SANCTUARY CITIES

Ideas come from somewhere and the good ones come from the heart of God.

Where did we get the idea for "sanctuary cities"?  Are they a good idea?

God's heart has always been for protecting the innocent.  Because our law is based on Judeo-Christian beliefs, we wrote room into our immigration law ("asylum")  for people running from religious or political persecution.  The sanctuary cities make room for them while their status is being adjudicated.  That's good.

But sanctuary cities also have become places for outlaws to hide FROM the law, preventing their "day in court".  Let's go back to the beginning to see how we have perverted God's good idea that He called "Cities of Refuge".

As the LORD was sending His people into the Promised Land, He told them how to structure their government to include "Cities of Refuge".

God spoke specifically about these cities to Moses and then to Joshua (as seen in Deuteronomy 19, Numbers 35, and Joshua 20).

This is what God said to Joshua:
"Have the Israelites select the cities of refuge that I told you about through Moses.  Anyone who accidentally kills someone can escape there; these cities will be a place of asylum from the avenger of blood.  The ones who committed manslaughter should escape to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the city gate, and present his case to the leaders of that city.  They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there.  When the avenger of blood comes after him, they must not hand over to him the one who committed manslaughter, for he accidentally killed his fellow man without premeditation.  He must remain in that city until his case is decided by the assembly and the high priest dies.  Then the one who committed manslaughter may return home to the city from which he escaped."

God was protecting life in two ways:  He provided for the accidental murderer ("manslaughter") a safe place until the case could be heard...and He also was protecting the blood avenger from sinning, that their blood would be required of them.

Look how practically the Lord laid out the plan.  He told them to choose six cities strategically placed throughout the Promised Land so that a person in flight could walk to one of the cities in a day's time.  Three Cities of Refuge were east of the Jordan River and three were to the west.

The cities were on good roads and were open always to all (Israelite, settler, or foreigner), but the accused was required to stay within the border of that City of Refuge until adjudication or at such time as the high priest died.  Then the person might return to his home.

Did you know that Jesus is our City of Refuge?

All have sin, so we are not falsely accused.  All are responsible for a capital crime, the death of God's Son.  All are headed to eternal death unless we find a place of safety.


*AT THE GATE.  When the fugitive arrived at the city gate, he was required to state the facts of his case before the city elders took him in/provided for him until his case could be heard.  Doesn't Jesus take us in and provide for us?  Jesus' arms are always open for those who would bow before Him and confess their sin.

*WHOMEVER.  The gates of the city were open day and night for ALL.  In the same way, any person can come to Jesus at any time.  God is not a respecter of persons, but   salvation is God's free gift through Christ.

*PARDON.  The fugitive was not turned over to his avenger, and Jesus does not turn us over to our enemy.  Sin pursues man doggedly, but the Lord Christ offers refuge for the guilty.  Even though He has heard our story (the facts of our case), He forgives...by incredibly taking our punishment for sin.  The only way to escape death for our sins is through His sacrifice.

*FOREVER.   Although the fugitive was to remain in the City of Refuge until the High Priest died, we do not leave our Refuge because our High Priest Jesus will never die.  His resurrection proves that God has the power over death.  Our protection begins when we ask for forgiveness and lasts until the day our Rescuer will take us to the eternal place He has prepared...and then forever.

Proclaiming the gospel continues to make the roads clear to the Rescuer.  Isn't that our job as believers?  That was Jesus' last order before He left the earth.  "Go then, and make disciples of all the nations."   God is so gracious.  Will you tell others that they have a place to flee?

PLACES IN THE HEART

Mike and I watched "Places in the Heart" last week.  It has been a long time since we've seen it and we would place it up there beside "To Kill a Mockingbird" in the way it displays virtue in the face of cultural ungodliness.

Know what ungodliness is?  Ungodliness is when we act in opposition to God's character.  He is kind and we are self-absorbed, He is forgiving and we are into retaliation, He is loving and we love those who are like us, He is slow to anger and we snap, He displays grace and mercy and we expect tit-for-tat.

"Places in the Heart" is a beautiful snapshot of the contrast between godliness and ungodliness.

"Church" bookends this movie; it opens and closes with a church building, a church song, and church people.

Interestingly, one of the church visuals is a European-looking church that is much outsized for the small Texas town setting.  That seemed to be saying that the people are overpowered by the church rather than be powered by God.

