Mercy Triumphs

Another of my friends has succumbed to the blogosphere. His initial entry is excellent - check out Mercy Triumphs. And feel free to fawn over the picture of his daughter.

Are We Worthy?

WorldNetDaily tells the story of a Navy chaplain who is facing a possible court-martial for "praying in Jesus name" and sharing the gospel of faith in Jesus Christ. Read this story here.

As I was first reading the story, I was outraged. I'm sick of the "politically correct" society we live in, where you can believe or say anything you want, unless it offends somebody. What kind of freedom of religion exists in this country if a Navy chaplain is not allowed to teach the Truth?

But last night I was forced to take a step back and look at this story with a new perspective. We are going through the book of Acts in Bible study, and as I brought up this chaplain's story last night, my mind went back to chapter 5. Here, we are told of the persecution the apostles faced at the hands of the high priest, the Sadducees, and the Sanhedrin. They are imprisoned for preaching the gospel of salvation through the crucifixion & resurrection of Christ. Then they are freed by an angel, in order that thay may continue their preaching. The next day, they are brought in again, and are flogged and released, being ordered "not to speak in the name of Jesus." The last two verses of the chapter are what gave me new perspective:

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. (Acts 5:41-42, NIV)

The apostles had just been imprisoned and flogged. What is their reaction? Are they grumbling and complaining about injustice? No! They are rejoicing! Why? Because "they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" of Jesus Christ! It was this very persecution that helped spread the gospel. Why should I be surprised that things haven't changed that much? The Name of Christ, and His crucifixion & resurrection, is still a stumbling block & foolishness to the world, but it is also still the power of God and the wisdom of God to those whom God has called.

Don't forget that God is in control, and that suffering & persecution are often His tools for spreading the glory of His grace. It is my prayer that we would be able to say with the apostle Paul, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:8) Likewise, let us "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:3-5)

Misnomer

Here's a good story from Ted Harvey, assistant minority leader in the Colorado House of Representatives. I've often wondered why the nation's leader in providing abortions goes by the name "Planned Parenthood." I would think it would better named "How to Avoid Unplanned Parenthood."

Boiling Mad

Take a look at this bandana. Notice that it has both smiley faces and flowers. And though it's hard to see in this picture, it also has peace signs on it. How does this make you feel? Does it disturb you? Make you want to confront a person if they were wearing it?

At Battlefield Mall in Springfield, Missouri, this bandana violated the code of conduct. A security guard approached the person wearing it and informed the person that it constituted "apparel which is likely to provide a disturbance or embroil other groups or the general public in open conflict." The person who had the gall to wear such an obscene article of clothing? A 10-year old girl who was shopping with her mom. Nice to know the rent-a-cops at this mall are looking out for us.

(Story here.)

Can You Think of Another Building?

Here's a hilarious interview with Congressman Lynn Westmoreland from the Colbert Report. The synopsis from iFilm.com:

Despite the fact that Congressman Westmoreland cannot name all ten of the commandments, he still knows that they belong in public courthouses nationwide. Brought to you by The Colbert Report.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Blessed Irony

I have often been struck by the irony of the people calling for Christ's crucifixion. After Pilate washes his hands, the response of the people is "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" Likewise, the book of Acts tells us that when the apostles are preaching the gospel in Jerusalem, the high priest declares, "... you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man's blood."

Dan Doriani, former professor at Covenant Seminary, describes further irony and unintended truth in his article, Shouting at the Cross. Some excerpts:

“What then shall I do with Jesus, called the Christ?” Pilate asked. “Crucify him,” they replied. “What crime has he committed?” he asked. They did not reply, but shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” Pilate finally said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. I wash my hands. I am free of responsibility for this man’s blood; it is yours.” And they said, “We’ll take it. Let his blood be on us and on our children.”

