On February 14, 2008 a former student entered a lecture hall on the NIU campus and opened fire using four guns. He killed 5, wounded 16 and then killed himself. I included the following in my thoughts for that week.

"The Thursday evening news here was all about the shootings at NIU. At that point there was a lot of incomplete information and conjecture. The identify of the shooter was mot reveled. All I could think is that he forgot the face of his father. He was a desperate person who felt wronged. Why these people think that taking other lives will do anything to provide relief to their problems is beyond my understanding. We can only pray for the victims and throes who love them. We can also pray that we will learn and respond to the factors that motivate this behavior in order to prevent more carnage.  We may also wish to pray for the family of the perpetrator as well as the man himself. His deeds are done and can not be undone. Revenge must be removed from our consideration and our society.

I am convinced that the state's use of the death penalty sends the message that to kill solves a problem. You can not stop killing by killing. Does anyone have common sense? Legalized abortion sends a message that my life and my agenda are more important than another life and killing is justified. "Mercy" killing also cheapens the value of life itself, sending the message that there are valid reasons to take a life. In reality, our lives are a gift of God and it is blasphemy to throw away His gifts.

I am convinced that we have gone so far in "protecting the civil rights of individuals" that we are violating the rights of society in general which is in danger of being the victim of misguided or sick individuals who are a danger to themselves and those around them. We fear "Big Brother" intruding on our right to privacy in all matters. What are we hiding if we are living moral and law-abiding lives. But I pray to God that someone will be watching over me if I become sick or mentally unstable so that I will not harm myself or others. There is no shame in being helped for we are designed by God to grow and thrive by helping each other.

I am convinced that we have discarded the teaching of morality and social responsibility in our public schools in the fear that those concepts would be considered "religious" in nature. Students must be schooled in the fact that we compete to better ourselves, not to defeat and degrade others.

I am convinced that we have, in our advertising and entertainment industries, appeal to the lowest levels of morality and values, glorifying greed, self satisfaction and sensationalism above Christian values. They are foisting upon us a distorted picture of what the "real world" could be. The media squanders the opportunity to improve our society and instead desensitizes us to evil.