Finding Hope in Despair: Trusting God's Path for You

Have you ever felt the harder you try, the worse things get? You pray, plead, and promise God you will change if He will deliver you this one time. You wonder if He even cares. You suggest ways God can rescue you from your pit. Your hopes and dreams are crushed. You conclude there is no way to escape from this free fall into despair and disappointment. And no one understands.

You are not alone. Many biblical scholars believe King David wrote Psalm 102:6: “I am like a pelican of the wilderness.” He said, “I am like an owl of the desert.” Neither a pelican nor an owl belongs there. Nor do you.

I’ve been there too. But there is hope. There is a way, but you won’t find it in a pill or bottle. You won’t find it in entertainment or a “how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ book. No, it’s not positive thinking, although I’m all for that. You won’t find it in a mystical higher power, cosmic energy, or religion. A million ways online offer solutions, but few are God’s way.

The scriptures warn us in Proverbs 14:2, “There is a way that seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death.”

And again in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”

You will be offered answers numerous times when you come to these critical crossroads in your life. Realize you have an enemy, Satan, the father of all lies, with all the wrong answers. As the inventor of lies, Satan is the master of them, often lacing them with truth. But a hundred legitimate dollar bills do not make a counterfeit one real. Your enemy, Satan, is the master of deception.

Satan may enumerate your sins in your thoughts, for the Bible says he is our accuser. And the list may be accurate. But then here comes his lie: “God doesn’t love you. Look at what you’ve done. How could he love you? You are not worthy of love.” Satan is a master at discouragement.

Don’t believe it. This is why Christ shed his lifeblood on the cross for you. He loves you, wants to forgive your sins, and wants to spend eternity with you. Christ loves you more than anyone on earth.

Jesus spoke of him.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” —John 10:10

So where, then, do I find the answer? The answer is found in a love letter to you. The love letter is addressed to you. It is printed in the Word of God, the Bible. The Book of all books repeatedly records how to overcome what seems impossible. The One who loves you most wrote the love letter. The One who always has your best interests in mind. The One who died for you. The One who has never made a mistake, including creating you.

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The love letter is for the young and the old. This love story is about a teenager named David. He is alone under the starry sky, tending sheep. He became the most remarkable King of Israel and forefather of the Messiah, Jesus.

A chosen middle-aged man named Joshua had a significant task. He followed a man who received his marching orders from God in a burning bush. Then, he’s told to lead hundreds of thousands of people with a massive learning curve. That would perplex anyone. And he is instructed to walk around the Walls of Jericho, the fortress of the most barbaric people on earth. And yes, the walls came tumbling down without a shot being fired. I named my middle son Joshua Randall Willis after the Biblical Joshua and me. I made the same decision Joshua made: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” —Joshua 24:15

You can see this in the story of an old man, Daniel. Daniel, who was over 90, was thrown into a den of lions despite being past his prime. Your age does not matter; God can use you.

I’ve been there; you have too, and so have these young, middle-aged, and old men in the Bible. Learn from their stories. You can slay the giants in your life and have weapons to spare. Walk through fire without the smoke’s spell. Sleep in peace with your enemy’s hungry lions as a pillow. Walk on water amid life’s storms.

The Lord will do all this in a way you never dreamed. You want to read history’s number one best-selling “motivational how-to book”? Open your Bible.

My favorite is a leader, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, who is facing three insurmountable enemies at once. I’ve been there more than once. I suspect you have, too. He cries. I don’t have the power or the foggiest {my adjective} idea of what to do, but…

What follows the word “but” contains the answer. It answers what to do when your world falls apart. It answers how to get through your seemingly insurmountable situation. It is what to do when problem after problem overwhelms you. You want to scream, “I give up!” God understands your frustration.

David picks up 5 stones because Goliath has 4 brothers. Is this confidence? Yes, but not in himself, but in the Lord. The teenage Sheppard boy faces a nine-foot-plus giant named Goliath. God can defeat the giants in your life, too, no matter how big or how many.

