Blog Archives - IRONSTRIKES

Being blessed

10/31/2015

Jesus is the Blessed One. When Jesus was baptised in the Jordan river a voice came from heaven saying: "You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you" (Mark 1:11). This was the blessing that sustained Jesus during his life. Whatever happened to him - praise or blame - he clung to his blessing; he always remembered that he was the favourite child of God.

Jesus came into the world to share that blessing with us. He came to open our ears to the voice that also says to us, "You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter, my favour rests on you ." When we can hear that voice, trust in it, and always remember it, especially during dark times, we can live our lives as God's blessed children and find the strength to share that blessing with others.

For further reflection...

"How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings." - Psalm 36: 7 (NRSV)

This post was written by Henri Nouwen. You can find his blog at: www.henrinouwen.org

What are you hoping for?

10/30/2015

We look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed (Titus 2:13).

Most of us have things we’re hoping for in life, but what are you ultimately hoping for? Paul told Titus to “look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed” (Titus 2:13). Do you believe that Jesus will return to this earth? Do you want Him to come?

There’s a reason why 1 Corinthians 13:13 puts hope together with faith and love: “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” Hope requires faith. It’s more than a mere wish, “hoping” that something turns out for the best.

Biblical hope is a firm and certain confidence that what God promised will come true. We say “hopefully” when we’re not sure if events will break our way. God says “hope fully on the grace to be given to you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:13 NIV 1984).

Hope requires love. It’s more than expecting a future event to happen, it’s hoping that it does. Biblical hope brims with desire. Those who hope don’t merely believe that God will keep His promise—they long for it. They yearn for His return more than anything.

Tell me what you hope for—what you dream about when you don’t have to think about anything—and I’ll tell you what you believe. Tell me what you hope for, and I’ll tell you what you love.

How can we tell if our hope is in Jesus? We’ll talk to Him often, just to say we’re waiting for His return. We’ll pray the closing words of Scripture: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). And we’ll do what He says, knowing that “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin” (Titus 2:14).

What are you waiting for? What are you hoping for?

This post was written by Mike Wittmer of Our Daily Bread Ministries. You can find ODB here: www.odb.org

Treating people with respect

10/27/2015

One of the most dangerous tendencies of every human being is to mentally divide people into categories of people. It’s dangerous because half the time we don’t even know we’re doing it. Christians are particularly good at this; and yet, acting on this tendency is perilous to the Christian life. Breaking down this framework isn’t easy but it is necessary if we are going to live as Christ called us to live. The truth is, these mentally constructed categories don’t exist. There is not a distinction between who is my neighbor and who is not–Jesus told us this explicitly and yet for some reason we still don’t get it.

Everyone is our neighbor.

When we start thinking this way it changes how we interact with people. And this is important because that guy who waited on you last night at the restaurant . . . that girl that cut your hair . . . they’re not just some waiter . . . or some hairdresser . . . they’re people. People who may be struggling . . . hurting . . . waiting for someone, anyone, to talk to. But when we label them by what they do we cease to see them as persons; persons who are infinitely precious, incredibly valuable, and unceasingly loved by God–and for this very reason they should also mean that much to us. Because every person is objectively valuable. As Christians we should recognize this but we don’t. We’re all human and we’re all in this together and the gospel is the gospel not just for me and my friends at Church but for the man who brings my mail . . . the woman who rings up my coffee . . . and that guy that asked for directions.

I have done a great job forgetting this truth. I am really good at valuing things, tasks, or even ideas, more than people. But how we view people, and how we interact with people, impacts our entire worldview. And our worldview impacts how we live our lives. And our lives as Christians impact the way the world views Christ. And sometimes the picture of Christ that we’re showing the world isn’t so Christ-like.

So how do live this truth day-to-day?

I think this can be very practically applied by remembering to look into people rather than at people. As a society we’ve constructed all these boundaries, “oh man I can’t look into that person’s eyes because they’re a stranger” and so we try to avoid people we don’t know whenever possible. And if we absolutely must confront a stranger, say at the check out or to give directions, we try our best to keep the conversation an interaction with the subject rather than an interaction with the person.

