Grand Blanc Attack

Thann BennettFaithNews
Written By Thann Bennett

Five people, including the assailant, are dead and at least eight others injured after a gunman plowed his truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan on Sunday. The driver then set the church on fire and began shooting, killing four. Investigators are working to determine a motive.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Brokenness is so very evident in our world. Each and every week, there are vivid examples of this brokenness, and it can be difficult to determine both how much attention to devote to stories like this one and how to best respond to them.

As always, we turn to eternal Truth for those answers:

In a world reeling from an unending string of violence and a perpetual invitation to fear and division, you are called to be an ambassador for Jesus (2 Cor. 5:20), who is the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6).

There is cause for fear, hatred, and even vengeance. But you serve the God of the universe, who has claimed vengeance as His own (Rom. 12:19) and gifted you with power, love, and a sound mind in the very place you would otherwise have fear (2 Tim. 1:7).

So pray for and grieve with those who are hurting and grieving in Grand Blanc. As you do so, resist the urge to be anxious or fearful. The brokenness of our world is in plain view, and we can be assured it will continue to be present. You can be equally assured of a peace that passes all understanding when your mind is stayed on Jesus (Philip. 4:7). 

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.

Thann Bennett

Thann Bennett is the Founder and President of Every Good Work, which exists to equip Jesus followers for a life of impact. His weekly newsletter, The Equipped, helps Jesus followers engage current events through a lens of the True and the beautiful. Thann and his wife, Brooke, are co-Founders of A Fearless Life, which works to find and fund a family for every adoption-eligible foster child in America. Thann has more than two decades of high-level public policy experience, with a particular focus on the U.S. Congress and the United Nations. He is the author of In Search of the King and My Fame His Fame. Thann and Brooke live in southern Maryland with their three children: Jude, Gambrell, and Hope, as well as a host of farm animals. The Bennetts are longtime members of the National Community Church family in Washington, D.C.

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