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We received this email last night.   I thought I’d pass it on.  It hit me pretty hard getting this news literally 30 minutes after our discussion about what true Discipleship costs.

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Dear Partner,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you about a terrible loss to the World Vision family. Six staff members were killed in a brutal and senseless attack on our offices in the Mansehra District of Pakistan. Additionally, eight employees are hospitalized with injuries after the unprovoked assault by gunmen. Four of the staff have been released from the hospital. Our work in Pakistan is conducted by local citizens.

We remember those staff who died as dedicated workers seeking to improve the lives of people affected by poverty and disasters. World Vision has temporarily suspended our operations in Pakistan, but we remain committed to helping children, families, and communities in this country.

As World Vision mourns our colleagues, we ask you to join us in praying for the families of our staff members and the people they serve in Pakistan as well as our staff all over the world.

God bless,

Rich Stearns
President, World Vision U.S.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.  Galations 6:1-5

In the discussion that came up last night of ways to practice the spiritual discipline of Service was the idea of ”bearing each others burdens”.  I admit this tends to be one commandment that I’m not sure exactly how to apply.  I’ve heard it said that this means -at the very least – empathizing with your brother when they are hurting.  But to me, only doing this feels shallow.  What do you think this commandment is actually requiring of us, and in what (practical) ways can we better live this out?

We’ve spent the last few couple of weeks talking about the spiritual disciplines of meditation, solitude, and silence.  John asked us to try and turn our radios off when we were in the car this week.  Just wondering if people tried doing this and how it went for them.