This past Christmas and New Years season was scary. I heard on the news a lot that Muslim terrorists were seeking to attack churches and public gatherings. Our own Jim Riordan wrote about it:(https://menofvalue.com/2016/12/25/isis-vows-attack-u-s-churches-well-thought-scream-james-riordan/) I was especially concerned since I go to a large church in Chicagoland and my family insisted on going Christmas evening and Christmas morning and New Years evening and New Years morning and they wanted to go up onto the top floor of the second highest building in Chicago, the John Hancock building, between Christmas and New Years. Thankfully, nothing happened. At least nothing that I knew of happened or nothing happened that the men and women in blue were not able to stop.

However, one thought that kept going on in my mind (along with a prayer for protection) while I was looking around and trying to keep aware of my surroundings was the story of Bob Marley, the famous Jamaican musician. Though I remember hearing about him as I was growing up, the real story about him that I found inspiring I learned from Will Smith in the movie, I Am Legend. Will Smith tells the story of how in 1976, Bob Marley was going to perform at a free concert sponsored by the government to ease tensions after many people were violently protesting and some people were beaten and some killed after an election  (gee, sound familiar?). Though Bob Marley and the Wailers were essentially politically neutral, someone thought that they represented on side or the other and decided they deserved to die. So someone went to his house and while he was eating half a grapefruit, shot him twice, then shot his wife, his manager, and a friend. Thankfully, no one was killed though Bob Marley’s friend was seriously injured and later flown to Miami (http://www.stabroeknews.com/2012/archives/02/06/reporter-recounts-the-night-bob-marley-got-shot/). Undaunted, two days later, Bob Marley walked out on stage and said his famous line:

“The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?”  

He kept going and did the thing that he felt he was called to do despite the bad people out there. Now I realize that Mr. Marley was a Rastafarian, though he did die a Christian (http://www.christianpost.com/news/bob-marley-died-a-christian-not-rastafarian-claims-archbishop-68800/I felt the same way going praising), Regardless of where he stood spiritually when he said that, I felt inspired by him to keep doing what I am called to be doing: despite the bad people, going to church and praising the Lord. Those Muslim terrorists are not taking the day off, why should I?

The Lord calls us to do the right thing, even when it is hard and even when people are against us.

Luke 13:31: At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.

——————————————-W.