In fact, the movie seems to make the point that the church was full of hypocrites.  Since I'm one, there's no argument from me on that.  It's easy to know right but not act right.

Set in 1935 in Waxahachie, Texas, "Places in the Heart" also includes some unrighteousness (opposition to God's laws).  There is blatant discrimination as the town's people reject and beat a black man, the banker seems particularly unhelpful to a widow, and there is a cheating spouse as well as a cheating gin-operator.

BUT OH, THE WONDERFUL PARTS!

Loved watching Sally Field, PERIOD!  She did receive Best Actress for this 1984 role.  Loved watching her recover and shine as Edna, the widow who was totally unprepared for life's hardball.  Loved her sparkly act of grace over the stolen silver spoons and her interaction with her cute kiddos, Possum and Frank.  Felt the fierceness of her heartbreak in moments when she missed her husband (especially in the discipline of Frank).

Loved the rest of this fabulous ensemble cast.  Loved seeing how the blind boarder, the hobo, and Edna's family all became a family as their attitudes readjusted.  When the tornado came, they risked their lives, one for another.

The movie's end reminded my why my first viewing caused tears.  Our sin makes us unworthy, but the movie attests to the hope of forgiveness that is found in Christ.

As communion is passed at the end, we see the reality of Jesus' power which purchased peace with God.  Then the Holy Spirit reminds us of the hope of a coming day when things will be set right.  LINK

In that day, sin's absence will subtract opposition to God's character and His laws.  Then, the top "place in our hearts" will belong to Him.

If you haven't seen "Places in the Heart", give Netflix a call...

DR. JEKYLL/MR. HYDE

Our BSF lessons have been so rich and challenging lately.  Last Tuesday our teaching leader covered the whole book of 1John in one lesson.  The thoughts about sin and God's love are still popping in my brain.

She likened our struggle with sin to how Dr. Jekyll wanted to let his evil side out...but he wanted a way that didn't ruin his reputation.  So the doctor developed a potion which allowed him to change into Mr. Hyde, sin as much as he wanted, then chug the potion and return again to respectability.

Ever had your own Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing going?  It's the stuff life in the world's system is made of.  And it sure looks stinky when the light shines on it.  That must be why the Lord tells us to walk in the light...

Could I give you one thing from each of the five 1John chapters that's been on my mind?

CHAPTER 1: SIN IS DARKNESS BUT GOD IS LIGHT.  God is light and there is NO darkness in Him.  Sin is a fixed attitude of opposition to God's person (ungodliness) and to His laws (unrighteousness).

Do you rub elbows with those who snort about sin as though sin is a fool's contrivance?  Views about sin may change, but God never changes.  It's what He says about sin that counts; He says sin separates us from Him.

Sin is burdensome, but the people who cozy up to God's character live lives of joy and contentment because we are wired to be in a state of wholeness (shalom) with God.

My take-away from Chapter 1 was "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."  I was cut to the quick to realize that when I let confession slide...I am, in effect, calling God a liar.

CHAPTER 2: SIN IS THE DESIRE OF THE WORLD.  Sin is the dominant reality in our world, and Chapter 2 speaks of three dark things that call to people...the lust of the flesh (passions), the lust of the eyes (possessions), and the pride of life (power and position).  Know how those things were once good?

     a.  God gave sexual attraction as a gift for a man/woman in monogamous marriage. Now the lust of the flesh has turned it into a plethora of perversions.
     b.  God gave man eyes to see the beauty of creation so he would see how beautiful the Creator is.  Now the lust of the eyes idolizes "things" and man becomes covetous.
     c.  God gave man pride so that he could be proud of the Lord Jesus.  Instead, man turns that gift inward and thinks more highly of himself.

When believers sin, we have an Advocate before the Father who caused us to be born again by the Holy Spirit.  That saving grace is distributed by God HOW and WHEN He chooses.  Our immutable God never changes, but His created ones (angels and people) were not made immutable.  We change, and our free will calls for cooperation with the Spirit in order to learn obedience.  Grace is not an entitlement, but a free gift to praise Him for every day.

CHAPTER 3: SIN IS OF THE DEVIL.  There are two groups of people in the world.  God's children exhibit God's character...and Satan's children exhibit his lawless character.  Sin is incompatible with the character of God, but VERY consistent with the character of the devil.

