I have a close friend who owns his own business. A few months ago he began having thieves and vandals break in and damage and steal property from him. My friend is a great guy, he is a believer and spent much of the past decade in Mexico working in full-time missions work. My friend is also an avid hunter who owns many guns and has a consealed-weapons permit.

When people began breaking into his business (a manufacturing facility) he started spending the nights at his company in hopes of catching or scaring the perpetrators. Well, after just a few nights he did just that. Being aware that someone was breaking in, he first called the police from his cell phone to report the burglary, then he made a citizens arrest by pulling his gun on the intruder and had him lie on the floor with his hands behind his head until the police arrived and took him to jail. My friend made the front pages of the paper and was very excited that he had thwarted the robbery and had protected his property.

Now, this past week, my friends business was being broken into again. So, (since it worked the first time) he began last night staying at the warehouse again. Things turned out differently this time though. From what we know, my friend was again alerted to someone breaking in, so he called 911 to report the burglary and, while still on the phone with 911, he had an encounter with the perpetrator(s). The police won't give out much information to the family, but apparently the 911 operator heard someone yelling at him to "put your hands up", then they heard a shot fired. When the police arrived they found my friend had been shot in the head.

Currently, he is in critical condition and "not expected to make it". In my opinion, its already a miracle that he initially survived being shot in the head at close range. So, I would first of all like those who read this to be praying for him and his family (he has a wife, 2 sons and 4 grandchildren). His name is Jeff.

Secondly, I would like to pose the question, as its been an issue that I've talked to many people about in recent months (including Jeff): To what extent should we go to protect our property and our family? Perhaps Jeff would not have been shot if he himself did not have a gun (perhaps he would have anyways)? He certainly would not have been shot if he had not put himself in such a situation. But what was he to do...allow people to continue vandalizing and stealing from his company? Or was he right to do what he could to protect his livelihood?

With many people in America getting more and more desperate due to the declining financial situation, I would say that "break-ins" might be on the rise in many places. Should we go to arms to protect ourselves? Or should we submit to God and trust that He is sovereign and can/will stop such people from harming us and our property? These have been questions that I've been mulling over for some time on a personal level, today's events only bring it much closer to home. After all, Jeff and I had this conversation not too long ago, perhaps I should have been more persuasive one way or another.

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Buck Yates

graceamazed,

I am very sorry about your friend Jeff and I will be praying for him & his family.

As to your question about protecting our families & property, I would personally do whatever it take to protect my family. My property is different. I wouldn't risk a lot to protect it.

Maybe Jeff wasn't wrong it protecting his business, but errored in his method. How did the thief(s) find him without him seeing the thief(s) coming? Maybe he should have locked himself in a room, called the police & allow them to engage the thief(s).

Anyway, I'll be praying.

i will pray for jeff and his family.

i agree that this is a difficult question. for family, i would be willing to die. property is different, but it is a shame that others would feel it is ok to enter into private property and try to take something that is not theirs.

Praise God he knows the Lord as Savior!

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Ben Fuehrer

Our prayers are with all of you, Grace Amazed. I have wrestled with this as well. Once, we had a scary situation happen at our store, and I'm sure they were going to rob us. I knew it, felt it, and kicked myself for being unarmed and not able to protect myself or my wife. But they (3 men) stood around then left. Now I am armed.

One thing I know, and was taught by my first concealed carry instructor, is if you're unsure of taking a human life, then do not carry a gun. Indecision will cost you. It may have happened with Jeff, or it's a good chance Jeff was surprised by a second gunman. May God restore him to his family and friends. Don

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Don

Well, its 9:45 here in Tennessee and Jeff is still alive, but has not improved. It appears that there was a second gun man, as we've found out he had already apprehended one man before he called the police and while he was on the phone it appears someone else came up behind him. Still no arrests have been made.

As for the question of "to arms or not to arms"... I'm sure this is a bit of a subjective question and will vary from individual to individual. I personally have a revolver in the top of my closet (I own 3 bullets to the gun and have never fired it). My hand gun was passed down to me after my grandfather died, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have one. About three months ago there were a couple of houses in our neighborhood that were broken into. Having this in mind, I was wrestling with whether or not I would use the gun should something happen. Within the week my wife and I were both awakened by a loud noise that sounded like it came from our walk-out basement (the obvious place I would think someone would try entering our house). Two things happened immediately, first, I was gripped by a sense of fear (which isn't very common for me) and second, my trust was fully set on getting to my revolver and its three bullets. There was no peace, no call on the Lord, no sense of a Psalm 23 safety, just a full dependence on the safety that my little pistol could bring me. Turns out, no one was in the house, no doors or windows had been messed with and I have no explanation for the noise. I think the Lord might have just caused us to be in that situation to reveal to us what our hope was placed in.

I wrestled with God for most of the next day, until I finally came to the resolution that I would not use my gun, even if I thought someone was in the house. What did I do, I started praying more for the safety of my family and I started making a conscious effort to put my sense of security in the Lord. I'm trusting that He is sovereign and able to frustrate the plans of those who would seek to harm me. I'm not saying this is "the more excellent way", but it was the conclusion that brought me peace.

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Buck Yates

GraceAmazed, I'll be praying for everyone involved and notifying others to do the same.

Here is a thread which follows a similar theme, and may lend some insight.

[url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=0&topic_id=24335&forum=44&post_id=&refresh=Go]I got jumped and robbed[/url]

Blessings in the grace of Christ.

*edit*

glitch.

Hi brother, keep us updated on Jeff, will you?

My prayers ...

Honestly, wrestling with your questions I am so very reluctant and find really no good answer to all of this ... if I could just think out loud, think along with you here ...

It seems that each of has to decide many of these matters for ourselves, independent ultimately even if we take in a variety of opinion to draw our 'conclusions'. That seems a bit too obvious ...

This is now one of those 'what if' situations in reverse - Now it's in hindsight rather than foresight. And I am often troubled by these very speculations ... only now it is a brothers life hanging in the balance.

Again, am thinking out loud, this is proving more difficult than I know ... Maybe a jump to something you mentioned;

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Mike Balog

So sorry to hear about your friend Jeff's misfortune...Hope he recovers well...

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Sandra Miller

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Sandra Miller