David pursues God in worship. He dances before the Lord all night. The house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord. They did so with shouts and trumpets. (2 Samuel 6:12:15) When David received discouraging advice from everyone about facing Goliath, he recalled his previous victories. He said, “I work as a shepherd for my father.” Whenever a lion or a bear attacked one of his lambs, he struck it down. (1 Samuel 17:35-36)

I’ve claimed few words more than David’s in Psalm 51:10-12. This was after David committed adultery and manslaughter. Perhaps the more accurate word is murder.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. —Psalm 51:10-12

Over the decades, I have walked in the forest and sat under a cliff by a crystal-clear stream. I always begin my prayer with David’s words in Psalm 42:1-2.

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.” —Psalm 42:1-2

God calls David “A man after his heart.” Have you fallen? Get up and become a man or woman after God’s heart. Start by focusing on Christ, not your failures. Set your mind and heart not on your mistakes but on the One who is the God of second chances. And third, and…

“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” —Romans 5:20

Daniel refuses to focus on the lions but on the Light of his heavenly Father. God can close the mouths of your enemies, too. You, too, will be thrown in a den of lions.

The rulers take Daniel and cast him into the dungeon (Daniel 6:16). Why? Daniel refused to change his worship habits. He refused to change his prayers to God. He refused to close his windows open toward Jerusalem. And he refused to obey the decree that would separate him from the Lord God (Daniel 6:10).

You will not win a popularity contest with your faith in the Lord of Heaven. It will be challenged. It will be offensive to many. You will lose many trusted friends you’ve never met on Facebook. I call Facebook narcissism on steroids.

You will be thrown into a den of lions. When you are, God will send an angel to protect you.

God has known since eternity past that you will face a den of lions. He has already prepared a response. The Lord God Almighty of Heaven sent an angel. He shut the lions’ mouths. Daniel spent the night in quiet rest (Daniel 6:21-22). What is Daniel to do now? Go to sleep. But what about a soft pillow? A lion will do.

Daniel rested in the den of lions. His captors were less at rest in the palace with all its comforts and luxuries (Daniel 6:18). “He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalms 127:2). One angel slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. Sleep well, my friend. He will give His angels charge over you. Read Psalm 91 often. It will give you peace in this troubled world. And rest for your body and soul.

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“No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.” —Psalm 91:10-11

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We are all in a den of lions in this life. We should not speak to youngsters as if the Christian life is only a primrose path. It is not always a bed of roses. It is difficult. The Christian faces the ultimate antagonist in all literature, Satan, through trials and temptation. His chief weapons are deception and discouragement.

Satan will try everything to paralyze you with fear. He wants to hinder you by causing disappointment. This discourages you from sharing the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stand on God’s promise, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” —Isaiah 54:17

Satan will remain a thorn in your side until the Second Coming of Christ. However, he was defeated at the cross of Calvary. Take up the sword of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God. It’s sharp; swing it wisely.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” —Ephesians 6:10

Daniel uses a lion as a pillow.

Simon Peter on the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee is all of us at times. You, too, can walk on water atop the storms in your life.

No one in the Bible reminds me more of me than Simon Peter, and that’s not a compliment. I mean the time before Peter became the great Apostle Peter who preached at Pentecost. No, I have no desire to be crucified upside down as the Apostle Peter was said to be by early writers of Christianity.

Peter denied knowing Christ three times. I have denied Christ in my behavior way more than that. Peter walked on water during the mighty storm on the Sea of Galilee. Then he took his eyes off Jesus and turned them towards the winds and waves. And began to drown. How many times have I taken my eyes off Jesus and almost drowned? How often have I started to sink in the storms of life? I have had to cry like Peter, “Save me.” My learning curve has been tremendous.

I have been brash and braggadocious. I’ve wondered if Peter, like me, wrote these traits off as self-assurance or the power of positive thinking. Indeed, he was like me; he was full of himself. I admired him when he cut off Malchus’s ear. This happened in the Garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Jesus.

Now, Peter was a big man, but no swordsman. Nor am I. I suspect he was swinging for his neck. My sword has often been my words, which I aim at the head, too.

If Jesus had not miraculously healed Malchus’s ear, there may have been four crosses, not three, on Calvary’s hill. How often has the Lord delivered me from bad choices in my youth? Who knows, not even Mama, for I dared not tell her. Jesus rebuked Peter, though I suspect me more.

“But Jesus said to him, Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” —Matthew 26:52

Who better to writes these words than the Apostle Peter.

“Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” —1 Peter: 5:5

A person with outstretched arms facing an ethereal figure in the distance, standing in turbulent ocean waves, conveying a scene of faith and divine connection.

Peter could walk on water as long as his eyes were upon Jesus. When he began to look at the wind and waves, he sank

They soon discovered the safest place to be is the fiery furnace. The reason is that the “Fourth Man” is there, the pre-incarnate Christ. You, too, can walk through the fires of life with not even the smell of smoke on you. The only things that burned that day were the people who threw them into the fires. The ropes that bound them burned, too.

Four men with long hair and beards, dressed in ancient robes, stand together in front of a fiery background, expressing emotions of concern or contemplation.

Three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to compromise their faith. They were thrown into a fiery furnace and turned up seven times. The safest place to be is a fiery furnace if the 4th man, Christ, is there too.

My Favorite Story of Hope

Jehoshaphat is my favorite story of victory over impossible circumstances. He acknowledges to God that he has no power against the three armies coming against him. He doesn’t know what to do.

The turning point is in 2 Chronicles 20:12-15. He cries out to God: “For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us.” Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.

This is a great lesson I have learned in my life. I should set my eyes on Jesus, not my problems. The hardest part is the “be still” command, keeping my eyes upon Jesus. I too often wish to pick up my favorite weapons, my spoken words, my pen, and my keyboard.

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you.” —2 Chronicles 20:17

A lone figure stands atop a hill, overlooking a battlefield at sunset, with clouds and smoke rising as soldiers engage in combat below.

Jehoshaphat watches his three enemies safely as they destroy each other. Our role is to take our eyes off our problems and place them firmly on the Lord Jesus.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” —Isaiah 26:3

A young girl sitting by a riverbank, reading a book with a serene expression. She is barefoot, wearing a gray t-shirt and shorts, surrounded by greenery and water.

Our Image of God

Is God a gray-bearded old man sitting on a massive throne, waiting for you and me to mess up? Does he then grab our collar and jerk us as if we are rag dolls? Not hardly.

Instead, He is our loving father waiting for his son or daughter to “come to themselves.

The Prodigal Son

The son insisted on going to a foreign land to blow his inheritance. The father watches and waits patiently for his son “to come to himself.” The Prodigal Son, who was Jewish, took on the most offensive job for a Jew, slopping pigs. In the pigpen he finally came to himself.

When he does, the father celebrates his homecoming. The Father rejoices because his son, who was dead in rebellion and sin, is spiritually alive again.

Where is a foreign land? A place where you and I don’t belong. We belong with those who protect us from harm’s way and love us. We belong at home where our Heavenly Father watches over us with open arms for our return.

The Prodigal Son’s father ran and embraced him when he saw him still far off. The father told his servants to bring the best robe to put on him, place a ring on his finger, and put sandals on his feet, signifying restored family status and dignity rather than condemnation.

The father threw a feast, ordered the fattened calf to be slaughtered, and called for a large celebration, declaring that his lost son was found and alive again.

This is a picture of you, me, and our Heavenly Father. Have you wandered off to where you don’t belong? Come to yourself and return to the loving arms of your Heavenly Father. He is waiting with loving arms for your return. He will not condemn you but embrace you as the Prodigal Son’s father did.

You were not created to be in a pigpen: physically, mentally, morally, or spiritually. Come to yourself. Come home; your Heavenly Father is waiting to celebrate your return. Your return will bring joy to Heaven.

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.” —Luke 15:7

A man in a simple robe kneels beside a group of pigs, gently touching the ground, with a sunset in the background.

The “Prodigal Son,” who was Jewish, took on the most offensive job for a Jew, slopping pigs. You were not created to be in a pig pen: physically, mentally, morally, or spiritually.

A serene moment showcasing a man embracing two children outdoors, with warm lighting and ancient architecture in the background.

“For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” —Luke 15:24

But What About You & Me?

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” —Jeremiah 29:13

“How do I search for You with all my heart? The most fervent of your apostles, Peter, denied you. Another betrayed you after seeing your miracles. The others, except one, fled swiftly when you were crucified.