"Now this is His commandment that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another...and the person who keeps His commandments resides in God and God in him.  Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit He has given us."  

CHAPTER 4: SIN IS DEALT WITH BY GOD.  Just as there are a boatload of false teachers today, in John's day men taught that Jesus was a man and not God.  John writes to say Jesus was fully man and fully God.  "In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."  1John 4:10

In Genesis 2, God had warned Adam that disobedience would earn a death sentence...and not only for himself but also for his descendants.

What is death?  If you have ever lost someone dear, you know that death is physical separation.  But death can also be spiritual separation.  When Adam sinned he immediately felt shame, the result of spiritual separation from his Father.  The Lord COULD have given Adam immediate physical death (which would have meant eternal separation), but He chose to give Adam 930 more years to propagate mankind.

God also promised to send Himself to take Adam's punishment...but in the meantime He killed an animal to cover Adam's sin.  For thousands of years men came to an altar to express their faith that they would receive atonement in the death of a substitute.  Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

In the Old Testament, the blood of the sacrifice was taken into the Holy of Holies once a year and placed on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant.  That lid was called the mercy seat because when God looked down, he saw blood from the atonement and knew something had died for the sin.  That sacrifice propitiated (turned away) God's wrath from His people.

We know the blood of sheep and goats was just a foreshadowing and not a complete atonement.  But God accepted it because the faith of His people was not in the sacrifice, but in the Promised Messiah.  When Jesus became the Once-And-Forever Substitute, His death and separation from God the Father became the way anyone might come to God.  GOD DEALT WITH OUR SIN BY TAKING HIS WRATH OUT ON HIMSELF.  He did that knowing that men would keep on sinning.  The truth of that is stunning to me.

CHAPTER 5: Sin Is Dangerous.  Welcome to a sticky passage.  In this chapter the Lord is calling the believer to pray for another believer who is sinning.  Why?  Sin is dangerous when our hearts are hard.

Spiritual separation is not in play in the passage because God holds onto all who are His.  But an understanding of the "sin unto death" spoken of in 1John 5:16...is  that when a believer is sinning in a way that God considers harmful enough, He would cause a physical separation (death) of the believer so that the person stops hurting themselves.  We remember Ananias and Sapphira.  Such a sin wouldn't be a sin just "stumbled upon", but rather a continuous and willful, unrepentant sin.  The Lord does discipline those He loves.

What were my takeaways from 1John?  How can I keep my inner Mr. Hyde at bay?

Confess.
Conquer sin by craving God's words.
Cooperate with the Holy Spirit to exhibit God's character.
Choose sacrificial love over sin.
Call Jesus Lord.

John closes his book by saying "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols".  Our lecture leader pointed out that DR. JEKYLL IDOLIZED HIMSELF by blaming Mr. Hyde.  Of course, there was never a Mr. Hyde...only Dr. Jekyll who would "Hyde" his sins.  Aren't we so thankful that we don't have to be sinless to be in a relationship with our Merciful God?  We just come to Him clothed in Jesus' righteousness.  May He give each of us the strength to honor Jesus' name as we ask Him to cause us to live imprinted with His character.

THE WONDERS OF HIS LOVE

Remember singing "Joy to the World" just two months ago?

In the third stanza we sing "He makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness".

What exactly does that mean?  Those words came to mind this week as we studied John 13 in our Bible Study Fellowship lesson.

The setting for that chapter is the Upper Room as Jesus and the disciples are taking the Passover meal (that we call the Last Supper).  Then very unexpectedly, the Creator of the Universe stoops down to serve the creatures by washing their feet.

First, the apostle Peter recoils in a man-centered response (just as you or I might) and refuses for the Master to do such a menial chore for him.  But then the big fisherman says "Lord, wash all of me!" as their Teacher shows them that the essence of their ministry will be "through love, serve one another".

As we answered our lesson questions, we tried to think of all the things that had to be swirling around in Jesus' mind just then.  The crucifixion would be the next day, His men were still "not getting it", and then there was the whole Judas thing.

The Good Shepherd knew Judas' heart from the beginning; He saw the outcome when He picked Judas to be a disciple.  Besides the fact that He was God...with all that was going on, how did Jesus hold all that in His head and choose to demonstrate humility?

God the Son knew God the Father was in charge.  That truth brings a quietness in chaos.

