Raymond Berry, the great pass receiver for the old Indianapolis Colts and head coach of the New England Patriots, graduated from Paris High School with my wife, Lucille. Raymond was one of the classmates who joined together a few years ago to celebrate the 50th reunion of the class of 1950 at Paris High School in Paris, Texas. Raymond's father was also Coach Berry; in addition to Raymond, Coach Berry produced Gene Stallings and several other greats of the football world. Most importantly, however, Coach Berry taught his students that the most important point in life was playing the game well and thinking of others.

At past reunions I have had the pleasure of meeting both father and son and they both blessed me. At this most recent reunion, however, the elder Coach Berry was honored in memorial along with a number of their classmates who did not live to see the 50th year. Raymond the younger was given the task of speaking the memorial to those past. He put it all very succinctly to those of us in the room--the gray-haired men and the women looking 20 years younger because they colored their hair. He said, "We may as well admit we are in the fourth quarter, I just hope I am not in sudden death overtime."

Within a week after the reunion the class had lost another of its members. The Bible says man is appointed to die, a time to live and a time to die; physical death will come to everyone in due time. We are not promised another breath. I am saddened as is the nation this weekend because of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Young and elderly alike taken in the blink of an eye by a mad man. Friends and parents, wives and sweethearts have lost loved ones to such senseless mayhem. We all ask why and there is no answer except that there is evil in our world. Even in this there is good news. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who was dead, lives. In His death He took upon Himself the sins of the world. In His resurrection He conquered death once and for all. For all who call upon His name shall not perish but shall have eternal life. I hope all of the victims of the shootings at VT knew the love of Jesus Christ. I know from news reports that many did. They are at peace for eternity.

For we who are left the lessons of this tragedy are two-fold: First is the urgency to bring the love of Jesus into your own life; the second is to make the most of every day that God gives us. Realize how precious every hour, every minute of life really is. Tell those you love that you love them every day. One day it will be too late.