Top 5 New Blog Posts for July 2012

Here are the top 5 blog posts for the month of July by views, beginning with number 5:

5. If I Had It To Do Over Again
This blog was written during a week when I was conducting two funerals and giving a lot of thought to how I wanted to be remembered. It's based on a book by Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She wrote a book on the biggest regrets of the dying. The findings of her study were the inspiration for this blog.

 
4. Book Review: The Last Christian On Earth
This book was written by Os Guinness, a British author who had the privilege of hearing this summer. This book was originally published in 1983 under the title "The Gravedigger File: Papers on the Subversion of the Modern Church." It has been updated and re-released. Guinness is an accomplished author with a DPhil from Oxford University who has written or edited over 30 books.

3. A Picnic - Or A Pilgrimage?
Inspired by a quote I read on a friend's Facebook page, this piece deals with the church, and its tendency to preach and condemn rather than lovingly demonstrate a better way by their lifestyle. All too often I deal with people who have been turned off of even the idea of Christianity because of Christians behaving badly. How well do you represent Christ?  

 
2. When It Rains On Your Parade 
How do you respond when life lets you down? This is actually more of an article for leaders on how to manage unexpected challenges. It was written after our town's Heritage Committee was forced to cancel our 140th anniversary celebration due to inclement weather. There are lessons to be learned from everything - even a rainy day.



1. The Mark of a True Man - Heroes of Aurora
Not surprisingly, the blog post on the shooting in Aurora, Colorado garnered the most viewers. There were four young men in the theater that night who laid down their lives for their girlfriends. They will be forever be remembered for their bravery and for modeling what true love looks like. 




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The Mark of a True Man - Heroes of Aurora

As stories emerge from the deadly shooting at Aurora, Colorado, one theme is being repeated - heroic sacrifice. At least four young men gave their lives protecting their girlfriends.

Alex Tevez and Amanda Lindgren

The first story was of a young man by the name of Alex Tevez. He had just turned 24 and had recently finished graduate school in Denver. When the shooting started he pulled his girlfriend, Amanda Lindgren, to the ground and covered her with his body. Family members expressed that this was what they would have expected him to do - it reflected who he was as a person. 

Jonathon Blunk and Jansen Young

Then there was Jonathon Blunk. Jon pushed his girlfriend under a seat to shield her from the bullets, telling her to "Stay down!" He was a soldier who was planning on re-enlisting. He had told his girlfriend, Jansen Young, "I was born to serve my country." When she exited the theater unharmed she said, "Jon just took a bullet for me."

John Larimer and Julia Vojtsek

 Next was John Larimer. John was a 27 year old third petty officer in the Navy. When gunfire erupted he immediately jumped over his seat and put his body between the gunman and his girlfriend, Julia Vojtsek. She said he "immediately and instinctively covered me and brought me to the ground in order to protect me from any danger." John, the youngest of five children, had told his brother, Noel, that that would be the best way to die, saving someone's life. Little did he know that it would happen in a movie theater.

Matt McQuinn and Samantha Fowler

Finally we hear of Matt McQuinn, 27. Matt dove in front of his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler. The couple had met at a Target store in Springfield, Ohio, where they both worked. Samantha was injured during the attack, suffering a gunshot wound in the knee. His stepfather, when asked what he thought of Matt's actions replied, "I'm not surprised. That's what a man does." 

As I've been reading stories about these men, and watching news stories, I couldn't help but think about the whole question of what makes a man a man. What immediately sprang to my mind was Ephesians 5:25 - "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

As a pastor, I do a lot of premarital counseling. I always include this verse when I talk to the potential grooms. This was the way that God intended men to love their wives; with a sacrificial love, a love that is willing to do whatever it takes, including the ultimate sacrifice, to protect his family. 

It's a picture of the love that Jesus Christ had for His church. He willingly went to the cross, the most horrible death that evil men of the time had imagined. It wasn't for any crime that He had committed that He died; He was a willing sacrifice in our place. He said, in Mark 10:45 that He came "to give his life as a ransom for many." In Ephesians, Paul holds this model up as the standard for all men in their relationships with their wives.  

It's appropriate to honor these men, who put their lives on the line when the bullets started flying. As J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Courage is found in unlikely places.” It's even found in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.

We have lost a lot in this tragedy, as 12 people lost their lives and scores of others were injured. But we've also gained something by the example of these brave young men. While one man stood, with protective gear and an arsenal of weapons, to rain destruction on innocent people, 4 young men demonstrated what real love looks like. "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13) I've included a video with interviews of the young women whose lives were saved. One question for you: what would you have done?


Beautiful Sacrifice - 4 Boyfriends Lay Down Their Lives For Their Girlfriends in the Movie Shooting from sharethemessage on GodTube.


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Hope Amid Despair

We've all heard the reports from Aurora, Colorado, about the horrible shooting that took place last Friday in the wee hours of the morning. As viewers in a crowded theater were enjoying the premier showing of Dark Night, a young man preparing to drop out of graduate school entered in full protective gear and three weapons and began to shoot. When it was all done, 12 people lay dead and scores wounded, the youngest being a four month old baby.

Shooting victim - Petra Anderson

The media coverage has been non-stop, everything from background stories on the victims to what could possibly be the motive behind this horrific crime. I came across a blog by an Aurora Pastor today that I felt like I needed to share. One of the young ladies in his church was injured in the attack. But in the midst of all of the grief and despair, a little hope. And a reminder that God is still God. Take the time to read the article and let me know what you think.

It's by Pastor Brad Strait. You can find it here.


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