“Kill ‘Em All” or “Lord, Forgive Them"

A little more than three weeks ago, my grandson’s car was stolen from a Dallas downtown parking garage. It wasn’t the car being stolen that hurt near as much as it was what was in the trunk of his car that hurt him and his mama the most.

This side of our family are the fishing lovers which was initiated years ago by Papa, my husband, who loved any kind of fishing and passed it on to our daughter, Staci, and onto Payton. When Papa left for heaven, I knew I would pass along Papa’s fishing gear, tackle, fishing vests, fly rod, and fishing necklaces that held all the tools for making leaders for lines, getting the fish off the hooks, etc. All of that was in Payton’s car trunk, plus Papa’s briefcase which held many other treasures from Papa. We prayed and hoped beyond hope that the thieves would leave all of that in the trunk.

The police found the car. Payton and Staci went to see the stripped-beyond-recognition remains yesterday. Nothing was left in the trunk – even the liner was gone. Staci sent me the photos, and my first words were: “God, kill ‘em!” Immediately, I thought: “Lord, have mercy, did I really say that?” Staci quickly retorted:
“I think it’s better to pray “Lord, bring them to repentance and to You.” Lord, have mercy! Yes, that’s what I meant! 😊

I know the scripture: “What the heart is full of, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45) and I had to ask that God purify my heart so it’s not so quick to speak words I don’t think I really meant. I was prompted to write this post after I saw the video of Brandt, the younger brother of Botham Jean speak to former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger from the witness stand after she was sentenced for killing 26-year-old Botham Jean in his apartment. At the sentencing phase, Jean’s younger brother told her: “I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want for you.” He added: “I love you as a person, and I don’t wish anything bad on you.”

He then asked the court for permission to hug her. The image of the two embracing made national headlines. The prosecutor said that in 37-years of practicing law, “I never saw anything like that.” Brandt was right about his older brother’s character and faith. Botham Jean was born in Saint Lucia, an island in the eastern Caribbean. He became a Christian at an early age and began preaching as a teenager. He sang in his church choir, in college, and at Dallas West Church of Christ, where he led worship the Sunday before he was killed.

CNN reported that after Brandt Jean’s remarkable act of grace, District Judge Tammy Kemp gave Guyger a Bible and also hugged her. “You can have mine. I have three or four more at home,” the judge said. “This is the one I use every day. This is your job for the next month. It says right here. John 3:16. And this is where you start. ‘For God so loved the world . . .'”

If that isn’t love – the ocean is dry; if that isn’t love – there’s no stars in the sky; if that isn’t love – the little sparrows can’t fly; if that isn’t love – then heaven’s a myth; there’s no feeling like this. If that isn’t love. And that is the love of Jesus – Who could say “Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.” That is the love I pray for – to be able to love like that.

From the Manger To the Cross -- Prepositional Phrase or Powerful Truth

From the Manger To the Cross -- Prepositional Phrase or Powerful Truth
I remember learning prepositional phrases in grade school. A preposition is a word such as: after, in, to, on, with and are usually used in front of nouns or pronouns and they show the relationship with words in a sentence. I became a technical editor at an Electric Cooperative years ago where I worked as an Administrative Assistant to the General Manager. I started out simply reading, proofing, and editing articles that were submitted for the monthly newsletter and publication. Before long, I became a journalist as I interviewed employees and customers, and eventually became the editor of that monthly publication.

Isn’t it amazing how, when we are willing to adapt to new learning experiences and then embrace them as our own, that we excel in new business and life opportunities? That on-the-job training has served me well as I continue to provide those skills to ministries and organizations today.

As a technical editor, I recognize the appropriate use of prepositions and am keen on being sure that I never leave them hanging at the end of a sentence. For example, incorrectly used: “I learned that skill at the company I worked for.” Correctly worded: “At the company I worked for, I learned that skill.” No big deal in casual communications like a text message or email, but when I was editing my daughter's books or writing an article for a publication, I made sure I wasn't leaving them hanging.

Enough of my grammar lesson for today because this post is about the proper understanding of the prepositions that should cause us all to feel absolutely charged up about important relationships. For example: Abraham Lincoln's famous words from the Gettysburg Address were "a government OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people", is memorable for its prepositions. But, even greater is our relationship with God. One of the ways we can discover more about the Lord, and His relationship with us, is through the prepositions that indicate our position IN Him: "All things have been created THROUGH Him and FOR Him, and He is BEFORE all things, and IN Him all things hold together"(Colossians 1:16-17). Our entire relationship with God is very well expressed with three prepositions: We are IN Christ, WITH Christ, and UNDER Christ. "WITH God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26 "WITHOUT Him we can do nothing." John 15:5

Just think about this little Baby Boy Who we celebrate during this tender and sweet time of the year Who is packed full of hope and purpose that links together time, people, places and things that glue us together. We aren't just hanging out there like an incorrect positioning of a prepositional phrase. No hanging, but fully IN us, living THROUGH us, WITH us, FOR us. We can apply all those prepositional phrases TO our lives WITH gratitude that the little BABY went FROM the manger TO the cross and BECAME our Sovereign Lord and Mighty King!