We shudder at the words. We shudder at the shout. They called down upon themselves the guilt for slaying the very Son of God. Surely, we are at the apex of the rebellion of the Jews: they accused their Messiah; they slaughtered their Mediator; they murdered Jesus, the Prophet, the Priest, the King, their only hope. Yet, even in this dreadful shout, “Let His blood be on us and on our children,” Matthew intends to give us a word of hope. The Jews have spoken an unintended truth, the first of many in this passage. Because, indeed, their only hope is that His blood would cover them–not so they would pay the price for murder, but so that they would be freed from the penalty of murder.

...

The priests are also close to the truth, all unintended, when they say, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.” Again, it is true, though not as they think. He did save others, and now He would save yet more. He will even leave the cross. But He could not leave at that moment, or He would not have completed His work on the cross.

...

Who are you in the aftermath of this great exchange? Are you shocked into silence? Do you feel the need to whisper? There is a place for those hushed tones but there is also a place for us to lay aside our whispering and join with the creation and those men and women who had eyes to see and to shout rightly, “Let His blood be on us and on our children.” But now this shout is not to mock but to be cleansed by His blood. Now is the time to shout out in adoration, “He saved others, but He did not save himself. And because He did not save Himself, He saves us. Praise Him!”

(HT: Vitamin Z)

AOL Rocks

Here's a great story about a man trying to cancel his AOL account. Go here to listen to the audio. To AOL's credit, the customer service employee in question "is no longer with the company."

Capitalism at its Best

This article details the incredible disparity between the salary of the average worker vs. the salary of the average CEO. Some figures:

• The average CEO daily paycheck: $42,000.
• The average worker made about $400 less last year than the average CEO made in one day.
• The average CEO made 262 times what the average worker made.

NBA Action - It's Fantastic!

The Sports Guy checks in with his thoughts on the NBA Finals through five games. He makes a good argument that the way the Heat have won games 3-5 have the potential to set the NBA back. His argument really helps explain why the NBA has been so awful to watch since Michael Jordan retired (the second time).

Some excerpts:

... Actual quote from my mom last week: "What about that Wayne Dwayne?"

Some good questions regarding Shaq's free throw woes:

... The crazy thing about Shaq's free-throw shooting is that, fundamentally, he's always been completely wrong. Shaq shoots his free throws like line drives. Well, that makes no sense. Imagine you're trying to throw a rolled-up piece of paper into a garbage can -- instinctively, would you throw it with a Nowitzki-like arc, or would you whip it in a straight line at the can? You'd throw it with the arc. Everyone would. So why would Shaq continue to whip straight line drives at the rim for 14 consecutive years? Have we ever definitively answered this question?

This one's for any die-hard NBA or Chicago Bulls fans. And by die-hard Bulls fans, I mean Bulls fans, not Michael Jordan fans.

The NBA doesn't fix games. That's impossible. And stupid. It could never happen. (Well, except for the Hubert Davis game -- that was fixed. Just kidding. Kind of.)

And an email from a reader:

I want to say something about Dwayne Wade, but I fear I may get called for a foul.

Sports leagues are always full of copycats, but the NBA seems to be the worst. How many players have been labeld "the Next Jordan"? Off the top of my head - Harold Miner, Grant Hill, Jerry Stackhouse, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter. I'll stop there. The NBA reached its peak in the mid '80s with the Lakers & Celtics. Sure, Magic Johnson & Larry Bird were the big stars, but both had outstanding supporting casts that made those teams incredible. They weren't four guys standing around watching one guy do it all, they were 5 guys who were basketball players, not just athletes, who worked together on both ends of the court.

Then Jordan came along and amazed us all with his individual talent. And somehow, looking back, we seem to forget that it wasn't until he made a concerted effort to make his teammates better that the Bulls started winning championships. Or that he had some underrated supporting casts, led by Scottie Pippen, that filled out good teams.

But ever since then, the NBA's marketing machine has decided that individuals make more money for the league than teams, and organizations have followed suit, trying to build teams around a "superstar" - even if that means throwing four one-dimensional thugs on the floor with the hope of uglying up the game to the point where the superstar can bail the team out.