For instance, the other day there was a knock on our door. It was an outdoor salesman who wanted to assess our lawn for treatment. We politely declined and he went on his way. That evening, after a party we hosted for my mom’s birthday, we saw the same salesman wandering back down our road. He looked a little lost. My wife turned to me and asked if we could invite him in for a piece of cake. And just like that, my wife demonstrated to me what a truly Christian worldview looks like. The guy walking down the road ceased to be merely a salesman to me and became a person.

While he ate his cake we were able to talk about life, family, and God. The conversation was a tremendous encouragement to me–it was the manifestation of what God has been teaching me about personal interactions. About forty-five minutes later he walked back out our front door with two extra pieces of cake for him and his wife and my phone number securely tucked in the contacts of his phone; and just like, when the salesman was allowed to walk through my front door he ceased to be a salesman and became a friend.

This is the kind of attitude we should have with everyone. And I struggle with this. We hold the keys to our house. We can open the door or slam it shut. We can let people into our lives or we can leave them out in the cold. But when we leave them in the cold we’re also shutting Jesus out with them.

In an earlier post I talked about showing Christ by suffering . . . By loving everyone not just those that love us . . . and this post is kind of complementary to it in the sense that we shouldn’t focus only on loving one of two extremes: our brother or enemy . . . We also need to remember that those people with whom we have casual interactions are people that we are called to love. And the first step to loving these people is to see them as people. He’s not just a waiter . . . She’s not just a hairdresser . . . He’s not just a salesman . . .

This is hard because we have these interactions all the time and we often find them unremarkable. But when someone does something in love to us we think, man, I love that person . . . Or when someone does something that makes us really angry we think, man, Jesus said I need to love that guy. But what about those people that do neither of these things? We tend to forget them; we’re not supposed to forget to love them but we often do.

I have failed to love my neighbor by failing to see my neighbor as a person instead of a title. I failed by categorizing people. I have failed by looking through my neighbor to my end goal: checking out at the store . . . getting my coffee . . . or just getting home sooner . . . Lord, forgive me.

This post was written by Ben Cabe. To find the original post, go to: http://www.bencabe.com/theology-spirituality/treating-people-like-human-beings

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Are you a follower?

10/27/2015

I’m not a fan of saying who is or who is not a Christian– it’s a big religion with lots of different expressions, and I’m the last person qualified to be a gatekeeper of who is allowed to use the term. Secondly, some have suggested we stop using the term altogether, which I’m not a fan of either. “Christian” is a beautiful term from our early days of a faith tradition, and you’re not going to see my name on the list of people who think we just dump it.

However, I do think the term “Jesus follower” is a more helpful term to interject into the conversation. While “Christian” can mean a million different things, “Jesus follower” is a little more definable because by definition, this would be an individual who is living a life that follows the example we find in Jesus.

I’m proud to be a Christian, but I long to be a Jesus follower. It’s what I strive for. It’s what I want to be when I grow up. It’s what this movement was all about.

While it’s not always easy to tell who is or is not a Christian, I think a Jesus follower is observable. One doesn’t need to tell you they’re a Jesus follower, because you’ll be able to see by how they live, whether or not it’s true.

As I look at the Jesus I find in the New Testament, I think there are a few hallmarks of what it looks like to follow him– traits that can be observed to “spot a Jesus follower”:

1. A Jesus follower likes to talk about him, but they do it in such a way that it causes you to want to know more, not less.

Someone who is following Jesus will be passionate about him– and as a result, they’ll talk about him. However, they’ll do it in such a way that attracts people instead of repelling them. In the New Testament, we see the way Jesus communicated his message was appealing to the point that he couldn’t go anywhere without attracting a big crowd. Followers of Jesus talk about him naturally and passionately but in a way that, like him, attract listeners. (The religious elite being the one exception to this rule both for Jesus and his followers).

2. A Jesus follower embraces enemy love.

One of the central teachings of Jesus is nonviolent love of enemies. It’s actually one area where he draws some pretty hard lines– lines that make both the left and right uncomfortable. It is important to understand however, that the life of Jesus is one giant testimony of enemy love– one that culminates with his death on the cross– the precise moment where he nonviolently died for his enemies. It only makes sense that someone who is actually following Jesus would follow his teachings and example. I can still hear Jesus saying, “if you only love those who love you, what reward is there in that?” His followers know this and hold what is still, a very unpopular belief.

