Are we good enough for God?

In this world, where seemingly everything is measured by works, we invariably also would tend to fall into the pattern of being "doing" Christians instead of "being" Christians.

Oftentimes, a sense of guilt and condemnation makes us feel as if we're not good enough for God and hence we try our very best to work hard at becoming a so-called "good" Christian.

We pack our days with cellgroup meetings, church work, volunteer services, evangelistic rallies, healing rallies, services, sermons, DVDs, bible studies, Christian books, prayer meetings etc --- all the God-related things but we forget about the most important person: God.

If God had judged us based on our works or anything in us, we would all have failed miserably and be condemned because we are all sinners. (Romans 3:9-18) So there is no aspect of us that merits our salvation, only God's grace.

In other words, it means also that God in His grace and mercy has accepted us, warts and all, because we have repented of our sins, have asked Him to forgive us and confessed with our mouths that He is our Lord and Saviour.

In His sight, we're spotless because we have been washed by the blood of the Lamb and when He sees us, He sees Christ, who is also our advocate. (Romans 3:21-26, 1 John 2:1-2).

This is a truth that we must all hold very closely to our hearts and to our minds because the devil will always come and whisper in our ears, saying: "Are you sure you're good enough for God?" or "I think you need to work harder for Him or He may not accept you." or "You've done so many sinful things, are you sure God has forgiven all of that?" or "Oh dear, there you sin again, my goodness --- I think God has given up on you already", "You can never escape from your past" and so on.

The Bible says in James 4:7-8: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

So whenever one gets these thoughts, it's time to bring out the Bible to read the appropriate verses (better still, memorise them) and destroy/eradicate/vanquish/stamp out/kill these false thoughts (yeah, using many verbs to signal the seriousness of the threat because the mind is always the battleground), and build up our faith.

On a related point, we need to be careful of doing so many things for Christ that in the end, we end up missing the main point - having a relationship with Him first before all else.

It is worth reading the account of Mary and Martha and their different responses to Christ when He came into their home, in Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.^[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

In the Lord's answer, we see what Christ places the highest importance on. He commends Mary for choosing the one thing that is needed, the one thing that is better --- sitting by His feet and listening to His word in His presence.

Her attitude is in stark contrast to that of Martha, who is distracted by the preparations and whose care and work would have been suitable in another season and another place. At that time, what was needed of Martha was simply what Mary had done - to leave the things of the world and to just sit by Jesus' feet, to commune with Him.

The Spanish Acquisitions

I went on a trip to Barcelona and Madrid with a friend recently. I felt very blessed during the trip and I was very happy that I got to experience a lot of things - the people, the culture, the architecture, the beach, the streets, the trees, the flowers, the artists' works and so on. And of course the shopping.

My top 10 list (in no particular order):


1. Watching a Real Madrid match at the San Bernabeu

God rid me of my fear of heights just before the start of the match. We reached the stadium early and blimey, we were seated so high up that when I got to my seat I was frozen stiff.

At that time, I knew that if I didn't pray to God to deliver me from my fear of heights, I would be watching the game from only one rigid position of utter fright. So I prayed and God responded immediately. After that, I was able to move around easily in my seat and could also go to the ladies, which was two to three levels below us.

The match was an exciting one and ended with Real Madrid beating Espanyol 4-3.


2. Seeing Gaudi's handiwork up close and personal

I felt so joyful and delighted to see the genius of Gaudi - Sagrada Familia, Park Guell
as well as Casa Milla. Gaudi dedicated 40 years of his life to building the Sagrada Familia (which means The Holy Family) as a monument to God.

I felt very humbled and when I stood inside the Sagrada Familia, I cried because I could feel his dedication and God's presence even though the building will not be finished for another 20 years or so.

I believe with my heart that God's architect is in God's kingdom.


3. Stepping into God's places of worship

I could sense God's presence and His Spirit in the many Catholic cathedrals I visited. In fact, in one of the cathedrals, visitors were going in and out of the cathedral even as a mass was being conducted at one of the side aisles.

Some of the tourists were even taking pictures of the Mass and Holy Communion as the service was proceeding, but I reverently stood there and watched the entire process without taking any pictures out of respect for Christ. I've never attended a Catholic service, so it was interesting to see a part of the service.