Politics & Law Enforcement

This story is almost unbelievable. Evidently despite the efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to seek help from local law enforcement, many large U.S. cities are refusing to enforce immigration laws. Now I may be naive, but isn't part of the job of a police officer to enforce the law? I understand that a police department is not going to want to use it's limited manpower primarily to find and prosecute illegal aliens, but I don't think it's something to refuse to do.

Minneapolis mayor R.T Rybak said, "Vulnerable people have always needed to see the police as being there to protect and serve, and that can't happen when the first words out of a cop's mouth are, 'I need to see your papers.' " Okay, Mr. Rybak. Sure, the police are there to serve and protect (but not just "vulnerable" people). I guess I was always under the assumption that those protections paid for by taxpayers were for taxpayers (i.e. citizens, or legal immigrants), not illegal aliens.

Here's a sampling of what some cities have done in response to the request of cooperation from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement:

• The Minneapolis City Council voted in 2003 to prevent police from asking about immigration status or enforcing immigration laws. Last month, Mayor R.T. Rybak asked federal agents to stop wearing vests labeled "police." The agents have not altered their wardrobes.

• Last month, New York City's Health and Hospitals Corp. distributed an open letter promising immigrants that its workers "will not tell anyone" their legal status.

• The Chicago City Council voted in March to bar police and city workers from asking about legal status.

I think it's great that not only do we have judges taking the law into their own hands, but now we have city councils, hospitals, and mayors doing the same. Isn't it fantastic? I'm sure this is exactly how the founding fathers intended for the three branches of the goverment to work.

Tastes Like Chicken

Looks like PETA might be one small step away from overtaking the final frontier - China. The Fangji Cat Meatball restaurant in Beijing was shut down by animal rights protesters, arguing that "cats and dogs are friends of human beings" and that the restaurant is "very bad for the students from nearby schools." Evidently the Chinese have long believed that dogs and cats are good "warming foods" to eat in the winter. Who knew? Find the story here.

Assumptions

Mark Dever has written an article titled "Assumptions and Pursuits." In it he speaks about "seeker-sensitive" churches and the tension between focusing on theology and focusing on evangelism.

A couple of quotes:

...the most basic practical division among evangelical pastors today may be between those who pursue faithfulness and assume relevance and those who pursue relevance and assume faithfulness.

...the first generation has the Gospel, the second generation assumes the Gospel, the third generation loses the Gospel.

(HT: No Other Name)

Lyrics of the (Fill in a Time Period)

This installment of lyrics is from Phillips, Craig, and Dean's "How Deep The Father's Love For Us":

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

You can listen to a clip through iTunes.

Blog, Blog, Blog

I've been monitoring a couple of interesting discussions on other blogs. Adrian Warnock's blog asks "Did God kill Jesus?" And the Daily Duck has his response. I've enjoyed reading the discussion & debating as it has, for the most part, been quite civil. Most of the times I've read discussions like this on message boards, they have devolved rather quickly into childish name calling.

Commandos Once Again

"I love it when a plan comes together." Looks like the A-Team has actually gone and done the U.S. Government a favor, some 34 years after being imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit. Unconfirmed reports are coming out detailing the heroic venture led by Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, for the identification, capture, and ultimate death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck served a key role as the man on the ground, sweet-talking his way into the favor of some Iraqi women, including an as yet unidentified woman who was found in the safe house where Zarqawi was hiding. Once Lt. Peck received intel as to Zarqawi's location, Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock flew into action, literally. Capt. Murdock piloted a twin-engine AH-64A/D Apache attack helicopter, followed by a pair of F-16 fighter jets armed with 500 pound bombs. After the bombs were deployed, decimating Zarqawi's safe house, Capt. Murdock touched down and unleashed the A-Team's secret weapon. Capt. Murdock administered ammonia inhalants to his unconscious passenger, Sgt. Bosco "B.A." Baracus. Upon coming to, Sgt. Baracus was a mad man. Fortunately, Capt. Murdock was able to re-direct Sgt. Baracus's ... passion towards the rubble of the safe house, where Zarqawi was struggling to free himself. Needless to say, Zarqawi's hope of escape and survival vanished in a barrage from Sgt. Baracus.

