The “Pulse” of our Nation!

Thump, thump…thump, thump…thump, thump…thump, thump—your pulse. It’s what helps you know you’re alive. It’s what helps you know if you are healthy. If you don’t have a pulse, then you’re dead or soon will be! If you know what happened today at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, you’ve likely had an increase in the rate of your pulse! The horrific news of this shooting today, brings us to another new low, eclipsing The Virginia Tech Tragedy as “the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. History.” As of the writing of this blog, 50 souls have lost their pulse and 53 more are said to be injured, with more deaths expected. What does this say about us, in yet another “record year” of mass shootings? What do you say is The “Pulse” of our Nation?

It has been some time since I’ve posted a blog article. Today’s tragic massacre drives me to post yet again in an attempt to think through another news event that raises our pulse and challenges us to learn all we can! There is so much we can and are still learning from this massacre today! There is much I have wanted to write about with so many shootings at educational institutions and even churches over the past year (reports are that there were a record 372 last year)! Why are these shootings increasingly happening? Do we just need better gun laws? Perhaps GOD is trying to get our attention, by removing some of HIS protection over this most blessed Country? Is this all an indication of a waning pulse in the health of our Nation?

Since that former “worst shooting massacre in U.S. history” on 04-16-07 turned my own life upside down, I’ve learned much and written much about what we all need to learn to get our Nation’s health back to the place where our pulse is good! There is much written here and in my book of how we can truly learn to prevail, despite tragedy! There are over 200 blog articles on this website dealing with “lessons to learn” that will help keep our pulse healthy! It is not merely about standing together in solidarity, as many in Orlando are saying and as is typically said after a shooting or attack like this! We need not cower down in fear, yet we must stay humble before ALMIGHTY GOD, if we expect to have HIS Hand of protection against any enemy! The true enemies are spiritual (Ephesians 6:12ff.) Fearing GOD above all is the top lesson to learn! Our pulse here is weak!

This U.S. citizen, Omar Mateen, is the perpetrator of what is now the worst U.S. massacre in history.  He certainly did not learn to “Fear GOD above all” (the #1 lesson to learn) and apparently never even had a true pulse with GOD! Omar Mateen somehow learned a perverted view of Who GOD actually is. He must have become disillusioned by the emptiness in his own soul and the groping seen throughout the culture. He found solace in a radicalized Islamic thinking (which kills)—see my 11-15-09 Blog: “RADICAL CHRISTianity” (which heals). This radicalized Islamic American came to believe that an individual has the right and even the responsibility to take life into his or her own hands. Biblical Christianity teaches that GOD is the author of life (Genesis 1:1) and JESUS CHRIST is even the one Who sustains all (Colossians 1:16-17). We do not have the right to take life into our own hands!

JESUS is the ONE Who controls the beating of our hearts—our pulse! HE is the one Who protects us as individuals and as a Nation. HE doesn’t want to see the death of any gay person or anyone else, no matter how they view HIM (2 Peter 3:9). JESUS allowed Himself to be crucified to pay the penalty of our sin and proved HIS Deity in rising from the dead! HE wants to extend HIS Grace in this horrific tragedy! HE wants to heal lives and promises to give HIS PULSE to those who believe in HIM! JESUS wants to again, as HE once was considered to be, The “Pulse” of our educational institutions and The “Pulse” of our Nation!