belong

David posted this story last week about Antoinette Tuff, the Georgia school bookkeeper who helped to prevent a tragic school shooting. He asked this question:

What would our lives look like if we were to live by the love of Christ, an attitude of nonviolence, and daily spiritual preparation?  How would we – and our culture – and our churches – be transformed?

And Joe wrote this in response.

I’ve been mulling over a response to David’s question for a while, trying to figure out a way to articulate my thoughts. If I’m completely honest, I might have to confess that I have become numb to the tragedies that we hear in the news everyday. Perhaps it’s because we have been exposed to so much of it through the media that I just get tired of feeling compassionate all the time.

And then I remember the story of “Tārore and Her Book,” one of my favourite stories to tell the kids I work with.

And then I remember this is how we are called to live. And to answer David’s question, this is what happens when we live by the love of Christ, and transform our culture and our churches.

This is the true story of Tārore and her book.

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A hero in a school

Last week, David posted about the story of a possible shooting spree in a Georgia school that was averted by the calm, loving actions of Antoinette Tuff. Against all odds Tuff offered compassion and empathy to a young man who arrived at the school that day, intending to do serious harm to others and to himself. Tuff has been touted as a hero.

And she should be.

Her actions prompted David to ask the question, “What would our lives look like if we were to live by the love of Christ, an attitude of nonviolence, and daily spiritual preparation?” These are important questions for Christians to ask, and I share what I sense to be a current of optimism beneath their surface. It suggests that embracing these practices would lead to something better for ourselves and others. But something about these questions haunts me as well, and I wonder how we might answer them if Tuff’s story was different.
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By now, you probably have heard the story of Antoinette Tuff, the Georgia school bookkeeper who this week helped to prevent a tragic school shooting by talking with the 20-year-old man who entered the school armed with an AK-47.  Many people are talking about, writing about, and celebrating the heroic actions and bravery of this woman.  Ms. Tuff kept the potential shooter talking while he decided what to do: whether to attack students and staff, injure himself, or surrender to the police.  For half an hour, she kept calm and spoke wisdom to this young man until, ultimately, he laid down his gun without having injured or killed a single person.

photo by Br3nda

This is a tremendous story of love and compassion in action.  I would like to highlight a few principles for us to consider: Continue reading →