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Former NFL player Pat Tillman’s name has been in the news a lot lately. He played football for Arizona State University and then the Arizona Cardinals. But he had voluntarily enlisted with the Army Rangers following the terrorist attacks on September 11; turning down a $3.6 million contract with the NFL. He was just 27-years-old when he was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan on April 22. Pat Tillman was a man of extraordinary courage and determination — a national hero. Recent reports are now saying that he may have been killed by friendly fire. At his memorial service he was eulogized by family, friends and celebrities at a 2 ½ hour service in his hometown of San Jose, California. Pat’s father said in his brief remarks at the service: “I miss my son, and it’s not getting any better.” USA Today reported that Alex Garwood, a brother-in-law, opened his comments by pouring a glass of beer, setting it in front of the lectern, and then yelling to the large crowd which had gathered: “This (expletive) sucks.” He went on to say, “Part of me wants to give up, throw in the towel, but there’s no way Pat would accept that from us.” Richard Tillman, Pat’s brother, stood before the gathering in a white T-shirt and jeans and shocked the crowd when he said with his voice shaking: “It was amazing to be his baby brother. He was a champion. And Pat was not religious, so he’s not with God, he’s just (expletive) dead.”

When I read that story and felt the despair of those who felt the loss of Pat Tillman, I thought again of the words of the Bible that say: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19). It does not matter how strong, courageous or famous you are — if you are just...

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