“Nicodemus, the most pious of religious leaders, couldn’t understand. The supreme religious body, the Sanhedrin, made up of Pharisees and Sadducees, didn’t know. Although it was within their grasp in the books, they held it as truth.

“What hope is there for me to know You if these great men didn’t get it? You, Lord Jesus, are the Lord of Creation who spoke the Universe into existence.”

I set out on a quest to see who got Jesus’ attention in the Bible. It was not whom I suspected.

I found the answer in Scripture. As Jesus left Jericho with His disciples, a great multitude joined him. A blind man named Bartimaeus sat begging along the roadside. When he discovered the clamor was about Jesus, he cried, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” When the crowd warned him to be quiet, he cried louder.

When Jesus heard Bartimaeus, the Bible says, “Jesus stood still.” What does it take to stop God in the flesh, the Lord of Creation, Jesus, in His tracks? The cry of a blind beggar. Not the mighty Roman army, the pious religious leaders, or the political elite, but a blind beggar. And yes, a criminal is next to Him on a cross.

“And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?” —Matthew 20:32

Christ first promised paradise to a lowly thief on the cross. (Luke 23:43)

Jesus hears a baby’s cry. (Psalm 34:7)

Jesus takes our tears and puts them in a bottle. (Psalm 56:8)

Jesus attends every sparrow’s funeral. (Matthew 6:26)

Our hairs are not counted, but each one is counted. (Luke 12:7)

When My Whole World Crumbled

My Pastor, Dr. Ralph Smith (Hyde Park Baptist Church) in Austin, recommended Dr. Jody Unruh to me at Hyde Park Counseling Center. Dr. Smith built Hyde Park Baptist into Central Texas’s largest church, with over 14,000 members. Dr. Smith told me that in 35 years of counseling, one word came up in every session. The word is “if.” Forgetting the “ifs” is very difficult for me. You know what I mean: If that had or had not occurred, and so on.

Dr. Charles Stanley’s six-part series, After Brokenness, Then What, changed my life. Dr. Jody Unruh loaned me a copy of her cassettes after my fiancée died of anorexia.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” —Isaiah 43:18

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward…” —Philippians 3:13-14

If you have ever experienced a significant loss of a loved one, or perhaps a tragic divorce, or bankruptcy, this series will guide you through the pain. Nothing else compares to the guidance it offered me, except the Bible it is based on. Dr. Charles Stanley wrote, “After brokenness, you get a new view of God’s purpose for your life.”

I found that to be true. It wasn’t until God broke my independence from Him that I began to understand what He had called me to do. It was not what I would have ever dreamed: feed and clothe the needy while sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was no preacher. I never attended seminary. I lived a far less-than-righteous life. Thousands in Austin were better qualified than me. I had divorced three years before and was struggling to rebuild my life.

And now tragedy struck. “You’ve got the wrong man, Lord,” I said, “But I’m all in if that’s what you want.” But the question remained: “How do I begin?”

Dr. Unruh helped me move on from the tragic loss of my fiancée through Christian counseling. Dr. Smith told me she was “spiritually blessed,” and she was. Dr. Unruh was the only counselor I ever saw. She had studied at Dr. Charles Stanley’s church. I recommend finding a local Christian counseling center rooted in a Bible-believing church.

My Love Story: How Did I Get from A to Z?

In 1986, I divorced. Two years later, I met a lady in Corpus Christi on a business trip. As the weekend approached, I was to rendezvous with an old friend from our high school days in Angleton.

The lady and I were both staying at the Holiday Inn on Corpus Christi Bay. I was on the Board of Directors of the Austin Apartment Association. I was in Corpus Christi for a quarterly board meeting. The Austin Apartment Association appointed me as one of two board members of the Texas Apartment Association.

She was in Corpus Christi to recover from a divorce in Houston. It was an abusive relationship. We met in the sauna, sweating next to the indoor swimming pool overlooking Corpus Christi Bay. Hardly a romantic setting.

She resembled a Kate Beckinsale of today, though I found her more beautiful. We made small talk for 20 minutes. I endured as much heat as I could in the sauna. Then, we moved to a table by the pool. I knew it was now or never, so I asked if she would like to have dinner with me.

“It’s too soon,” she said. “But I will meet you for coffee this evening in the hotel’s cafe.” We then talked as we walked down Shoreline Boulevard, as the seagulls bedded down for the night in the distance.

