Life is Fleeting….Are You Ready?

Many of you know that I worked at Wedgwood Baptist Church, for my brief stay in Fort Worth, Texas. Wedgwood Baptist Church may ring a bell with several of you. Below is taken from Wedgwood’s website regarding the incident that took place:

Wedgwood Baptist Church is often remembered for the event that occurred on the evening of September 15, 1999. Just before 7:00pm that evening a crazed gunman entered the building and interrupted a youth activity, a "Saw You at the Pole" prayer rally. He fired over 100 rounds from two different handguns, and exploded a homemade pipe bomb. Seven young persons were killed, and seven others were wounded before the gunman ended his own life.

In the event's aftermath the victims' families, friends, the church, and other people around the world have had to deal with their grief, struggle to recover from the terror, and have agonized again and again over the unanswerable question. "Where was God while all this happened?" On the related links below, Dr. Al Meredith's sermon, "Where Was God?" is provided for your listening.

Through this tragedy we have gained a new understanding of what is meant when we say, "God is sovereign." He was there during the shootings. He comforts us today as we grieve and as we continue to recover. Through trials He brings understanding; He strengthens our faith when there can be no understanding.

And through it all; in every tragedy, there is Hope, and His name is "Jesus Christ."

My office was directly behind the sanctuary, and went out into the choir room. Even though repairs had been made you could still see where the bullet holes were. To get to the main office from my office, I usually took the shortcut through the sanctuary. In the beginning, it was just strange to think that a shooting had taken place here…that seven people lost their lives…that seven others were wounded. I would walk up and down the aisle where the crazed gunman threw the pipe bomb. A few of the staff that I worked with were actually shot by the gunman. Then it really made me question myself, that if I were to die today, would I be ready?....Am I living a life that totally glorifies Him?...Am I doing all I can do for His Glory?

You are probably wondering why I am just now writing about this, but it has just been on my brain this weekend that…God is enough for me….God is bigger than I can imagine…..God is there…through the joy in our lives, and through the pain. He never lets us go…I guess that I just needed to be reminded of that….

If you would like to know more about the incident that took place at Wedgwood, and how God healed them, you can read about it here.