Message From Jesse Grund's Father - August 30th

I'm glad this man tries to have a forgiving heart, but I'm not that moved. If he thinks that he could have prevented this he is probably mistaken. I've not seen anyone ask for Casey to be strung up, tortured, or not treated with legal rights. Many people think she should fess up and be in jail. This man seems to be blaming the Anthony's for NOT training the child up in the way she should go. I believe that verse, but how it applies to faith in God, and not how it might apply to psychopathy or mental illness. Some things are not everyone else's fault, not the parents, not a few people in the public, the media, subject to your own opinions, but are a product of something else. All this talk of verses and condemning the public but subtly talking about the Anthony's doesn't sit right with me.
 
Sir, what you are experiencing is normal. When we lose someone close to us or even once close to us, especially in such a tragic way ( and I mean Casey) there is grief from this loss and nothing you did or didn't do could have made a difference.

The lord gave us free will and she has choosen her path by the choices she has made. From what you said, she was welcome into your home and you shared your family with her as she did her and her child. She hurt your son and thus choose to end this bond.

What has become of Caylee, Casey knows and she continues to make poor choices by choosing not to admit to her parents what happened and by continuing to lie to law enforcement.

Your son opened his heart to Casey and probably developed a deep adornment for Caylee, and he has the right to mourn as do you the probabilities of what has become of this dear child.

Does this all make sense? I hope so.

I was brought up with the belief that God never gives us anything that we can't handle, having lost someone close to me I know that in time this is true.

I hope in time that you too will be able to handle this pain.

You sound like a wonderful person as well as a good father. Thank you for sharing your deep feelings with us.

Take Care
 
I think that both sets of 'grandparents' promised Casey that they would always be there for her and her baby, and convinced her to have and keep Caylee. Then, once the baby was born, the 'grandparents' turned their backs on both of them and threw them away.

I have taken homeless teenage moms and their children willingly into my home, and I have seen this dynamic play out. Grandparents using guilt and shame against the girl and her baby. Constantly in her face about being a 'sinner'...not being married...even after they were the ones who forced her to give birth and keep the baby. Then tossing both mother and child to the curb because of their own anger and hatred.

I am glad that the REV seems to be having some kind of an awakening. I do not pose with semiautomatic rifles claiming to be the voice of Jesus. I simply ask young moms who are spare-changing what I can do to help. I have heard so many stories of ugly adults throwing away their children and grandchildren like so much trash. I will help any mother and child.

My mercy and compassion bucket have been filled to overflowing with love.

I have not and will never use my life or the lives of the children I love to promote a media spectacle on Fox at Ten. These 'grandparents' still have quite a ways to go to get to the heart of the matter, in my humble opinion.
 
I'm glad this man tries to have a forgiving heart, but I'm not that moved. If he thinks that he could have prevented this he is probably mistaken. I've not seen anyone ask for Casey to be strung up, tortured, or not treated with legal rights. Many people think she should fess up and be in jail. This man seems to be blaming the Anthony's for NOT training the child up in the way she should go. I believe that verse, but how it applies to faith in God, and not how it might apply to psychopathy or mental illness. Some things are not everyone else's fault, not the parents, not a few people in the public, the media, subject to your own opinions, but are a product of something else. All this talk of verses and condemning the public but subtly talking about the Anthony's doesn't sit right with me.

Did you miss this part in reading this letter?

I am not excusing Casey nor condoning any of her actions. No I have not and will not do that. What am I doing is stating clearly for all to hear - our actions or choices are not based on what others do.
 
What a beautiful post from Rev Grund.

He has a deep, good heart.
 
Wow. I pray that one day I will have this level of compassion and wisdom in my heart. I'm working on it and praying each day that i grow spiritually. I was very moved by his words and honesty.
 
The poor man. Thanks for reposting this over here, OP. I appreciate the opportunity to read it.
 
Saturday, August 30, 2008

Mercy, Compassion, Caylee AND Casey

It's been truly amazing to me that over this last month and a half this little girl, Caylee Marie Anthony, has caused such a worldwide sensation. Yes she is a beautiful little girl and an innocent that has touched our hearts. However, I believe something else is going on here. I believe God is using this story and Caylee to poke at our hearts and show us hidden things about ourselves - all of us.

Psalms 6:6 ( NKJV ) 6 I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.

