A lot has been said about Jack Kevorkian in the media over the years.  For many years he used the media to get his message across to people around the world; he felt that people should be allowed to take their own lives.  He allegedly thought physicians should be allowed to assist them by providing the means (medicine) to accomplish that goal.  Many individuals (allegedly over 100 people) with chronic illness or disease, who were suffering, sought him out to help them end their lives.   He was eventually convicted of murder by prosecutors and served approximately 8 years in prison; but, he was released early because of his own medical conditions.

His battle with public perceptions and the public’s moral and legal viewpoint, on his stance towards assisted suicide, opened up many conversations around the world.  If nothing else, I do believe that the media attention helped people to examine their own beliefs about the idea of assisted suicide and the concept of whether people should have end of life choices when faced with chronic illnesses or diseases.

My own personal feelings aside, I can’t help but wonder as Jack was stripped of his medical license after being in prison for assisting suicides in the past; if he could have, would he have taken his own life at the end?

I mean, Jack’s life and career appeared to revolve around death and dying.  He didn’t have access to his machine, that he invented to assist those who wanted to commit suicide, while he struggle with his illness in the hospital.  Still, he has had health problems for years…which was part of the reason he was released early from prison.

One wonders, why didn’t he commit suicide himself during that time.  Could it be that he realized the value in living even while chronically ill?  Did he ever regret helping others to commit suicide?  Publicly he remained defiant…but, when released from prison he agreed to no longer assist people with their suicides.  Still, if he would have taken his own life…there is nothing that the legal system could have done to him after his death.   He chose not to do that…and I am glad.

It is said that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary situation.  There are reports of people who have attempted suicide and somehow survived who report being glad that their attempt failed. Suicide leaves many victims…the survivors or loved ones of people who are successful at taking their own lives struggle with many issues.

Suicide prevention is important because people are in distress when they consider taking such an extreme action.  Those stresses are intense…but often they are fleeting situations and if a person has an intervention that helps preserve their life than can go on and live a rewarding life (even if it is hindered by disease or illness).  For those of us who have moral convictions about the idea of suicide, it is with sadness to hear of someone losing their life to suicide whether it is assisted or not. The subject is emotionally charged for most people…those who believe in the right to take their own life and those who believe it is wrong to do so.

Having lost a loved one myself, this week, after a long battle against a chronic disease; I can only imagine how much more complex the loss would have been, had that person chosen to take his own life.  He suffered greatly, and yet he struggled to live; was he ever tempted to take his own life?  I am sure there were moments when the pain became too much to bear…and yet, he fought for every moment he was allowed to have with his friends and family.

What are your thoughts on death and dying…Jack Kevorkian or assisted suicides?  Our condolences to his friends and family at their loss.

I believe that just being aware of the world around you and noticing where the acceptance of God is lacking and doing your best to be of service in some way; of bringing a light or help to those who are in need, is a ministry itself.  Some have a pull on their hearts to teach, preach, do missions work, or evangelize.  There are others who are drawn to a particular effort of outreach which may be to take Bibles into areas of the world which have little or no access to the word.  Then again, there are those with an online ministry to edify or build up disciples such as the Live Sticky movement which encourages people to spend a portion of their online time being dedicated to bringing awareness of God to those that they impact. These are all ministries that are needed.

A ministry might mean that you take meals to someone who is home-bound, lonely or spending time with someone who is depressed.  It might mean providing comfort and help to those in poverty, a hospital/jail setting; or it could be a position of raising funds for someone to go out and do missions work.   Some of those ministries can be dangerous; but still, God puts a calling on those individuals hearts.

Today in the news there is some sadness which highlights that statement.  In recent days, there have been four Americans held hostage, on a yacht, which were hi-jacked by Somali pirates allegedly.  It basically is a form of human trafficking…to hold humans against their will in the hopes of making money off of them.  There was a military warship that was tailing them and as the shots rang out, the Navy warship took action capturing and killing the pirates.

Today, unfortunately the news says that all four American hostages were murdered by the pirates.  The yacht was owned by Jean and Scott Adam and they had two passengers on board, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle.  Jean and Scott often traveled distributing Bibles around the world on their yacht.

