| Guns trivialize Gods protection I feel the need to respond to John Hoffmans letter Gun Control Kills People in the Jan. 1 UMConnection. I take issue with his statement that those in support of gun control have the blood of the innocent victims on their hands. We live in a fallen world where darkness abounds. I am concerned at how many more innocent victims there may be if everyone has ready access to arms. Road rage and mob violence speak to how easily the darker side of human nature can overtake reason. If I were to carry a gun on a daily basis it would speak to a level of fear that I do not wish to encourage. If I felt a pressing need to defend myself at all times and in all places, then my reliance is not on the Lord as my keeper and my salvation. I am not saying that safety and responsible behavior are not necessary for Christians. I am saying that a gun in my purse or strapped to my waist is not going to allow me to live in the freedom that Christ proclaimed for us. I refer us all to 2 Timothy 1:7: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Allyse R. Turner
Lay Leader, Pleasant Grove UMC, Ijamsville
Christmas music enhances my Advent This is in reply to your recent editorial in the UMConnection, about Christmas music during Advent. I agree with you about Advent in the church being a time of waiting and preparation and frown on most Christmas hymns being included in the liturgy before December 24th. However, I beg to disagree with you about the radio station you criticized. I assume you meant WGMS, the local classical music station, which has been playing the most glorious Christmas music daily since Dec. 1. I was thrilled the moment I first heard Christmas music so early in the season, and have kept my car radio dial there all month. Advent can be a very stressful and exhausting time for the average pastor. One of the things that has comforted, uplifted and inspired me most through all of this tiring stress has been the Christmas music on the radio. After all, Christmas music is always about Jesus. When do you ever get to hear one song after another about Christ on a non-Christian radio station? So, please, dont take that away from us clergy. Let us have Christmas music constantly. For just as Christ is risen all year long, and not just at Easter, Jesus is also born all year long, not just at Christmas. For me, being able to hear daily about that wonderful coming has been a true blessing. Rev. Nina George Hacker
Pastor, Wesley Grove UMC | 
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