The funeral service for Rev. Tim Keller was earlier this week. At the bottom, I hope you might consider my monologue from yesterday’s show on the increase in suicide in America. As we have become more isolated, depression has gone up. The secular world tells us that this is it, and then we die, and there is nothing else. People spend a lot of money and time avoiding the voice in their head asking them why they are here and whether they have a purpose. The world says no. Religion says yes.
Great piece Erick. I love C.S. Lewis even though I find his writing a but stuffy at points. I love the story of Mere Christianity... his BBC broadcasts to the despondent British people experiencing yet another brutal war in barely a generation.
My wife lost both of her identical twin brothers, her only siblings, to suicide... both in their young 40s. Her first brother to go was a cop... a detective. He and I were good friends. He was married with a young daughter and son. Then two years later his brother took his own life. My step sister took her life more than a decade before that. She had just turned 18 and graduated from high school. I was in my late 20s then and my late 40s when my wife lost her two brothers.
I spoke at both of my brother in-laws memorials. I did not do too well for the first one... because I was so pissed at him. I really did not understand and room knew I was mad. The signs of his depression were only apparent after he took his life. Who can even allow thoughts about that if not in the darkness with them? It was inconceivable until it happened. The other brother was on watch after that. But he had a stupid wife that alienated everyone in the family away from him out of her own fear... and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy as she went to see her mom for a few hours and he shot himself in the chest with his two young boys watching TV in the next room. The oldest son heard the noise and found his dead father. Who does that!?
We found out later in the medical reports for the first one... the cop... that he had been diagnosed with pre-Parkinsons. One of the known symptoms is severe depression. Both of them had it... and both of them had the shakes that would be calmed with alcohol. So both of them drank a lot... and alcohol exacerbates depression. Things that would have been good for me to know as I could have helped them understand what was happening to them and get them the help they needed. But they both kept it all quiet... even from their wives. Who does that!?
My faith in God helps me in my darkest times. But frankly, for me, nothing works better than me going to my small cabin in the woods and going hiking. Climbing a mountain and looking down. Looking up at the stars and contemplating that no matter how bad things are, life on earth is a miracle and blessing and will be over soon enough.
Even the pain of loss is a blessing in living. I keep trying to spread that message in the hopes someone might find a finger-hold to prevent them from falling in their dark times. I would love to take them on a hike in the woods and to climb a mountain. To look at the stars and consider that we are both significant and insignificant and just hang on for the ride... one that might very well be a zillion-to-one lottery win in the universe.
Every day, I have the privilege of taking care of immortals who want to kill themselves. I am a psychiatric and family nurse practitioner. I don't own a gun and don't want one and I do not hate people who have a gun. I don't care. My take is that people take their lives in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. I have spent 41 years as a mental health provider and I have talked many people off the ledge. I will continue to do so as long as God gives me breath. We are all just walking each other home, afterall.
Collins won my affection and interest when he wrote about finding God's design in our DNA. That awakening made a believer out of an agnostic "man of science".
Only God knows what is in Collins' heart re the bioweapon. It is not my place to judge a fellow Christian.
People just might find that ignoring all sources of the news and internet opinions and "influencers" for a month would magically provide a path to a sense of clarity, purpose, and happiness, like they used to have, similar to the effect that stopping drinking has on a person once the dulling and debilitating effect of the alcohol is gone. Except still listen to Erick I mean.
I am 78 years old. Lost my precious wife of 43 years to cancer 4 years ago. I went into a dark seemingly purposeless period in my life convinced that joy in my life was gone forever.
I am a believer engaged with several communities of people, all of which are faith based. I came to realize that what I lacked was a sense of purpose. Then those various small groups and communities of people started offering me challenges in ministries and local non-profits (also faith based) to step up and out of my solitude. There I started finding purpose, and in that purpose, joy.
Your message spoke to and about me in multiple ways.
Thanks for showing me a new perspective on Francis Collins. He, along with Anthony Fauci have been on my despise list for a long time. But as Jesus said Luke 17:3!
Bless you Erick for continuing to shine a light to a better way. Always a christian believer, it took me 50 years to really understand this message. Our love is our greatest gift and can go on beyond this mortal life. The angels tell us "Fear not!" I am at peace now, and have no fear of this world knowing we are part of a much larger spiritual world.
If you see this, Erick (or staff), thank you for posting the video. Erick, dropping in encouragement now and then, like this, is VERY helpful. So much of current events are discouraging. I wish all the radio and TV hosts would do this. Thanks.
The C.S. Lewis quote; Jesus instructing his disciples on the two greatest commandments; MLK's dream of being judged not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. How very often we are brilliantly and stunningly reminded of our unique station here on this planet, and for those of us who believe, in eternity. Yet we callously forget it like tomorrow's homework for the sake of an "R" or a "D" printed on a voter registration card.