John 13 shows a man hanging onto his life...and a man whose life was changing profoundly as he gave it away.  The Lord gave Peter the understanding that the Lord's example was a call to love and serve in self-abandonment.  The Book says we are blessed (happy) when we give our lives away.  But Judas was keeping more than just the money bag.  He was keeping HIMSELF and that decision led to a state of misery before he hanged himself at the end of a rope.

Perhaps in the beginning Judas saw the miracles and really thought Jesus was the Messiah.  Who doesn't want to be on the winning team?  But as time went on, Judas saw the Master give money away and his greed grew.  When there was no prestige in following a man condemned to die, his pride grew.  In the end, the betrayer had remorse, but no repentance.

And Jesus?  For three years, He had befriended Judas as He poured His life into the backstabber. Then around the Passover table, Jesus  leaned forward and offered Judas his last act of friendship and love.  He gave Judas the first honored piece of bread that symbolically was dipped in wine (pointing to the Promised Land).  Instead of melting in the grace of that moment, Judas did not change course...and the Bible says Jesus was deeply distressed.

"After Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.  Jesus said to him 'What you are about to do, do quickly'.  (Now none of the present at the table understood why Jesus said this to Judas.  Some thought that because Judas had the money box, Jesus was telling him to buy whatever they needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor.)  Judas took the bread and went out immediately.  (Now it was night.)"

Our BSF lecture leader said "Judas' hypocrisy was so polished that none of the disciples suspected he was the betrayer".  As he left the Upper Room, the darkness inside Judas was greater than the darkness of the night.  It is super creepy to think of Satan fully filling Judas, but no betrayal or rebellion can affect the Father's plan.

Now would you go back with me to the Christmas carol lyrics at the beginning?  God makes all people (the nations) prove His righteousness by showing us our unrighteousness and need of Him.  He let Judas "run his string" just as He lets each of us come to the end of ourselves.  Jesus fully loved all twelve of His friends to the end, proving that love overcomes darkness.  Oh, how He loves you and me!  Love wins.

GOD AUTHORIZED THE REBELLION BY SATAN AND BY MAN...SO THAT HE COULD GLORIFY HIMSELF BY DEFEATING SATANIC PRIDE THROUGH LOVE.

Every human heart is rebellious ("all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God").  Every human heart needs to be made right with God.  Jesus is the Way because His death made the way.  His Word is Truth and His desire is that we might have the Life with Him for eternity.  What a loving Savior!

Won't you move toward the wonders of His love today?

JESUS THE MESSIAH

Can you picture how things will be when the Messiah returns to earth?

At His first visit, people experienced renewal and healing and splendor because THINGS FLOURISH WHEN THE KING IS PRESENT.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah described the Messianic reign in this way:  "Then the blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear.  Then the lame will leap like a deer, the mute tongue will shout for joy..." 

Rabbinical teaching about the coming of the Messiah was based on that Isaiah 35 verse.  They taught the Messiah alone could perform such miracles and that is how Israel might recognize Him.  So the nation waited and watched.

Imagine their excitement when 700 years later, Jesus began doing these Messianic miracles.  Some thought  He was the Messiah, but others were not sure.  What miracles did He do?  Jesus healed...

*THE LEPER.   Leprosy was incurable by human efforts, so when Jesus made the leper's skin pure and clean, don't you know the restored man wanted to leap like a deer?  But Jesus said "Tell no one.  Go to the rabbi and show yourself."

In doing so, the rabbi would set into motion the "vetting" process to verify such claims.  Did the religious leaders recognize Jesus as Messiah?  No, they called Him a blasphemer.

*THE DUMB DEMONIAC.  The process of removing a demon involved communicating with the demon to find out its name in order to call it out.  With the dumb demoniac there was no communication, therefore no possibility to exorcise.  But when Jesus cast out this man's demon, do you think his mute tongue shouted for joy?

Unfortunately, the Pharisees declared Jesus did it by the power of Satan.

*THE MAN BORN BLIND.   Healing was not possible for the man born blind because his eyes had never seen.  But when the Creator of the World came along one day, Jesus created sight for him.

Then the Jewish leaders began a systematic 'take down' of the newly-sighted man as they interrogated him, accused him of lying about his blindness, and finally kicked him out of the synagogue.  They declared Jesus wasn't from God.