After my board meeting the next day, we drove to Mustang Island. My reservations were at the Mayan Princess, built two years before by a friend from the apartment association. We also visited with my high school friend, Joel “Joe” Montgomery, and several others I had invited weeks earlier. Joe drove in from Hallettsville to spend the weekend with me and our friends at Mustang Island.

She and I went our separate ways but kept in touch by phone. In time, we discovered we had much in common, including golf. I invited her to fly into Austin and play with me at the Austin Apartment Association’s annual golf tournament. She was a much better golfer than I, which is not saying much.

As our romance intensified, we decided she should move to Austin. I rented a house for her. She began to help me with my horses, mules, cows, and assorted Spanish goats. She loved the goats. I didn’t dare tell her I raised them for Cabrito to roast on my BBQ pit.

We realized our love wasn’t a passing fancy, so we got engaged, but not everything was well. When I first met her, I noticed she was thin. I also noticed she barely ate anything on her plate—just a few small bites. She wore long, loose, flowing dresses to conceal her thinness. I wrote it off as modesty. We attended Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin.

She loved the Lord. I discovered she had been raped numerous times by her husband. Marital rape was not illegal in Texas in 1989. It did not become illegal in Texas until 1994.

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On New Year’s Day, 1989, we watched the movie premiere on TV entitled The Karen Carpenter Story. As the film progressed, she began to cry, saying repeatedly, “That’s me.”

I knew nothing about anorexia. Karen Carpenter died in 1983. Her death was attributed to heart failure because of anorexia nervosa. Social media didn’t exist then to sound the alarm. The Karen Carpenter Story did that.

Public awareness of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders was transformed by Karen Carpenter’s death and the later movie. The sympathetic reporting of her illness prompted other celebrities to step forward and share their experiences.

It was an eating disorder that many would not acknowledge in those days. That may be true today, too.

We soon got an appointment with Dr. George Willeford, Jr. at St. David’s Hospital in Austin. He was a wonderful, kind-hearted man. But he did not gloss over how she was putting herself in harm’s way.

He explained that anorexia can rob your organs of nutrients and damage them even if you start eating correctly. “The damage may have already been done,” he said.

She gained 10 pounds and seemed healthier. She died of a heart attack two months later.

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Darkness fell upon me. I lost 30 pounds in 30 days. I blamed God. I was no longer attentive to my career. Within six months, I filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. I cried out to Jesus, “Lord, where are you?” And over and over again, “Why, Lord?”

I could not understand how a Christian girl and someone so young and kind could die. I read the Scriptures in search of answers. The first verse from the Lord changed my life forever. “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39)

“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” —Matthew 10:39

That seemed simple enough; whoever finds his life will lose it. Okay, Randy, life is not about physical things. It is not about acquiring and accumulating like the proverbial mantra: “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” But that’s not what it says.

It is so easy to draw a circle around others’ faults and not ours. Dr. Jody Unruh taught me that. But whose fault was this? I was adrift, drowning in a sea of pain, seeking answers.

“What have I been seeking?” I wrote down a long list on a yellow tablet. It included success, education, health, and wealth. Social status, entertainment, and pleasure. Friends, family, children, and even religion. These are the things I’ve focused on. “Surely they are not all bad, Lord?”

The scripture did not end there. What about the part that reads, “He who loses his life for My sake will find it.” Okay, what does that mean, Lord?

I’m a little slow sometimes. “So Lord, life is not in the getting but in the giving?” I surmised.

He then led me to: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. All these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) But I thought I had been doing that. After all, I attended church. Even taught Sunday School.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. All these things shall be added to you.” —Matthew 6:33

Now, that began to make sense. I’ve spent all these years seeking and acquiring. But I still don’t have the joy and peace You spoke of, Lord, in Your Word. What purpose have You called me to?

Even Your universe is that way. The sun gives to the grass. The grass gives to the cow. The cow gives me milk. I don’t pretend to understand how a brown cow eating green grass gives me white milk. I reckon that part is called faith.

