I graduated in 1969 from high school and the next year moved on campus at OSU. I was working three nights a week at a data processing center. The memory unit to our computers was as big as an executive desk and had less processing than our phones we now carry in our pocket.

I was coming back to my apartment on one particular night and the road was blocked. I parked my car and walked ahead where I could see and heard a lot of commotion. High Street was filled with what appeared to be students and other young people that were throwing bricks, and picking up tear gas canisters and throwing them back at policemen that were trying to restore order. I ended up in the middle of the crowd, got arrested, and didn’t have any idea what the chaos was all about. By the time I found out I was being carted off to jail.

How many times do people get caught up in things that they know nothing about? I look at the people in some of our cities today that are carrying signs, throwing bricks, and setting fires that think they are making a statement, but do they understand the message behind the sign? It seems that there is a great divide in our country at this time, but do we really know what is behind it? Could it be that most of the people are just caught up in the moment?

The word that was sent to us through His son Jesus was: “love God and love each other!” It also says: “nothing can separate us from God.” That is because God is always with us but we have to make the choice to be with Him. If we make the right choice and love God, we will then love each other.

These are the everyday issues we deal with at the Gathering Place every Sunday morning at 10:30 and Wednesday evening at 7.

John Pfeifer

The Gathering Place Church

240 Courthouse Parkway, Washington Court House, Ohio

740-335-9641