BLOG PART 2: On Oct. 1, 58 people were killed and 500 people were injured at a country music concert in Las Vegas. Gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, got on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, shot a security guard and then opened fire on the concertgoers. For our MBU Timeline writers, a question to reflect on and blog about is: Are we ever safe anymore?
Graphic illustration by Daniel Dilworth
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The death toll rises as countless terror attacks, shootings, murders and unabashed violence breaks out on a regular basis. Humanity is always on the brink of total collapse as it seems one individual’s vision of the world clashes with another. The people who were once brothers in arms now have their arms around their brothers’ throats. Humanity has been in positions similar to this one before, but yet we still ask ourselves if it is even safe anymore to step outside our homes. From the talk of nuclear armageddon, to the bombings of the London underground and the most recent attack in Las Vegas, coverage of these events makes onlookers feel helpless, are without control of their own fates and the lives of their loved ones. In the reality of it, we have no control. We may have an idea what we want to do with our lives, but many of the best laid out plans never turn out the way anyone expects. Any day now, any one of us can and will drop dead, it is just a matter of what will be our end and when it will happen. However, while we have no guarantees we will make it to tomorrow, we still keep fighting anyway. We fight against the elements, the rogue factors, the sickness and the unknown everyday we begin our day with our first breath. It says that I am alive. I am a survivor of life and the many problems that it throws at me. I may die today, but I will not die in vain for I have Christ beside me. I place my faith in Christ to have my best interest in mind and if it requires me to die for what I stand for or just to die from a random act of violence then call me a willing participant. My service to the Lord supersedes death or pain, because I serve him faithfully and know that when I die my service will still go on. It is through Christ that I was born and through Christ I will die, but my life on this earth is only a fraction of what I will accomplish through Him. So should we be afraid to leave our homes and do the things we wish to do due to fear? I say no, because whether we live or die we belong to the Lord. “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Romans 14:8 The mass shooting that happened in Las Vegas shook me to my core. As a newer Believer, I am at times tempted to question God our Savior for the tragedies that seem to be never ending. Why, God? It seems that everywhere we go evil is present. There have been times that I feel that our safety and security are nonexistent in this world anymore. As a citizen, as a Christian and a woman of color I have felt as an outcast in a country that is supposed to be made up of immigrants with one common dream, the American Dream and freedom for all. I have felt that because of my characteristics my safety and security are less important in this country than other citizens. Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” I do not understand but I know He has a reason. The Las Vegas tragedy impacted many in different ways. In me it gave me the realization that as a follower it is not my duty to question him, but to trust in him and live through his word. For He will give me the strength to conquer all obstacles, I will be safe in his hands. By CHEYENNE JOHNSON “Keep me safe, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.” Psalm 140:4 What has the world become? We are becoming less likely to leave our homes and go to large events because we can’t help but wonder, are we safe anymore? We sit and think, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history will not be the deadliest mass shooting forever. I am 20 years old and have seen “Deadliest Mass Shooting in U.S. History” three times in the headlines, with Virginia Tech, Orlando, now Las Vegas. Often times it seems these terrorists have the ultimate goal to top the person before them, such as Columbine, however, we can not live our life in fear. The Las Vegas shooting that occurred Oct. 1 was a horrific act of terrorism, but we can not let that define us. If we continue to live our lives in fear, these terrorists win. What if rather than living in fear, we lived in faith and put our trust in God? If we just put our trust in God, we will no longer need to worry. Everything that will happen, will happen for a reason, with God by our side to protect us.
Triston Buckley 
Emily Retzer