Things were tough, I was deeply in debt, drug addicted and thinking things were never going to change. I tried to take the selfish way out because I had no hope.
My Uncle Brent shot himself through the heart with a deer rifle when I was a little kid because he had no hope.
Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain took their lives despite the fact that they were rich and famous because they also had no hope.
According to the Centers for Disease Control suicide rates have gone up 30% since 1999 “among both sexes, all racial/ethnic groups, and all urbanization levels.” More than half of these individuals had no mental health issues.
The World Health Organization reports that nearly 800,000 people take their own lives each year—one person every 40 seconds—and for every successful attempt, twenty more try. 45,000 people died in America by their own hands in 2016.
Some people believe in the false notion that once this life ends all their problems will be over because there is nothing after death: We just get buried in the ground. That is suicide’s appeal. That everything will be better.
When I tried to take my life over thirty years ago I didn’t think of the afterlife nor the people I would leave behind; I just wanted out. Life was overwhelming. I thought there was nothing to live for anymore.
January 27, 2021: Our Newest Elder; “The Elder-Led Church” sermon; Bernie Sanders’ Memes you didn’t see
January 20, 2021: “How to Handle President Biden”; Praying for Biden; “What is an Abortion Aboitionist?” Sermon; Still more memes for 2021
January 13, 2021: “The Best Year Ever?”; “Just 4 Claps Away” Sermon (A message on death, Heaven and Hell); A beautiful rendition of “Hallellujah”; More memes for 2021
January 4, 2021: “Make This One Resolution”; “2020 State of the Bible Report”; “I Will Not Neglect Your Word” sermon; The $1,100.00 Bible Reading Offer; Free Bibles, 2021 Memes
December 25, 2020:“Merry Christmas from Pastor Steve, DD and Laurel” This is our personal Christmas greeting card.
December 22, 2020: “Merry Christmas From Community Church of the Hills”; “The Manger & the Cross” painting; “Canceling the Creche: “The True Story of the Nativity” sermon; The Last Memes of the Year; 10 Christmastime Prayers
December 16, 2020: “IS CHRISTMAS A PAGAN HOLIDAY?”; D. L. Moody bio; “The Last Conversion” sermon; More memes of the season
December 9, 2020: IT’S OKAY TO SAY “HAPPY HOLIDAYS!”; Advent; “Heart Attack” sermon; Memes for the season.
December 2, 2020: Steve Died on This Day; A Blanket for a Parolee; Xmas Photo Booth; “Thank God” sermon; A Puritan Prayer; Memes
November 24, 2020: Are You Thankful for How God Made You?: Permission granted to enjoy Thanksgiving; Matthew Henry’s Thankfulness; The worst worship song ever played; 25 things to be thankful for; Memes
November 18, 2020: Prayers Are the Problem: DD’s beau; Pray the Jesus Way; Spurgeon on the praying church; Memes
November 10, 2020: The Morning After the Election; The Political Divide of 1800; How Not to Be a Hypocrite: The Disciples’ Prayer, Memes
November 3, 2020: Post-Election Christianity; 10 Commandments of Civility for a Politically-Charged Age; Our Church’s Gospel-Themed Trunk or Treat; Memes
October 27, 2020: Election Home Stretch; Pray for America #2; How Not to Be a Hypocrite: When Praying; International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church; Memes
October 14, 2020: Abolish Abortion Conference; New Women’s Study; Pray for America; Memes
October 7, 2020: How to Leave Your Church; Is Eddie Van Halen in Heaven or Hell?; “The Church is Full of Hypocrites!”; More random memes
September 29, 2020: I’ve Been in Texas 7 Years!; Our New Women’s Pastor; Love Your Enemies, Pt. 1; Random Memes
September 16. 2020: Are You a God Grouch?; Love Your Enemies; Still More Covid Memes
September 10, 2020:When I Attempted Suicide; “An Eye for an Eye” Hilarious Covid Memes
September 3, 2020: “Agony & Ecstasy: My First 5 Years @ Community Church of the Hills”; BLM Analysed by Two Black Theologians; My Eldest Daughter’s Boyfriend; Biblical Cursing & Swearing; Current Event Memes
August 26, 2020: Rehearsing Marriage Vows; Who Influenced My Preaching; Revenge of the Statues.
I TORE THE MINISCUS on my left knee in my sleep. Yeah, in my sleep. The ortho said that this was not uncommon for someone my age. Yeah, my age. I’m 61. People die at age 61.
Ernest Hemingway killed himself, as did Anthony Bourdain–at 61. Infamous mobster John Gotti died of throat cancer while Ma Barker died in a shoot-out. Benito Mussolini was also shot to death. At 61.
I turned 61 last March and I now wonder if the coronavirus might do me in. Or walking up the stairs. Or pizza. Now, it’s my stupid knee. I tried to tough it out, but it was way painful. I’m scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Will I live to see 62?
According to the Bible I’m worthless. Let me re-phrase that: I’m worth less. In the Old Testament, the worth of a man or woman dedicated to God was based on how much work could be expected from them. At age 59 my worth was 50 shekels, a full month’s wages. Alas, I’m now only valued at 15 shekels–for the second year in a row! I can sense feebleness starting to set in with senility not far behind, then, of course, my heart attack.
Am I going to slow down? No! Am I ready to retire? No! Retirement is not Biblical. My hope is to work as unto the Lord until, well, I can’t anymore, 15-shekel man or not.
MY “BABY D” IS NO LONGER A BABY, but she’s still mine. On this, her 21st birthday, I get choked up as I think about all the wonderfully fun times we had together.
From the first day, when I visited you at the hospital in the incubator, and read to you from Matthew chapter 1, and you fell asleep during the genealogy….
…to when I almost killed you at age 2, when you climbed on one of those cheap white plastic Walmart outdoors chairs, stood up and pushed against the back until it tipped over and your head smacked the cold, hard concrete. I ran over, panicked, picked up your lifless body…only to find it wasn’t lifeless! Nothing happened at all, except a little red dot on your forehead. I set you down, turned around… and then you did the same thing again! And you still didn’t die!
Dead at 61
I TORE THE MINISCUS on my left knee in my sleep. Yeah, in my sleep. The ortho said that this was not uncommon for someone my age. Yeah, my age. I’m 61. People die at age 61.
Ernest Hemingway killed himself, as did Anthony Bourdain–at 61. Infamous mobster John Gotti died of throat cancer while Ma Barker died in a shoot-out. Benito Mussolini was also shot to death. At 61.
I turned 61 last March and I now wonder if the coronavirus might do me in. Or walking up the stairs. Or pizza. Now, it’s my stupid knee. I tried to tough it out, but it was way painful. I’m scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Will I live to see 62?
According to the Bible I’m worthless. Let me re-phrase that: I’m worth less. In the Old Testament, the worth of a man or woman dedicated to God was based on how much work could be expected from them. At age 59 my worth was 50 shekels, a full month’s wages. Alas, I’m now only valued at 15 shekels–for the second year in a row! I can sense feebleness starting to set in with senility not far behind, then, of course, my heart attack.
Am I going to slow down? No! Am I ready to retire? No! Retirement is not Biblical. My hope is to work as unto the Lord until, well, I can’t anymore, 15-shekel man or not.
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