They knew the risks of traveling this part of the world where pirates have been wreaking havoc on ships traveling through the area.  Still, they were committed to doing what they loved to do and felt called to do.  This required tremendous courage on their part.  They believed in more than just life here on Earth and it is a terrible loss to those who knew them and loved them.  May God comfort their friends and families during this time of grieving. They sacrificed their lives to do what they felt called to do; many people do not understand that kind of commitment.  It is a love that goes beyond the general human attitude of thinking only about oneself.

Did they want to die…no, I am sure they did not set out with the purpose of loosing their lives.  There are many examples of people who have lost their lives for Christ.  I believe that God has welcomed them home.  They faced this danger knowingly…but it is still a tragedy in human terms.  Spiritually, God will deal with those who took their lives.

There are many parts of the world which are hurting and struggling with war, with natural disasters, with political unrest and with spiritual warfare.  Those areas of the world have people in need; just as there are people suffering and hurting in your own local neighborhoods and countries.  Whether you feel the call to do missions work, teach/preach or evangelize in person or online…know that lives are being affected and changed for the good.

This is important work that you do, wherever God places you to do it. It is important to pray for those who set about doing the work of God…no matter where they do it.  There are forces at work intending to persuade Christians to stand back and let the world take care of itself.  That is not what God asks of us; be about the business of God.  Be an encourager, support ministry in any way that you can.  If it is working with children, in administration, or in actively pursuing those who don’t know Jesus…find a way to be in service.

I have friends and family who are doing amazing things because of their love of God.  There is Friends Like Us who work with children with cancer and their families.  They provide chemo bears to the pediatric patients that they work with…as well as providing gifts for the patients siblings.  They talk with and support parents of those patients.  They often send blankets from another organization called Layers of Love and a book on living with cancer from an author that they work with. Please visit them and support the work that they do.  These are all ministries at work, in my humble opinion, because they show love and help people who are hurting and in need of some sort.  This is just a small sample of people in my circle of influence.

My daughter recently went to Haiti and worked in an orphanage where the love of God is at work trying to improve the lives of those they touch.  I intend to do a series of blog posts soon about some of the work being done there.  Here is a link to the Haiti Foundation Against Poverty through which she felt called to work on a recent missions trip. http://haitipoverty.org/Updates.aspx

I just want to recognize those who are about the business of doing the work of the Lord.  Thank you for the sacrifices of your time, your money, and your efforts. Never forget that the time is short and that God is coming soon.  He alone knows the day and the hour…so when you get weary or feel burdened; remember that the life that you connect to God will have the opportunity to go to Heaven rather than the destination of Hell, a place of eternal suffering. This reason alone is why God gave us his word in John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”.

What type of work do you do for the kingdom of God?  What do you feel called to do or share?  Are you actively involved in some kind of outreach ministry? Have you ever felt in danger while doing your ministry work?  Will you tell us about it here? What do you do for the love of God?

However, there are products being labeled as “bath salts” that are powders packed in small tea bag sized envelopes and advertised as legal substitutions; merely to make money.  They are  being sold on the shelves of convience stores, truck stops and head shops all around the country; as well as online.  They are marketed as bath salts, when those who produce these products know full well that they are not being used for that purpose.

Those who produce, market or sell these items should be held accountable for those who have had their lives destroyed by their products. Their intended use is for individuals who are looking for a drug induced high.  Business selling them should be forced to removed them from their stores in my opinion.  In fact, some states & communities are banning their sales…but, we need to increase awareness of this issue; before the use of these products becomes more widespread.

The powders are snorted, smoked or injected.  This product is equal in intensity to meth in it’s effects on the human body and mind.  It can be addictive even when the user experiences terrible effects during usage.  Some people have committed murder, attempted suicide or just gone on a violent, destructive bender while using these products.  Emergency rooms, police and poison control centers are seeing an increase in calls in areas where these products are being sold.

Children and adults can purchase a package of “bath salts” for approximately $20 or so.  Unfortunately these things can be purchased online too.  A parent seeing one of these packages may not realize that it is a drug with very harmful effects.  These products have names like Cosmic blast, Vanilla Sky, Red Dove, White Lightning, Hurricane Charlie, and Bliss or Ivory Wave…they sound like a generic aromatherapy type of product; these packages are anything but.  It is un-believable that this product is allowed to be sold; knowing that lives are being ruined.  These legal substitutes are chemical stimulants designed to achieve a physical/psychological high and are extremely deadly.  They have strong stimulants inside the packages which closely copy the effects on the body like speed or ephedra.