Now, some may say that I am just trying to insert myself into this story or exaggerating her importance in my life. Well, you can say what you want and I know that you will but what this has done is to reveal areas to me that I kept hidden and ignored. My tears and the pain in my heart isn't just for the loss of Caylee because I haven't given up hope that she will be found. No, it's for the loss of Caylee AND Casey two years ago.

Matthew 5:7 ( NKJV ) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

Oh, I can hear it now..."CASEY?!" Yes, Casey. If you know the Lord and understand spiritual things you know that Casey is a victim too. A victim of things we can see and understand and a victim of things the natural world does not know or acknowledge. This outcome of her actions was set in motion a long time ago when the obvious was ignored and opportunities to intervene were lost. Choices by Casey, those around and others who came into her life set off a chain of events that endangered Caylee from the day she was born.

Proverbs 22:6 ( NLT ) 6 Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Galatians 6:7-8 ( NKJV ) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

As I've watched this media circus and spectacle spiral out of control I've been shocked and amazed. Thousands of people worldwide have become judge, jury and executioner for Casey Anthony. I saw people arrive at the Anthony house last night to protest Casey not being in jail and for her immediate punishment for Caylee's disappearance. I have heard that there are hundreds more planning to protest on Monday in front of the house as well. What are they protesting - our judicial system of being innoncent until proven guilty and the right to a fair trial? I am so glad we do not live in the time of Frontier Justice otherwise mob rule would have allowed them to rush the house, throw a noose around her neck and hang her from the nearest tree. As the comments and accusations have flowed toward anyone and everyone on the periphery, myself and my son included, I wonder where has compassion and mercy gone in 2008?

James 2:13 ( NKJV ) 13For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Last night I was reminded of a story I was told by a dear lady I met in 1992 in Tallahassee, Florida at my original home church. Her name was Lillian Leathers. She was a Messianic Jew who moved to Tallahassee to work with and be under the leadership of my spiritual father and mentor, Pastor Robert Shelley. Lillian was the original Diamond Lil from the early days of nightclubs in NYC and Washington D.C. in the 1960's. She later got saved and dedicated her life to the Lord as a completed Jew. While she was alive she was a regular on Jewish Voice.
One Saturday night as I sat in the Church Sanctuary to pray for the Sunday Service, Lillian came into to pray. She came to where I was sitting. She told me a story that to this day is burned into my mind and spirit. She told me how she had become deathly ill a few years before. Ill to the point there was nothing that could be done for her and she was expected to die. As the pain gripped her body lying in that hospital bed and cried out to the Lord for mercy. She told me that at that moment she heard the audible voice of God in her hospital room, "Lil, you have given no mercy when it was asked for and now can get none. Your mercy account is empty!" He flashed through her mind all of the times she had been quick to judge someone and slow to forgive. Her heart broke in repentance and all the bitterness held within her heart flowed from the tears of her eyes. The pain left her body and she quickly recovered because He gave His mercy.
It was the first time I had read James 2:13: if we offer no mercy our judgement will be without mercy. I wonder if any of those who call for the head of Casey Anthony or say, do or write the things that are being written before justice has played itself out will remember what they have said, written or done when the day comes that they need mercy. Some are confident and brazen enough to put their names to their acts by speaking to newspapers and TV reporters. When the sudden swift attack comes into their lives, their homes, their families will they remember that since they offered no mercy for Casey their account will be empty and that they will have none to draw on. I do not write this in judgement of them but sorrowful compassion because I know that it is a spiritual law that will be enforced.

Psalms 145:8-9 ( NKJV ) 8 The Lordis gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. 9 The Lordis good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

You see, my tears and brokenheartedness is not just because of Caylee. It's inspired by how I treated Casey, and therefore Caylee, after the break up of Casey and my son Jesse. I hope that someone who reads these blogs will allow these words to seep into their heart and their spirit to spotlight an area where they may need to repent of being less then Christlike to someone.

