Lifting Our Eyes

Book excerpt: Virginia Tech’s soul is in the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, which in turn found one of its strong hearts in an effervescent Christian student named Lauren McCain. Then on an unforgettable April morning, Lauren lost her life with thirty-one others at the hands of a gunman in the largest mass murder in modern U.S. history. But one thing couldn’t be destroyed: an unyielding faith and spirit that lives on in Lauren’s memory, one which she so joyously championed. Yet the challenging and inevitable questions persist: How could God allow evil to shatter the lives of these good people? What’s to become of our trust in Him when it seems as if He’s not there to protect us? Through exclusive interviews with Lauren’s own parents and others, this book offers answers—found in a community joined in immeasurable sorrow, anger, and grief; in the healing and heartening words of survivors, clergy, and counsel. Most of all, it is Lauren’s own lasting legacy—a ray of light that illuminates the goodness above—that inspires now more than ever before. Foreword by Darrell Scott. Includes photographs and an appendix of resources for those coping with tragedy. “A person’s view of God determines the way they will respond in times of crises. Beth Lueders has done us a great service by finding God’s stories of grace and hope in an otherwise horrific event. I encourage you to read this book and find your faith strengthened by first-hand stories of God’s presence and peace.”—Vonette Z. Bright, cofounder, Campus Crusade for Christ “When tragedy strikes in such devastating proportions, it’s only natural for us to look heavenward and ask, ‘Why?’ And that’s exactly where this book turns—to God. From a very personal yet eternal perspective, this book offers real hope and healing in the aftermath of inexplicable suffering.” —Ed Young, author of Outrageous Joy and Senior Pastor, Fellowship Church, Grapevine, Texas