3. A Jesus follower is the one who is full of compassion for outsiders and the weak.

Here’s a challenge: re-read the Gospels with a fresh eye, and count the number of times you hear the term “and Jesus was filled with compassion”. I promise, you’ll be shocked (head start: Mark 6:3, Matt 9:36, Mark 8:2). When I first noticed this in the Gospels, it was one of those moments when the words jumped off the page and became a “I can’t believe I didn’t see this before” experience. When Jesus saw people, his first response was that of compassion– his followers, by nature, are the same.

4. A Jesus follower is the one who is quickest to show others mercy.

Jesus once faced off with the religious elite of his time who were colluding with the power of Empire and oppressing the weak. When he did, he dismissed them and famously said: “go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice”.

One of the core aspects of the message of Jesus is one of mercy. He went to the cross on our behalf as an act of mercy. He stopped the execution of a condemned woman and told her “neither do I condemn you”, as an act of mercy. He was busy healing the sick, because he loved to show mercy. Jesus was a man who had mercy at the core of his being. If you want to distinguish a Christian from a Jesus follower, just look for the one who is advocating the position that shows the most mercy (including gratuitous forgiveness)– because that’s the heart of Jesus.

5. A Jesus follower is the one who, when they describe what God is like, describe Jesus.

Jesus followers get what Jesus meant when he said “if you have seen me, you’ve seen the father”, and they believe the author of Hebrews who wrote that Jesus was the “exact representation” of God’s being. This means that if you want to be able to spot a Jesus follower, look for the person who is describing a God who looks EXACTLY like Jesus. If Jesus is the exact representation of God, we know that nothing else– including the violent portraits of God in the Old Testament– can be the “exact representation” of God. Jesus followers are sold out on exclusively following Jesus because they realize that in all of human history, the only time God’s exact essence was revealed to us was done through the mirror image of Christ.

///

So what’s the point of being able to spot a Jesus follower– is it so we can judge who is not? May it never be. Instead, being able to spot a Jesus follower is crucial for our own spiritual vitality. If the Jesus path is the one you wish to travel, the best thing you can do is find others who are already on it, and walk together with them.

Yes, I am a Christian– but I long to be a Jesus follower. I want to walk this path, and I want to do the things that Jesus did. However, I don’t want to walk the path alone.

Perhaps we can find a way together.

This post was written by Benjamin Corey. For the original post, go to: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/formerlyfundie/5-ways-you-can-spot-a-jesus-follower/

The Great American Novel

10/26/2015

I recently had a meal with a new Christian friend, someone who is older than me and that I respect greatly. The conversation covered religion, politics, war, racism, etc. What was interesting, is that he assumed that I believed the same as he did. When he made a disparaging comment about someone's skin color and I let him know I didn't agree with his statement, this song by Larry Norman went thru my head.

This tremendous song was written by Larry Norman over 40 years ago. It did not receive a lot of acclaim. However, this song of protest at the state of American society still rings true in many ways (caveat: I'm too young to appreciate the intricacies of the Vietnam War, so I don't know if I agree with Norman about his anti-Vietnam stance; nevertheless, I do agree with the rest of his song):

I was born and raised an orphan in a land that once was free
In a land that poured its love out on the moon
and I grew up in the shadows of your silos filled with grain,
but you never helped to fill my empty spoon.

And when I was ten you murdered law with courtroom politics,
And you learned to make a lie sound just like truth;
But I know you better now and I don't fall for all your tricks,
And you've lost the one advantage of my youth.

You kill a black man at midnight just for talking to your daughter,
Then you make his wife your mistress and you leave her without water;
And the sheet you wear upon your face is the sheet your children sleep on,
At every meal you say a prayer; you don't believe but still you keep on.

And your money says in God we trust,
But it's against the law to pray in school;
You say we beat the Russians to the moon,
And I say you starved your children to do it.

You are far across the ocean but the war is not your own,
And while you're winning theirs, you're gonna lose the one at home;
Do you really think the only way to bring about the peace
Is to sacrifice your children and kill all your enemies?