The full story of the A-Team can be found here. Some details have been slightly altered, and most of the names have been changed. Just remember: "If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team."

Oh, and Jeremy D - this is for you.

The NBA Finals

More questions from the Sports Guy leading into the NBA Finals.

Question No. 9a: On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for the possibility of Stern handing the trophy to Cuban?

Somewhere between 29 and 35.

Question No. 9b: Is there any chance that Jason Kapono and Keith Van Horn could end up guarding each other in this series while Mike Doleac looks on happily from the bench?

Sadly, no.

And some questions within a question:

Because so many of these guys shave their heads, it's 10 times harder to tell when they're slipping. After all, Shaq doesn't look any different than he did 10 years ago. Neither does GP. Hell, even Michael Jordan doesn't look much different then he did 15 years ago, save for the wispy mustache that makes him look like he should be playing the sax for Eddie and the Cruisers, and he's in his mid-40s. You just can't tell. Personally, I wish everyone grew their hair out -- wouldn't you rather see Sam Cassell battling these younger guys with one of those Gus Williams-esque balding afros, or Shaq carrying the Heat past the Pistons with Sherman Helmsley's old hairline? And why does this only work for black people? Why can't I just start shaving my head and immediately become ageless? I find the whole thing very unfair.

Cold Hard Tract

Anybody have one of these in their wallet? If so, ever tried to spend it, or deposit it in your bank? I didn't think so. Well, evidently somebody in North Carolina has. The back of the bill (the front of which includes a "not legal tender" disclaimer) asks a "million-dollar question" concerning eternity and salvation through Jesus Christ. Upon learning of the attempted deposit, the Secret Service turned their attention to the group responsible for producing the tracts, threatening to arrest a staffer for "hiding evidence in a counterfeiting investigation." (Story here.) Our tax dollars hard at work - thanks, Uncle Sam.

Those Crazy Brits

You ever get a craving for some good fried chicken? I know I do. And does anybody do chicken better than KFC? Well, you've got to hand it to Barry Chambers (yet another candidate for the Barry Hall of Fame). The alleged car thief decided to climb to the top of a "three-storey" house and started throwing bricks and anything he could hit. Local police, as part of their negotiating process, sent up a bucket of KFC and a bottle of Pepsi, citing "human rights" concerns. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be so proud.

For an actual news story, read here. For what appears to be a U.K. tabloid, which has pictures of the incident, go here.

I Have A Plan

I love politicians. Well, every politician I've ever met. Okay, okay, so I've never really met a politician. But they do entertain me ... and alternately disgust me. Senator Joe Biden asserts that the Bush administration has no plan to win the war in Iraq. (Story here.) Didn't the President learn anything about the Democratic Party during his debates with Senator Kerry? You don't actually have to explain a plan - just keep repeating phrases like "I have a plan" or "My plan is better than your plan" or even better, "My dad served more terms as president than your dad."

I can't wait until a Democrat wins the presidency, and we get to hear the Republican crybabies spew their hate-mongering rhetoric against him (or her?). Seriously, aren't we all about equal opportunity?

Ace In The Backfield

University of Iowa quarterback Drew Tate lived a golfer's dream on Friday. Playing in the Aegon Advantage tournament at Finkbine Golf Course, Tate used a 6-iron to ace the 178-yard 13th hole. If it weren't for one more season of NCAA eligibility, Tate would have been entitled to claim $25,000 to use towards the purchase of a new vehicle. However, NCAA rules prohibit its athletes from receiving such "benefits".

The Iowa City Press-Citizen's Andy Hamilton summed it up well: "Drew Tate's golfing skills won him a new car Friday. His football talent took it away." Read Hamilton's story here.

Just When You Thought...

...that teachers were smart enough to learn from the mistakes of others:

• A 25-year-old high school Spanish teacher in Texas faces up to 20 years in jail for allegedly having sex with an 18-year-old student. Story here.
• A 32-year-old A.P. History teacher in California faces 7 various counts of "relations" with a 17-year-old student. Story here. (Special thanks to Monica Krauth for letting us know Coach Ichord's basketball coaching record. That's relevant.)

