Shocked and saddened

That's us in the Ice household, and we have been for a week. Laura's brother Jeff called early Thursday morning last week and told us of Matthew Winkler's death. I've kept up with every detail since then, well, as much as I can with no cable and dial-up. We hurt more and more as the reality of this sinks in.

It is doubly difficult because this is a family affair: there is no shortage of media attention on the Churches of Christ, Freed-Hardeman, Lipscomb, and various individual churches. This is happening within a church family that we know well and love deeply. But more so than that, we know the Winklers. Laura's brother, now in Columbus, worked with Dan and Jacob on staff at Crieve Hall. Laura's uncle, Eddie Thompson, seen often on news reports as of late, and who preached Matthew's funeral with Dan, also ministered at Crieve Hall. I've had Dan and Jacob to Ezell to speak in high school chapel. Dan in particular was been a great encourager to Laura in her Romania mission trips back in the day; he has always been encouraging to me in my teaching and ministry at Central. The Winklers have been a major part of church life in Nashville, Ezell-Harding, and this has hit close to home for many people we know and love. I think I may have met and spoken with Matthew once or twice; Laura may have met Mary. They are not close friends, or even close acquaintances, but we know the family, have connections to the family, and love the family. Everyone we know has nothing but the highest regard and respect for the Winklers. We hurt for the family. This is a family affair in more than one way.

There has been no shortage of speculation about Mary's motive, no shortage of commentary about Churches of Christ, no shortage of commentary about "conservative religion" and no shortage of rumors and baseless speculation. This hurts as well. Any time people you know and love are in the spotlight, in this kind of light, it is difficult. Any time your church is scrutinized, fairly or unfairly, it is difficult.

I don't know Mary's motive, but this isn't the time or the forum for me to add to the speculative discussion. Neither am I interested in getting into theological, sociological, or psychological discussions. This isn't the time for that. This is a time to hurt with the hurting, grieve with the grieving and pray.

Time will reveal the details of the crime, the motive behind it, and time will assist in the theological discussions that are (poorly or otherwise) going on about Churches of Christ. By the way, mischaracterizations, and those with truth behind them, seem shallow and crass to me when I know so many people who are at this moment being Christ to the hurting Winkler family. This isn't the time to criticize and speculate, it is a time to love. If ever there were a circumstance that is not the way things are to be, it is this one, for this family, at this time, so now is a time for grace and peace.