As I continue to think about the passing of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman…yes, it seems to be yet another instance of someone insanely talented, with the world at his feet, awards on his mantle, and yet, a longing for something more-

chasing the dragon, needing that high…

…what pains me more than the actual tragedy is the continually heavy handed judgment that has come down from many who have written him off as just another “godless junkie” who wasted his life…

Cuz here’s the thing…Phillip’s crippler might have been heroin…but hold up:  you don’t get off that easily…

When you’re stressed, do you indulge in a little ‘retail therapy’?  Got an excuse for all that stuff that’s collecting in your attic?  Hey, it was on sale…and I just needed to treat myself again…do you hole up in a room with a pizza and a quart of Ben and Jerry’s when you’ve had a bad day?  Maybe it’s a cocktail…or two..or five.  

C’mon, Marcia, you don’t know what I have to deal with every day…

That is precisely my point.

We all have things we chase when we feel like something is missing in our lives…Rather than making jokes about the Beibers, and the Lohans; rather than condemning Mr. Hoffman, might we consider the fact that we have a Divinely ordered right as God’s people to bring them to the Lord in prayer…

Yes, they’re famous…but they are people whose lives are crying out for more, and there seems to be no one around to steer them in the right direction…are they any less deserving of God’s love because they’re in the entertainment machine?

so, as we pray for the family of one of the best actors I’VE ever seen in my lifetime…let’s ask the Lord to show us what it is that we might be chasing instead of Him.

And if we’re in check-ask Him to show us people in our lives that might be in need…this was a tragedy that didn’t have to happen…

By the way…if you are chasing something and you need to pray with someone right now, please stop by the website www.groundwire.net.