The Thirst for Freedom

I was born in DeKalb, Illinois and grew up in Sycamore - the neighboring town. We ate lots of corn in the summer where I lived. I worked for the DeKalb Ag in the Corn Fields “de-tassling” corn when I was in Junior High.

I have spent many days at the campus of Northern Illinois University. Two different Christian student groups that I was a part of when I was a student at a nearby Community College meet in Cole Hall at NIU.

I did my High School research projects at the NIU Public Library when the Sycamore or DeKalb city libraries were not enough.

I have lived in the bitter cold of the Illinois winter. It is so freezing when you walk around the Holmes Student Center through the Martin Luther King Commons area over towards Cole Hall.

I used to watch now-Sheriff Scott release the trained dogs of the K-9 division to attack the dummy arm held by another officer before he was ever the Sheriff of DeKalb County. It is a strange feeling to read about him on CNN. He isn’t talking about dogs this time.

My wife and I were driving along an Australian Freeway between Mt Gambier and Adelaide with a group of fun young people when we got a call from a friend back in Illinois. A mad-man has shot up the campus at NIU. Just hours ago. The police were there in less than a minute (I am not surprised by their quick response!). People have died. The university whose political science program had helped produce liberal blogger Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, and helped produce missions author Ruth A. Tucker, and even had a small part in indirectly influencing the relatively unknown Founder and Chief (only) blogger of Freedomthirst.com (ThirstyJon!) has been attacked! The city where I (and Cindy Crawford) was born has been added to the growing list of towns that have faced this kind of disastrous violence.

At first I had a hard time feeling anything. I am numb from hearing news of shootings and bombings and rapings and violence of all kinds. It didn’t seem real.

Then for a brief moment I wept. The world is a crazy place.

I logged on to the “the internets” (i.e. the internet) and began to read. Expressions of Grief, Confusion, and Analysis filled the space. There were (and are) cries to ban guns in the U.S.A.

Some will say it is because we have left God that we are plagued by such things.

I know that if I want a direct and simple cause-and-effect explanation for what happened - and one that can be solved by voting for somebody new - I will be disappointed. The problem is too ancient. Man has deserted God. Man has become wicked. Cain killed Abel.

So what is the solution? How do we stop the carnage?

I think we all know that we won’t stop it 100% this side of heaven, but we most certainly can make a dent!

Laws are important and social movement can bring real change, but ultimately the only way to change society is to change individuals.

We need individuals with internal revelation of Jesus Christ! I am talking about a life-changing encounter followed by years of growth and then rearing children who Know God and are growing in His Character.

We need to produce a generation that sees the world through God’s eyes as best they can.

Banning guns won’t work. A generation of heroes will.

Join me in prayer for the families of the victims at Northern Illinois University and the grieving town of DeKalb, Illinois.

Then join me Seeking the Kingdom of God on Earth, as Jesus commanded us to do when he taught us how to pray:

“Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven.”

ThirstyJon

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