...that politicians were learning to get along:

• John Kerry calls the President a criminal and a looter. Story here.
• New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi tells us that U.S. Senator Charles Schumer would "put a bullet between the president's eyes if he could get away with it." Story here. But seriously, thanks for the apology, Alan. It means a lot.

...they were close to achieving peace in the Middle East:

• A group of Palestinian gunmen stormed into Palestine Television in challenge to President Mahmoud Abbas. Story here.
• A group of gunmen in Iraq posing as police kill at least 11 students and kidnap 50 people. Story here.

Lyrics

I really haven't written anything about music since the day I started this blog, so I thought I'd do something about it. One of the blogs I regularly visit - Vitamin Z - posted a list of some songs whose lyrics have impacted him. This is the first in what I hope to be a regular feature - perhaps once a week - including lyrics of songs that have impacted me.

The following lyrics are from a Steven Curtis Chapman song titled "I Am Found In You."

The sun sinks low, and here I go
Wrestling with questions that refuse an answer
This path of faith can be a place
So barren of what I understand
I can hear the voice of fear
Saying, “Let me show you another way”
So I cry out, “My Lord Jesus!
It’s in Your love for me I find all that I need”

Chorus:
So where else could I turn
And where else could I go
You have given me life
You have made me whole
You have rescued my soul
So where else could I go
For I am found in You

I may not see in front of me
But I can see for miles when I look over my shoulder
And Lord it’s clear, You’ve brought me here
So faithful every step of the way
What can I do, but follow You
For You are the Way, the Truth, the Life
And You’ve promised never to leave me
My Savior, my Friend, from beginning to end

Bridge:
Lord, without You this child would be so lost
But I’ve been found in You, now I am bound to You
By the love that You’ve shown, it will not let me go

You can listen to a clip of the song through Windows Media Player, Real Player, or iTunes.

Sports Guy on the NBA Playoffs

ESPN.com's Bill Simmons has 12 burning questions from the NBA playoffs. A sampling:

Question No. 4: What triggered Hubie Brown's incredible decision to announce the entire playoffs in the second-person?
You have to look at it this way. You are Hubie Brown. You have done everything you could EVER imagine in this league. You KNOW that you are done with coaching, and you KNOW that your broadcasting career is coming to an end soon. You know that your legacy will live on through ESPN Classic, through basketballreference.com and through your proteges spread throughout the college and pro ranks, of which you have MANY. You know that you need to take a sabbatical soon to work on your upcoming book, "The 750 Greatest Timeouts From the Past 35 Years." Now ... you know there is only one accomplishment left for you -- you need to sustain the second-person on live television for TWO months. You know this is a long time. You also know that you cannot waver from this goal, because it could be your legacy. ...

Question No. 5: Have there been any other broadcasting breakthroughs?
I'm not sure if this is a breakthrough, but Jeremy from Portland raises a pretty good point: "Doug Collins dominates the 'You can't give a struggling shooter a layup to get him going' market as thoroughly as Kenny Loggins dominated 1980s movie songs. One time Steve Kerr got there first, and it was like Loggins losing out to Lindsey Buckingham for the 'Vacation' theme in 1983. Now, imagine Doug Collins belting out 'Meet Me Halfway' at a karaoke bar."

Precious Truth

I am currently involved in a men's Bible study in which we are going through the book of Acts, and I have been reading John Calvin's commentary to help me in my study. Tonight I was encouraged by reading this: "...the truth of God is precious in his sight, and it ought also to be precious unto us..."

May the truth of God and the sweetness of His Word hold a place in our hearts above anything this world has to offer.

A Softball Education

You can learn a lot about your co-workers by playing on a company softball team. Thanks to ESPN.com's Jim Caple, here's a breakdown of what you can learn on the field. An example:

Swing Away: Avoid workers who delay the game by refusing to swing unless the pitch is right in their wheelhouse. Billy Beane is not your CEO -- on-base percentage might be all important in the Oakland Athletics organization, but not in yours. The sort of people who work the count in softball are exasperating slaves to detail and will go directly to the union rep whenever you ask them to do anything that isn't specifically covered in the contract language. There's a phrase among Caribbean ballplayers: You don't walk off the island. Tell these troublemakers that you don't walk into the Fortune 500, either.

