a wake-up call that we could never go to sleep until necessary corrections had been made. We were soon sleeping again after a few minor changes. Katrina, with power and fury, hit the Gulf Coast and devastated the city of New Orleans.
September 11, 2001, the United States of America received what should have been such
We are in the midst of what may be the most dangerous war this nation has ever faced. It is hard for millions of Americans, however, to face up to the fact that our nation has been invaded in a new and different way. Some are so naïve they want to blame the war on one or, at most, a few people. It is our nation that was invaded and we are at war. We fight against an enemy that must be defeated because it will not surrender and call it quits. Our enemy would like for us to surrender and sleep on.
Just days ago in one of the most unlikely places in the nation we received another alarming call to wake up. For the first few hours we were glued to television and radio news. The newspapers, with glaring headlines on the morning of Tuesday, April 17, 2007, as my local paper did, The Charleston Gazette (WV), that shouted “CAMPUS IN SHOCK” and added these two sublines, “Gunman kills 32 at Virginia Tech, 15 wounded; blood bath ends when shooter commits suicide.” Blacksburg, Virginia, nestled serenely in the Blue Ridge Mountains, will carry that haunting memory as long as that city of higher education and caring churches exists.
Another wake up call for our nation? On the Larry King television show that night Dr. Phil McGraw, if I heard him correctly, forcefully said, “As a society we’ve got to wake up.” Individuals and families have been shattered. A traumatic experience of this magnitude will last a lifetime. The emotional scars will never be erased. The dreams of many students were vaporized in a moment of time.
This kind of experience, to varying degrees, will be repeated again and again. Never the same way again. The place, method, manner and plan will change. Who is our relentless enemy?
A man named Paul knew about evil and satanic influences and was one of the most brilliant and learned men of his day. He wrote these words to his friends who lived in the ancient Grecian city of Ephesus, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12, NKJV). Read verses 10-20 to know how to face such evil.
At the Convocation at Virginia Tech the following day President George W. Bush, the Governor of Virginia and University leaders urged us to turn to God for comfort, forgiveness, peace and hope.
There is a spirit of evil in this world that plays no favorites. It attacks in every imaginable way. Nobody is exempt. This evil will work through students, teachers, administrators, parents, politicians, officers of the law, religious leaders and anyone else. The evil influence will operate in bizarre ways.
What happened in Blacksburg will be analyzed and discussed in thousand different ways. As President Bush suggested, many will look to God for comfort and encouragement.
To what degree has the nation woke up? Are we even giving serious thought to making the necessary changes in our national life?
We can pray for those who are broken hearted, those who suffer physically and emotionally and for the millions of students who attend our schools and colleges. We can come together and give supportive care and love to those who need it most.
Publisher's Note: Bill Ellis
Award Winning Syndicated Columnist
P. O. Box 345
Scott Depot, WV 25560
304-757-6089
