Nickel Mines

In Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, love would have to prove stronger than death.

On the morning of October 5, 2006, twenty-five children were studying in the local one-room schoolhouse, a barn like structure with a simple bell tower and front porch supported by steel rods. The building, as plain as notebook paper, reflected the values of the Amish community that educated its children there. The Amish trace their lineage back to pacifist Swiss Christian communities, who, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, renounced the trappings of worldliness.

On that morning, in the midst of the Amish, the worst of the world's madness appeared. At 9:51 AM, Charles Cad Roberts IV, a thirty-two-year-old milkman, burst into the West Nickel Mines Amish schoolhouse and shattered the community's serenity. He had thought about the violence he was about to perpetrate long in advance, and he came prepared. He carried a 12-gauge shotgun, a 9 mm handgun, a .30-06 bolt-action rifle, about six hundred rounds of ammunition, a stun gun and two knifes. He also had tools and building supplies with him.

He ordered the young girls to line up quickly in front of the chalkboard. Then he demanded that the teacher, Emma Mae Zook, take her fifteen male students, a pregnant woman, and three mothers with infants outside. Once they were gone, Charles Roberts used the tools and the 2x6 and 2x4 boards he was carrying to barricade himself inside. Next, he used flex ties to bind the hands and legs of the young girls, who ranged from six to thirteen.

Evidently, he meant to take his time. He called his wife on a cell phone to confess, in partial explanation of the suicide notes he had left at home, that he had molested two young relatives twenty years before. This tale seems to have been a delusion. He also spoke of his grief at the death of an infant daughter. When the Amish girls asked Roberts why he meant to hurt them, he said he was angry at God.

The community responded more quickly than Roberts may have anticipated, and the schoolgirls themselves would alter his plans. Robert's plan to molest girls seemed apparent from the lubricant he was carrying, but their teacher, Emma Mae Zook, ran to a neighboring farmhouse and called police at 10:36 AM. The police arrived in force nine minutes later. From the loudspeakers on their cruisers they spoke to Roberts. He responded that if the grounds weren't cleared in seconds he'd kill everyone.

The oldest of the girls, Marian Fisher, spoke up. The Amish speak Swiss German as their mother tongue, but she used the best English she could muster. She pleaded, “Shoot me and let the others one's loose.” Marian's eleven-year-old sister, Barbie, asked to be next They demonstrated the greatest love a human possibly could.

Unnerved by the girl's courage and the police, Roberts tried to execute all ten girls, pouring bullets into them as fast as he could.

At the sound of the gunfire the police rushed the building. With one final blast, Roberts committed suicide before they could reach him.

Although Roberts shot all ten girls at point-blank range, and several of them repeatedly, he did not fully exact the revenge against God he had planned. Five children survived. Marian's sister, Barbie, was one of them, which is why we know some of the details of what happened inside the schoolhouse that horrible day.

Charles Robert's death seemed sad only in that he was no longer available to prosecute.

But that's where this story turns in an unexpected direction. The entire Amish community followed young Marian Fisher's lead of sacrifice and love of one's neighbor. While Charles Roberts chose to unleash his anger on he innocent, the Amish chose to bestow forgiveness on the guilty. Newsreel footage showed the Amish horse-and-buggy cortege rolling along the main road in Nickel Mines on their way to the funerals of the slain children. It was a poignant and picturesque scene. But the images that stayed in the imagination were of Amish men and women attending Charles Roberts funeral in the graveyard of his wife's Methodist Church. They insisted it was not their place to judge him. Amish leaders even asked their community to refrain from thinking of Roberts as evil.

The Amish also reached out to Marie Roberts and her children. They invited the family to attend the girl's funerals – for the Bible says to mourn with those who mourn, and the Roberts family was mourning their own loss. As money poured into address the medical bills of the wounded girls, Amish community leaders stipulated that a fund from these resources to take care of the killer's widow and three children.

From “The Faith:
What Christians believe,
Why they believe it, and why it matters”
by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett
Zondervan Press (2008) pp 13-15

Overcoming Temptation

In 1 Corinthians 10:13, the apostle Paul explains, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” In order to experience the victory you've been given in Christ over sin, you must know the process by which temptation takes hold. Then, you must build a defense against it.

Start by realizing that your desires are not necessarily wrong. In fact, they can be very good if they fit the Lord's plan and purpose for your life. But when you allow your wishes to dominate and distract you from doing God's will, troublesome situations and consequences are soon to follow.

The process of temptation begins in your mind with what you think. Eventually, your thoughts stir up your imagination, which is very powerful. You fantasize about the object of your desire – how it would feel to possess it; how unhappy you would be without it. As time goes on, the pressure builds. You reach the point where you must make a choice. Will you turn from the temptation, or will you give in to the pleasure it promises? Once you consent, sin takes hold.

Of course, as a faithful believer, you know that the Holy Spirit can help you turn away from enticements you may face during any step in the process. You also realize that it becomes increasingly difficult to turn away the further you go. This is why it it is so importation that you take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Why? Where you mind wanders, your feet are sure to follow. You need a defense system to help you respond wisely, guard your thoughts, and keep you from going down the wrong path.

