Thank you to all who responded to our survey. We are still processing the results, which we will report to you in the Friday Informer. One suggestion from many of you we can all agree on in prayer: Ask God to reveal the devil’s schemes.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

View Comments (4)

“Chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) arrived in Parkland, Florida, within hours of Wednesday’s school shooting that killed at least 17 teens and faculty members.

This is the fifth deployment this year for the ministry’s rapid response team, trained to provide emotional and spiritual support amid crises.

Each 2018 deployment has been gun-related. . . .

At times of tragedy, Christian churches and ministries rally to remind survivors of a God who the Psalms tell us “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

For decades, they have been among the first on the scene to care for people in the wake of hurricanes, tornados, fires, and other uncontrollable natural disasters. In recent years, ministries increasingly find themselves consoling victims of manmade violence: shootings and terrorist attacks. . . .

The Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) at Wheaton College reflects the new scope of disaster ministry, which now includes responding to mass shootings alongside the more traditional relief efforts that surround natural disasters.

HDI researchers have found that such forms of religious support help victims of mass shootings in similar ways as they have been shown to help victims of natural disasters. Recent studies indicate that people connected to churches and religious communities fare better in their recovery.” (Excerpted from Christianity Today, reporting by Kate Shellnutt.)