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<DIV>I'm not sure I want to look at every tragedy in the world and say, God
willed that it should happen. No doubt God does some things that seem painful
which turn out for good, and some things happen in ways we wouldn't have chosen
that we can look back on and say, oh, that really put me in a good place. But
there have been many moving stories about people who <EM>blamed </EM>God for
their loss -- the most moving of course include how they eventually overcame
their rejection, but it doesn't always happen. Bronner's dad dealt well with
what happened to his family. I have found it more sustaining to say, when things
go well, Praise the Lord, when they don't, things obviously are not yet in line
with how God intends for them to be. Otherwise we get people proclaiming that
God deliberately inflicted hurricane Katrina, or asking what did God have
against several thousand children living around the Indian Ocean. The Amish
community had a twisted human being to blame, not an act of God, and had the
grace to reach out to his innocent family while grieving for their loss. That
<EM>was </EM>amazing, as amazing as the brother of the woman killed by Karla
Faye Tucker going to see her and saying "I forgive you." But think how wonderful
it must have felt once it was said.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Charlie</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>On Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:06:13 -0700 "Discussion of the Good, Clean Funnies
List" <<A href="mailto:gcfl-discuss@gcfl.net">gcfl-discuss@gcfl.net</A>>
writes:<BR>> Bronner's dad's reaction to the death of his son reminds me so
much <BR>> of the Amish community's response to the death of their
children at the <BR>> hand of a monster. Their reaction (and his)
perplexes us -- even me, and I <BR>> claim to be a born-again Christian
who believes the Word of God. It's not <BR>> natural, it's not
normal. It is beyond what we are capable of <BR>> understanding. But I
do believe in the supernatural gifts of grace and mercy and <BR>>
the strength of God to inhabit a person in such a way that they think
<BR>> differently than the average person. Bronner's father trusts in
the Almighty God to not </DIV>
<DIV>> make a mistake; to do what is best, no matter what it <BR>>
looks like from my perspective. That kind of faith is the kind I <BR>>
want to <BR>> have.<BR>> Jeanene <BR>> <BR>>
_______________________________________________<BR>> GCFL-discuss mailing
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href="http://gcfl.net/mailman/listinfo/gcfl-discuss">http://gcfl.net/mailman/listinfo/gcfl-discuss</A><BR>>
<BR>> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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