How do you build this defense system? First, you must take responsibility and admit, “Yes Lord, this is a temptation for me.” Confess any sin you've already committed, accept the Savior's forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and acknowledge that He can teach you to live free of it. When you're willing to accept your vulnerability and dependence on God in the areas where you are tempted, you've taken a very important step toward victory.

Second, look at the big picture. Ask yourself: “What does the Father think about this? If I yield to this enticement, what will the consequences be? How will it affect my future and the people in my life? Will it distract me from doing the Lord's will?” The great deception of sin is that it promises pleasure without penalty – instant gratification with no regret. But once you consider the negative results of your actions, the temptation will appear much less attractive.

Bearing the big picture in mind will also help you identify if there's a way to meet your desire that is in line with God's will – a way that will bring Him glory. So third, be sure to recall the Father's promises concerning your life. One of the reasons temptations are so powerful is because they play into your anxieties. Disappointments and setbacks can lead to discouragement if don't fully trust that the Lord can and will fulfill His word in you.

This is why Jesus said, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:26-27).

God has given the Holy Spirit to encourage you as you wait for His perfect timing and to enable you to do all that He has commanded. When you feel weak, rely upon the awesome power of the Spirit to comfort you, remind you of His love and presence, and strengthen you to stand firm until His promise to you is accomplished.

Finally, set your mind on things that honor the Father. Meditating on God's Word and spending time with Him in an intimate relationship empower you to remain steadfast in your struggle against sin. When temptations come, the Holy the Spirit can immediately bring Scripture to mind as a shield to protect you.

From June 2010 Prayer Letter
Charles F. Stanley

When Life Looks Hopeless

When life looks hopeless, hold on to God. No mater what happens or how discouraging your situation may become, never stop clinging to the Lord. He is faithful, and He will most certainly help you. Keep trusting Him - regardless of how your circumstances appear.

I write this to you today because all of us have walked through valleys at one time or another in life. Each of us has wept over difficulties and struggles we thought we couldn't survive. We lay awake at night, wondering, “God, what am I going to do? I don't know how to go on.” We're not sure how to face the decisions and consequences that will come. The pain and emptiness overwhelm us.

I imagine that is how James Cash Penney felt when he lost $40 million in the stock market crash of 1929, becoming deathly ill from the stress of his circumstances. Seven million dollars in debt, false accusations of his fiscal impropriety lodged against him, emotionally and physically spent, Penney wrote, “I was convinced I would never see another dawn. I wrote farewell letters to my family. Then I waited for the end – a failure at the age of 56.”

Although Penney felt as if he has no future, God had other plans. At the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan where he was being treated for his illness, Penney one day heard the hymn, “God Will Take Care of You,” and he decided to trust the Lord Jesus as his Savior, Not only did he survive, he also lived into his nineties, founding a financial empire through the JCPenney's stores.

Perhaps you are experiencing devastating difficulties today or see disturbing troubles on the horizon. Maybe you lack a sense of direction or real purpose. You might even wonder if you need to give up on your goals and dreams because you feel like you don't measure up and will never deserve the good things you desire.

As such times, you may be tempted to seek refuge in earthly comforts such as wealth, possessions, food, or activities. Perhaps you throw yourself more deeply into ministry, trying to hide your hurt, but becoming more wounded in the process. You may even attempt to isolate yourself from the world, pushing everyone away. Don't. These things promise to comfort your hurting soul, but will eventually cause you more pain.

Instead, cling to the only One who can truly help you overcome all of your difficulties – Jesus Christ. As 1 Peter 5:7 admonishes, cast “all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” How do you do so? Here are some principles that will help you through the most difficult times.

First, whenever you are tempted to think about your circumstances – and the empty feeling of hopelessness wells within you – realize it is an important indication that you should be in prayer. The emotions you're experiencing are a warning sign to your spirit, revealing your utter need for the Father. He is calling you...drawing you into a relationship with Him. Go to Him with an open heart, and invite Him to teach you.

Second, commit yourself to God and whatever He has planned for your future. Did you know that one of the biggest gold deposits ever excavated in this nation was discovered just two inches beneath the spot where a previous miner had given up? There are many wonderful blesses that you will forfeit if you quit now. Don't miss out on the good things the Father has for you because you are discouraged. Devote yourself to the Lord, and He will strengthen you to go on.

Third, claim God's promises to always love and never forsake us. Often, when we experience loss, rejection, or we fail at something important, we attribute our painful feelings to our own sense of worth. We begin to we don't deserve acceptance or anything good. But the Father promises to love us unconditionally, and our job is simply to accept His everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3; 1 John 4:9-11). Deuteronomy 31:8 assures, “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Fourth, cling to God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, regardless of what happens, with the knowledge that He ultimately provides what is absolutely best for you. Understanding this principle will help you get through the most difficult times in your life, because when you turn to Him for help, He will comfort your hurting soul and fill the emptiness with hope.

