'Tonight I will break a Parent's heart" 7 people die daily from pill overdose in FL

I was reading Hebrews 13 in The Message and some of the verses made me think about the meeting of The Substance Abuse Task Force. I am always struck by the pain of the parents that have lost children to the disease of addictions. One man introduced himself as the father of a dead child; in this case it was not an addiction problem but kids celebrating their graduation.  How heartbreaking, and yet how many of us can say, "There but by the grace of God go I ?"  Many of us realize and try to prepare ourselves for the possibility of loss in our families, with recreational pills so prevalent in the younger generation. If you are in the Daytona area, please check out the Substance Abuse Task Force monthly meeting. I am asking people of faith and more from the Faith community to show up and start praying that our city will be a light on the hill that shows a different way to live. If you are a church leader who wants to help please post or message me and I will let you know who to contact:)

 

Hebrews 13:13-16 So let's go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This "insider world" is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let's take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus' name.

 Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of "sacrifice"—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. Hebrews 13


I met the (still grieving a year later) father of this boy after the meeting. I didn't want him to leave that meeting thinking that his son's death was in vain. I knew it was hard for him to make the effort to come to the meeting but I was so glad he came. The only comfort I could give was to say I would pray for him, give him a hug and the words that seemed to help, "I know when your son woke up the morning before he didn't think or plan, 'Tonight I will break my father's heart.'" Although that was what happened it was a horrible accident, of kids using one drug, one time too many. Young people are not thinking when they use recreational drugs; they are just doing it to fit in with their friends. In some small way, please get the word out, "One time may be one time too many."



 Sometimes seeing a real face to go along with the story helps; this was someone's son: http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/southeast-volusia/2011/06/02/new-smyrna-teen-taken-off-ventilator-dies-police-look-into-drug-connection.html