in death reflects life.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting in Pittsburgh at an LA Fitness are incredibly sad. The scary part is that I don't think the scenario leading up to the shooting is all that uncommon. I took some time to read the shooters online diary. I don't know what made me do that, perhaps it is my psych/counseling background but it can be found here: http://georgesodini.com/20090804.htm

A couple things stood out to me in his writings. Psychologists would say he had major depression (which is probably true) and that he had an obsession with women (also true). However, the aspects that are more common than we like to admit in this scenario are a wounding (by family and church) and a lack of authentic community/friendships. These build off each other in most cases. I know too many people who have been hurt/wounded by family members (especially fathers) and by churches they have been a part of. The saddest part is, they still need and seek community, but refuse to find it because of how they have been hurt.

We, as a church, need to be a part of the restoration process God is doing on this Earth. "We need to be conduits of God's Grace" I once heard someone say. Our culture wants nothing more than to be connected, to be a part of something; but they have the wrong idea of God and the Church (many for good reasons) so they do not seek either. We need to enter into their world, enter into the messiness that is the unredeemed life, and expose the Truth of the Gospel for what it is. We all need it. Forgiveness. Grace. Passion. Life. Seeking God.

The Gospel is hard to accept. It's a life change that causes us to recognize our inefficiencies, and rely on One we cannot see. But people are looking for that truth to be told to them. They are not looking for us to dance around the subject and make it sound as nice as we can make it. We need to present the Gospel as it is, allow people to decide, and love them no matter what. I am not sure if this is what that shooter was looking for, but I hear that in his diary. I see that in those around me.