I started this site with the intention of posting regularly, however it always slipped to the bottom of the ‘to-do’ list. With an ever-growing ‘God’s presence, strength & comfort for the family of…’ requests, I decided my letter for the January newsletter needed to be ‘published’ earlier than usual. All these families are in our prayers and we commend the deceased & the grief-stricken into the Lord’s ever-faithful hands. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. Isaiah 9:2  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:5  Dear brothers & sisters in Christ, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen. When tragedy strikes young people, adults want to protect them. We want to make it all better and take away the suffering. As much as we realize the impossibility, we still feel compelled to fix their pain. We have a deep seeded desire to make it all better again. Yet we all know that we cannot protect children or youth (or adults or ourselves for that matter) from pain, suffering or grief forever. In this life, we will all encounter darkness. At some point in time, they will hurt. They will witness suffering. Their tears will fall and they will mourn. They will someday face the darkness we try desperately to hide from them. Unfortunately, darkness is part of this life. The whole creation is, as Paul reminded the Romans, “subjected to futility.” There are things we do not understand. There are things that rip our hearts asunder. Each and every day, we face some sort of darkness. The darkness tries to sever our relationship with God. The world wants our faith to falter and wither away. It wants us to remain in darkness. God does not shy away from the darkness. He confronts it and soundly defeats it in His Son. He is the ‘Light of the World’ and He is in this world to banish the darkness. Fortified with the power of the Holy Spirit, we too face the darkness. We confront it with our young brothers and sisters in Christ. We hold them when they need a physical reminder that they are cherished. We back off when they need some space (just not too much). We cry with them. We pray for them and with them. We continue to love them. We continue to shine the light of Christ into their darkness. The darkness will not overcome them. Christ will not let the darkness overcome them or you. The light of Christ breaks through the darkness. His light shines in all the dark corners of our lives and our world. ^“For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.” (Romans 8:24-26) The Spirit intervenes with light and hope when the darkness seems to be closing in. We cling to that hope. We share that hope. That hope and light lives in you. The grace and peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ. Amen.