Every Day Violence

Every day our world has acts of violence that are nothing less than evil.  Acts of violence on men, women, children, fathers, husbands, mothers, wives, siblings, grandparents...all people.  These acts of violence are caused in a variety of ways that are often birthed from a place in a person that is callous towards the life of another human being.
With our every growing expediency of information that we get thrown at us these acts of violence are often treated with a blasé attitude.  In the last 6-9 months here are four headlines of incidents that made my stomach ache with anger & remorse.

The rape incidents being highlighted in India. 

Last week there was the Santa Monica College Shooting.  7 people lost their life. 

The Ohio kidnapping accounts.

Earlier this year in New England there was the Newtown school shooting

Then this past weekend, this movie came out.


In our world of senseless violence we still have companies trying to make money off the grotesque and gruesome acts of violence in our world.  A movie plot that has a time frame where any & all crime is legalized = no consequences.  Our culture allows the power of making a dollar to drive decisions.  Often those decisions are not made asking this question, "Even tho this will make a lot of money, is this really the best product our company can put on the market considering the impact in society?".
I'm a firm believer of reality and my reality has seen a generation embrace violence, pressed sexual boundaries & conversations about human value has decreased around the media.  I'd love to hear more CEO's, Executive Producers, Actors, Artists & Media moguls stand up to help filter what is created & marketed.

For years there has been discussion & arguments about the realistic & graphic content of Video games. This article on Research on violent video games is an example.  As I've worked in the lives of teenagers for the past 12 years that means I've seen 12 year olds become 24 year olds and watching a generation go from young adults to adults leading our communities their lifestyle choices are rewriting a value system.  Not all of those values are focussed on a high standard of human life.  And as those adults become parents how they raise another generation will continue to alter where our culture goes.  

I'm passionate about helping this generation learn how to think about all their actions, choices & values.  To challenge them to think beyond the surface of popularity to purpose.  When people are challenged to think about where their life will head based on a few specific choices they will learn how they are defining who they are becoming.

I believe God is real.  I believe that God to be named Jesus.  He came to redeem, heal & transform a world that is broken.  That brokenness is seen everyday in travesties, destruction, hopelessness & humanity dying in front of us.  Often that death isn't just physical, but emotionally.  That part of you, a soul, that has a conviction there is something better worth living for.  I'm a firm believer of reality and my reality has seen those who choose to follow Jesus make life choices that are willing to let their life stand up for others.  That human life isn't to be thrown away or misused.  Jesus calls us to this very reality.

I believe there needs to be more people to validate how human life matters, instead of how it can be thrown away.  You may or may not agree with the terminology that people needed "saved" but I'd offer that based on some of these travesties in our world there is a lot of "saving" that we can all fight for.