The politicians all make speeches while the news men all take note,
And they exaggerate the issues as they shove them down our throats;
Is it really up to them whether this country sinks or floats?
Well I wonder who would lead us if none of us would vote.

Well my phone is tapped & my lips are chapped from whispering thru the fence,
You know every move I make, or is that just coincidence?
Well you try to make my way of life a little less like jail,
If I promise to make tapes and slides and send them through the mail.

And your money says in God we trust,
But it's against the law to pray in school;
You say we beat the Russians to the moon,
And I say you starved your children to do it.

You say all men are equal, all men are brothers,
Then why are the rich more equal than others?
Don't ask me for the answer,
I've only got one:

That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son

Copied from MetroLyrics.com

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Sunday Meditation

10/25/2015

Living by the Moment

It is the providences of God, taken undoubtedly in connection with other sources of information, which indicate, in particular, the will of God; and those providences are revealed, and can be revealed, only moment by moment.

The doctrine of living in the present moment, therefore, or in the state of momentary inward recollection, is founded not only on the necessity of watching against temptation, which is one reason for it, but on the fixed and immutable relation existing between the providences of God and the claims of God upon the human soul.

If we are bound to obey the will of God, and if we can know his present will, which is necessarily the source of present obligation, only in connection with his providences, it is very obvious that there can be no other mode of holy living than that of living by the moment.

Edited from Religious Maxims (1846) CXLIII by Thomas Cogswell Upham. His blog is managed by Craig L Adams and can be found here: http://thomascupham.blogspot.com

Want to get stronger?

10/24/2015

They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers—Acts 2:42

Want to get stronger? Want to be tougher? Get connected. When we face trials and challenges, those to whom we’re connected can support us—help us find courage we’d not find on our own. When we experience pain and loss, they can comfort us—help us back from places we’d not return from, on our own. When we’re hit by fear and anxiety, they can give us perspective—help us see things in ways we’d not see on our own. When we need truth, they can teach us—help us discover and understand what we we’d not grasp on our own. When we get stuck, they can call us out, speak truth, push us forward—help us stop (or start) what we’d be unable to, on our own. When we face complicated questions, they can listen and counsel us—help us process through problems that are too difficult on our own. When we mess up, make mistakes, they can correct us and have mercy—help remind us we’re loved, despite flaws and failures, something that’s hard to remember on our own.

The Apostle Paul urged connectedness (Romans 12:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13). The early Church demonstrated it—spending time together, knowing one another, eating, learning, and praying together. Why? Alone, we men are vulnerable; together, we’re stronger and more resilient toward the ups-and-downs of life (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Connectedness ruggedizes us, restores us, fuels us for what’s ahead. And, brother, there’s important stuff ahead.

Okay, so what do we do?

Go look at your weekly calendar. What are the major groupings, in terms of commitments and people? Work/Colleagues? Home/Family? Social/Friends? Others? Okay, now you need at least a couple people from each category who (1) know you, (2) understand the context too, and (3) who’ll make connectedness with you a priority.

Copyright © 2013 Gather Ministries, All rights reserved.
This post was written by Justin Camp of Gaither Ministries.
You can find more at: www.gaitherministries.com

The most human & the most divine gesture

10/23/2015

The two disciples whom Jesus joined on the road to Emmaus recognised him in the breaking of the bread. What is a more common, ordinary gesture than breaking bread? It may be the most human of all human gestures: a gesture of hospitality, friendship, care, and the desire to be together.

Taking a loaf of bread, blessing it, breaking it, and giving it to those seated around the table signifies unity, community, and peace. When Jesus does this he does the most ordinary as well as the most extraordinary. It is the most human as well as the most divine gesture.

The great mystery is that this daily and most human gesture is the way we recognise the presence of Christ among us. God becomes most present when we are most human.

For further reflection...

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us...?" - Luke 24: 32a (NIV)

This post was written by Henri Nouwen. You can find his site here: www.henrinouwen.org

7 Church Security Essentials

10/22/2015

“We prayed to our God and posted a guard.”
Nehemiah 4:9

Once upon a time, the lack of peace and safety church leaders worried about mostly happened somewhere else; occasionally in homes, often on the street, and mostly on the other side of the world. Now, the rise in deadly shootings and other crimes has disproportionately visited churches, driving the leaders of many houses of God to increase their preparedness for the unthinkable.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 declares that it is when “peace and safety” are being proclaimed that sudden calamity brings destruction. In the 21st century, peace and safety have evolved from a normal state of affairs to a call to action.