4. Walking along La Rambla and the streets of Barcelona

I love Barcelona because of the boulevards that separate the two sides of all the roads. It's a beautiful sight especially at night to see families walking along the boulevards or people just taking their dogs for a stroll. The space thoughtfully provided for pedestrians, and for walking, is indeed highly commendable.

The La Rambla shopping stretch is a dream come true for any shopaholic. My friend and I were very Singaporean in our approach towards conquering this stretch.

We went down the left and right stretch of this long street, checking out every single shop facing the roads. Then after that, we wandered through each and every side street, and invariably the better, more whimsical shops were in the side streets. I also like it that we could sit down any time and enjoy tapas or a drink.


5. Viewing divine pieces of art

I saw a Rembrandt and a Caravaggio as well as paintings by many other old masters plus contemporary ones like Rothko etc. Also ogled at masterpieces of Brueghel, Titian, Rubens, El Greco, Dali, Velasquez and a host of others.

I was more than over the moon during the museums trips. I was grinning and smiling like an idiot when I was walking through the museums with my audio-guide in hand that some of the guards were looking at me suspiciously, and some started tailing me. Ha ha ha!



6. Tasting scrumptious food

At one restaurant, I had one of the most delicious risotto I've ever eaten in my life! It was risotto with veal and grapes --- divine. Then at another one, we ordered their signature paella and grilled fish and both dishes were top marks. The other memorable one was a steak for two at another restaurant, which tasted so good and came with a delightful sauce.

The La Rambla stretch has this seafood market right in the middle of the section. We went in to have a look and right at the end of the market, there was a small shop serving up freshly grilled seafood. We had to wait about half an hour for seats at the counter and boy was the wait worth it.

I took pictures of all the food above, except for the risotto which was so tasty that I forgot to take a shot before I finished eating it!

At each of the above restaurants, we paid about 25-30 euros per person. (S$50-S$60).


7. Fanning the flamenco passion

I didn't know that a real flamenco show had actually a very small stage with dining table seats around the stage. We went to the most famous one in Madrid, which was situated in a clubbing district. The cab driver dropped us quite a distance away because the district was jam-packed with seemingly every Madrileno aged 20-45.

It was quite crazy - worse than the Singapore Swing in Orchard Road in the days past. We were trying to get past people who had big plastic cups of beer as well as glasses of wine. It was as if the entire hip portion of Madrid was all there.

We had to stop to ask people where the Flamenco dance restaurant was and thankfully, we reached there before show-time. (We dropped at the place around 11.15pm-11.30pm and reached the flamenco place only close to midnight, trying to fight our way through the crowd.) The 10pm show was fully booked so we had booked the midnight show without dinner, only a drink. They served us sangria, which was very nice.

The show was so intense that I felt tired for the performers. The best part of the show was of course the individual female and male dancers. I was also very gratified to see that although the performers were mostly in their late 30s and early 40s, there were understudies in the show.

This is good because it shows that young people are still keen on flamenco, and ensures it won't be a dying art in Spain.


8. Ogling at city architecture

I'm a big big fan of architecture and structures so I was very happy in both Barcelona and Madrid because both cities had very interesting houses and buildings etc. I shot many photos and was very happy with the results. Some of the graffiti on the walls was also very eye-catching.



9. Taking trips on the Metro

I was extremely impressed with the metro system both in Barcelona and Madrid. We seldom had to wait for more than three minutes before a train came by. As well, there were metro stops dedicated to their prominent artists like Picasso, Gaudi and Dali. I couldn't remember which stop and which artist, but that metro stop had a permanent display of 20-30 small versions of the artist's work on both sides of the metro.

The design of each metro stop was very different from another.

I wish SMRT could consider including art pieces, installation art etc at the boarding/embarking level of MRT stations.

We wisely opted for this T-10 metro ticket which costs about 6.95 euros and entitled us to 10 trips. Each individual ticket would have cost us 1.25 euros. The T-10 card is available both in Barcelona and Madrid.


10. Pounding the shop pavements

I bought four pairs of shoes - one Camper (95 euros), two Diesel (50-60 euros each) and one Nike (20-30 euros), three pairs of underwear, four or five tops as well as eight pairs of socks.

Most of my purchases were from a designer factory outlet called La Roca which is an hour's bus ride from Barcelona.

We needed to take the metro to a particular stop, which has a bus terminal and to wait for the bus to turn up. The bus ride cost us 2.75 euros each way. We took the noon bus to the factory outlet and took the 7.30pm bus back.