No matter what happens in your lives, don't let go of the Savior. Respond to your feeling of discouragement with prayer. Commit yourself to trusting His plan, regardless of the circumstances. Claim His unfailing promises and cling to His loving presence. He can and will help you through this. So hold on to God. He knows the pathway to victory in your situation and is simply waiting for you to trust Him to lead the way.

Charles Stanley
October 2010
Prayer Letter

Skipping a Stone

Skipping a Stone across Ages and Cultures -
A Time-traveler Visits Christian Communities

The core beliefs that have united Christians for two thousand years certainly built Western civilization, but it is a mistake to think that Christianity belongs to Western culture. Christianity did not originate in the West and has never been confined to it. The core elements of the faith have brought about a tremendous unity in a diversity of cultures, as renowned writer on Christian missions Andrew Walls demonstrates, imagining what a time-traveler would see if he dropped in on five Christian communities living in different cultures over the centuries.

First, the time-traveler visits the founding church in Jerusalem in AD 37. He notes that these new Christians are hard to distinguish from a branch of Judaism. They simply identify the Jewish teaching about the Messiah, the Son of Man, with Jesus of Nazareth. These Christians are mostly drawn from the ranks of tradesmen and laborers. They have large families, and their faith is marked by celebrations and by helping one another to face material challenges.

Next, our time-traveler visits Christians about the time of the Council of Nicea in AD 325. These Christians are no longer Jewish but drawn from all over the Mediterranean world. Many of the leaders now practice celibacy. They are familiar with the ancient Jewish Scriptures but give equal value to writings that have been generated by their own community – the “New Testament”. The subject of their discussions in centers, in the first community's, on the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Culturally, these two Christian communities are already worlds apart.

Our time-traveler then visits Irish monks of the sixth century. They practice such spiritual disciplines as fasting and praying for long hours with their arms outstretched in the form of a cross. They are otherworldly in a way in a way the first two communities were not, but they have the same evangelical zeal; they want those near and far to understand Jesus' significance as the messiah. Some of their members are about to depart for the Scottish coast in tubby leather and wood boats, where they will call the Scottish clans to exchange their nature worship and bloody practices for the joys of heaven.

The time-traveler drops in one of the great English missionary societies of the 1840s. Unlike the Irish monks, these Christians seek a spirituality marked by social activism instead of severe spiritual disciplines. While the monks lived on virtually nothing, these people are almost too well fed. But they fell exactly the same burden to spread the message. They are funding missions to the Far East, Oceania, and Africa. They are also working to improve conditions within their own society brought on by the Industrial Revolution.

Finally, the time-traveler comes to Lagos, Nigeria, in the 1980s. He sees white-robed Christians dancing and chanting their way through the streets. They call themselves Cherubim and Seraphim, and they invite their neighbors to experience the power of God. They are not social activists, like the English. They fast like the Irish monks but more for specific benefits. They talk more about the Holy Spirit and His power to inspire preaching, bring healing, and provide personal guidance.

The time-traveler notes that, culturally, these five Christian groups could hardly be more different. Yet they think of themselves as connected, and indeed, their thinking is remarkably similar. They believe that in Christ the world has been rescued from the power of evil and death; they believe in God' sovereignty over history; they make the same use of the Scriptures and of bread and wine and water.

Surprisingly historical connections among the groups come mind as well – those activist English missionaries first brought the faith to the dancing Nigerians, for example. (Today, in fitting reversal, these Nigerians and other people of the Global South are bringing faith back to the West.) The Jews evangelized the Mediterranean Gentiles, from whom both Ireland and England received the faith. All five groups, despite cultural appearances, are part of the same legacy: the one Lord, one faith, one baptism they profess holds true for all.


From “The Faith:
What Christians believe,
Why they believe it, and why it matters”
by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett
Zondervan Press (2008) pp 23-25

James

I met James yesterday (Friday 10/1) while taking my bus to dialysis. He said he was from Lillington, NC and had been homeless for less than a month. Last night he slept on a park bench (and this morning a man gave him $5). James had just gotten back from Social Services where he got a Food Stamp card for $200. He said he had less than $10 in his pocket, but had all that he possessed carefully packed in his pack-bag. He took off the NC State sweatshirt he had been wearing that cool morning and put it in there.

James is a born-again Christian and is depending on God to lead him through each day. Being homeless is a new and humbling experience for him. He never thought or wanted to go on welfare. He is from a Presbyterian background, but was going to “Crossroads Church” near Lillington. He liked it because all kinds of people went there (including bikers and ex-drug addicts). He said people came dressed in whatever they had: Suits, shorts (even bathing suits). All were welcome. The mainline churches around them looked down on Crossroads, but he knew it was the place for him.

James was new to Raleigh and didn't know where he would sleep tonight, so, I suggested that he go downtown to Raleigh Rescue Mission. When I was almost homeless several years ago, I had worked in the kitchen there, and served lunch. I found it to be a wonderful place. I only got to talk to James a few minutes before he had to catch his next bus. I gave him a paper flower my granddaughter, Chloe, had made for me (so he could remember that I was praying for him). We shook hands and he took off.

It is exciting to see how God has special people and moments planned for us as we trust him. You can be sure I will never forget James.