Tuesday, September 25, 2007

It Matters, Believe Me

You'll be happy to know, if you've followed this blog, that we finished our ride for the orphans last Wednesday. It was great, and the Lord blessed us with dry weather and NO FLAT TIRES! We rode through miles of broken glass along the Oregon Coast. Still, he kept us safe; we were thrilled with that... You can view pictures at:

www.4theorphans.com

Also, I have to confess that I've fallen behind with you all, for a lot of reasons, but here is the big one. My brother, Richard Joseph Roberts passed away last Sunday morning. He was hiking with a friend near his home in Tucson. So far, we aren't sure what happened, but he dropped suddenly and could not be revived. He was only 61.

So, why do you care?

Well, I suppose you don't have to. But his death reminds me of the facts about this life. We don't ask to be born, do we? But we don't get to choose how long we stay either! As comptroller for the University of Arizona, Dick had a few goals left to accomplish. He was looking forward to retirement, to enjoying his kids and grandkids, to spending more time with his wife.

But it all vanished, in only a moment.

Truth? It could happen to you too. In fact, it will.

When? None of us know. A bike accident. A fluke traffic accident. A fall. A prolonged illness.

And the fact that NONE of us will get out of here alive brings up the importance of the words we've been looking at. The Bible addresses some pretty important questions...

These questions aren't just philosophical. They are life and death. They address critical issues, like, "Why are we here?" "Who is God?" "What happens after I die?" "Is there a heaven, or hell?"

I don't know much about my brother's faith. I talked to him about God many times. Most of the time, he shut me out. He was too intellectual, too sophisticated for such fantasy. Raised a Catholic, he accused me of evangelizing. He didn't want to talk about it; it was too personal.

Tonight, wherever he is, I wonder if he has changed his mind?

What about you?

Bette

PS, We're on to Joshua now. Let's get on with it!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

correction to the orphan website, it's www.4theorphans.org

(not .com)

Click on the bike-a-thon link to see the pictures. :)

Kerrie

Christina Tarabochia said...

Oh, my Bette, we care. We care because we love you so we hurt with you when you hurt.

I'm so proud of you for doing the bike ride, for reaching out to those children.

Sherrie Ashcraft said...

May the God of all comfort wrap His arms around you in such a way that you can actually feel them. You must be dealing with so many emotions as you feel the pain of your brother's death and the sense of accomplishment on your bike ride for the orphans. Just remember and look for God's presense everywhere you turn.
I love you, and like Christina said, your hurts become our hurts.