Columbia Mall

source:DMG photography -- other beautiful photos there, as well.

What do you say, what do you do, when somewhere you're so familiar with, somewhere you grew up and where you spent countless hours as a tween and a teen, shows up in the national news for an outburst of human violence?

After you call your family and make sure they're fine, you commiserate with your friends about the solidarity of the community. And most importantly, you turn to prayer. I foresee people recognizing need and seeking counsel. Pray for receptivity to the Spirit. God is on the move.

Pastor Randy Lovelace's sermon at Columbia Presbyterian Church (CPC) (the church I grew up in) from the following day, "Hope in the Face of Danger":


Tangentially, an interesting Baltimore Sun article on the 40th anniversary of the mall, including 1971 photo below.


And a resource on talking to kids about the event.

As an aside, I find it interesting how upset I am by this attack on "my" community, my "safe" community. Why am I not surprised or even alarmed when Harrisburg has yet another shooting, or Baltimore?

Come, LORD Jesus!