Janet's Blog

During times of tremendous tragedy, many people turn to God in prayer.  We plead with him, entreating him to make things better, to heal the sick and injured, and to comfort those who have suffered great loss.  I've heard it said that "there are no atheists in foxholes."  This means, simply, that in the toughest times, many people turn to God for the help they need, when they know that everything is totally hopeless without him.  For a short while, anyway, it seems as if everyone becomes aware that God is ultimately in control.  And, he is!  It's so easy for people to be self-sufficient, turning to God only when things go wrong.  God remains in charge all the time, though, even when everything seems to be going well.  I am convinced that he wants each of us to have a lasting relationship with him, not just during hard times, but all the time. God is not a heavenly good luck charm, ready to be pulled out to help us only when we think we really ...

Whoever thought that it would be such a great risk to simply attend a midnight movie premier?  It's just good, family fun, right?  Hundreds of people in Aurora, Colorado, didn't think that their behavior, two nights ago, was at all risky.  But now the story is all over the news, about how one deranged man did so much more than just ruin a fun family activity.  In a few agonizing minutes, he terrorized the young theater audience, killing a dozen people and wounding dozens more. I'm sure that it is statistically more dangerous for me to drive my car than it is to attend a movie.   We are a very trusting society.  I trust that the food I buy in the local supermarket is safe to eat.  I trust that the water that gushes from my faucet is pure enough to use for washing and drinking.  I trust that our family doctors will prescribe safe medications, and that pharmacists will fill those prescriptions appropriately.  I trust that drivers will ...

As I was holding Tobin in church this morning, I noticed how he just sat back and relaxed in my lap, content to look around and listen to all that was taking place.  He felt secure.  When he started to fuss a little, I handed him to Meagan, who took him out briefly until he fell asleep. Then, he napped peacefully in her lap until the end of the worship service, opening his eyes once when the congregation applauded for some special music, then closing his eyes to continue his nap, secure in his mother's lap. How often we take such security for granted!  A child like Toby, who is raised in a stable, loving family, is truly blessed.  We are not always aware of the many children who do not share this blessing. When we first met Victoria, and then Levi, they were each four years old.  They had both experienced much trauma in their short lives.  The adults in their lives abused drugs or alcohol, or both.  Some family members struggled with mental illness...

Bill has been helping with concerts for at least thirty-five years.  He loves to set up equipment, fix anything that needs attention, run lights or sound, and hobnob with the band.  He even likes to tear down the stage when the concert is over, even if he ends up working until early the next morning. He may have helped with a concert or two before I met him--in fact, it's quite likely that he did.  But, when we had lived in Michigan for a year or two, Bill became the assistant manager for an ice hockey arena that was also the local concert venue for the Traverse City area, hosting big-name stars several times a year.  There, he learned to do it all, for all kinds of sold-out performances.  I usually received a pass for each show, so I attended them all, frequently sitting by myself while Bill attended to the invisible details that most spectators don't ever think about. I remember the impatient audience that heckled Bill as he tried to introduce an opening a...