My heart skipped two beats there for an entirely different reason, but that will remain a secret with me. :-)

It was enough time for us to go through the 70 to 80 shops there. The timing of the bus was like noon from the metro stop and 3.30pm and 7.30pm from the factory outlet.


We also opted to shop at Spanish labels that haven't made it to Singapore yet like Desigual and Custo Barcelona, rather than at Mango and Zara. Custo Barcelona stocks Spanish designer street wear - phew! Prices are astronomical. We went in and came out pretty quickly because the prices were in hundreds of euros.

It pays to have a credit card with your photo on it in Europe. We had to carry our passports with us daily because whenever we used our credit cards, we had to show them our passports for them to check the ID. Having said that, we experienced no problems with any stores whenever we produced our credit cards and our passports.

PS: I really can't wait to travel overseas again! I love soaking in a totally different environment. :-)

The sign's up

Some recently spotted church signs in the US (courtesy of Slate website)

- Forbidden fruit creates many jams

- A clear conscience makes a soft pillow

- Best way to have the last word - apologise

- Kingdom construction underway inside

- Redemption: God's recycling plan

- When the last trumpet sounds, we're outta here!

- Having truth decay? Brush up on your Bible

- Seven days without prayer makes one weak

A plug for iPod and some pastors

As I was telling some friends, my spiritual life has never been the same again since I bought an iPod recently. I was amazed that there were so many good free Christian podcasts I could download onto my iPod from iTunes.

I've spent many nights downloading the podcasts. The podcasts include sermons and messages by Joyce Meyer, John Piper, Brian Houston (Hillsong Church), James MacDonald, Saddleback Church (Rick Warren's church) etc.

And I also unearthed some American pastors whom I've not heard of but who are really on fire for God. For example, Pastor Joel Stockstill of 220power, the youth ministry of Bethany World Prayer Center. He and his wife have raised up 430 leaders who disciple more than 3,300 students in weekly cell meetings. I like Pastor Stockstill's sermons because he's very down to earth and humorous, and he has a very big heart for God. I enjoyed his recent messages about marriage. :-)

I usually listen to the sermon podcasts on my bed just before I sleep or during my cab rides to the office. :-)

For those who do not have iPods, do not fret. I think that one can still download iTunes software and then go to the podcast centre and download podcasts to the PC and then listen to them.

I am very happy because I can always hear a sermon or a message whenever I'm on the go. Also it means more resources and more of God's wisdom and revelation for me through these podcasts.

For example, I've always thought about what Jesus was writing on the ground in the temple courts after the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought before him a woman caught in adultery (John 8: 1-11).

A pastor in one of the podcasts said his educated guess was that Jesus was writing the sins of the people in the crowd (perhaps adultery, blasphemy, murder, covetousness, lying under oath ad so on), each of whom left when they saw their own sins in writing because they couldn't claim to be without sin themselves and they were feeling ashamed or fearful of being exposed.

This may not have been what Jesus was writing, the pastor was very quick to qualify, but I was very excited by this possibility because I didn't think of it and I now am aware of it and it seems to me quite plausible. But I must stress that the Bible does not record what Jesus wrote and so the pastor's guess is merely conjecture.

Malachi 3:4-6

4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. 6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

The Lord reveals the fruit of repentance and turning back to Him to be refined and purified. He says that as a result, whatever is offered to Him will be deemed pleasant - or pleasing to Him. As in the days of old, as when God granted favour on Abel's sacrifice, and He kindled Aaron's sacrifice with fire from heaven. No longer will the offering be considered impure, unclean and polluted.

In the next few sentences, God underlines the people whom He will swiftly judge:
- Those who deal in magic, witchcraft and the occult
- Those who have sinned in the flesh
- Those who offend God by asking Him to be witness to a lie
- Those who cheat their workers of the right wages and payment
- Those who bully and take advantage of the widowed
- Those who prey on the orphans
- Those who stand by with arms folded while strangers in the country are in need of help
- Those who do not fear the Lord

The Lord then reassures us that he is the Lord - unchanging and immutable. As surely as He will bring judgment against those who rebel against Him will he also reward those who seek after Him. This attribute of God means that we, as believers, can take Him at His Word, literally. We need not question whether He will do as He has promised because just as His promises to the people of that time were fulfilled in the Bible, so too will His promises of the days to come and for eternity. God is unchanging, and in those three words rest all our assurance.

