House of ZAN Forum

[Dana]

As most of you guys know, I'm a big fan of The Rick & Bubba Show, a nationally-syndicated radio show based in Birmingham, AL. Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey host the show along with producer Calvin "Speedy" Wilburn and "Don Juan" DeMarco Williams.

On Saturday, Rick was in Tennessee at a Christian retreat, speaking in front of about 7800 teenagers and young adults, when he got the news that his 2 year-old son Bronner had accidentally drowned in the family's swimming pool.

Before Bronner's passing, Rick and his wife Sherri had five kids ranging from 2 to 17 years old. Sherri had brought the kids home after running some errands and left them in the family room, watching TV, while she went to take a shower. When she came out, Bronner was missing. Somehow he had unlocked the door and wandered outside into the cold, where he fell into the pool. She pulled him out, but he was already not breathing. Paramedics and a neighborhood doctor were called, and they tried every possible way to revive him, but it was too late.

Rick immediately flew home, where Speedy and Bubba met him at the airport to take him to the hospital.

Here's the amazing part.

Rick decided to speak at his own son's funeral, which was done in a way that celebrated Bronner's life. Bubba and Speedy have hosted the radio show live every day this week, taking calls from listeners and talking about the tragedy, but also witnessing to everyone within listening range. These guys are devout Christians and the strength that they've shown is pretty inspiring. More inspiring than anything I've seen since I went to Acquire the Fire in Cleveland in 1999.

The strength of faith and conviction Rick shows in this speech is what's so inspiring. He's the classic example of how we should treat death when we know we'll see our loved one(s) again in Heaven. I really believe we should all take the time to watch this.

Here is the video of Rick's speech, broken into three 10-minute segments so it could go on YouTube. The volume is fairly low, so you'll have to crank your speakers, but it is WELL WORTH WATCHING. Keep in mind that Rick made this speech in front of 2500 people -- Bronner's memorial was made open to the public -- and that he's giving this speech just three days after his son died.

Rick Burgess - A Father's Heart part 1
Rick Burgess - A Father's Heart part 2
Rick Burgess - A Father's Heart part 3

rickandbubba.com also has links where you can download the entire message as an MP3.
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[Grand Master Sef]