Godlessness is anti-shalom. Godlessness spoils the proper relation between human beings and their Maker and Savior. Sin offends God not only because it bereaves or assaults God directly, as in impiety or blasphemy, but also because it bereaves and assaults what God has made.

Here are some questions I’ve heard frequently already:

• “What in the world is going on?”
• “How are we to think and feel about violence?”
• “Does the Bible say anything about violence?”

Very helpful thoughts HERE by the Resurgence

These last two Sundays in July we’ll look at Habakkuk.  Here’s the book at a glance.

3 chapters, 56 verses. Habakkuk is the prophet who asked two questions that God answered at length and who then responded with a great prayer testifying to his faith in God. More specifically, the prophet expresses questions and doubts regarding God’s justice and management of the world. The book of Habakkuk has affinities with the branch of philosophy known as theodicy (reconciling God’s goodness toward the human race and his omnipotence, considered within a context of evil and suffering), inasmuch as the prophet’s response of faith in the third chapter demonstrates that for him the power and goodness of God have been satisfactorily reconciled with the evil and suffering that he sees in the world. The most famous part of the book is the prophet’s great testimony that he will maintain faith in God even if his external situation becomes disastrous (3:17–19).

source is ESV Literary Study Bible

More to come, but our own Julie Stout was not personally impacted by the bombing in Bulgaria yesterday.  But keep praying for her trip!

She is daily posting to this website.

I love this mission. The kids at VBS today will prepare 80 flower arrangements. The youth will then carry them to Emeritus (retirement community) and give one to each resident. The beauty of his creation prepared by little hands and given in His name. May God gladden hearts of hound and old through this venture.