That wasn't expexted!...Columbine 10 years later today (4-20-09)

Fritz & Elaine sent this to me (thanks!) & I confirmed it on TruthorFiction.com:

That wasn't expected

Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday,
Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine
High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address
the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our
national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully
truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received
well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every
politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called
expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful,
penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this
man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of
the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good and evil in the
hearts of men and women... We all contain the seeds of kindness or the
seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy
Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven
children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for
answers."

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother
Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither
was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was
Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's
heart."

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how
quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am
not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I
am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe
that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not
believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything
to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent."

"I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy --
it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where
the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of
the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves.
I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best."

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind,
and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up,
we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in
and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our
educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges
began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has
happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so
doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as
terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look
for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more
restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and
private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and
Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun
laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of
massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts."

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw
his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to
pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I
challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to
realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was
brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by
those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a
sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to
communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at
the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this
country will not allow that to happen!"

Do what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech.. God Bless

God lives under the bed

Thank you for passing this on, Holly P!

ENJOY!

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At
least that's what I heard him say one night.

He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen,
'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the
bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique
perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something
else lingered long after the humor.  I realized for the first time the
very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of
difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there
are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and
he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under
his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our
tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because
angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever
dissatisfied with his monotonous life?

Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled,
home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite
macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers
excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn
child.

He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove
before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty
laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad
takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes
land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger
inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps
his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.

And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.

His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does
not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats.
His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they
may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working.
When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is
completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave
a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows
how to relax.

He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.

He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and
when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid
to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent,
always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to the Lord, h e
comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with
Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God
seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my beliefs, I envy the
security Kevin has in his simple faith.

It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine
knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap.
I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all
become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he
has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark
and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all
amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God
heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under
his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

Worthless into Precious, Part 1

Thank you for passing this on Gail T

April 9, 2009
Worthless into Precious, Part 1
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"You are precious and honored in my sight..." (Isaiah 43:4a, NIV).

Friend to Friend
Last winter, I bought my daughter a really cute jacket at the mall.
It's a hoodie that's made of a cuddly fabric with cream, lavender, and
mint green horizontal stripes.  The jacket zips up in the front and is
well crafted, stylish, and simply adorable.

When I bought it, I felt like the price on the tag was a fair one, so
I gladly pulled out my wallet and paid the retail amount.  I was like
a kid in a candy store on the way home.  I fully anticipated a shriek
of happiness from my little bag of beans when I gave it to her.
Delightfully, I wasn't disappointed. Kennedy loved her new coat, and I
was pleased with my purchase.  Happy dances all around...until a week
later, when I saw the same jacket in the same store at a greatly
reduced price.  Are you tensing up with me?  Suddenly, I felt
schnookered!  Ripped off.  Taken advantage of.  As soon as I saw the
red line on the price tag of the unsold coats, everything changed --
Kennedy's jacket wasn't worth what I paid for it.

When we speak of the worth of something, we often consider it a
relative term - one that has shifting factors.  For example: last week
the cute jacket was thirty-nine dollars, and now it's nineteen
ninety-nine.  The jacket didn't change, but its perceived worth did.

Now, consider the worth of a woman.  Are the factors that determine
her value based upon variable, shifting factors or are they based upon
fixed factors?  Seems to be a silly question, doesn't it?  Fixed, of
course!  But, if the answer is so glaringly obvious, why do we
struggle so much as women with feeling worthless?  Why do we walk
around feeling like that red lined jacket?  I think it's because we
often allow variable earthly factors to define our worth.

What kind of variable factors?

There are so many reasons why women feel worthless:

Ø      Because they've been abused (raped, molested, physically
abused, verbally abused...)

Ø      Because they've been told that they're worthless (by a parent,
spouse, sibling, teenage child, or another...)

Ø      Because of choices they've made (divorce, infidelity, abortion,
promiscuity, eating disorders, addictions, uncontrolled anger...)

Ø      Because they've been cheated on (infidelity, internet affair,
pornography...)

Ø      Because they're co-dependent (conclude their value based upon
other people -- "If my husband isn't okay, I'm not okay.")

Ø      Because they don't collect a paycheck (stay at home moms that
have left the work force, laid off employees, displaced employees,
those on disability...)

Ø      Because they've battled an illness (unable to care for family,
perform basic home duties, participate in ministry or Bible study like
they once did, can't drive, cook...)

