Dr Paul Allen

Grief - For the time being, and in response to the recent tragedy in Newtown, CCEF’s minibook on grief is available for free online. Also in connection to Newtown you may want to read Douglas Wilson ’s article titled That Will Be Soon Enough along with David Murray ’s warning about when to stop reading and watching the media reports. Related articles '26 Acts of Kindness' honors Newtown victims (myfox8.com) Help for Those Coping with Grief (fox4kc.com) how to help Newtown (lovelaughbelight.com) Grief-Stricken, Helping Newtown, and Saying Thank You (crazyadventuresinparenting.com) Prayer for Newtown, Connecticut (carolpenner.typepad.com) Newtown Tragedy- Immeasurable Heartbreak (louisesattler.me) Candlelight vigil for Newtown set for Alki on Dec. 22 (westseattleherald.com) Sending Love & Prayers (frillyfabulous.com)

Auschwitz concentration camp (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) English: The main gate at the former Nazi death camp of Birkenau. Note that this is inside the camp looking back from the loading ramp to the "Gate of Death". (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Mark Galli Author.  A voice was heard in Ramah,weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more." (Matt. 2:18, ESV) We live in a world where Rachel weeps for her children. Where mothers wail and fathers curse because their children are no more. Where friends go mute, and bloodied children stand shocked, and a nation mourns, and a President weeps—for 20 innocent children in Connecticut . One wants to say, "It will be okay. Order will be restored. We'll do something about this, so that it will never happen again." One wants to say this, but we know that it is not okay, that the restored order will be broken again; sadly, it will happen again.

Sandy Hook, Connecticut (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Thus says the LORD: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”[Jeremiah 31:15] This time tragedy came to Connecticut, where a lone gunman entered two classrooms at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown and opened fire, killing at least twenty children and six adults, before turning his weapons of death upon himself. The young victims, now officially identified, ranged in age from five to ten years. The murderer was himself young, reported to be twenty years old. According to press reports, he murdered his mother, a teacher at Sandy Hook, in her home before the rampage at the school. Some of the children were in kindergarten, not even able to tie their own shoes. The word kindergarten comes from the German, meaning a garden for children. Sandy Hook Elementary School was no garden today. It was a place of