The problem is that these legal substitutes are not something that the DEA regulates.  However, the damage these drugs do is causes dangerous reactions that often produce paranoia, violence and psychological terror that can not only endanger the user (who willingly takes that chance); but also affects anyone who is unfortunate enough to run into someone under the influence of such an un-predictable drug.

Some people abusing these bath salts, have described seeing visions of, aliens, devils or demons and attacking themselves or others because of those visions.  If you see this stuff being sold…report it to the authorities.  If you know someone using these products get them help immediately; report it to a poison control center and get them in to see medical personnel right away before they harm themselves or someone else.  Schools should be prepared for the influence of these products as well by having drug counselors on speed dial.  Educating individuals who are susceptible to the influence of using drugs to escape reality is going to be very important as this trend becomes more commonly known.   Becoming aware of this trend of abusing bath salts could help you spot the danger and help to save  lives.

          The reason for this violence?  No one seems to know at this early stage; although a family member said that he was fearful of being deployed to Iraq.   What is known is that soldiers expect danger and violence when they go to war, however they don’t expect on their own home base on American soil from one of their own.  

           The psychological terror and stress this incident has and will continue to instill in our soldiers is going to have a tremendous effect on our military men and women.   It is being said that the shooter was about to be deployed to Iraq.  He was supposedly trained in psychiatry and disaster relief regarding traumatic stress.  What then, could explain his actions (or those who joined him)?  Will we ever know the whole story?

             In the media there is speculation about his background and whether this was an act of terrorism.  I don’t know about his religious/ethnic background…and, I think people need to be very careful not to judge on that score until more information is known; however, it definitely is psychological terrorism. 

               This shooting took place in an area of the base called the Soldier Readiness Facility.  This building is a stop for final medical and or dental treatments before military personel are sent overseas for deployment.   This assault on the troops right before they are deployed is a terrible psychological trauma.  I wonder why a person, who had the kind of medical/psychological training that Mr. Hassan had, would do such a thing?  Did he have a mental breakdown …or did he plan a deliberate attack on his fellow soldiers mental preparations right before they were sent off to war for some other reason?

         This kind of situation damages trust and training that troops are instilled with.  They need to be able to trust and depend on one another.  How can they do that when they don’t know if one of their own is going to open fire or kill their own fellow soldiers?  They have enough to deal with when fighting a war with the enemy…without worrying about having an enemy within their own ranks.

          We have to be careful not to judge any group of people by an individual’s actions.  Everyone is responsible for their own actions; and prejudice is an ugly thing.   There are going to be those who will play the blame game on a particular race, religion or ethnic background; that is not ok.  To know the truth of this horrible violence, we will have to wait for more information to know what is behind this violence.  In the meantime we need to pray for those who were killed , injured or just traumatized; and, for their friends and families. 

On a personal level…we all have such moments such as the death of a loved one, a divorce, an experience of violence, maybe a long anticipated birth, a reunion of relationship thought forever lost to us, an accident, a buried memory that has suddenly come to the surface; these all can be classified in our minds as, a before and after moment.  It is a moment when time is frozen and we acknowledge that our lives will never be the same; for better or worse.

As a society, when something like the space shuttle Challenger explodes, or a President (John F. Kennedy) is assignated, an icon dies in a shocking way, war breaks out, a huge natural or man made disaster happens to a community, or terrorism like 911 comes knocking down the door of the innocent with brutal strength and power; it devastates not only the morale of an individual; it attacks the personal concept of safety and innocence of not only a nation; but, it has the ability to impact the world.  We once again have a moment in time that is frozen into a before and an after 911.  We are never the same in the after moments, as we were in the before.

We observe it,  acknowledge it, we grieve it, we resent it, we write about it, and we cope with it.  The experience is never to be forgotten and nor are those who have been intimately affected by the loss of life, of the loss of a future with those that they love…nor the impact of losing those innocent people who just happened to be in the very center of a destructive decision, made by those who have been indoctrinated by hate and a desire to control the fate of others.  We must learn from these moments…we must somehow bridge the gap of hatred so that every person’s humaness can be seen, appreciated, respected and valued, as we value our own.   These frozen moments in time must not freeze our hearts and minds…or the enemy wins!