As I reflected on these verses, the one thing that came to me were the groups of people that God spoke out against in judgment. I made a mental note to never fall into those categories. The Word does tell us that if we resist the devil, he will flee. In effect, it's a decision for us to take and it's a decision we can take because the Holy Spirit is within us as our Counsellor and our Helper.

We, as Christians, cannot say "I couldn't help it" if anyone were to confront us with our sin because the fact of the matter is that we can help it, but only if we surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit and die to our flesh and live in Christ. Simply put, we can't make the same lame excuses as non-Christians any more.

The eight most reassuring words to me were "For I am the Lord, I change not".

God's attributes will never change eternally - His love, His grace, His mercy, His holiness, His justice, His compassion, His peace, His omniscience, His wisdom, His faithfulness, His omnipotence, His self-sufficiency, His self-existence, His goodness, His omnipresence and many more.

Amen.

References:
1. Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Bible

2. John Calvin's Commentary of the Bible

Turning up

It was 2am on Tuesday. I had just finished work and was still in the office. I was exhausted and was not keen to attend the wake of a friend's father. I wanted to just take the office transport home. But I recalled another friend smsing me earlier, saying that the cremation was on that very afternoon and asking me to go down to the wake if I could make it.

I decided to sms a friend to ask her if I should go. She advised me to sms my friend and check with him whether he was at the wake and whether it was okay for me to go during that time. So that's what I did. He replied to say that he was still around at the wake, and thanked me for coming. So I took a cab and reached the wake around 2.30am.

I seldom attend wakes, so I felt very awkward when I saw him. I greeted him and shook his hand. He thanked me for coming and brought me to a table where some of his friends were seated. To my relief, there was someone at the table whom I knew and I was very happy to see him.

After putting my bag down, my friend accompanied me to pay my respects to his dad. I couldn't light any joss-sticks. He was very understanding, and asked me to simply say a prayer for his dad. I thought my prayer was too brief, but I prayed with all my heart that God would have mercy on his dad's soul. After that, I followed my friend back to the table.

I think he was very touched that I had turned up because he kept saying that I look so tired and it was very nice of me to turn up after my long day at work. I asked him how he was coping and he said he had been sleeping for only 3 to 4 hours a day since the wake began.

His dad had died in Indonesia and so he and his brother had to fly over to make the arrangements for the body to be brought back to Singapore. He said his dad did something strange before he left for Indonesia with his step-mother to visit her relatives. His dad called his sister in Brunei and told her to take care of herself. The thing is that before this phone call, his dad had never called his sister in Brunei. So perhaps his dad had some inkling that this would be his last trip abroad.

When his dad died, his step-mother had called his home but no one picked up the phone. So she called a neighbour, who then rang his sister's home. One of his nephews picked up the phone and then calmly told his mother that something bad had happened to "Kung Kung". They then called him and that was how he knew of his father's death.

I asked him whether it was difficult arranging for his dad's body to be brought back to Singapore. He said it was pretty tough because of the language barrier. As well, he and his brother had to endure a five-hour bumpy car ride from the airport to the step-mother's home village to collect his dad's body. When my friend first saw his dad's body, he was relieved because his dad had a peaceful look on his face. That set my friend's mind at ease.

He and his brother also had to pay bribes of S$5 to S$20 for matters ranging from asking a nurse to translate hospital documents from Bahasa Indonesia to English to ensuring that the immigration process would be smooth. By the time his dad's body was flown back to Singapore, the family had already set up the wake at the void deck of the flat.

I asked my friend if he was sad. He replied that he had been so busy with the funeral arrangements that he had no time to let everything sink in yet. I then asked if I could see his dad because I wasn't sure earlier on whether I should step forward to see his dad when I was praying. He said, sure, and the other friend and I went forward to have a look at his dad. When I looked down at his dad's face, I felt sad because I was looking at a life which was past. His dad was 81.

We walked back to the table, where we carried on talking, eating peanuts and drinking mineral water. His sister and brother-in-law were also keeping watch at another table nearer the coffin. To stretch our legs after a while, we then got up to inspect the wreaths - some were from a hospital because his brother-in-law was a doctor, one was from an actor because my friend works for MediaCorp, one was from the Japanese Buddhist association and another was from the area's RC because my friend's dad was active in community matters.

