3 Jan, 2008
Justin Carman, 23, brandished the toy along Interstate 70 last month and caused a stir with at least one passing motorist who called 911, said Sgt. Jason Greenwood with the State Highway Patrol.
Carman and three friends were driving back to Ohio after attending a football game the previous night between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, authorities said.
From a distance, in a moving vehicle, the toy gun appeared to be real to the 911 caller, Greenwood said.
"At that point, we didn't know what was going on—if it was a stolen vehicle, a kidnapping with a stolen vehicle, or if the vehicle was going to stop," he said.
Carman was in the back seat of the car when it was pulled over in eastern Ohio. He told authorities he was a student at the University of Cincinnati, Greenwood said.
A student directory on the university's Web site doesn't have a listing for Carman. No other listings could be found, and there was no immediate information on whether Carman had an attorney.
Carman posted bond and was released from the Belmont County Jail, authorities said.
photo courtesy images.google.com & story twincities.com, 12/4/07
Appearances can be deceiving
If it looks bad, it could be bad.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 (NLT)
22 Stay away from every kind of evil.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about being careful about how our lives look?
Today's story about the college kid with the toy gun could have had a tragic ending. Numerous times this past year, the news included stories of kids getting shot because someone thought they had a real gun.
My purpose for giving you today's story is to challenge all of us to think about how serious the appearance of evil can be.
In some translations of the Bible, the wording in today's verse is "avoid the appearance of evil". I believe this detail is an important part of Paul's challenge with this verse.
As followers of Christ, we should avoid tempting situations. Because we live in a sinful world, we can't avoid every kind of evil, but we shouldn't make it easy to fall (or walk) into sin either.
The result of being near to what appears to be evil can be devastating. Not only will we find ourselves more vulnerable to Satan's tempting attacks, but others around us will not be able to tell if our faith in Christ is real or fake?
To be genuine, we must focus on being like Christ rather than being like the world around us.
- Thank God for His Word. Thank Him for the simple but profound truth in today's verse. Ask His Spirit to help you avoid even the appearance of evil.
- Memorize today's verse.
- In your journal, make a list of choices and activities in your life that could have the appearance of evil. Ask God to show you in 2008 how to focus on being like Jesus so that your choices and activities look Christ-like.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- With your friends and family who need Christ as Savior, talk to them about today's story and the fake gun. Be brave and ask them if your faith seems fake to them or the real deal? This may also give you the opportunity to hear more of their stories.
- With your friends and family who are Christ followers, have the same conversation as above, but see if they are willing to join you in holding each other accountable in striving to live a life that is genuine Jesus?
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