(Corollary: Players who tell the women batters to take a walk are even worse. They're sexual harassment suits waiting to be filed.)

Adoption

I should probably just write a post pointing you to the list of blogs I've linked to on the left. Here's another story I found through Justin Taylor (Between Two Worlds). The story is a commentary by Russell Moore on the adoption of his boys. Please read the whole story here.

Mistaken Identity

You have probably heard the story of mistaken identity among the victims of a car accident involving Taylor University students. But despite the media's reporting, I haven't heard anybody put together an account like that of Justin Taylor, author of http://theologica.blogspot.com. Below is his post from yesterday. I'd also encourage you to go read the VanRyn family's blog.

---

A while back I posted on the four Taylor University students who were killed in an auto accident. One of the girls in the car survived but went into a coma.

Now Taylor University has issued this statement:

This morning, we learned from the Grant County Coroner's Office that there has been a case of mistaken identity involving two of the young women involved in the accident. We had believed that Laura VanRyn was airlifted to Parkview Hospital and has recently begun to emerge from the coma she was in since the night of the accident. The Coroner's office has notified us that Laura was instead one of the five people who died that evening and that it was Whitney Cerak who was airlifted to Parkview and is today convalescing at a hospital in Grand Rapids, MI.

One can only imagine what impact this new development has had upon the VanRyn and Cerak families as they process this information. Taylor University is cooperating fully with the Coroner's Office.

We ask that prayers be offered for the VanRyn and Cerak families, and also for the families of Laurel Erb, Monica Felver, Brad Larson, Betsy Smith, as well as the Taylor Community including students, faculty, staff and administrators deeply affected by this development.

The family of Laura has been keeping a blog, providing updates. This afternoon, they posted this entry:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." - Hebwrews 13:8

What may come to us as a shock, does not shock the One who made us. We have some hard news to share with you today. Our hearts are aching as we have learned that the young woman we have been taking care of over the past five weeks has not been our dear Laura, but instead a fellow Taylor student of hers, Whitney Cerak. There was a misidentification made at the time of the accident and it is uncanny the resemblence that these two women share. Their body types are similar, their hair color and texture, their facial features, etc. Over the past couple of days, as Whitney had been becoming more aware of her surroundings, she'd been saying and doing some things that made us question whether or not she was Laura. Yesterday, we talked with a Spectrum staff member and began the process of making a positive ID. We now know without a doubt, that this is Whitney.

The Cerak family came down from Gaylord and we had the privelege of meeting with them this morning. While we discussed some of the action steps that will need to take place over the next couple of days, we were also able to share with them some of the great things we have seen Whitney accomplish over the past month. It is a sorrow and a joy for us to learn of this turn of events. For us, we will mourn Laura's going home and will greatly miss her compassionate heart and sweetness while knowing that she is safe and with her King forever. We rejoice with the Ceraks, that they will have more time on this earth with their daughter, sister, and loved one.

We also want to thank you for your prayers for our family as well as the other families during these past few weeks. Your love and support have been amazing. It is our hope that the Cerak's would continue this blog in Whitney's name so that we may continue to pray with them for Whitney as she recovers. Please continue to check this site and we will let you know about this possibility.

We will also use this site to communicate our plans for a memorial service for Laura. Hopefully, this service will take place this coming Sunday.

Thanks again for the support that you've been. Please continue your prayers. Our God is good and continues to be our help, our guide, our comfort.

We love you Sweets.

Posted by Lisa, for the Van Ryn family.

Please pray for these families--both going through different emotions of deep joy and deep sorrow.

The Fort Wayne newspaper has a fuller story on how this happened.

The families have issued a joint statement.

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I am filled with great sorrow for the VanRyn's loss, yet great joy in their response. What an amazing God we have that enables us to praise Him in times of sorrow.