Little did I know that soon, as I approached 8th Street in Austin on IH 35, the Lord would bring to mind a Scripture: Acts 1:8. I exited, drove to the side of the Salvation Army near 8th and Red River, and handed out a box of Bibles in the cold. The Lord would change my life forever that frigid night. I was in “Samaria,” where the last and the least lived. I was at church on the dirty streets of downtown Austin. Peace, purpose, and joy overwhelmed me.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” —Act 1:8

I named this church on the streets of Austin, with no building, that refused cash donations, never had a checking account, and never paid anyone a dime: Operation Warm Heat. As many as 200 a day made decisions for Christ.

One freezing evening, I noticed a guy taking photos of me across the street from the Salvation Army. When a homeless man asked for my coat, I gave him my ski parka, which I had worn for skiing.

Minutes before I noticed a man taking photos. I assumed it was of the Salvation Army, and I just happen to be beside it.

The man across the street walked over to me and asked me a few questions.

No big deal, that is, until one of his photos appeared on the front page of the City and State section of the Austin American-Statesman.

I began to receive letters, phone calls, and even an unexpected visit from Scott Appleton, a former football star at the University of Texas. He volunteered to help me. Scott died not long after our visit.

One of those calls was from Dirk Dozier. Dirk asked if we could meet for lunch. As we ate at the Night Hawk, he explained that his family owned the Golden Fried Chicken franchises and the Pizza Hut franchises in Austin.

Dirk donated 10 pizzas from each Pizza Hut each day and all the leftover fried chicken from each restaurant each day. We gave away thousands of pizzas along with New Testaments.

And so many pieces of fried chicken, I became known as “Chicken Man” to the homeless in downtown Austin.

Late one evening in East Austin (in an area that the Austin Police warned me of), as I drove through, I passed a man walking. He began to yell as I slowly drove by, “Chicken Man, please stop,” over and over again.

I stopped. When he reached my van after running a block, I said, “I’m out of chicken and pizzas.”

“I don’t care,” he said. “I just wanted to tell you I love you Chicken Man.” At that moment, my heart broke, and I began to heal from the loss of my fiancé as I wept.

My friends Darrell Royal and James Street told me they wished to help.

Thank you, Dirk Dozier, Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery, and HEB for feeding the needy of Central Texas.

And Scott Appleton, James Street, and Coach Darrell Royal for your help and words of encouragement.

And Ralph Barrera, photojournalist for the Austin American-Statesman.

A man shakes hands with another man in front of a van, where winter clothing is being distributed to the homeless. The scene depicts an act of kindness as they participate in a clothing drive.

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Dedication

Dedicated to my seven grandchildren: Baylee Coatney Willis, Corbin Randall Willis, Presley Rose Willis, Olivia Grace Willis, Juliette Rebecca Willis, Violet Jean Willis, River Lee Willis, and my future grandchildren. May you always look towards our Blessed Hope, Jesus. Titus 2:3

A group of five people, including children, posing together in front of a stone house. Two girls are holding younger children, and they are all smiling.

“He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” —Matthew 10:39

Group of people posing in front of the Texas Baptist Children's Home sign, holding stuffed animals. Includes a man dressed as Santa Claus and various others smiling.

Three individuals unloading boxes from a pickup truck, with one person climbing in the truck bed and two others carrying boxes labeled 'The Home Store'.

Three individuals pose in front of a sign for Texas Baptist Children's Home, indicating Campus Services and TBCH Administration, with a residential area in the background.

A group of people walking down a hospital hallway pushing a cart loaded with colorful wrapped gifts and topped with stuffed animals.

A man and a young girl are celebrating near a Christmas tree. The girl is holding toys, and there are wrapped gifts scattered around.

Three men standing behind large barrels filled with toys for a charitable cause, with houses and trees in the background.

A newspaper article titled 'Kind Hearts, Warm Bodies' featuring two men shaking hands, one wearing a cap and the other in a beanie, beside a car with winter clothing donations.

A group of four individuals standing together, including two men and two women, one of whom is dressed as a friendly mascot. The background features text inviting participation in a fundraising event for Children's Hospital. The mood is cheerful and supportive.

A speaker addressing a crowd at The Salvation Army in Austin, Texas, with people gathered attentively listening.

Letter from Children's Hospital Foundation of Austin thanking Randy Willis for his support of the 2003 'Celebre Vida' Gala, announcing record fundraising of $363,000 for medical equipment advancements.