Ryan, allegedly, said that he has lied to her and said she is doing well; he has said that he also lied to their son Redmond, about her condition.  He has been in jail for allegedly being in possession of drugs.  Ryan feels it is best to keep them both in the dark about the grim outlook for her recovery.  He also says he will not know this world without her.  What does that mean?  Does that mean that he can’t go on if she leaves this world in body and spirit?  Or does he mean that he can’t imagine a world without her in it?  It is a heartbreaking situation whether you are a celebrity or an everyday person who has had a loved one in a battle with cancer…cancer is an equal opportunity enemy.

Then, there is another story that is a mixture of the mad and the sad.  Elizabeth Edwards has written a book called Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and the Gifts Facing Life’s Adversities.  This book documents some of the challenges that she herself has had in her life; the loss of her son Wade, cancer, and her husband’s alleged affair with a woman named Rielle Hunter, and allegations of Elizabeth’s husband John fathering a child with Rielle, who he met while he was on the campaign trail.   Elizabeth has given Oprah an intense interview regarding some of these issues.  Since clips of that interview have been released into the media, the woman in question has said that she is open to doing a paternity test on her daughter who she claims is the child she bore from her relationship with John Edwards.  He has in the past denied that the child is his.  He admitted the affair after allegations surfaced.  He is now being investigated about whether finances from his campaign were inappropriately handled relating to his relationship with Ms. Hunter.  John said in the past, that he would take a DNA test to disprove paternity…but, that was when Ms. Hunter said she would not put herself or her child through that.  Now, she has since changed her mind with all of this media attention focusing on who’s her baby’s daddy.    There is a little mad under current running through the media headlines; as everyone is trying to tell their side of the story.    There is plenty of justified hurt, anger and embarrassment to go around.

Finally,  there is the news story that seemed to stick in everyone’s craw.  Drew Peterson, a former police officer, who has been in and out of the news regarding the death and disappearance of two of his wives over the last few years has been arrested.  Last night, Drew was arrested as a suspect in the death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.  She was found dead in a dry bath tub; it was made to look as if she had accidently drowned.   Wife number four, Stacy,  has disappeared and never been found.   Drew has tried to imply that she left him for another man.   He has made headlines with his arrogance and seemingly inappropriate jokes.

It was only a few months ago when he was in a relationship with another young woman…that too made the news as her father was extremely concerned about her and her child when she moved in with Drew.  They had become engaged and the young woman’s father had the police visit the home several times out of concern for her well-being.   There are many people in his home town, i am sure, who are glad that he is behind bars with a 20 million dollar bond.   Things have had a bit of a circus atmosphere surrounding Drew Peterson and his home for quite a while as the media focus was pretty intense for such a long time.   In fact, Kathleen Savio’s sister did an interview this morning and said that it was the first night when she was able to sleep well…feeling safe that he was behind bars.

Not everyone is going to be glad about this situation, such as his children.  This is going to be traumatic for them, as this process takes it’s course through the courts.   What will happen to them?  Has Drew made arrangements for them to be able to stay with someone in case this happened?  Or will his children end up in foster care?  The police waited to arrest him until he left home so that they did not have to do that in front of his children.   Some days the news is filled with nothing but pain and suffering; we have to remember that each story is not just a story… it is a situation that affects many lives on both sides of each issue.

         This man allegedly already had a record for assault and for driving under the influence in previous years.  His wife was also allegedly arrested in the last couple of months for domestic violence.  This family evidently struggled with these issues.  Was there no intervention?  I am sure that there must have been someone, somewhere who was concerned about these family members and what they were going through.  If measures were taken to help or intervene; then, for whatever reason…it was not successful.   It is a terrible thing when people who supposedly love each other can cause so much hurt and destruction to the people that they claim to love. 

         The 13 year old will be staying with family news reports say.   However, he will need much help to process what happened to his family.  He will need  intervention to overcome the damage that was done to his heart and his soul.  Abuse is a painful merry-go-round; that if not stopped, will continue to destroy.  I pray that this young fellow gets intensive counseling to help him heal, not only the terror that he experienced…but, quite probably the survivor’s guilt that most people who survive such situations experience; so that he can somehow find the strength to go on and live a happy and productive life, free from domestic violence.    After all, how can anyone expect a person who was hunted by his father, a person that most children expect to protect them from violence, to ever find it comfortable to trust another human being?  This will impact the rest of his life in ways too difficult to count.