While the likelihood of a deadly shooting at a church has increased dramatically in the last ten years, there are many other types of threats to church-goers, and especially children, that are more likely and, often, more preventable, including physical or sexual abuse, kidnapping, and theft of property or private information. Churches cannot afford to ignore this reality.
We understand why this is a difficult topic for churches:

Leaders want to preserve a peaceful atmosphere, and overt security measures would threaten this goal
The gap between faith and action can be infused with fear, and the balancing act between the two is often a source of great personal and corporate tension
An undesired and uncomfortable debate on the use of deadly force in the protection of church-goers is likely to occur

Please do not let these challenges keep you from examining the risks, solutions and true stories of churches confronted with crimes of all types. Each church must decide for itself what steps to take, but we want to empower those decisions with vital information.
We have interviewed a variety of experts on church security in order to better equip church leaders with the information, statistics and action plans necessary to protect their congregants. As a result, we have identified seven critical areas for security in today’s churches:

Background Checks
Chris Wilson, president of Clear Investigative Advantage (CIA) says most churches limit searches to specific departments and often use free, online searches, which are not thorough enough. Not all background checks are created equally! Less than 40% of churches run complete background checks through experienced firms.
Check-in System
A secure check-in system for children & events heads off many issues, especially with policies that ensure child-pick up occurs only with a matching tag. Fellowship One Church Management Software increases security by embedding into its tags randomly generated codes that cannot be duplicated. A good check-in system allows administrators to know exactly where every child is at any given time.
Aggressive Friendliness
Chuck Chadwick, president of Gatekeepers Security Services and founder of the National Organization of Church Security and Safety Management, advocates training key people— often members of a security team—in de-escalation techniques aimed at gently confronting suspicious or hostile individuals in a non-threatening way.
Emergency Action Plan
There are many types of emergencies: medical issues, power outage, bomb threat, fire, or intruders. “Most churches wait for something to happen,” says Jeff Kowell, Director of Life Safety at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where a shooting claimed the life of two teenagers in 2007. It is critical to have a plan for different scenarios before something tragic happens.
Triage Teams
By creating small volunteer teams of doctors, nurses and paramedics, every church can help with minor incidents and provide critical triage care prior to the arrival of paramedics, fire or police. Kowell warns that churches can be liable if something goes wrong, so it’s important to have clearly defined policies in place.
Emergency Response Team (ERT) Kits
ERT kits should include large, reflective vests, powerful flashlights, additional emergency radios, and building maps. By placing emergency response team kits at strategic locations around the campus, distribution is made easier in the midst of an emergency. New Life Church also keeps a stash of “Go Bags” for children (water, space blankets, snacks) in the event of an evacuation.
Communications
“Simple two-way radios are the most effective way to share information and coordinate people during emergencies,” says Chadwick. “They’re better than cell phones that depend on coverage and up-to-date numbers.” The emergency response teams should have a clear command structure, knowing who will be responsible for communicating with teams throughout the facility. In large churches, it is important to have specific “zones” identified so that each team knows the specific evacuation plans or, in certain situations, lock-down protocols to keep people safe.

This post was adapted from Active Fellowship One. Go here for more information: http://www.fellowshipone.com/resources/church-management/7-essentials-for-church-security#sthash.r8OdxHNM.dpuf

Pastor shoots intruder during church service

10/21/2015

A man, who police say attacked a pastor with a brick at a church service before the pastor whipped out his Glock handgun and fatally fired back, ranted weeks before on Facebook that his pastor had gotten his wife pregnant.

The incident happened about 15 minutes into the 1:30 p.m. Sunday service at the City of God ministries storefront church on Grand River near Lahser, Assistant Chief Steve Dolunt said.

“The pastor had had issues with the man before,” Dolunt said. “He had been threatening him to do bodily harm. He walked into the service and went after the pastor with a brick. The pastor pulled out his Glock and fired several shots. I think he hit him four or five times, and the man died.”