Unfortunately, the variable factors that we use to define our worth
are endless. Many of us feel worthless.  Why?  We've felt ignored,
invisible, insignificant, useless, undesired, ugly, unloved, or
forgotten.  We girls are emotional, broken in many ways. Great
portions of our identity and of our personal value are wrapped into
combustible packages of emotion...how we feel about this or that.  The
truth is, our worth has nothing to do with our feelings.

Trust me!  I am not going to try to convince you that I know
everything there is to know about feeling like a woman of worth.  Or
about being a woman of worth. I am in the trenches with you. I
struggle with normal woman things.  I don't live a fancy schmancy,
rose-colored wonder-life. I hit the snooze button several times each
morning.  I pack lunches for my kids. I spend countless hours of my
life each year sitting in the car pool line.  It's a never-ending
struggle for me to keep the laundry cleaned, and my kids often have to
fish for a matching pair of socks in the clean-clothes basket.  My
husband is my soul mate, but is far from perfect.  For that matter,
Brad should win a lifetime achievement award for enduring the drama of
me! And my kids bring me both great joy and great frustration on a
daily basis.

Is this sounding at all familiar to you?

See -- I'm just like you, and I'm walking this faith journey right
beside you.  In fact, the more I know God, the less inclined I am to
pretend to have life or faith figured out.  Amen?  I'm constantly
tempted to define my worth with activities, emotions, and
accomplishments. I've come to realize, however, that way of thinking
is a spiritual dead end road. Scripture tells us that anything we do
in our own strength or of our own goodness is of no value to God.
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous
acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6a, emphasis mine).

What I do know is this: because of Jesus Christ, I'm a woman of
highest worth.  Not because of anything else.  I'm a grace girl.  Not
perfect by a long stretch. I've been changed by the unconditional love
of God and restored to perfect beauty through the shed blood of Jesus.
Because of love, we are His daughters, precious in His sight.  In
light of this, we need to set aside feelings that diminish our value,
and embrace our proper identity: child of the King of Kings.

Hear this, friend: feelings of worthlessness are from Satan himself.
It burns me up that the enemy has such a strong grip on God's
daughters in this area.  We need to associate the word worthless with
the word lie. That's exactly what it is, a big, fat lie!  I talk to
women all the time who bend a knee to negative feelings and live
defeated lives because they don't quite know how to overcome their
sense of worthlessness. God wants every one of us to experience
healing and have an appropriate sense of self-worth.

So let's go back to Kennedy's new coat for just a moment.  Imagine
walking into God's department store.  There on the rack, you spy a
coat that is just plain fabulous -- I mean, stop-you-in-your-tracks
fabulous! One-size fits all, the tag reads.  Yeah, right, you whisper
under your breath.  Then you flip over the price tag and it's crazy
expensive. Way beyond what you could ever dream of paying...like, if
you added up every dollar that ever passed through your hands -- then
multiplied that by ten thousand -- that kind of expensive. Then
imagine the storeowner walking over to you, slipping the coat off the
rack and onto your shoulders.

"It's a perfect fit," He smiles.

"Sir," you manage with a whisper, "I could never afford such a coat.
This is meant for royalty and I'm, well, just an ordinary girl."

"Oh precious woman, this coat is made especially for you, and the
price has already been paid in full."

As the owner straightens the sleeves on your arms and adjusts the
collar around your neck, you notice his hands...nail pierced hands.
And suddenly you realize that this is the covering you were meant to
wear all along.

You see, the Bible tells us that because of what Jesus did on the
cross, we can be clothed with the "robe of righteousness."  The
apostle Paul tells us that when we are reconciled to God, we become
His righteousness.  "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians
5:21). There's no way we could ever afford or earn such a robe.  But
Jesus gave His life for us - He earned it for us.  He paid the price
and we receive the gift.  Why?  Because you're worth it.  You are
precious and highly valuable in the eyes of the One who sees.  And you
never, never, never have to worry about being on anyone's bargain rack
again.

Let's Pray
Holy Father, I'm humbled at the very thought that I could be viewed as
precious in Your eyes.  Thank You for taking on my sin so that I could
take on your righteousness.  Please help me to see myself as You see
me.  Help me to thrive in Your beauty!

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
What came to your mind as you read today's devotion?  Grab your
journal and write about it.

Are you held captive by feelings of worthlessness?  Spend a few
moments in prayer and ask God to reveal truth to your heart about how
He sees you.

Print or write out this verse: "I will not forget you.  Behold, I have
inscribed you on the palms of my hands"  (Isaiah 49:15-16, NASB).  Set
it to memory and allow it to serve as a reminder that you are precious
to God.

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24).