I was an avid follower of Rev. Keller and his sermons for many years. I excused the fact that he at times played fast and loose with some Scriptural passages to tell a morality tale, and that, in discussion of political arguments he was unquestionably more understanding of the liberal viewpoint. Then, a few days before the 2016 Presidential election on a radio show with a panel comprised of several people -- mostly women who were obviously women from the Left -- he expressed joy that in a few days Hillary Clinton would be elected president.
No matter that, as a Christian, I could not support Donald Trump then nor now (see the 9th Commandment), the fact is that Hillary Clinton would have become a no-holds-barred abortionist-in-chief as President of the United States. A Christian leader who could express joy over her ascent to ultimate power was not one I could respect.
In subsequent years, Rev. Keller mangled Christian doctrine a few more times. This only confirmed the decision I made to avoid him. He was a good man in many ways. But a man who skirts over the 6th Commandment is not a worthy Christian leader.
I enjoyed your discourse very much. You gave us excellent advice. Best wishes for the Gathering. May God bless and keep you and yours today and always!
We all must stay steadfast. This coming from me who has recently had many things to shake my faith and beliefs. But for me questioning my faith only makes that faith stronger because on the other end of my moaning because things didn’t go my way and blaming God I always find myself back at his fear begging forgiveness.
I do not believe god tests us. Nor maliciously outs us through tribulations simply to see if we are loyal. That’s not a loving god.
He is shaping us to be something. If we give our lives to him and let him drive he will lead us to wear we must go.
Now as to not being like them. Not giving in to their ways.
I agree but we also were not told by the lord to be doormats either. God gave us the intelligence and knowledge to not be a liberal and therefor see what is wrong and point it out. He also gave us the tools to defend ourselves. When the enemy shows up at our doors. We must do so.
Be steadfast be faithful but also be virtuous and brave. It’s ok to stand up and say you love god and Jesus. Don’t listen to those who say otherwise
Thank you and Bless you for all you are doing. I Pray, and will Pray for you and the Gathering, that the Lord will be with you and all the people that help in doing the Gathering. Always look forward to seeing your name in my mail with excellent comments and will look for those from the Gathering.
Thank you for all that you do. I lost my ex husband to suicide. And I do mean lost even though we weren’t married. He had so much to live for but he let other’s opinions get the best of him. Tragic
Great piece Erick. I love C.S. Lewis even though I find his writing a but stuffy at points. I love the story of Mere Christianity... his BBC broadcasts to the despondent British people experiencing yet another brutal war in barely a generation.
My wife lost both of her identical twin brothers, her only siblings, to suicide... both in their young 40s. Her first brother to go was a cop... a detective. He and I were good friends. He was married with a young daughter and son. Then two years later his brother took his own life. My step sister took her life more than a decade before that. She had just turned 18 and graduated from high school. I was in my late 20s then and my late 40s when my wife lost her two brothers.
I spoke at both of my brother in-laws memorials. I did not do too well for the first one... because I was so pissed at him. I really did not understand and room knew I was mad. The signs of his depression were only apparent after he took his life. Who can even allow thoughts about that if not in the darkness with them? It was inconceivable until it happened. The other brother was on watch after that. But he had a stupid wife that alienated everyone in the family away from him out of her own fear... and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy as she went to see her mom for a few hours and he shot himself in the chest with his two young boys watching TV in the next room. The oldest son heard the noise and found his dead father. Who does that!?
We found out later in the medical reports for the first one... the cop... that he had been diagnosed with pre-Parkinsons. One of the known symptoms is severe depression. Both of them had it... and both of them had the shakes that would be calmed with alcohol. So both of them drank a lot... and alcohol exacerbates depression. Things that would have been good for me to know as I could have helped them understand what was happening to them and get them the help they needed. But they both kept it all quiet... even from their wives. Who does that!?
My faith in God helps me in my darkest times. But frankly, for me, nothing works better than me going to my small cabin in the woods and going hiking. Climbing a mountain and looking down. Looking up at the stars and contemplating that no matter how bad things are, life on earth is a miracle and blessing and will be over soon enough.
Even the pain of loss is a blessing in living. I keep trying to spread that message in the hopes someone might find a finger-hold to prevent them from falling in their dark times. I would love to take them on a hike in the woods and to climb a mountain. To look at the stars and consider that we are both significant and insignificant and just hang on for the ride... one that might very well be a zillion-to-one lottery win in the universe.
Great quote.
