One Year

One year ago a violent earthquake shook Haiti leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions homeless. The tragedy sent shockwaves across the earth as people from many nations were in Haiti at the time of the quake and lost their lives. Lives were changed forever.


On Saturday another violent act took the lives of six people and profoundly affected thirteen others. When a lone gunman opened fire in the Safeway parking lot in Arizona he changed lives forever.

We never expect things like this to happen in our lives, but they do.

An act of nature and an act of man; both brought pain and suffering on many. In our world these things happen. We can be angry and sorrowful. No one can blame us for those feelings. We can cry for vengeance and justice. Again, no one can blame us. But we can’t let ourselves get lost in those feelings.

God knows that life here on earth isn’t easy. He never promised it would be, but life goes on and the living have to go on living. It’s our job to figure out how to go on living. We have to somehow navigate this world that has both good and evil without becoming hardened to the good and distraught by the evil. It’s not easy, but it has to be done.



One Year after the Quake

Last year the world lost an amazing man in that earthquake. A man I never met except through the stories of friends. I grieved with my friends at his death. It makes me sad that I will never get to experience the joy of interacting with someone so full of life as he was.

It still breaks my heart to think of his widow and two young sons. This year of firsts has been hard on them, but they are pushing through. Today they remember the good times and the love they shared. They also remember the pain of losing him. My prayer for them today and this coming year is that the good memories will outweigh the pain. Please keep them in your prayers.