Those words came from my friend who is a victim of a mass shooter at his business.

A mad man came inside his facility – a local entertainment establishment in downtown Jacksonville – and murdered two innocent people and then turned the gun on himself.

 

It was a “suddenly” and shook the soul of our community.

 

There were eleven people physically hurt from the shooting. Two were murdered. And the shooter committed suicide.

 

But there were others hurt too – like my friend who did nothing to deserve the nightmare he is experiencing. To walk inside your facility and know death at the hands of a mad man occurred there. To be served papers by the ambulance chasers. To be facing an uncertain future. Horrible.

 

We’ve all had a “suddenly” happen but for most of us – nothing on this scale.

 

And now all these preparations will take place:

  • Businesses will look at ways to secure the safety of their employees.
  • Schools will show videos of how to prepare our children against the “bad guys.”
  • Churches will hold hands and pray for healing for the community.
  • Lawmakers will try to legislate “mad men” with new rules they will never obey.
  • Lawyers will sue anyone and everyone remotely associated with the tragedy.

 

Preparation is good and my wish is this:

 

The biggest preparation of all will take place inside each of us.

Preparing for the biggest “suddenly” of all.

The sudden return of our Lord Jesus.

 

You see, my friends, a long time ago I came to a place where I did not fear death any longer. Death has no sting in my life. I am free from that fear because I know that the One who made me has promised I will live with Him in paradise when I die.

 

There are days I wish I could go there now.  And I’ve had a lot of those days lately.

 

The world has become so difficult to live in and I’m weary of mean people and “mad men” ruining the lives of so many of my friends.

 

Yet, God has chosen to keep me here and here I’ll stay until it’s my time to go. And while I’m here, I, too, need to be preparing for His final return.

 

What do I need to do to prepare? He tells us exactly what our job is and I’ll share a few details here:

 

  • Tell the world about Him.
  • Love your neighbors AND your enemies!
  • Care for the hungry, the needy, and the sick.
  • Expect to be hated for loving Him.

 

Can you imagine if every day we got up and said these words out loud before we start our day:

 

TELL — LOVE — CARE — EXPECT

 

And if we did, we would never have to worry about a “suddenly” showing up. We would be content, satisfied and looking forward to living in heaven when our final breath is taken.

 

I am begging you:  Please consider your own eternal circumstances and plan your destination to heaven today.   We are not promised one more minute on this earth and your “suddenly” could happen in the blink of an eye.  I want to be your neighbor in heaven!!  We are going to have so much fun there.

 

So in keeping with Tell, Love, Care and Expect – know this:

 

I’M TELLING YOU ABOUT JESUS. HE LOVES YOU!  LIKE NO ONE ELSE ON THIS EARTH CAN OR WILL EVER LOVE YOU.  THAT’S THE TRUTH!!

I LOVE YOU!

I CARE ABOUT YOU!

AND… I EXPECT SOME OF YOU WILL HATE THIS MESSAGE. THAT’S OKAY. I’M DOING WHAT I WAS ASKED TO DO BY THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU AND ME.  IT’S CERTAINLY THE LEAST I CAN DO – RIGHT?

 

My friends – can I ask you to please pray for my friend, Toney,  who will forever be changed by this “mad man.” He is hurting and I care for him. I love him, his family and his employees. They are all wonderful people and my heart breaks for their broken hearts.

 

And please do one more thing for me. Forgive me if my message doesn’t meet up with my life. I’m working on that and praying I have time to get it right before I see my Jesus.  Because Suddenly He will appear and how exciting that will be!

 

Peace, Love, Out,

 

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Billie Tucker has worked in the CEO world for more than 30 years and was the Chief Operating Officer of Vistage Florida, a think tank for CEOs. She started her own consulting practice, CEO Service Bureau, in 2001 and earned a reputation for her keen understanding of the motivations, challenges and goals of people and became a life-long student and teacher of leadership principles. She craved anything leadership related and enjoyed being around the world of entrepreneurial CEOs. She watched as they made decisions; pondered how they would make payroll when cash flow was tight; and appreciated how they created career opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. Because of her experiences, she has emerged as a key resource for the media and others who want to understand important insights about executives, management teams and board dynamics. In 2008, Billie became discouraged as she watched some of her clients struggle with the political economic impacts on their businesses. The same CEOs who mortgaged their home and charged up their credit cards to make ends meet to build a business and keep others working, now watched as their government bailed out the big banks who had mismanaged their resources. She cringed as most of her clients laid off employees for the first time and she vowed she would help them… somehow…someway. That somehow…someway showed up in the Tea Party Movement in America. She formed one of the largest tea party group’s in America (more than 9,000 members strong) and helped bring attention to America’s debt problem, out of control spending, over taxation and regulation strangulation on companies. With her background in working with leaders and her influence in the political and leadership world, Billie has continued her dream to help CEOs navigate these troubling waters that permeate the world of capitalism in America. She has been an active participant in the media as a guest on CNN, Fox News, Fox Business, Bott Family Network Radio and co-hosts a political/financial radio show in the Northeast Florida market entitled, Smart Money. She was the first speaker at the House of Representatives Tea Party Caucus inaugural event and was invited by Heritage Foundation to speak at their prestigious annual Heritage Resource Bank, and on their National Security Panel live broadcasts. She spoke at the Congressional Republican House Retreat in Pennsylvania in 2012. She was also the co-host and co-producer of the CNN Tea Party Express Debate in the 2012 Presidential Election. She is a firm believer that America needs more entrepreneurs and more opportunities for people to use their God-given talents and passions to better themselves, their communities and America. Her favorite quote has become her mission to help CEOs succeed: “Vision without execution is hallucination.” – Thomas Edison

 

 

 

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