Something Beautiful
renewing and emergingArchive for News
YWAM Denver
A friend of mine sent me a link to the NY Times article about the shooting at the YWAM base in Arvada, CO right about the time that Kat was calling me at church to tell me about it. There’s not a lot information yet, so I’m not even sure if the people I know there are still alive. That’s a very eery feeling.
Today in church, we lit candles to remember those loved ones who have gone on ahead to God. I’m reminded that the holidays–Advent and Christmas for Christians–aren’t always joyous occasions. For many, these times bring up gut-wrenching memories of loss and tragedy. We wait for the coming Christ to bring peace and hope to our distraught world, and tragedies like the shooting at the mall in Omaha and the YWAM base in Aravada remind us that we’ve been waiting a long time.
There’s no pasting a smile over a grief-stricken heart. I just believe that God lies down in the ditch beside us and mourns as we mourn, cries while we cry.
Youth minister arrested for extorion
The Journal of Student Ministries brought this article to my attention in the most recent issue of their e-journal. I’m often shocked to read about the misgivings of people in ministry, especially those who work with youth.
In this case, the youth minister at Long Valley Presbyterian Church in Washington township, NJ and his wife are accused of sending a letter to a local resident threatening to kill the parent and his child unless $20,000 was left for the couple in a nearby park. When the youth minister and his wife arrived with their two young sons to collect the money they were arrested and charged with theft by extortion, conspiracy and first-degree use of a person 17 years of age or younger to commit theft by extortion.
They were released the next day after each posted a $100,000 bond to cover their bail.
