Robin Williams, A Reminder

Yesterday, many mourned as they learned about the death of Robin Williams due to an apparent suicide. I must admit that I too was saddened by this needless and tragic event. I was saddened not because I felt some emotional attachment to him as a movie star~ I rarely form attachments to famous people. They are people like you and I and they have struggles too. I was saddened because it was needless and tragic. I feel this way anytime I hear about someone who takes their own life. My first thought is that, like many other people, he found himself chasing things. Once he got them, he found that they did not satisfy like he thought they would satisfy him. Only God can bring real contentment and satisfaction in a person's life. Nothing else we go after in life will do that for us. Lest you think I'm giving a glib "Christian " response to a senseless tragedy, I'm not. Every time I hear about an event like this, I end up asking one question, "Was there not even one person that was in a position to point him in the right direction?" I know we can't make ourselves responsible for every person in the world and yet I can't help but believe that God may have put people in his life for the express purpose of holding out hope for a disillusioned soul. Then I ask, "Who around me needs the hope that I can offer though Christ?" I know that others at times have offered encouragement and strength to me when I needed it and often you still do. None of us have arrived and even as Christians we can struggle with depression because Satan gets us focus on the wrong things. We all need to ask at times, "Who needs my help?" We can't make ourselves responsible for everyone but we can make ourselves responsible for one or two. I pray that this tragedy serves as a reminder to be there for those who are hurting. If you are struggling, for heavens sake don't be afraid to admit it. Most likely others do care; we just don't always know when someone needs help.

The Angel By Your Side
I can't say that everything's okay
'Cause I can see the tears you're crying
And I can't promise to take the pain away
But you can know I won't stop trying

I'll be the angel by your side
I will get you through the night
I'll be the strength you can't provide on your own

'Cause when you're down and out of time
And you think you've lost the fight
Let me be the angel, the angel by your side

I know it feels like you're running out of faith
'Cause it's so hard to keep believing, oh
But if I can bring the smile back to your face
For a moment you'll forget all about it, oh

I'll be the angel by your side
I will get you through the night
I'll be the strength you can't provide on your own

'Cause when you're down and out of time
And you think you've lost the fight
Let me be the angel, the angel by your side

'Cause this won't be the last time
You'll need a little hope
But I wanna be the first to let you know

I'll be the angel by your side
I will get you through the night
I'll be the strength you can't provide on your own

'Cause when you're down and out of time
And you think you've lost the fight
Let me be the angel, the angel by your side
Oh, let me be the angel, the angel by your side, oh
The angel by your side

Angel By Your Side

Live Fearlessly

As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the road. Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride. As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping. I could have and should have but I didn't. Why? I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid. It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into overdrive. Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting. Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy. As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid. Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know. As I was driving away from a misse...

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story. We were new parents. When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes. One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house. The next thing I heard was a thud. I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened. There was my son with a table on top of him. He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over. We put him in the car and dashed for the ER. It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches. Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike. She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road....

Just A Word of Praise!!

On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away. On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road. It was no big deal. We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home. Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat. Yikes! I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire. A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped. As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer. He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire. My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.” I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him. Within...

Inspirations

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