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Monday, February 25, 2008
I live about 30 miles from the DeKalb, Illinois, campus of Northern Illinois University. My sister's a grad student there. And a former youth group friend of mine is a NIU freshman. Needless to say, when I heard the news of the February 14 shootings, I was scared, worried, and shell-shocked. It turns out, everyone I know on the NIU campus was safe that day, but my heart broke just the same. Yours probably has, too, in the last several weeks, with all the senseless shootings in the U.S. How do we believers in a good God make sense of outright evil like this? Why do we live in a twisted world? Why would God allow this to happen? I was pretty down that night because the cruelty of our broken world became more and more of a reality in my mind. That's when I heard my best friend humming a song. I recognized the tune as an old favorite hymn. The words meant so much to me in this time of hurt: "When sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, 'Praise the Lord, it is well with my soul.'" (For more on the story behind this great song, see here.) In the March/April Ignite print issue of Ignite (mailing soon), we have a great adaptation of a speech given by author Philip Yancey after the Virginia Tech shootings, called "Where Is God When It Hurts?" Until you get that issue, you can read the full speech at Christianity Today magazine. Also, you may want to check out these online Ignite articles: When It's Hard to Believe: An interview about life's hard questions. Forever Friends: An interview with the best friend of Cassie Bernall, one of the victims in the Columbine shootings. Could Life Get Any Worse?:"Only God could get us through these tragedies." I Couldn't Face My Pain: A true-life story of a girl dealing with pain—along with some advice for the hurting. New on the site this week is a first-person story about a guy who felt like he was too far gone to be forgiven. Check out "If Anybody Knew the Real Me" and the second in our series of music giveaways: a 10-CD set of Christian music hits. Take Care,  Todd Hertz for IYF We want your feedback on this newsletter! Email us at IYFconnection@christianitytoday.com. advertisement
 BANDS & ARTISTSDifferent Journeys, Same Destination Shane & Shane share their stories of faith. The inspiration for Shane & Shane's latest CD, Pages, came from journal pages chronicling their own experiences living day-to-day with Christ. Here, they tell their stories of how they each began their walks with God. | Finish this article | | More Bands & Artists |
 GOOD ADVICEThat's No Joke Q. The other day, one of my friends said it'd be funny if I died and then excused it by saying she was kidding. That's not funny. What do I do? | Read Jim Burns's answer | | More Good Advice |
 LIFE AT COLLEGEFinding My Future I was off to Westmont to show off my soccer skills. But my plans soon changed. I sat in my guidance counselor's office, squirming under the glow of the fluorescent lights. I checked my watch. The minutes were ticking away and I was getting ticked myself, knowing I would be late for soccer practice. Why do I have to meet with my guidance counselor anyway? I thought. | Finish this article |
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If Anybody Knew the Real Me
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