern by other religious orders, or by not-for-profit enterprises.
“Even the nuns were asking me, if the people are not using it for commercial gains, should we stop them?” he said.
“But whether it is for commercial gain or not is not the issue. We are thinking about our identity. If the blue pattern, which is unique in the world, is diluted or used by the public, then one fine morning the organisation will lose their identity.”
Students walk on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
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Her parents met at a gay nightclub in San Francisco. Mom was looking for a safe place to dance and dad happened to be the security guard at the club.
“He abandoned my mother and me after abusing both of us physically,” Rachel Gilson recalls, in a first-person account in Christianity Today (CT). “I didn’t even know he existed until I was 10, by which time my mother had remarried.
She grew up in a lax household, where she was allowed to watch horror movies as a child. “When it came to sex, nothing was hidden. There were jokes and stories and, when I was 10, I helped my mother clip images from an adult magazine for a bachelorette party,” she recalls.
At 14, she met her first boyfriend, but only a year later, became attracted to another girl in her AP European history class. “She was a senior, beautiful and popular. I was struck by her beauty. The attraction felt like what other girls described feeling for a boy.”
She wondered if it was okay to feel this way about a girl. She had a vague understanding that it was wrong, but no Christian foundation had been established in her life.
The two kissed for the first time on Rachel’s 16th birthday and developed a romantic relationship.
After graduation, Rachel felt “exhilarated” to leave for Yale University, where she entered a selective humanities program for freshmen.
She met fascinating people and “enjoyed unlimited access to alcohol. It seemed too good to be true.”
Then she discovered her girlfriend from high school was cheating on her with a semi-homeless guy in Lake Tahoe. “When Christmas vacation came, I paid her a visit, but everything felt icy, still, frozen shut. On Christmas morning, as I read Don Quixote on her futon (while she had sex with her boyfriend in the other room), I wondered what my life had become.”
When she returned to school, in her first philosophy class, Rachel began to wonder about the existence of God. In her room, she began furtively Googling religious terms. “When my roommate entered, I would slam down the laptop lid and pretend I was doing French homework.”
In the torrent of webpages Rachel explored, something shocking happened: she began to encounter Jesus for the first time.
But the Jesus she found when she searched the internet confounded her stereotypes. “Again and again, I saw how Jesus noticed, dignified and served people I would have thrown aside. But I was troubled by a suspicion that my life was against his.”
A Book That Drew Her Heart
One day Rachel was in the room of a lapsed Catholic friend when she noticed the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. She knew nothing about the author or the book, but the title intrigued her—and she quietly slipped the book into her bag.
The more she read, Lewis’s persuasive arguments began to grip her heart. Suddenly it dawned on her: There was a God! Her heart and her head could no longer deny it.
At the same time, a spirit of repentance fell on her, and she became aware of her own sinfulness. “I had lied and cheated; I was cruel—I had even stolen that book from a sweet, unsuspecting friend! How would I face a pure and holy God?”
“But when I considered what Jesus had done—how He endured separation from God so that I could be joined—I knew I would be a fool to reject His offer. As my heart swelled with thankfulness, I clenched my eyes and prayed, surrendering myself to Jesus.”
The following Saturday, Yale Students for Christ hosted a Valentine’s Day party. Rachel felt embarrassed about her newfound faith, so she arrived late and pretended she had come by accident.
She confided in someone that she had become a Christian two days earlier and was then invited to join a Bible study.
Over the course of that semester, she began to wonder how she would deal with her attraction to women. “I knew the Bible was clear: What I wanted was off-limits. But I didn’t understand why. How could love, intimacy and companionship be forbidden by this loving, intimate, companion-seeking God?”
“Thus I had to learn my first lesson of the Christian life: how to obey before I understood. My whole life had taught me to master a concept before I could assent to it. How could I possibly agree to something so costly without grasping the reason?”
Ultimately, she realized the answer involved trust. “I knew Jesus was worthy of trust, because he had made a greater sacrifice. He took the pain and shame of a criminal’s death and suffered the Father’s rejection, all so I could be welcomed. Who could be more deserving of trust?”
But she wondered if God would remove her attraction to women. “Those first years of Christian faith included relationships with women that were spiritual, freeing, and intimate, yet non-erotic. But in other cases, personal and sexual chemistry lured me back into old patterns. Why wouldn’t God just fix me?” she wondered.
“Slowly, I came to understand that ‘making me straight’ wasn’t the answer. There is no biblical command to be heterosexual. Through study, conversations and prayer, I eventually arrived at a crucial truth: that sex wasn’t something God discovered, then fenced about with arbitrary restrictions, but something He made—to teach and to bless us. When His teachings went against my instincts, denying my desires became a profound way of saying, ‘I trust you.'”
