Awkward silence

Last night, while we were having dinner with friends, or resting, or doing just normal things, there was a shooting in Dallas, the metropolitan area where Dwayne lived his whole life, and where Patti has lived the majority of her adult life.

One of our friends, Karen, posted this on Facebook, and it summarizes so much of what's in our hearts today:

Awkward Silence
I hate controversial subjects.
I hate touchy topics.
I hate situations that divide friends, family, community.
I hate that when I hit "post", I fear that I will be ripped to shreds in the comments for not speaking out strongly enough, not looking into all sides, not saying something before now, not waiting to speak until all the details are known - all in the name of "Healthy Debate"
I hate that I am so thin-skinned.
I hate that I avoid the news because I feel helpless to make a difference.
I hate that I feel there is no choice but to take one side or another.
I hate that whole groups are painted with a broad brush because of the horrific acts of a small percentage of that group (police, teachers, church clergy, Christians, Muslims, men, women, white, black, etc.)
I hate that there are black men in my life, that I love dearly, that have an automatic strike against them with SOME authorities based on the color of their skin.
I hate that I have police officers in my life, that I love dearly, who risk their lives every day to keep us safe.
I hate when there are horrific atrocities that happen against the innocent, whether it is the Yazidis being slaughtered by ISIS, young black men on the streets of America or police officers simply working a peaceful protest being shot by snipers looking to settle a score.
I hate that police have to make split-second decisions based on the information they have in that exact moment and then are held responsible for everything that comes to light later.
I hate that by what I do or do not post, assumptions are made about what I believe, what I feel strongly about, what my convictions are or are not.
I hate that we live in a broken world.
I LOVE THAT GOD HAS SHOWN ME ABUNDANT GRACE THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS SON IN MY PLACE FOR PAYMENT OF MY SIN.
I LOVE THAT GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND HE IS STILL ON HIS THRONE.

We have alarms set on our phones so that every evening, at 8pm central, we stop for at least a minute and pray for those in authority over us in recognition that they are there by God's hand and that they would be guided by God, for God's will to be done in the up-coming elections, for protection over our military serving at home and abroad, and that the people of the United States recognize their need for a Savior and turn to Jesus. We are going to add to our prayers for law enforcement officers, and for those who feel that they are subjected to injustices - that God would work a miracle and bring His peace.