Dear Friends,    

Several weeks ago a billionaire’s son dined at the Ritz Hotel in the most romantic city in Europe.  Across from him sat the most well-known and sought after woman in the world -- a beautiful princess.  24 brief hours later this young man was buried in Brookwood cemetery near Woking, Surrey, England.

I’m sure some of us think, “I don’t live life in the ‘fast lane’ complete with paparazzi and drunken chauffeurs,” and feel that somehow we are protected.  But let none of us say Dodi Fayed’s life and death has nothing to do with us.  Have our lives been innocent when it comes to alcohol, drugs, relationships with the opposite sex, business dealings or social life?  Have not most of us, if we were honest, come close to an accident (caused by ourselves or someone we trust)  that could have seriously injured or killed ourselves or others?  None of us has any reason to be smug or judgmental.

Life is so fragile and unpredictable. All of us have experienced the death of a loved one or someone we knew well.  Every day tens of millions of people die -- from accidents, old age, hunger, illness and war.  One moment the world is yours and in a heartbeat it is over.  This is not a threat;  it is a reality.

My point today is not to focus on death but to focus on life -- its brevity, its fragility, its mystery.  From a Christian perspective, we should live humbly and responsibly because we recognise the Lord as the giver of life.

               But you - who are you to judge your neighbour?  Now listen, you who

              say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there,

              carry on business and make money.”  Why, you do not even know what

              will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for

              a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the

              Lord’s will, we will do this or that.”                   

                                                                                                                                                                James 4:12-16

Life is a precious gift!  Each one of us should live out every moment of our lives so that we honour both the gift and the Giver.

Blessings,

Thomas Cooper

P.S.  I have been asked to be a periodic co-host on a CKNW AM980 radio show called “Spirit Search”  It airs Sundays at 6am and is hosted by Rev. Alan Reynolds.  The program will deal with contemporary issuses and will feature Christians in the marketplace and discussions on spiritual issues from a Christian perspective.

                                                                                                                                   Vol.VI, Issue 5