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Life’s Fragility and the Path Through Grief

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Life can change in an instant—a friend’s sudden passing or a loved one’s terminal diagnosis forces us to confront our fragility. Whether it comes from natural causes, an accident, or intent, death is part of life’s path.

Over time, I have lost parents, relatives, close friends, and acquaintances. Depending on their closeness, the impact on our lives varies.

Recently, I learned my cousin faces a dire cancer diagnosis with no clear medical path forward. In such moments, many of us turn to faith, praying for healing or strength, trusting in God’s plan, whatever the outcome. I have spent time in prayer for him and his family.

As believers, we seek miracles but also recognize healing can come through God’s tools—medicine, healthy habits, or spiritual practices. Caring for our bodies with proper nutrition and exercise strengthens us to face life’s challenges. A longtime actor friend of mine recently received a terminal diagnosis. He approached it by enhancing his already healthy lifestyle, making every effort to overcome it as mentioned above. I recently learned his efforts succeeded; the disease is no longer terminal.

Likewise, feeding our spirits with uplifting words, whether through scripture or inspiring stories, sustains our hope. Yet, even with prayer and effort, we sometimes lose those we love. I’ve been on both sides—praying for others and being prayed for during my own health scares. Each time, God granted me more time, perhaps because my work here isn’t done. But when loved ones leave us, their absence carves a new path we must walk alone.

Grief is personal, unfolding at its own pace. Days or months may pass, but one morning, the pain softens into cherished memories. I still remember the day I emerged from grief after my mother’s death. I found a new lease on life, inspired by her love for me.

We honor those we’ve lost by living fully, carrying their spirit in our hearts. Through faith and resilience, we find a new sunrise—a life that reflects the love they’d want us to share. We hold hope that God walks beside us through life’s darkest valleys. Some writers suggest He carries us through them, and I find great solace in that thought.

Notes: My cousin Shane Bruce mentioned above did pass with his family around him. My acting friend – Jeff Rose – is now sharing about his new lease on life in interviews and online. Find him and be inspired.

Spared for a Purpose

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As a child, I discovered the joy of performing—school plays, choral programs, and later, orchestra. I played a goldfish in a shimmering lamé suit my mother sewed, wore a Bavarian costume for a Christmas play, and mimicked accents from German to Scottish with ease. Singing came naturally, my boyhood voice clear and pure until puberty forced me to relearn my craft, guiding me toward country and bluegrass. Instruments like the violin, mandolin, and guitar challenged me, but gifted musicians mentored me, shaping my talents. One night, performing alongside William Hurt, I saw how his passion for storytelling mirrored my own call to share God’s love through art. These abilities, I believe, were God’s gifts, preparing me for a purpose revealed early in my life—a journey that has led me to perform alongside Oscar other winners like Gary Oldman and Emmy winners like Carroll O’Connor and Bill Cobbs.

Before my story really began, it took a dramatic turn when I was a toddler, a tale I share as my late mother told it. One morning, around four or five years old, she called to wake me, but I didn’t respond. She found me in bed, eyes fixed, “walled back in my head,” not breathing. Panic-stricken, she threw me over her shoulder, phoned my pediatrician, and sped through every red light in our blue Chevy Malibu to his office, 4.5 miles away. When she arrived, I was unchanged. The doctor, grim, said, “You should’ve gone to the hospital; there’s nothing we can do.” My mother insisted, “He’s here—do something.”

The nurse fetched a shot, likely adrenaline, while the doctor, my mother, nurses, and anyone nearby gathered around the exam table where I lay. They prayed fervently. That little boy, absent from his body and in the Lord’s presence, was called back. My chest rose, my heart beat, my pulse returned. How long I was gone—before my mother found me, during the drive, or through the prayers—only God knows. By all accounts, I should’ve stayed with my ancestors, but God had a mission for me, one that unfolds daily.

That day wasn’t the only time God spared me. In my 20s, after a late-night performance, I was driving my pickup truck too fast through mountain roads I knew like the back of my hand. Around 2 a.m., with windows up and music playing, an audible voice in the cab yelled, “Slow down.” No one was around, no houses in those wooded hills. I hit the brakes, and just over the next rise, a herd of deer stood frozen in the road. My headlights spurred them off, but had I not slowed, I’d have crashed, likely with fatal results. Years later, God’s Spirit filled my hospital room when doctors told my mother nothing more could be done. A prayer chain, sparked by her faith and joined by family, friends, and music fans, carried me through. I lived, a testament to His grace.

Every note I sing, every role I play, is a gift of time to serve Him. I recently attended a Spirit-filled revival led by Evangelists Mark and Sugar Klette in a country church with my friend Pastor Carroll Allen. The Lord led me to share His raising me up as a toddler, my voice strongly carried these powerful moments that changed my life forever as the congregation’s amens lifted me. Someone in that congregation needed to know that fervent prayers can still bring God’s healing. Their faith renewed my own dedication for God’s purpose. I don’t always meet this calling—doubt and missteps linger—but each day offers a chance to try.

Do you need a miracle to know God has a purpose for you? Perhaps not, but for me, He made it clear early on I remained in this world for a reason. As Ephesians 2:10 declares, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” My life, my talents, my second chances—they’re all for His glory, a stage to share His love. What’s your stage? Listen for His call today.

Overcome the madness around us

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Six decades ago, there was a movie called “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.”
While the focus of that film followed a star-studded cast in a race to find a dying man’s riches as a commentary on man’s foibles as it strives for wealth.
The title though indicates how many people feel about our current world as they look upon what is occurring around them – politics, world affairs, culture, and so many other areas.
Questions are upon hearts, frustration is on faces, stress is in voices, doubts circle around in our minds as we ponder where this circling madness will end.
People who were alive when that movie debuted probably would not recognize the world that we now are seeing cross our palm screens. They would have never imagined we would be carrying computers around in our palms.
Those screens allow us to see and hear things that often bring on the questions, cause the frustration and stress and bring on the doubts.
Many people are carrying that around with them. Some become quick to anger or react to others out of character without thinking.
If there was ever a time we need God’s Grace in this world, this is that time.
We each need to listen to others more intently and with the patience of Job.
We each need to hope for greater answers brought on by the questions.
We each need to seek calming resolutions for the frustrations.
We each need to soothe the stresses by encouraging more thoughtful discussions.
We each need to cast out the doubts knowing that within our faith we can overcome those.
We each need to not engage in the madness. You don’t end madness by playing along.
In our own hometown, we can be a beacon of sanity by caring for those around us.
Offering Grace in the face of frustration and doubt, help to find the answers that will offer understanding.
When all of these things don’t suffice help to lead others down a path of prayer that will ultimately bring peace of mind, soul and body.
Yes, it’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, but it’s theirs and doesn’t have to be yours.
Take charge and expel the madness or at least give its own straitjacket and padded cell.