Three Young Sons and Their Mom, Daddy is Gone Now...

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Today’s Blog Post


Three Young Sons and Their Mom, Daddy is Gone Now...

What a tragedy! The loss of Constable Vu Pham, OPP Officer in Wingham, Ontario. What a loss for the Family of Fred Preston, the man that killed Constable Pham, then passed away last evening.

It appears that it was a rage that had caused this to unfold. Anger, Depression, Hatred, Frustration? Who knows?

Constable Vu Pham was part of the local Pentecostal Church in Wingham. I know the church. Now it is close to home.

Apparently Fred Preston and Constable Pham were also possibly part of the same Sundridge Pentecostal Church as well. I know that church as well. Now it is very close to home.

The TV coverage has three young boys walking with their mom into the huge arena in Wingham to begin the service for their dad.

I am moved deeply and mourn with the family as I am sure that most of Ontario and Canada does as well.

How could people that go to church get so messed up with all these emotions? How could this happen when people supposedly love God and maybe even each other?

Going to church doesn’t make people good or even righteous. It doesn’t change them. The change is a choice.

It has been said that parking your lawnmower in the garage will not make it into a car, anymore than it will make person sitting in a church a Christian.

But even good Christians blow it. Their relationships blow apart. They will hate in a heart beat… and react accordingly. I have seen it happen all too often.

Fred and his poor wife were separated a while ago. All these years I am supposing that Fred looked forward to a happy retirement… and now it had all fallen apart. He was likely in the Wingham area to try to connect with his wife. It has been supposed by those looking on that perhaps the call to watch out for Fred was made by his wife or the ones close to her… maybe even to watch out for a gun.

However it happened, Vu Pham responded to see what he could do. It was then that he was shot by Fred, as Fred was down in the ditch beside the road.

What happened next was more difficult still. Fred received eight bullets from the OPP guns that were brought to bear down on him. One shot likely would have done the job… but eight completed it. Pretty final I say.

I feel for the Officers that were involved that day with their friend and colleague, Vu. They will not quite be the same after having pulled the triggers either. This is not Hollywood… it was not a movie. It was real… and three young sons are walking behind their daddy’s casket about now… with some pretty terrible feelings.

I have a big lump in my throat… a big, big lump. God help our communities in every way possible. I pray for two fellow pastors today that will stand next Sunday to try to give hope. The healing process will be long and hard.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/