Narrow escapes?

Yesterday Dutch police arrested seven would-be terrorists that allegedly were planning to 'kill as many people as they could' in the city of Amsterdam. Today a Dutch boy was arrested after announcing that he was going to kill kids in a school in the city of Breda. Both threats have been detected by the police - tipped off by an anonymous phone call from Brussels (referring to the planned attack in Amsterdam) and by Dutch TV-journalists who read an anonymous school shooting announcement posted by a Dutch boy in an American chat box. (See screenshot above) The police was able to track down this boy and by doing so they've probably prevented a situation like we've seen too many times now on both sides of the Atlantic.

Pfew... Are we just lucky? It's a terrible thought, but sooner or later these kind of horrible things will happen here too, I'm afraid. But what can you do about it? We can only hope and pray that we will be protected against such senseless attacks. I'm happy and thankful that the police seems to do a good job in preventing these tragedies from happening so far.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people in Germany who are mourning now due to the act of one violent and merciless idiot.

Dutch news sources here and here.

Praying for the people of India

Another senseless blood bath - this time in Mombai, India. I really don't see how anybody can achieve anything positive with violent attacks like these. The killers will be killed and the only thing that they will have achieved is more hatred, more suffering and more killings of innocent people. Why? What on earth do they think they are doing? Do these murderers really believe that they are heroes? God will judge them, I'm sure.

There is something terribly wrong with human nature. This is our only hope: we need to follow Somebody who is not fighting-back and who is not calling us to take revenge. I have a clue who He is. We need to change from the inside-out, and that's not just true for terrorists - it's true for all of us!

To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. (Jesus in Luke 6, The Message)

Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." (Paul in his letter to the Romans, Chapter 12, the Message)