After each of these three Messianic miracles, the Jewish leaders had tried/failed to kill Jesus.  Then  Jesus raised Lazarus.  Could a more convincing proof of deity been offered than raising from the dead after four days?  But the Pharisees were convinced that it would be better for one man to die than the whole nation, so these false shepherds redoubled their efforts to put Jesus to death.

Ezekiel 34 is a scorching chapter in which God prophecies against false shepherds.  It is interesting to realize that while the Jewish officials thought they were deciding Jesus' fate, actually it was their fate being decided.  They fleshed out the meaning of "false shepherds" who looked out for self rather than the sheep.

The apostle John writes two chapters that draw the contrast between false shepherds and the Good Shepherd.  In John 9, the false shepherds kicked the man born blind out of the synagogue, but in John 10, Jesus is described as the Good Shepherd who...

     *The Good Shepherd calls to His sheep and they know His voice and follow Him to abundant life.
     *The Good Shepherd is not a hireling who leaves the flock at the first danger; no one can steal the sheep from His hand.
     *The Good Shepherd protects His sheep from the "wolves" of sin, death, and God's judgment.
     *The Good Shepherd's sacrificial death makes one flock with one Shepherd.
     *The Good Shepherd receives all the gifts that God the Father gives to Him.  If you are a Christian, you are one of those gifts.
     
It is essential to follow the right leader in life, and only one Shepherd has proven that He is the Messiah by completing four Messianic miracles.  Only one Shepherd has the power to willingly lay down His life to redeem from sin and death and judgment...and then also has the power to pick it up again.  Only one Shepherd receives the gifts that God the Father has given Him since the foundation of the world.

The Good Shepherd's name is Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus, the Messiah) and we look forward to one day being in His presence where all things will flourish as He makes all things new in a place where righteousness dwells.

"These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."  John 20:31

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS 2016

Mike and I are trying to remember what we did before THE MOVE to Butterfield Trail Village this year.  It seemed in the blur of 2016 that we were "getting ready to move" or "getting moved" or "getting settled" all year long.

Now we are proud to announce the arrival of both cars into the garage and the elimination of cardboard!  Hooray!

One of my greatest blessings is that Mike is a planner.  Several years ago, he had a ten-year-plan in which he saw us downsizing when he turned 75.  When he first started talking about Butterfield, I wanted none of it.  "You go on and look at it.  I'll take your word for it" I said.  So he went, he liked it, and he put money down to get us on a waiting list.

Three years later, they called and asked if we would be interested in building a unit.  In the interim, I found myself ready.  It's funny how one day you think you need a big place, and the next day you are strangely attracted to "less is more".

Oh, and yes...this coming March, Mike will be 75.

Last week our place was on display at Butterfield's yearly Open House.  We were floored that there were at least 120 people who came through.  Mike said it was a flood of baby boomers doing their due-diligence.  We answered lots of questions and here's what we told them about why we became VILLAGE PEOPLE:

1.  It appealed to us to scale down and have someone else mow your lawn, clean your house, and cook one meal a day.  And there's comfort in knowing there is a place here for assisted living (post-surgery), a dementia wing, and nursing care.  Still, it's weird to not be the captain of your own ship and own your own home, and we're still adjusting to that.

2.  Our gift to the kids this year is getting rid of stuff that they won't have to plow through later...and hopefully the stuff we did keep is better organized.

3.  We've always enjoyed building and when BTV asked if we would like to build a 2k square-foot unit, the juices flowed.  We got to monkey with blueprints, choose colors, finishes, light fixtures, and appliances.

4.  We totally love our wonderful neighbors.  Butterfield offers apartments in the three-story "big house", cottages, and village homes in the back where the "younger people" live in duplexes.  It's like we have stepped back to the first-married days because now we have "roof-mates".

Mike is teaching a Bible study on Mondays where  the spunky piano player is 100.  As we left the study last week, eight of us went on into lunch and shared a big round table.  The BTV dining room makes intentional friendships easier.

If you have a ten-year-plan or are just curious about Butterfield, Mike's a good salesman.  BTV was started by a consortium of five churches who recognized the need to come alongside the aging population and many have benefited from their graceful foresight.  The campus sits on 44 acres just blocks from retail and the Joyce/College Avenue intersection.  There are almost 200 staff and 400 residents, their occupancy rate now is 98%, and there are 120 people are on the waiting list.

