"Breaking the chains of domestic violence"

Last week the type of horrific violence we see on TV happened here in Savannah. A man shooting his ex-wife and her boyfriend and then turning the gun on himself and ending his own life. All of this taking place just as school was letting out. When you here that gun shots were fired outside of the high school a thousand different scenarios run through you head.

After finding out that no kids were shot there was a sense of relief. My kids are 5, 8, and 10 years old and we try to protect them from as much of the dark side of society as we can but when it hit home like this that becomes impossible.

One of my kids asked how could someone do this to their wife? And why does the wife have a boyfriend? If you kill yourself will you still go to heaven?

I am not claiming to be a perfect or even a good Christian, I try to live as close to God as I can but I stumble a lot. I told my son that things like this happen when we fall away from the Lord. I told him thats why it's so important to be a Christian and to strive to live each day like one because when we don't we can do things that aren't a good reflection of our faith and who we strive to be. We tell our kids all the time how much we love them and we spend as much time as possible together along with trying to teach them how to act and behave in the world around them. I am proud to not have come from a broken home, growing up no one in my immediate family had been divorced so its hard for me to relate to the dynamics of a broken marriage. I go out of my way to tell my kids that my wife comes first in our marriage and our home, I love them but she is number one, and I talk and try to show my boy's every day how a man should treat his wife and women in general. I think as fathers we have an obligation to our children to teach and raise them up in a manner that they will respect and cherish the women in their lives. Raising your kids with Christian morals and teachings and leading and showing them by example is the only way to break the chain of violence and broken homes in America.

I am not perfect, but I know my role as a husband and a father. Each day I try to be the best I can be. I stumble a lot but I know that Christ has his hand extended to help me up every time I stumble and fall. Lets raise our kids up in a loving Christian environment and equip them with the tools to deal with life's problems and when they need help that there is always someone there for them.

Make yourselves accessible to your family and Friends and maybe we can prevent something like this from happing again.