of God, but to stand against it in the power of Jesus Christ. Psalm 121 says:
5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
It is an amazing thing to think about - that we can actually be "kept" by the Lord. To be able to place our trust in Him to the extent that we know that He is with us, that we can know and enjoy His protection, and to know that He will give us the resources to stand when we face evil. And, there does seem to be plenty to go around in this world in which we live - but we can stand strong in the light and be willing to shine that light in the midst of the darkness, knowing that greater is He who is within us that He who is in the world.
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I believe that God calls us to walk in His wisdom and to develop a sense of mental clarity, so that our
minds are sharp and our spirits in tune with His will. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
In the latest installment of my week-in-review feature, The 3, I will talk about a top story affecting Christians from the previous week - the shootings at an Oregon community college, where 9 people, as well as the shooter, lost their lives. There is a spiritual connection to this story about which I want to spend some time.
And, there is a particular story of bravery to which I wanted to call attention. Chris Mintz is an Army veteran who was shot seven times by the Oregon gunman. According to the website, Oregon Live, his family said Friday the 30-year-old ran at the shooter to protect fellow students and suffered gunshot wounds to the upper back, abdomen, left hand and both legs.
While lying on the ground wounded, Chris shouted, "It's my son's birthday, it's my son's birthday," according to multiple media reports. The Oregon Live article states that in an interview with ABC News on Friday, Mintz said he was mostly concerned about other victims. "I just hope that everyone else is OK," he told the network. And, student Hannah Miles told ABC News that Mintz ran back into the building where the shooting occurred. She is quoted as saying, "He ran to the library and pulled the alarms and he was telling people to run, grabbing people, telling them, 'You just have to go.'"
Family, friends and acquaintances described Mintz as a devoted father to his 6-year-old son, Tyrik, and a fitness nut who never missed a workout. They also said his courageous act wasn't surprising.
His aunt, Wanda, said, "He got shot all those times but they missed the vital organs."
"If you know Chris," she said, "he'll cowboy up."
And, Oregon Live reports that a petition on the White House website recommends that Mintz be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The petition recommends him because he "continues to display the values of the United States military...by his actions to alert others of the danger and then to endanger himself while delaying the attacker to allow time for others to escape. Mr. Mintz positively displayed the values of loyalty, duty, respect, honor, integrity, personal courage and self-sacrifice to attempt to save as many of his fellow citizens as possible."
So amidst the grief and tragedy, the politics and the pain, there is a heartwarming story of valor, of someone who displayed some admirable characteristics, driven by a sense of sacrifice, willing to lay down his life. And, I'm glad that one of my Sunday School class members brought it up - because in this horrible story, it's good to recognize a hero.
Chris Mintz probably didn't wake up last Thursday morning intent on saving someone's life, but when the opportunity arose, he was ready. And, I think that's a great attitude for us as Christians - to begin our day with a sense of readiness, prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that God gives us. It may not be heroic in the dramatic sense, but our obedience can make a statement to another person.
Because of his military training, I believe that Mintz had the presence of mind to step into a difficult situation and to make an impact. Not only did he face down the shooter and take 7 bullets, but he pulled alarms in the library and worked diligently to get people out. This was a man on a mission. I believe that his training enabled him to think and act quickly. And, for us, we must think about being well-trained in the service of the Lord. Our mental clarity and developing the sense of a cause greater than ourselves can be useful when we face difficulties in life.
Chris Mintz stood against evil and sounded the alarms in the chaos at Umpqua Community College. In the spiritual sense, that should be our position. We must confront evil in the strength of the Lord, according to His direction. And, when evil advances, as a watchman, we are called to sound the alarms. God will grant us the strength and wisdom to do according to His call in the face of our trying situations.
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