DRIVE-BY PRAYER VIGIL

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - Author: Pastor A. Thomas Hill

An act of trespassing led to the brutal death and discard of a 45-year-old man

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  Matthew 6:14-15

On September 8th, an 18-year-old suspect confessed to the beating death of 45-year-old Steven Townsel who was found a day later in a trash bin.  The reason:  he trespassed on my porch!

When does an act of trespassing deserve a brutal beating, death sentence, and a thoughtless discard of human life as trash?  The answer: when the spirit of unforgiveness reigns.  I'm not sure the upbringing of the young male perpetrator in this case, but it points clearly to the dilemma we continue to face in our city with other young males: the absence of nurturing fathers who are responsible for validating our up and coming young prodigies.  They take flight and leave a bitter pill in the mouths of innocent young men who deserve a better chance at life, yet are left with the silent struggle of anger and unforgiveness that leads to rage and senseless violence.  Such was the case with Steven Townsel.  He didn't have a chance.  He trespassed in a place where unforgiveness resided.  He was arrested, sentenced and executed at the hands of a young man who more than likely struggled with the poison of unresolved issues.  The victims of unforgiveness have no face.  When it can't achieve revenge with its perpetrator, any life will do.  Matthew 6:14-15 gives us the cure to the death grip of unforgiveness - simply forgive.  When we learn how to forgive those who have wronged us, our heavenly Father releases us from the hell of unforgiveness by forgiving us.  You see, when we begin to calculate all the times we have trespassed against Him (our heavenly Father) by blatantly refusing to obey his standards of right doing, we deserve nothing but just punishment.  Instead, he offers us the sweet refrain of forgiveness for our trespasses when we practice forgiving the trespass of others.  If only the young man in this horrific incident was privy to that truth.  If only he had come to realize the power of forgiveness, then he too would have another chance at life.  Instead, by fault he throws himself into a yet larger trash bin to be taunted by many others like himself who are struggling with the same disease labeled unforgiveness.

The following sobering statistics give us a glimpse of the real issues of fatherlessness:

• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census)
• 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes
• 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes (Source: Center for Disease Control)
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes (Source: Criminal Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26, 1978.)
• 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes (Source: National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools.)
• 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes (Source: Rainbows for all God`s Children.)
• 70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions come from fatherless homes (Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988)
• 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home (Source: Fulton Co. Georgia jail populations, Texas Dept. of Corrections 1992)

It's time to pray for our young men who are the victims of the lack of father role-models in their lives.  And it's also time for aggressive action.  Somebody has to address the boiling teapot that keeps giving us a warning that they're ready to be taken off the stove and put to good use.  There are many organizations throughout the city that minister to this problem.  One such program is YOUNG MEN INC., led by community activist, Rev. Malachi Walker and his wife Dawn.  Over the past 14 years they, along with their team of mentors, have reached out to many young men (ages 9-16) through their program of life enrichment.  If you know of a young man who could benefit from this program, contact them at:
Why not join the Drive-by Prayer Vigil team this Saturday, October 11, 2008 as we pray to forgive those who trespass against us.