Every day, I have the privilege of taking care of immortals who want to kill themselves. I am a psychiatric and family nurse practitioner. I don't own a gun and don't want one and I do not hate people who have a gun. I don't care. My take is that people take their lives in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. I have spent 41 years as a mental health provider and I have talked many people off the ledge. I will continue to do so as long as God gives me breath. We are all just walking each other home, afterall.
Collins won my affection and interest when he wrote about finding God's design in our DNA. That awakening made a believer out of an agnostic "man of science".
Only God knows what is in Collins' heart re the bioweapon. It is not my place to judge a fellow Christian.
People just might find that ignoring all sources of the news and internet opinions and "influencers" for a month would magically provide a path to a sense of clarity, purpose, and happiness, like they used to have, similar to the effect that stopping drinking has on a person once the dulling and debilitating effect of the alcohol is gone. Except still listen to Erick I mean.
Erick,
I am 78 years old. Lost my precious wife of 43 years to cancer 4 years ago. I went into a dark seemingly purposeless period in my life convinced that joy in my life was gone forever.
I am a believer engaged with several communities of people, all of which are faith based. I came to realize that what I lacked was a sense of purpose. Then those various small groups and communities of people started offering me challenges in ministries and local non-profits (also faith based) to step up and out of my solitude. There I started finding purpose, and in that purpose, joy.
Your message spoke to and about me in multiple ways.
I pray it speaks to others as well.
Bless you,
David Butler
Texas
Thanks for showing me a new perspective on Francis Collins. He, along with Anthony Fauci have been on my despise list for a long time. But as Jesus said Luke 17:3!
Bless you Erick for continuing to shine a light to a better way. Always a christian believer, it took me 50 years to really understand this message. Our love is our greatest gift and can go on beyond this mortal life. The angels tell us "Fear not!" I am at peace now, and have no fear of this world knowing we are part of a much larger spiritual world.
If you see this, Erick (or staff), thank you for posting the video. Erick, dropping in encouragement now and then, like this, is VERY helpful. So much of current events are discouraging. I wish all the radio and TV hosts would do this. Thanks.
The C.S. Lewis quote; Jesus instructing his disciples on the two greatest commandments; MLK's dream of being judged not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. How very often we are brilliantly and stunningly reminded of our unique station here on this planet, and for those of us who believe, in eternity. Yet we callously forget it like tomorrow's homework for the sake of an "R" or a "D" printed on a voter registration card.
I was an avid follower of Rev. Keller and his sermons for many years. I excused the fact that he at times played fast and loose with some Scriptural passages to tell a morality tale, and that, in discussion of political arguments he was unquestionably more understanding of the liberal viewpoint. Then, a few days before the 2016 Presidential election on a radio show with a panel comprised of several people -- mostly women who were obviously women from the Left -- he expressed joy that in a few days Hillary Clinton would be elected president.
No matter that, as a Christian, I could not support Donald Trump then nor now (see the 9th Commandment), the fact is that Hillary Clinton would have become a no-holds-barred abortionist-in-chief as President of the United States. A Christian leader who could express joy over her ascent to ultimate power was not one I could respect.
In subsequent years, Rev. Keller mangled Christian doctrine a few more times. This only confirmed the decision I made to avoid him. He was a good man in many ways. But a man who skirts over the 6th Commandment is not a worthy Christian leader.
Thank you
Dear Mr. Erickson,
I enjoyed your discourse very much. You gave us excellent advice. Best wishes for the Gathering. May God bless and keep you and yours today and always!
We all must stay steadfast. This coming from me who has recently had many things to shake my faith and beliefs. But for me questioning my faith only makes that faith stronger because on the other end of my moaning because things didn’t go my way and blaming God I always find myself back at his fear begging forgiveness.
I do not believe god tests us. Nor maliciously outs us through tribulations simply to see if we are loyal. That’s not a loving god.
He is shaping us to be something. If we give our lives to him and let him drive he will lead us to wear we must go.
Now as to not being like them. Not giving in to their ways.
I agree but we also were not told by the lord to be doormats either. God gave us the intelligence and knowledge to not be a liberal and therefor see what is wrong and point it out. He also gave us the tools to defend ourselves. When the enemy shows up at our doors. We must do so.
Be steadfast be faithful but also be virtuous and brave. It’s ok to stand up and say you love god and Jesus. Don’t listen to those who say otherwise
Thank you for solid guidance, based on sound exposition.
Thank you and Bless you for all you are doing. I Pray, and will Pray for you and the Gathering, that the Lord will be with you and all the people that help in doing the Gathering. Always look forward to seeing your name in my mail with excellent comments and will look for those from the Gathering.
God bless you and yours Mr. Erickson.
Thank you for all that you do. I lost my ex husband to suicide. And I do mean lost even though we weren’t married. He had so much to live for but he let other’s opinions get the best of him. Tragic