I asked my friend whether he was close to his dad, and he said that he always scolded his dad and did a lot of naughty things that his dad didn't know about. But I could tell that he loved his dad a lot because he spoke with such affection.

Our conversation was pretty much one-sided, mostly him talking. I didn't say very much because I didn't know what to say. But in my heart, I felt privileged to be one of those who were able to hear another person talk tenderly and lovingly about his father, and in so doing, open a window into his dad's life for others to see.

He said that his dad had consulted a fortune-teller early on in his life who told him that he would have two sons and live like a king. My friend wryly commented that his dad liked visiting Indonesia because whenever he went to the step-mother's village, the children would call him reverently as "Pak", thus making his dad feel like a king.

Sometime in between, he suddenly stood up and ran over to his dad's coffin. I was shocked but then I discovered why he did that. A black cat had wandered near his dad's coffin, and he wanted to chase it away. After that, he slanted his chair for a better view of his dad, explaining to us that he wanted to be sure that the cat wouldn't get near the coffin again.

We went back to talking about ourselves and updating each other on how things have been. While we were talking, I remembered that he also knew my friend, who is now living in Germany. I smsed her on the spot and told her the bad news because I knew she would have attended the wake if she were here in Singapore. I didn't tell my friend that I had smsed our friend in Germany at that time.

Ever so often during our conversation, my friend would break off and thank me again for coming. This was what made me realise that to him, my coming to pay my last respects to his dad was a big thing for him. To be honest, this was the first time that I was acutely aware of the importance of attending a wake. In the past, I always thought that attending a wake was no big deal. During the time with my friend, I realised that for the people who had lost a loved one, the presence of friends at the wake was significant. My friend was happy and thankful because I had simply turned up.


I left the wake around 3.30am. He asked me where I stayed and on learning of my address, he again thanked me for coming because his place was quite a distance from my home. He and the other friend walked with me to the side of the road, where I hailed a cab and went home. While I was in the cab, my friend in Germany smsed her reply. I forwarded her reply to my friend. He smsed back, saying that it was very thoughtful of her to send her condolences. And he again thanked me for coming.

This experience added greatly to my understanding of Romans 12:15 - Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Tears in heaven (April 16, 2007)

I went online to read reports of the tragic Virginia Tech shootings, and came across the New York Times' multimedia interactive feature profiling the 32 victims.

The descriptions of the victims as well as comments posted by people who knew them and people who didn't, made for tough reading for me. I cried.

NYT also carried links to the victims' myspace.com sites. It was heartbreaking to see some friends posting comments on the sites like "Hi, are you okay?" or "Hey, are you all right", followed afterwards by "Rest in peace, my friend" posted on the very same day that they were shot and killed. And family members and relatives posting: "Hey cuz, give us a call so we no you are all right, we're worried about you" and "call your parents asap".


One South Korean by the name of Yoojung Lee posted his condolences on almost every single victim's profile in the NYT website. Like him, I went through what NYT had reported about every single victim, and felt very sad for the lives that could have been.

May we all find comfort in Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are then called to His purpose.


I wanted to post a comment on every victim from the NYT coverage so that I can remember this day as the day the Lord brought many of his faithful home:


"Honesty and straightforwardness in strangers is a rarity. Treasure those who truly exemplify these traits -- because you may never again meet another who does."
- The quote that victim Ross Alameddine, 20, kept on his AOL Instant Messenger profile.


For Jamie's family
When you come to the edge of all that you know,
You must be sure of one of two things:
There will be earth upon which to stand,
Or you will be given wings.
My prayers are with you
- Posted by Kristy Bonner on victim Jamie Bishop, 35

“When someone you love becomes a memory,
the memory becomes a treasure”.