The victim was identified as Deante Smith, 26, of Detroit, police said.

Two Detroit police sources said detectives were investigating a possible love triangle between Smith, his wife and their pastor.

Dolunt said police were called to the church in September. On Sept. 16, Smith wrote he planned to attend the church.

“Can’t wait to see Sunday message at the City of God Ministry,” he wrote. “I’ll be there with the truth.”
Later that day, Smith wrote: “This (expletive) gonna hit the fan.”

In a Sept. 15 post, Smith wrote: “That wasn’t my baby that was (his wife) and pastor(’s) baby.” That preceded a Sept. 18 rant: “This (expletive) got my (expletive) pregnant. Tick tock (expletive) and everybody with you.”

Smith posted several times in the weeks leading up to his death about the pain he wasfeeling about the alleged affair. On Oct. 8, he wrote: “I’m hurting, yall.”

His posts appeared to concern friends, one of whom wrote on Oct. 13, “may I ask (what) is going on with you?”

Smith replied: “I’m crazy they call me S.O.N.I.C.”

The pastor was not arrested and is cooperating with authorities, Officer Jennifer Moreno said Monday.

“He was never in custody,” Moreno said Monday. “He was just brought downtown (on Sunday) for questioning regarding the incident. He stayed a couple hours, cooperated fully and went home.”

After questioning the pastor, police will submit a warrant request to prosecutors, who will then decide whether the shooting was justified.

“We’re not sure at this point whether the man had mental problems or what,” Dolunt said. “It’s still under investigation.”

Smith had been a player for the semi-pro Michigan Lightning football team. The team released a statement on Facebook on Monday.

“His infectious smile and the courage in which he approached life, on and off the field, are attributes that will stick with all of us,” the team statement read.

According to the team, Smith was captain and founding father of the organization, established in 2012.

“More important than all his on-the-field achievements, was his ability to reach someone who was going through a rough time. ‘I got you,’ was echoed by him on many occasions, and to Tae, they weren’t just words, he wasn’t going to let you fall,” the team’s statement read.

Brad Bentley, head coach of the Lightning, said he was still in shock after hearing of Smith’s death. He had known the young man since 2007, and they’d been together on the Lightning since its founding.

“I’m tore up over this,” Bentley said. “I’m shocked.”

Bentley said he’ll lobby team owner Rami Abousaleh to retire Smith’s No. 3 jersey and even do a halftime ceremony next season.

Smith used to wear number 22, but had switched to No. 3. Bentley still called him “double-deuce” regardless.

“Before every game, he pointed to the sky and yelled Jesus!” Bentley said. “He believed in God, his family, and this football team.”
“He was a leader, a great man.”

Detroit City Councilman Andre Spivey, who also serves as pastor of St. Paul A.M.E. Church on Detroit’s east site, said late Sunday he had never met the City of God pastor. But concerns about security in places of worship, he said, have seemingly increased in recent months since June’s mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.

“It continues to shock me,” Spivey said. “Before June, you saw things like this happen every now and then. But now it seems every week something happens at a church.”

In the wake of the Charleston shooting that left nine dead, many Detroit pastors said they planned to beef up security at their places of worship.

In June, the Rev. Larry L. Simmons of Baber Memorial A.M.E. Church in northwest Detroit said he was one of them. “Unfortunately, we had an incident about a year ago at another church in Brightmoor,” Simmons said, referring to a shooting outside the Citadel of Praise Church in July. In that incident, an off-duty police officer serving as a church security guard fatally shot an ax-wielding man who was later determined to be mentally impaired.

“That incident alerted us that our security was not right,” Simmons said. “But how do you make a place that’s open to the public completely secure? You can’t.”

Spivey said Sunday he worries over the direction churches are being pushed in as they attempt to make their congregations safer.

“Thinking out about it, I do hope the church does not become a place where you have security like an airport,” he said. “My concern is churches are becoming a place where you can no longer welcome people freely. And that shouldn’t happen.”

This post was written by Jim Lynch of The Detroit News. You can find the article here: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2015/10/18/pastor-kills-brick-wielding-man-during-church-service/74190782/