Early in her faith, Rachel stumbled when she “stupidly” went back and had sex with her high-school girlfriend.
Then something surprising happened. God brought a man into her life. “We had met the summer before on a Christian mission. We were friendly, but I was not attracted to him. He knew all about my past.”
Rachel admired his goodness, warmth and their shared priorities. “Step by step, Jesus opened my eyes to a kind of human love I hadn’t seen, one steeped in commitment and spiritual joy, rather than passion for passion’s sake. Once again, I obeyed before I understood; I married that young man before I really fell in love with him, because I loved Jesus first.”
“The truth is, even 10 years into my marriage, when I experience attraction to someone other than my spouse, that person is female.
“Still, my marriage has been a place of joy and healing. When people ask me my orientation, my most honest answer is ‘married’—with the same blessings and burdens of other married believers, and with the same source of hope and power, the Holy Spirit.”
“That’s why this is not the story of my becoming straight, which has never truly happened and is beside the point. It is the story of my becoming whole, which is happening every day.”
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Topic: Tune In to the Spirit of Grace [Thursday October 12, 2017]
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. – Titus 2:11-12
Grace teaches us! The “Spirit of grace” instructs us from the inside. Let the Holy Spirit of God counsel you and teach you how to live in this present world. If you listen to the voice of the world, you will be worldly minded, or carnally minded, which is death. But, if you tune in to the voice of the Spirit of grace, you can become spiritually minded. And, according to the Word, that is life and peace. So, when the Spirit of God speaks to you through that still, small voice inside your heart, listen and obey Him. His way works! Trust Him and remember that He’s got your well-being in mind.
Maybe He’s asking you to eliminate some activity that’s consuming too much of your time and attention. Or maybe He’s prompting you to get up a little earlier and spend more time in the Word and in prayer. Whatever it is He is telling you to do, if you’ll do it, you’ll be stronger in the grace of God, and consequently, in the blessing of God.
Don’t hesitate another moment. Do it! If you want a change, make a change.
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-8
This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.
The church member may have meant well, but her words stung the new pastor. After all, he had been at the church for only three months, and he had already heard that sentiment expressed more than a dozen times.
He knew he would be living in the shadow of a legend. He just had no idea how big that shadow would be.
There are several succession situations for pastors that are often more difficult than others, I know. I hear about them almost every day. Here are five of the most common:
The long-term pastor. If a previous pastor has been at the church ten or more years, you can be assured the current pastor will hear many comparisons. Every pastor brings a new culture to the church. It often takes church members a few years to adjust.
The church-splitting pastor. This pastor left mad. Perhaps the pastor was fired or left angry about something that happened in the church. Instead of finding another church in another community, the pastor decides to start a church in the same community. Church members follow the pastor. When the new pastor arrives, he often has to deal with hurting and angry members. Some of the members will actually have family splits over choosing churches. It’s not a fun situation to lead.
The moral failure pastor. When there is pastoral moral failure, church members are hurt. Some are angry. Many of the congregants don’t know if they can trust a pastor again. The new pastor walks into a very difficult situation. He now has to pay for the sins of his predecessor.
The omnipresent pastor. This pastor seemed like he visited every member every month. He was in homes. He attended all events. He visited the hospital fifteen times a day. He counseled people every day. He went to funerals and weddings he did not officiate. He was the superman pastor. Except that his family suffered greatly. Except that the church suffered because he would never let go. He just enjoyed the attention too much. And now the remaining members want to know why the new pastor is not visiting them in their homes nine days a week.
The oratorical pastor. The previous pastor could preach with seemingly unmatched excellence. His sermons were legendary. He had more downloads to his podcasts than the current pastor has hairs on his head. Comparisons are frequent and not flattering for the new guy. And downloads are lower by 97 percent.
Does this situation sound familiar to some of you pastors?
Remember, your identity is in Christ.
Be comfortable in how God made and wired you.
You have nothing to prove in the comparison game.
Persevere.
This season of dealing with the past will fade into new opportunities that will cause members to look to the future with excitement and anticipation.
Topic: Christianity Is Serious [Thursday October 12, 2017]
Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only . . . — James 1:22
Jesus indicated that there will be a permissive society just before He comes back. “As in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the coming of the Son of man.” The world today is on an immoral binge that has not been known since the days of Rome. We are in a hedonistic society, and what we are seeing is human nature expressing itself without God. Many have fallen into an antinomianism in which they believe intellectually and then go out and live like the devil, imagining that God will forgive them and take them to heaven. I believe there is an obedience to the Gospel, there is a self-denial and a bearing of the cross, if you are to be a follower of Christ. Being a Christian is serious business.
Prayer for the day: Teach me to deny my selfish desires and obey Your commandments, Lord Jesus. Cleanse me so that I might be used to penetrate society deeply for You.
Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.
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