“The memory of a good person
is a blessing”.
Proverb 10:7
- Posted by Melina on victim Brian Bluhm, 25

Friend…i won’t never forget you, you’ll always be in my mind, i can hear the heaven calling you, so good for friend
- Posted by Sam Adams Ryan on victim Ryan Clark, 22



Austin I loved our time together here on earth and I will see you in heaven girlie. Your family basically adopted me while I was at Illinois and I will never forget all of our times together. I keep thinking of us at the Today Show in New York with the silly things on our head b/v we thought Matt Lauer would talk to us if we acted silly! You were so giving, loving, funny and such an amazing gal. We had years between us - but that didn’t matter - you were wise beyond your years. I love you sweet girl.
- Posted by Kelly (McGauvran) Webb on victim Austin Cloyd, 19



I was lucky enough to have had Professor Couture-Nowak as a teacher for a French course my freshman year at Tech. Her spirited enthusiasm for the language and for Canada was unforgettable. She was an amazing woman - a fantastic teacher and loving mother. She loved life. She will be missed.
- Posted by Joanna Carey on victim Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

As a peruvian an a alumni of University of Washington, I understand why we leave our country in search of a better future. We are hard workers and our families are our priority. I bet his dreams and hopes were so big and he touched so many lives during his lifetime and right now he is with God watching for his family and friends.

God bless him and Virginia Tech students.
- Posted by Mary Osorio on victim Daniel Perez Cueva, 21

My son was recently diagnosed with cerebral palsy. When I heard that one of the shooting victims had been a leading researcher in CP, I felt a personal loss.

I am grateful for all of Professor Granata’s work in this field. I am also grateful for the many, many people who have been inspired by Dr. Granata to work towards a life without limits for people with CP. Please keep up his work. May God led the family, friends, and colleagues of Professor Granata to a place of peace and acceptance.
— Posted by Jenn Tobin, mother of a child with CP, on victim Kevin Granata

Matt was such an amazing person. I had him for a GTA for my engineering class this semester and saw him the morning before he died because he always sits in on my 8am Engineering lecture but leaves early because he has an 9am class in Norris Hall. He was an amazing teacher, always asking questions that made you think and always answering questions to anything you didn’t understand. I will always remember his smile. God bless him, his family and close friends.
— Posted by Christine on victim Matthew Gwaltney

Caitlin was a dear friend of my daughter.The kindest of friends.She was also my student-and friend.She was the kind of student that teachers dream of-a fellow artist to work and share with. When I think of her one word comes to mind-GOOD.I will always remember the beautiful and strong bond that she shared with her mom,Marion and the great relationship that she built with her Dad,Chris.I want to tell everyone about Caitlin.I am sorry for all those who did not get to know her.Rest in peace.
— Posted by Adrienne Butvinik on victim Caitlin Hammaren, 18

truly, it seems that the very best of us die young - i don’t understand because it is us who needs them - i do believe in the power of praying hard to God to ask for outrageous consolation - johnette benkovic has talked movingly and intimately about how the pain was so great when her son died, she could only pray the rosary - and that God’s grace has been “sufficient” - i believe it is possible for those closest to him to feel comfort from jeremy in a sense of presence, in a dream - and i pray for him, for his family, and for all of us - the shooter was a boy in such pain, it must have been unendurable - and now so many share than unbearable pain - God Bless us all -
— Posted by carrie sheridan, on victim Jeremy Herbstritt, 27

"God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain."
- In her yearbook after graduating from Grove Avenue Christian School, victim
Rachel Elizabeth Hill, 18, chose a quote from C.S. Lewis to accompany her photo, and those who knew her say it was a prophetic line that may have brought her comfort in her final moments at Virginia Tech on Monday.

I knew Emily from a few years ago when I used to ride horses at a local stable. We went on long trail rides as a group, her mother would often be there. I remembering being impressed, because I was only a novice rider, when her trainer told Emily to shorten up the reigns as Emily took off on a full gallop around a pasture where we were riding. This might not see too impressive but riding English horses (no saddle horn) in the mountains is a dangerous activity–going fast downhill feels like flying. Anyway Emily was getting ready for a pony race at the Virginia Gold Cup. I did not see her much after I quit riding at the stables and then 6 months ago I saw her at the stables again. She was no longer this skinny 13 year old but a young woman on her way to Virginia Tech to study about horses—so her hobby would become her vocation.
— Posted by Walker Elliott Rowe on victim Emily Hilscher, 19