I am not excusing Casey nor condoning any of her actions. No I have not and will not do that. What am I doing is stating clearly for all to hear - our actions or choices are not based on what others do. Our actions and choices in every matter are based on what we do and on the grace, compassion and mercy the Lord offered us when we deserved judgement. The truth is that when it came to Casey I failed miserably as an example of the Lord. When it came to Caylee I allowed my anger and personal feelings toward Casey to hinder and box up my feelings for Caylee. I loved Casey as my future daughter-in-law and was always glad to see her and enjoyed having her and Caylee in our home. She sat at our table and did Shabbat with us. She spent Sunday's with us watching football, movies and eating dinner. We laughed together and planned many more days of the same. I allowed my personal feelings toward Casey after she did what was the only outcome for such a dysfunctional emotional make up to cheat me out of what might be my final earthly moment with Caylee last December.

The Lord has a funny way of shoving into your face an area He wants you to deal with. When we arrived for Police Academy graduation in December of 07 we parked our car, walked toward the pathway leading to the entrance and right into Casey and Caylee. It was one of those moments that you know just didn't happen on its own and there was a Divine Hand directing your path. When I saw the young woman with a stroller coming out of the shadows toward us my heart sank. I immediately thought, "Lord, what are you doing?!" Oh, I knew what He was doing. I knew it in my head but that box in my heart where I had shoved all of my pain for the loss of Casey and Caylee in our lives became too important at that moment and I blew it. Oh I was polite. I was cordial. I wasn't rude. But, I also wasn't loving, forgiving or Christlike. Later on at the Academy reception Casey brought Caylee over to where we were sitting and instead of scooping her up in my arms, remind her of who we were and loving on her I allowed the pain of seeing no recoginition in her eyes - recognition that had no business being there because she was too young to remember us - to rattle that locked area of my heart - and I missed my moment. Instead I saw Casey through hurt, betrayed eyes and instead of seeing her as the Lord would I saw her as Richard would. I said hello, tosseled her hair and turned away. I didn't want to open that box and deal with the pain I knew was there. I missed a moment to offer Casey forgiveness and to renew a relationship with Caylee. I missed moments to send Caylee gifts anyway during the last two years. Could that encounter have been a gift from above because of where we are now? I missed a gift given to me by my Heavenly Father and Lord to redeem myself, get rid of that pain and I let Them and me down.

Romans 7:24 ( NKJV ) 24O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

I want to say to everyone who wonders how Jesse could have stayed in Casey's life after how badly she betrayed and hurt him and continued to love Caylee how PROUD I AM OF HIM that he didn't follow my example. Oh, it has had a price of opening him up to conjecture and ridiculous speculation but it has the reward of knowing that at that moment when he could have offered judgement he offered compassion, love and mercy.
So, when you read of the pain I feel or see the tears that flow tonight during an interview on Geraldo Rivera on Fox at 10 p.m. know that they are from a broken heart that I had a hand in creating. Remember that as you pray for all the innocents out there who have no one to cry for them. Remember that when you pray for the grieving parents, grandparents, husband, wives, family and friends of the missing who walk by empty bedrooms and unused toys.

Psalms 126:5-6 ( NKJV ) 5 Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. 6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.

You see, they are having their "what if" moments too. I pray that when your time comes, if it ever does, you can be confident in knowing that your mercy account is full.
Thank you for allowing me to be transparent and share with you my feelings. I do not take that lightly nor do it for selfish gain. I truly want to spare someone my mistakes and therefore my pain. I understand that it opens me up to ridicule and mocking. But, if it saves one person from making my mistakes it will be worth it.

With His Heart,
RJ, the Sword of THE KING

If you are reading this forum right now...thank you. Why do I thank you? B/c your words were so honest and insightful. I know that you and your family must be grieving over this situation as well - I will keep ya'll in my thoughts and prayers.

This case brings out so many different emotions for those that follow it...but at the end of the day, I would say that we are all here for that beautiful child-Caylee.

Our frustrations and anger stem from a mother (Casey) who seems so removed and manipulative and lies...from her parents (Casey's parents) who can't seem to face what/or who their daughter is and lash out in their pain and anger.

So, when I think that my heart is broken, I stop and think how much pain those that actually were a part of Caylee's life must feel.

Okay, I am going to be mushy for a minute...we should all stop right now and be grateful for those people in our lives and cherish our time with them.
 
Wow. That's all I can say after reading Rev. Grund's words, which are most powerful and straight from his heart.
I pray for this man and his family.
 
Very powerful message. It brought tears to my eyes. I admire the Rev for being so honest. I understood his message and agree with his points, including those he made about Casey.

My prayers are with you and your family Reverend Grund. I also thank you for this message. It is something, imo, each of us can take something from personally despite varying personal circumstances. You are a good man.
 