We are looking forward to the NEW YEAR so that we can get our life back and think about higher and less self-absorbed things.  But before we close, please permit just two pics of grands:

Who wouldn't want a snow cone from these three lovely entrepreneurs in Little Rock?  (Don't miss that one particularly hygienic saleslady.)

Anyone want to take a four-wheeler ride with these ripsnorting Fayetteville boys?

God has made our lives rich with our kids and with their kids...as well as with our "new best friends" we are making at THE HOME.

The Cruses send our love and best wishes for the Father's richest blessings on you this Merry Christmas!  Keep looking up!

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet.  The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.  So we will be with the Lord forever."  1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17


 

WORDS

After Orlando, POTUS took to the mic, taking issue with those who criticize his lack of focus on the problem.  He mocked concerns that he does not name our enemy, saying there is nothing "magic" about the words.

Then he blamed the problem on guns.  We know if a gun ban were the answer, Chicago would be a safe place.

In fact, our problem is a people who abide in Sharia law because Sharia law calls them to lawlessness and murder.  Americans do not abide under the same code of law.  If the President is looking to change laws, let him change Sharia law.

The most recent poll says 51% of American Muslims agree with Sharia law.  And according to Pew Research, 60% of American Muslims under 30 are more loyal to Islam than to America.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CALL THE ENEMY "RADICAL ISLAM"? 


1.  WORDS HELP US UNDERSTAND.  Ever heard the term "bayat"?  That is an Islamic word which means "allegiance".  When the Orlando shooter took time to call around during that prolonged killing spree, his calls were to make sure everyone knew where HIS allegiance belonged.  The bayat is part of the jihad and it was heard around the Muslim world, enlarging the shooter/his cause...and thereby encouraging other attacks.

We need to know how the enemy thinks...so that we can think ahead of them.  Americans don't think like these barbaric people who jam planes into buildings and burn people alive. We need to see this "holy war" for the pure evil that it is.

2.  WORDS INSPIRE 
"E PLURIBUS UNUM".  I remember how American pride swelled when we heard JFK speak the words "ask what YOU can do for your country".  Those words echoed down time and brought the country together for her good.

But what do we hear?  We hear lots of discouragement ("you didn't build that") and discontent ("America has her problems") and mischaracterization ("their poverty causes them to act as they do") and deflection ("the future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Muhammed") and apologies ad nauseam.

We need to KNOW that our leadership doesn't think the fight is over the correct bathroom...or with Wayne LaPierre.  We need to KNOW he has a plan for our good against terrorists that is to be fought on the terrorists' battleground.  We need to KNOW he isn't making our protection more complicated.

3.  WORDS FOCUS THE ELECTORATE.   We are confused.  On the one hand, FBI Director Comey tells us "if you see something, say something".

The gun shop owner tried that.  They smelled a rat and called the FBI when the shooter tried to buy body armor and bulk ammo.  LINK  Then the gun store called the FBI back days later, and they still didn't get a response; the shooter fell through a crack.  (To be fair, the FBI didn't have a name to work with because the shooter didn't make a purchase.)

But Americans are unsettled.  We don't understand with all the flags, why they missed the Boston bombers or Maj. Hasan or the San Bernadino husband/wife or now this Orlando shooter.  We feel like if we say something, people will accuse us of being a racist (xenophobic, bigot, etc).  That fear of labeling kept the aforementioned neighbors quiet.  But if we all are on the same page with our focus on the problem, we can cooperate.

4. WORDS COME WITH POWER.  We have been told that these acts of terrorism are "just the way things will be now".  Well, that doesn't inspire courage.  Doesn't a leader lift the flock's eyes to the solution?  We don't want the armed forces and police cut.  We don't want to bind the hands of our protectors with goofy regulations like "disallow monitoring in mosques" and "quit using terms such as "radical" or "jihad" or "radical Islamic terrorism".  Let law enforcement follow the trail.  All the logical efforts to fight  the enemy flow out of a clear objective found in the words RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and what that means.

Charles Krauthammer explains why semantics are important.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz8IQnQAiTI

Bill Maher helps us to see our denial about radical Islam.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75Zfgj2k0KM

Let's call this perversion of civilization for what it is and deal with it.  Let's coalesce around a common sense approach to evil just as Americans did in WW2.  These radicals who speak words of hate and murder have promised to come for the West...and now they have come REPEATEDLY.

When would be a good time to get serious?