My wife Anne and I had the honor of living, teaching, and coaching in the small community of Narrows for 13 Years. I had Jarrett in Classes from grdes k-7, My wife Anne Was his third grade teacher. Jarrett was a great kid in school, as were his 2 sisters. His Mom and Grandmother are good people and hard workers, Jarrett learned these values and that contributed to the type of young man that he was. I was attending the Va. Tech coaches clinic this past weekend, one of the coaches that rode with me wanted to stop at the Tech Bookstore so he could get something for his 2 boys. While I was in the bookstore, someone called out ” Mr. Mabry”, I turned and I did not recognize him at first ( It had been 8 years since I last saw him) He stuck out his hand , and he said “Jarrett Lane”. He was with his mother and we had about a 25 Minute conversation at the Bookstore…..He was telling me of his Grad. School choices, we talked of the town of Narrows, Football, he asked about my children and where I was coaching . It was a great conversation. I went home and told Anne about our conversation and she began telling our three girls about him. You could see her beaming with pride, she always thought the world of Jarrett and she wanted our 3 girls to share in that pride. I cant help but feel That there was a reason that he picked me out of a crowd to talk to me 36 hours before this tragedy, I will do my best to figure it out, but I do know that the Mabry family was extremely fortunate to know Jarrett and his Family and we will treasure that last conversation always.

David Mabry from Altavista, Virginia
— Posted by David Mabry on victim Jarrett Lane, 22

"You've been relentless and persistent, putting your all into me. I love you. And Dad, I hope that I've become a man in your eyes, and that whatever I do in life, you are proud of me."
- In his oration before graduating from Carson Long Military Institute, victim Matthew La Porte, 20, spoke of them -- his mother, father, and sister Priscilla.

Henh,

We have all lost a great and true friend. I spoke with you briefly before your death but our short conversation will remain in my heart forever. There is so much to say about you that it would most likely exceed the maximum word count for this article. So…I’ll just leave you what I left on your Facebook. I love you.

“Although you’re not here to read this, I know that you’re in a better place watching us cry our tears. You were a light to each and every one of us and I was so lucky to have spent five truly memorable years with you. You were one of my closest friends and I will never forget the moments that you graced me with your infectious presence. Even though your physical life on this earth is over, you will always live in the hearts of all those you touched. I love you.”

Always in my heart,
Sam
— Posted by Samantha Smith on victim Henry Lee, 20

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
— Posted by Barak on victim Liviu Librescu, 75

Dr. Loganathan was a very gifted teacher. Never shying a
way from tough homework assignments, he was always available during office hours with a considerable desire to share his knowledge with others. His lessons and assignments helped shape my work ethic to what it is today. A winner of many teaching awards, the Civil Engineering community truly lost one of its finest. My prayers go out to his family.
— Posted by David A. Avery on victim G.V. Loganathan, 51

The Jakarta Post reported today that Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan, known as Mora, was a 34 year- old civil engineering doctoral student in his third year. According to his father, Lt. Col (ret.) Tohom Lumbantoruan, Mora was a good son, who regularly preached at church. He was scheduled to finish his doctorate next May.
— Posted by VT on victim Partahi Lumbantoruan, 34

I’m free
Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free.
I’m following the path God laid for me.
I took His hand when I heard Him call.
I turned my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day,
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
I’ve found peace at close of day.
If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Ah, yes, these things too, I will miss.
Be not burdened with time of sorrow,
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I savored much.
Good friends, good times,
A loved one’s touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,
Don’t lengthen it now with so much grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me.
God wanted me know; He set me free.
— Posted by A friend on victim Lauren Ashley MaCain, 20

I met Dan while attending Lafayette College in Easton, PA. He was quite the guitarist, often accompanying his good friend, Amanda, at open mics and cafe nights. Senior year, Dan was always up in his room jammin’ out covers to the cheesiest pop songs. It was rare to come into the apartment and not hear an acoustic collaboration of Backstreet Boys upstairs.

Intense in his interests and loyal to his friends, Dan was a prominent figure among Lafayette’s art and theater community. His social circles connected to other groups as well so he was often seen around campus. In the words of another friend, “Dan was just always around. Knowing he won’t around anymore with a smile or quick hello is what I’ll miss the most; that sense of understated constancy”.

Dan decided to attend graduate school for engineering at Virginia Tech this past August. We were excited and happy for him.
— Posted by Jesslyn Roebuck on victim Daniel Patrick O'Neil, 22

I grieve for all of the deaths and, as a Puerto Rican, particularly for Juan Carlos. I wanto to share with all the words of John Donne, valid today as in the 16th. century when written.