          The questions that run through a person’s mind about how a father can pick up a weapon and shoot and kill his children and his wife and himself; are questions that really can never be answered, with a satisfying answer.  It is hard for adults to understand, let alone a child.  And yet, for his healing and recovery…there has to be some kind of explanation; whether it be drugs/alcohol addiction, mental illness, or anger management issues that were not treated successfully.   He will need to ask those questions and have some kind of answer that can help him to “understand…the impossible to understand”.

         True love doesn’t intentionally seek to hurt or destroy.   The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5.) It is not rude, it is not sel-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, 6.) Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. 7.) It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8.) Love never fails.     If a relationship is filled with regular moments of  violence, control, humiliation, emotional or verbal abuse…then, that is a toxic relationship; it is not a healthy love relationship.   People in that situation need  an intervention by medical and psychological professionals; as well as law enforcement, clergy, and court personnel.  Please, help break the chain of violence. 

www.ndvh.org

www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/dvp.htm

www.ncadv.org/

      A nursing home in Carthage, North Carolina has 8 dead people , 7 residents and a nurse, because a young man came into the nursing home and started shooting at people.  The reason is unclear at this point.  It is alleged that his estranged wife works at this nursing home although that is not confirmed.   An unprovoked attack on innocent people that would have been much worse had it not been for the heroic actions of a 25 year old police officer who was able to stop the shooter.   While the news media covers these terrible bursts of violence…we must learn to carefully balance how these things are addressed in the media; so that they do not become gloried examples for those with similar thoughts.   

        Another equally upsetting situation; an ex-con attacks his sisters and kills two of them…one a five year old child on her birthday.  He kills his 17 year old sister by brutally stabbing her…then, he goes after the five year old and decapitates her as the police come in.  She is found near her birthday cake.     The nine year old sister had called the officers…some how she was stabbed as well; she is in the hospital with injuries.  Not only has she been injured, she lost members of her family and she has to live with the images of death and violence.  This brother was clearly a person out of control; it was alleged that he had some kind of a run-in with a neighbor the evening before as well.

        We have people who dont know how to resolve their personal problems…committing violence and killing innocent people.  We have loners, and mentally ill people who do not get treatment.   Our economy is so tight that those who desperately need mental health treatment do not get it because of cost.  We need to seriously consider spending more money for preventative well-care programs for people at risk for such behaviors.

      I would really like to see people stop supporting slasher/shoot them up shows and movies with their dollars.  These type of entertainments only serve to encourage those who are bent on venting their anger and revenge or for those who are mentally unstable on taking out their rage on innocent people.  How do you protect yourself and your loved ones from random violence?  It is impossible.   Is anyone else sick and tired of these things  happening in schools, shopping malls, nursing homes and colleges, etc?

      This debate is not an easy one.  People feel very strongly both directions…some are very vocal for authorizing the research and others are very vocal for preventing the research if it has to use destroyed embryos and tax payer’s dollars to do the research.  What are your feelings about embryonic stem cell research?

         The Hassan’s started their television station in 2004; they did so because they wanted to combat any form of anti -Islamic sentiments that have been building since 911.  They called their station Bridges TV.

          Muzzammil Hassan has not admited that he killed his wife; however, many believe that he could not tolerate her request for a divorce, as it would dishonor their family.  Because the Hassan’s were viewed as leaders for the Islamic community, because of their position in the media…many people are concerned that if it is proven that he did in fact kill his wife in a misguided attempt to protect the family honor…that this will have a terrible influence and impact on those who saw them as leaders in the United States.

          Honor killings are not honorable.  It should not be tolerated in any country.  There are better and more effective ways to change behaviors that cultures or families find unacceptable.   The United States can not tolerate this kind of behavior…killings of any kind are punnishable by law.  Mrs. Hassan was beheaded; this is a cruel way to die.  This is an opportunity to support those in the Islamic community who will stand up and say these “honor killings” are not something that we all support.   We must not judge all middle eastern people by the actions of a select few.

          I would like to express sympathy to those friends and family members of Aasiya Hassan.  No one deserves to die in this manner.  We must demand that those who choose to violate human rights and commit honor killings be held legally accountable.  Human life is to be respected and women need to be valued and protected from honor killings.  Cultural differences need to be addressed in terms of educating each other and finding ways to uphold the good things each culture has to offer. 

          I think that the goals that the Hassan’s had, to bridge the gap of understanding, was a good goal…it is a terrible thing that the work that was started by them will be overshadowed by the  manner of death that  Aasiya experienced; it is unfortunate that her beheading reinforces the violent perception that many people have of the Islamic culture.