Saint Martin's Cloak

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. 1 Timothy 2:1-6a Last month, I read two stories in quick succession. First, I read about Kansas pastor Sandra Moore who took a group of United Methodists to visit the Islamic Center of Topeka in order to learn more about the Muslim faith. Imam Omar Hazim invited the group to visit the mosque and have lunch with Muslim congregation. The visit allowed the Christians in the group to better understand Islam, and the Muslims to better understand the Christian faith. It was a nice, neighborly thing to do, and it reminded me of my ...

Every suicide is a tragedy, and the nation is right to be concerned for the welfare of its veterans. As a society, we should absolutely do all that we can to treat both the visible and invisible wounds of war. I was curious, however, when I read the claim that 22 veterans per day take their own lives. That’s over 8000 veteran suicides per year. In 2012, an alarming 349 service member took their own lives. How is it possible that over 8000 veterans also did so? Could that number possibly be correct? The number is an estimate reported in the Veterans Administration’s 2012 study on suicide. You can read the study here: Suicide Data Report 2012 . I am not a statistician, but it appears to me that the VA’s number is a reasonable estimate based on the available evidence and the report’s analytical method. So, yes, as far as I can tell the number is accurate, but it needs context. In 2010, the Veterans Administration says that there were over 23 million living veterans - 23,031,892, ...