John Donne (1573–1631)
Meditation XVII of Devotions Upon
Emergent Occasions (Fragment)

‘No man is an island, entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were,
as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were.
Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind;
and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’
— Posted by JOSE M. GARCIA-CASTRO on victim Juan Ortiz, 26

I know Minal’s family very well. This is unbelievable. To come on terms with a feeling of loss might be possible with passage of time but how can we console ourselves when our beloved dies just because some XYZ person got angry?? Minal was so happy and had great dreams.. a life came to an end before it could acatually take off…May god bless her soul and give Kavita and Aunty the strength to bear this.
— Posted by Her sister Kavita's friend - Purvi -on victim Minal Panchal, 26

Erin and I played on the same basketball team last summer…she was our big sister on the team, the one that was always willing to lend a hand whenever we needed it. She was always there to make us laugh with her huge personality and she will be forever missed. We love you erin and our hearts and prayers are with you.
— Posted by Rebecca Grimes on victim Erin Peterson, 18

My older brother was Mike’s guard on Hunterdon Central’s football team. To hear my brother too distraught to go to class and my father almost brought to tears over the news, I can only imagine the astronomical effect Mike had on those around him. I did not know Mike personally, but both my brother and father are people of sound judgement and solid character who deliver their loyalty and love to those who greatly deserve it. I’m certain that Mike deserved it. I’m sorry for the irreplacable things we lose in this world and my heart and prayers go to his family.
— Posted by Nicole Garibaldi on victim Michael Steven Pohle Jr

The loss of Julia is hard for me to even put in words. She had a passion for life and celebrated it everyday through creating beautiful jewelery, widdling wood, playing guitar until her fingers bleed, hiking, traveling, and striving for a greener world. She was a beautiful woman on the inside and out, that brought a sense of peace whenever she was around. I will miss seeing her bright face pass me along the huckleberry trail on my way to class and hearing her freestyle around the campfire. Through all of the sadness I hope to find a way to bring her passion into my life, and continue to strive for the dreams that she instilled in me.
— Posted by Amber Ellis on victim Julia Pryde, 23

I remember when Mary first came to Annandale high school…I met her the month before school started as part of the marching band, and immediately you could tell that she was a good person. She never spoke ill of anyone, and was always so willing to help another person out. We miss you, a lot, Mary, and we’ll never forget. Your heart made life so bright for so many people, and it will continue to do so. Love you kiddo.
— Posted by Luke on Mary Karen Read, 19

Reema you were the one who helped me through all my tough times… you made all my days brighter and fun filled… u made me smile every time we chatted online…u made me laugh when i needed to laugh…i miss you my lebani sandwich and i will always remember the jokes and disses we had toward each other….i love you habibti and i will always keep you in my heart as well as your family. You were my best pal in NAMY and you are now my best pal in my heart i hope your praying for everyone here and hopefully looking down at us. your in a better place now and i hope to join you when i get there love you.
— Posted by Lawrence Dababneh on victim Reema Samaha, 18

Waleed was a gentle and kind person, very peaceful and comforting to be around. The last time most of the community saw him was at the International Street Fair, sticking close to the muslims around and making jokes and having fun.

May God give him a high place in Heaven, may God make it easy on his family and may we all remember that death is very close.
— Posted by A Blacksburg Sister on victim Waleed Shaalan

I knew Leslie in high school. She was in many of my classes and I remember her kindness to all. She never disliked anyone. All the teachers loved her, especially her History teachers. She loved history. She also loved running; I believe she was on the cross-country team at West Springfield. I worked with her on certain assignments and she was always dedicated to getting the work done in any way she could. Her trademark was always putting a smile on everyone’s face. I just cannot believe this happened to her; I cannot think of any reason why anyone would do this to her. I feel deeply sorry for her family and am praying for them. I hope she is in a better place now, cheering up everyone there with her sense of humor.
— Posted by DB on victim Leslie Sherman, 20

Maxine, just looking at your picture, you are so beautiful! I wish I could turn back the hands of time and pull you from that burning building. When I think of this senseless tragedy, your face will always come to mind. The next time I visit my parents in Fairfax I will come by your gravesite to say hi.
— Posted by Kevin Richmond, VA on Maxine Turner, 22

1: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty,
2: will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
3: For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
4: he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5: You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6: nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7: A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you.
8: You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
9: Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your habitation,
10: no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
11: For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways.
12: On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13: You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14: Because he cleaves to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15: When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honor him.
16: With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Families & friends, you are all in my daily prayers.
— Posted by Juliana, from Colombia on Nicole Regina White, 20