A little over a week ago my heart broke for my home away from home, Cincinnati, when I read on several status updates about the death of a young man in the area who many of my friends knew through their ministry at BLOC. I could not imagine what they and their community were going through at the time. Unfortunately, the city of Newcastle is in the midst of its own nightmare with a deathly stabbing occurring this past Friday night in a local park. When we heard the news this morning we knew this was something we would come in contact with because Newcastle is a small town and news travels fast. If you don't know someone personally, you most likely know their neighbor or somebody who knows or knew them.
From what I can undestand, the late Paul Owens was a 19-year old who had shown up around the Kairos Centre during Drop-in every now and again before I was around. Although I did not know him personally, those he left behind will and already have walked through the doors of Kairos. This is a time when his family and friends are searching for answers, but I can't seem to come up with anything but silence in times such as these.
Please be praying for the victims family, friends, and that we have the right words to say in the right moments and know when silence is the best response. Several young men we work with talked with him earlier the night of his death and were there shortly after it happened. Also, one of the young men that comes to the Drop-in, he may be 12-14 years of age, tried to save Paul Owens by putting his hands over the wound. I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like for him. This is not something you want to encounter, but if we can at all be help to those in need during this time, we pray we not be timid but be bold for Christ be being what they need in a time when the world seems to be turned upside down.
Right now the only thing I can think to do is pray, but several girls I talked to tonight know that they can get a hold of me at anytime, day or night, but I feel I should be doing so much more than just making myself available, although I know that being available can mean so much to people, it still doesn't seem like enough.
Tonight we were singing songs of God's love and how it is amazing, steady and unchanging, but I found it so hard to get the words out. I didn't feel like singing, I felt like crying out to this loving God asking why? It's so hard to take in that we don't have to understand it, but it has happened and we do have to deal with it. So difficult. All I could think of was Ecclesiastes 3
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--I don't know what to say in a time of grief and disbelief, but I know God is present and His Spirit brings peace, please pray it is evident in and through His Church here in Newcastle during this tragic time.
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
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