One of the many solemn videos I watched regarding the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting was posted on Facebook from gospel singer and social media influencer KD French. French was wiping away tears as she sang "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross." Normally, this hymn is sung in churches on Easter, but French, a young mother of two, was singing it as a prayer for the victims of the Uvalde, Texas, massacre. She expressed how she could not imagine the profound grief of the Robb Elementary parents who will never see their kids again. "My God," she posted, "Comfort like only you can."

The Robb Elementary School shooting comes on the heels of the gun violence at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York, last week. In this short span of time, 31 people lost their lives in both of these horrendous incidents. After the Tops shooting, the House of Representatives immediately passed a bill to provide the federal government with more authority in fighting domestic terrorism. The legislation proposed creating specific offices to focus on these threats in the Depts. of Homeland Security and Justice and the FBI. The bill was blocked by Senate Republicans, but there is immense pressure for lawmakers in Congress to do something as 27 mass shootings have occurred at schools this year.

I stood firm in my column on the Tops slaughter last week, maintaining that the government does not have the ability to craft legislation that will eliminate the disturbing root cause of mass shootings, which is the moral depravity of the gunmen who maliciously plan them. While our elected officials will be pressured to move beyond their obstinate partisan disagreements on gun control, I believe these school shootings are a clarion wake-up call for churches to become more involved in ministry to troubled youth who feel isolated and have been bullied. Looking at the disturbing details that are emerging about the Tops and Robb Elementary shooters, the glaring question is: Could something have been done to save these young men from such perilous outcomes? Some people who were interviewed in the upstate New York area where the alleged Tops shooter grew up described him as "very quiet," and some of his high school classmates said he was "a loner." The mental health evaluation that he underwent after submitting a school project about murder-suicides did not detect that the 18-year-old was potentially dangerous at the time. The Robb Elementary shooter, who was also 18 and killed by a tactical team officer during his attack, was also described as a "loner" and was bullied in school. I can't help but think that the meanness with which he was taunted caused him to mentally snap and shoot his grandmother on his way to viciously murder innocent children and teachers. I also wonder what both shooters were exposed to as young boys and what their social lives were like. Did they play violent video games and become desensitized to brutality? Why did they have difficulty making friends and socializing with their peers? Perhaps we will learn more about their upbringings as investigations progress.

The reason I mentioned churches needing to intervene more with troubled youth is because I believe that pastors and youth ministers can make a difference, and in many cases, a lifesaving difference for children and teens who feel lost, secluded and unloved. Many studies on community involvement and school victimization show that communication is key when trying to help kids who are withdrawn and have low self-esteem. They need a mediator or counselor, someone whom they can trust, with whom to openly talk about their feelings and what they are going through. Pastors and youth ministers can sit down with parents and primary caregivers of children who are struggling to work on improving their relationships at home and in school. Church community outreach programs can provide youth with a dignified sense of belonging and appreciation. Most importantly, they can instill God's grace and love to let them know that there is a divine plan and purpose for their lives in the midst of the confusion, disappointment and trials they are experiencing. Kids who have been bullied and who wrestle with mental illness are crying out for godly counsel like this.

The deep sadness that our country is feeling right now is difficult to express and even harder to fathom, but I'll keep praying for the families who are grieving in Texas and New York. And like KD French, I'll pray that we draw nearer to the cross of Christ.

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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