News and Grace

I talked to Jenna last night, she called having just heard about Tyler's accident. She told me that the news was up on the gcm website, so this morning I went there, but couldn't find anything. Then I went to google to see if I could find it there. I didn't find it, but I did run across a few other articles. If you're interested in reading a bit more about it, this is the article I would recommend: Columbia Missourian

Apparently no drugs or alcohol were involved, but if this is true than I am very confused. In this other article it says that earlier that night, the police had to intervene on a Wal-mart brawl where the driver and a few other people were throwing liquor bottles at each other (damaging and destroying 93 bottles of liquor), after this brawl, the driver and his passenger fled the scene. The driver will most likely not be prosecuted because he doesn't remember how he got to be driving the wrong way down the interstate (and apparently it's difficult to prosecute when details cannot be remembered).

I find myself fascinated with the intersection of these individuals' lives with Chad and Tyler's lives...Rumbles and James (the passenger and driver of the other car - Rumbles also died in the crash) are driving somewhere after quite an eventful night. Chad and Tyler are driving home, talking about where the next Rock Church Plant should be, and boom, everyone's life is changed forever.

To be honest, as I read these articles I got angry and lost all compassion for James. I wanted to scream when I saw that he most likely wouldn't be prosecuted. Where's the justice??




After a half hour of being overwhelmed and upset and talking with a friend, I realized that Tyler is so much better off than this James guy is.

James' soul is completely lost, while Tyler, on the other hand, is in Heaven, realizing all the joy that he'd hoped for in his life. I so hope that The Rock SUCCEEDS in their desire to show compassion on this man, that God's name WOULD be glorified in his life, that grace WOULD be understood through this.



Tuesday night I had coffee and dinner with Lane and when the subject moved to Tyler she recounted something that had happened in her church growing up. A girl was killed by a drunk driver, and the church made every effort to show God's grace to the driver...but the driver was so overcome with her own guilt that she couldn't see past it - she couldn't buy in to the fact that no matter what your mistakes are, they are covered by Christ's blood...I can understand that! When you yourself feel like you deserve harsh punishment, it's hard to accept a gift that takes away all punishment.

Does that make sense?

So my question for people reading is this:


How do you do it?

How do you show grace to someone who is overcome with guilt? I don't know where this James kid is in his life, if he feels at all guilty - but I HAVE to assume he does. How could he not? This is probably the lowest he's ever felt in his life - He killed two people (whether he remembers it or not!)! So what is the best way for The Rock, for Tyler's friends (those who are ready to offer it - which may, understandably, be few) to show Christ's forgiveness?



God is infinitely good, God is infinitely capable, and God can be trusted - though I don't always understand how He works, I can trust that He is working.