It was just a few years ago, 1999 to be exact when Dave Freeman and his friend Neil Teplica co-authored a hugely successful book entitled: 100 Things to do before You Die. Their bestseller spawned numerous other copycat books as well as a movie called ‘The Bucket List’ – things to do before you kick the bucket – a flippant euphemism for death.

I live in Prince Edward Island – the home of Anne of Green Gables. Our tiny Island is a popular tourist retreat. Every summer thousands of people from around the world visit the red cliffs, white sandy beaches and green rolling hills of PEI. Some come on an Anne of Green Gables pilgrimage – so to speak. They have read the books and watched the movies. Anne fans come from all over the world wanting to tour the mystical island that provided the setting for the popular novels.

Pitt interrupted the conversation by sharing a headline that had just flashed into his mind. "I just saw a dreadful title," he says. "Brad Pitt Talks About His Happiness.' Listen man, it's all up and down. It's all up and down."

“You’re talking to a guy," Pitt begins, "who's always had this kind of congenital sadness. I don't know where it came from. I don't know what it is - the state of the world, the state of yourself. I don't know. I had a very easy childhood, deprived of nothing per se, so, you know.....

It seemed rather abrupt. One weekend to be doing his comedy act at Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and the next Sunday to be dead. But that’s the way life is. Accolades of praise from his laughing audience around the world flowed in. One of his outstanding life contributions was his Seven Dirty Words comedy routine. Seven words he claimed you would never hear on television. When he first went brazenly public with his profanities in Wisconsin during his Class Clown routine he was arrested for uttering obscenities. That was back in 1972. His admirers refer to that occasion as one of the defining moments of his long career.

In late May, 2008 a complaint was received by the Multi-National Force West in Iraq that a US Marine was distributing to the local people a Bible coin with Arabic inscriptions.

We don’t know the Marine’s name nor do we want to debate the wisdom of distributing a coin with a Bible message on it while on duty.

The pictures show overwhelming devastation. We are praying for the people of Parkersburg, New Hartford, Hazelton and Dunkerton – especially those who lost loved ones.

This is not the early summer experience anyone would ever dream of having. It is a Category F5 nightmare.

If your life abruptly ended today or in ten days time, what hope would your family and friends have? Would they be able to say for sure you were in Heaven? Or would they only ‘hope’ you landed there?

The bottom line is – Desmond was ready to go. Are you?

There are some heart-wrenching stories coming out of the United States just now about home owners who are losing their homes. Families are losing their homes by the thousands. Foreclosures are rampant. Some have labeled it the ‘foreclosure epidemic’. It is estimated that 1.2 million families across the country are in the process of losing their homes. People can’t make their mortgage payments and banks can’t wait any longer.

The trajectory of success: A top athlete at Wilson High School – great quarterback in football, good at baseball, the school’s #4 tennis player and no slouch when it came to long-jumping successes either. Then there were his stellar performances in college football. One of his coaches claimed he was the best athlete in South Carolina.

It really wasn’t blind faith nor was it a shot in the dark or a leap into the unknown. It was a deliberate rescue act in the face of great danger. A caring individual assessed the situation: the danger above was immediate and deadly; the strong willing arms below were positively beckoning and trustworthy and in between there was no other way to safety.