I think that both sets of 'grandparents' promised Casey that they would always be there for her and her baby, and convinced her to have and keep Caylee. Then, once the baby was born, the 'grandparents' turned their backs on both of them and threw them away.

I have taken homeless teenage moms and their children willingly into my home, and I have seen this dynamic play out. Grandparents using guilt and shame against the girl and her baby. Constantly in her face about being a 'sinner'...not being married...even after they were the ones who forced her to give birth and keep the baby. Then tossing both mother and child to the curb because of their own anger and hatred.

I am glad that the REV seems to be having some kind of an awakening. I do not pose with semiautomatic rifles claiming to be the voice of Jesus. I simply ask young moms who are spare-changing what I can do to help. I have heard so many stories of ugly adults throwing away their children and grandchildren like so much trash. I will help any mother and child.

My mercy and compassion bucket have been filled to overflowing with love.

I have not and will never use my life or the lives of the children I love to promote a media spectacle on Fox at Ten. These 'grandparents' still have quite a ways to go to get to the heart of the matter, in my humble opinion.

:clap: here! here!:clap:
 
I'm speechless! What a powerful, moving and thoughtful post! I feel like it was written just for me, if that makes any sense to anyone...

My thoughts and prayers are with Rev. Grund and his family. I'm thankful for his words...and thank you to the poster who brought it over here.
 
What a nice man! God bless you and your Family, Sir!
 
when I clicked onto the link it said it was an invalid thread....do you think it might've gotten deleted? :waitasec:

I'm not finding it either? I sure hope that it wasn't deleted - but here is the August 23rd message, for those who have not yet read it:



Saturday, August 23, 2008

Random Thoughts from the Heart on This and That...
Current mood:
sad.gif
sad
Category: Life
As some may know, we celebrate our Sabbath from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. I do not do any work during those 24-hours. Not just because it's a commandment (and it is) but because He has asked us to and I will honor that. I know some may say we are not under the Law and as far as the Mosaic Law and the Law of Sin leading to Death you are correct. However, we are called to honor the Commandments and resting on the Sabbath is one of them. If the Sabbath's Rest is no longer in effect then none of them are and that would mean stealing, adultery, etc. would be all right in His Eyes and that is not true. Honor the Sabbath's Rest and see what happens. You will notice your relationship with Him get better and you will grow closer to Him. Honor Him and He WILL honor you.
During this time I tend to mediate more deeply on His Word and what is going on in the World. Of course, I tend to start with things closer to me personally and right now the story revolving around missing Caylee Marie Anthony is one of those things. I pray everyday for the Lord to reveal where she is, rescue her and bring all hidden things out into the Light. Anyone who thinks that EVERYTHING will not be revealed does not know Him and has never seen Him in action. I have a dangerous prayer I pray that some of my friends and associates cringe when they hear me pray it - "I pray that every hidden thing be revealed. What ever was done in the dark shall be brought into the Light. What ever was whispered in the darkness shall be shouted for all to hear".
One of the things that has come to my mind and heart over this last month has been how the break up of a marriage or relationship involving children hurts so many people. When Caylee was an active part of our lives we began to gather toys, playpens, strollers and things that made her time with us more comfortable and easier for us to take care of her. For months after the break-up we would see those things around the house and it would hurt our hearts for the loss of her presence. It has made me wonder how grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins feel when there is a bitter divorce and someone's children are yanked from their lives. God hates divorce because of the pain it causes His children - all of them. We can get angry at the "adults" involved for not honoring His Word or being more careful with the matters of the heart but the real victims are the children. I know, I was one of them. My parents split when I was 6-years old and I never saw my father again. It hurt me. Made me angry and lash out from the pain of rejection. He died in 1997 and so I will never know why he never looked for my sister and I and so casually forgot about us. And, died without knowing how his children turned out. He stepped off into Eternity into the face of my Heavenly Father and found out that his earthly son had become a son of God. Where he went after that I do not know.
I'd like to say I handled everything two years ago involving my son and Caylee's mother as a man of God but I handled it more like a protective father and someone who was offended & hurt by the betrayal involved. In other words - my flesh and emotions ruled over my spirit. I am very Old World Italian in nature and when I let you into my heart and into my home you become family. You become one of us and that is something we cherish and guard. As family I will fight for you and stand toe to toe with any enemy for your sake. To have someone throw it back into your face and casually disrespect that is hurtful and a betrayal on the deepest level. So, I did what I've been known to do in those circumstances and that is to cut that person off to protect the family and keep them from doing any more harm. That wasn't wrong. What was wrong was in the intent of the heart when I did it. I can look back now and be ashamed of how I handled it or mishandled it. To have someone who is now the poster child for bad parenting criticize your parenting skills for being overly protective of your children gives me no solace or vindication for the cost of it is too great.
In hindsight I can see how I helped further victimize one of the enemy's victims. I know how difficult it is for someone to take unconditional love and be embraced by a loving family when all that they know is conditional love and being controlled or manipulated. A wounded heart will desire those things but will also hate them and destroy them at the same time. It becomes a love hate merry-go-round that eventually goes off the rails and crashes. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. Until someone knows the perfect love of the Lord they will always fear the very thing they desire the most - unconditional love. Instead of getting angry at the person who did this I should have seen a wounded victim that needed help..wanted help...and I could have given it. This person who the world has come to vilify and hate used to enter my home and give me a hug in greeting that crawled close into my chest, hidden into my wide shoulders and under my arms as if to say "I feel safe here". I've wondered if I had been more like the Lord and less like me two years ago would we be here in this mess today? I believe I've heard Him say that the only thing that would have changed was my handling of the situation; not the outcome. Yet, that doesn't make me feel any better or relieve the sadness in my heart.
I've also begun to feel badly for all of those people who are missing their children right now. There are THOUSANDS of other missing children out there just as loved and as important as little Caylee. Maybe the inordinate focus on her will make others pay attention to this ugly scourge on our society. This isn't just a graphic on the back of a milk carton. It's an innocent, a victim of injustice and someone we should cry for, pray for and look for. From the beginning Satan and his angels were liars and murderers. They caused the problem that forced a Loving God to flood the Earth to clean up their mess. They especially love to harm the little ones that the Lord cherishes so much. Think of the cries of the mothers on that day that King Herod had every child up to the age of 2 slaughtered in Jerusalem in an attempt to kill the Messiah. To have their children ripped from their arms and soldiers spearing them or hacking them to death. Think of the little ones that walked into gas chambers in Germany under the guise of taking a shower only be murdered or the little ones on Nazi lab tables for the curiousity of a demoniclly possessed monster under the guise of science. Think of the children in Darfur or other places of war and famine who are taken from mother's arms to be forced into servitude or worse, thrown into shallow graves. Think of the little children like Trenton Duckett who is still missing two years later and the father and grandparents that get up each morning to see he is not there. Think of the son or daughter or wife or husband of SOMEONE that is lost, in slavery or worse - dead, and their loved ones do not know where they are or what happened to them. Every morning I pray for and intercede for the fatherless and the widows, the innocents and the victims of injustice and the gifts from God slaugthered on the altars of selfishness and personal inconvenience. The difference now is that it has a face, a name and is personal. And, for those that know me and what I do for the Lord, when I take something that the enemy does to the innocents and the little ones personally...that's not a good thing for them! Satan is the greatest bully of all time and I can't stand bullies. I will stand against him and every bully out there. If there is an innocent or someone who needs someone to fight for them and cannot find anyone willing to do it...I will do it...I am called to do it...and my heart won't let me not do it.
Finally, as these thoughts flow through my mind and heart, as tears fill my eyes, I see the signs of the times and how love for one another has grown cold. Every day on the news we see the victims of this as husbands kills wives, mothers kill children, people are casually discarded and thrown into the streets, marriages and families have no value, politics rules over compassion and I see a world that both naturally, supernaturally, physically and spiritually cries out for the Lord. The Earth groans for His return and the rocks cry out for Him to redeem them back to their days in the Garden.
I just wish more people felt the way the rocks and I do!
 
I have felt so sorry for Jesse from day one. I think he's a fine, stand-up young man with a big heart who should hold his head high and be proud of himself. I am sorry for the pain anyone personally associated with this case must be feeling, and I pray for comfort, answers and healing for all those hurting.

I do believe in the Christian doctrine of mercy, but I don't have a favorable opinion regarding Richard's musings. Out of respect for Jesse, however, I will keep those thoughts to myself.
 

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