At 9:00 p.m., London time, as part of her \u201cDangerous Woman\u201d world tour, singer Ariana Grande began her concert at the 21,000-seat Manchester Arena.<\/p>\n
At 10:28 p.m., with the concert complete, a man detonated an explosive device near one of the exits.<\/p>\n
Seconds later, fans raced out of the arena, hearing the blast, with most unaware of exactly what had happened.<\/p>\n
At least 22 have died, and 59 were injured Monday night. Of the victims named thus far, some are teens. One is only eight.<\/p>\n
ISIS was quick to take credit, stating that this iniquitous act was carried out \u201cwith Allah\u2019s grace and support.\u201d For the record, I couldn\u2019t disagree more. Lest we digress, however, with the ongoing investigation and the identification of the killer, the incident is believed to be a result of Islamic terrorism.<\/p>\n
At this point, it\u2019s challenging to know what to say. With a heavy heart and a sober mind, I find myself mostly pausing at the keyboard, wondering how in the world we make sense of a group that finds it sickeningly valiant to intentionally take the life of an eight year old girl. The reality is that terrorists don\u2019t care about who they kill; they don\u2019t care about other people. The radicals have taken a religious creed and utilized it as a license for murder. Let\u2019s be poignantly clear: they are not motivated by God; they are motivated by evil.<\/p>\n
What magnifies the inherent challenge, unfortunately, is that our country currently stinks at talking about things well.<\/p>\n
I have no desire to be disrespectful to a single soul. But I do desire to find a way through this, talking honestly, bluntly, and respectfully about terrorism. Consistent with most topics, I\u2019d like to find a way to discuss the truth and the solemn ramifications without any of the \u201cdowns\u201d<\/em> \u2014 that is, either (A) watering down<\/strong><\/em> the truth \u2014 or (B) shoving the truth down<\/strong><\/em> the throat of one who approaches the topic from a different angle.<\/p>\n Too many play politics. Too many dismiss a potentially relevant aspect. Too many dismiss who leads and directs the conversation. Again, we have a hard time simply talking about it. It thus doesn\u2019t seem like too much of a stretch to wonder why solution remains distant. If we fumble the mere conversation, we are also likely to forgo any solution.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most poignant response I witnessed this week was from Ariana Grande herself. She made me think. In the immediate hours after the attack, she simply tweeted the following:<\/p>\n \u201cbroken. <\/em> I thought about her words for a long time\u2026 broken.<\/em><\/p>\n What does it mean to be \u201cbroken\u201d?<\/p>\n With many stated definitions, this one seemed consistent with Grande\u2019s emotion: \u201cmade weak or infirm; subdued completely.\u201d<\/p>\n There is an inherent humility in that definition \u2014 a recognition of weakness that we need help in this; we need far more than self. We need a grace and truth that is bigger and better and more effective and lasting than any human brilliance or bravado.<\/p>\n It dawned on me, therefore, how beautiful brokenness is\u2026 the calling out for help, the submission, the acknowledgement of weakness and transparency of emotion, and the resistance to any choosing of sides or exalting of self.<\/p>\n Maybe then, the way through discussing and eliminating the evil of terrorism is for everyone to humble themselves long enough to pray, recognizing our need for divine help and quit any exaltation of party, policy, or self. Maybe. I\u2019m just thinking out loud.<\/p>\n Primarily, my heart and mind just feel we need to be a little more broken.<\/p>\n Respectfully\u2026 At 9:00 p.m., London time, as part of her \u201cDangerous Woman\u201d world tour, singer Ariana Grande began her concert at the 21,000-seat Manchester Arena. At 10:28 p.m., with the concert complete, a man detonated an explosive device near one of the exits. Seconds later, fans raced out of the arena, hearing the blast, with most … <\/p>\n
\nfrom the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"