A thank-you letter from the Austin Police Department acknowledging a donation to Operation Blue Santa, dated January 25, 2013. The letter discusses the impact of the donation on providing holiday meals and gifts for families in need.

A photo of a book page featuring a smiling portrait of Lady Bird Johnson, alongside stamps and a handwritten note addressed to Randy Willis, expressing gratitude. The opposite page includes the title 'Wildflowers Across America' with signatures from Lady Bird Johnson, her daughter, and a third individual.

A handwritten note expressing gratitude to Randy Willis, featuring the cover of a book titled 'Wildflowers Across America' with a background of yellow flowers.

A children's hospital activity featuring a table decorated with wrapped gifts for newborns, labeled for 0-6 months and indicating gender neutrality, with a plush giraffe toy prominently displayed.

A letter from George W. Bush, dated June 12, 2003, addressed to Randy Willis, expressing gratitude for support and prayers, discussing national leadership and appreciation for military personnel.

A handwritten letter from Ralph M. Smith, Pastor of Hyde Park Baptist Church, dated February 18, 1994, expressing gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Randy Willis for his thoughtful actions and ministry work.

According to the Bible, we all have feet of clay and fall short of God’s glory. The Bible describes our righteousness as filthy rags. God’s grace (his undeserved favor) is available to us all. However, we must accept His gift of forgiveness. This gift was bought and paid for on the cross with Jesus Christ’s lifeblood. You can say yes to Jesus’s free gift right now.

Our greatest need is forgiveness. Christ came to forgive us, but we must accept that free gift. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” —Revelation 3:20

A depiction of Jesus Christ standing at a door, knocking, with a warm landscape in the background. The scene includes text from Revelation 3:20 on the right side.

Jesus knocks, but you must open the door to your heart, to your life, to your future.

The most famous 25 words ever written:

“For God so loved the world. He gave His only begotten Son. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” —John 3:16

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If these words are how you feel in your heart, then pray:

Heavenly Father,

I pray to You, asking for the forgiveness of my sins.

I confess with my mouth. I believe with my heart that Jesus is Your Son. He died on the cross at Calvary so that I might be forgiven.

Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. I ask Jesus to come into my life as my personal Lord and Savior.

I turn from my sins and will surrender to your will throughout my life.

Your word is truth. I confess with my mouth that I am born again. I am cleansed by the blood of Jesus!

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Reach out and touch Him today!

A woman reaching out to touch the hem of a robe, symbolizing faith and healing, with a biblical quote from Matthew 9:21 above.

“For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” —Matthew 9:21

Epilogue

Temple Baptist Church

Every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, we were at Temple Baptist Church in Clute. It seemed like everyone attended church.

Black and white photo of a woman and six children standing outdoors, ready to attend Temple Baptist Church in Clute, Texas.

Dorothy Curbelo had been abused at her home in Vidor, Texas, according to my mother’s sister. Aunt Gladys asked my mother and Daddy to take her in and care for her. Mother and Daddy said yes. It saved her life.

A black and white photograph of a woman holding a handbag and a boy standing together outside a house, with a small dog nearby. They appear to be dressed for a church outing.

On a Wednesday night, my mother could not attend church. So, I walked to church from our home on Coleman Street with my twelve-year-old sister Marjorie. I was eight years old. I had no intention of that night being any different from any other. It remains etched in my heart, mind, and soul to this day.

I cannot recall a word Pastor Bill Campbell said in his sermon. But I remember vividly another voice that spoke to my mind—my heart—my spirit. It was not an audible voice. It was a still, gentle voice, tender but ever so clear, telling me to go forward and accept Christ as my Savior.

I recall my response to the Holy Spirit as if it were five minutes ago. “Lord, I’m too shy. I would if my mother was here to go with me.”

I felt someone touch my left shoulder. My sister Marjorie was sitting in the back row with her friends. She could not have seen my face, for I was seated near the front.

She said, “I’ll go with you if you want me to.” I immediately stood, walked with her to the front of the church, and made my decision public.

I know you do not have to have an experience like that to be saved. Nevertheless, I’m so grateful for that experience; it has never left my mind or my heart.