Dan Roundfield made three All-Star appearances during his NBA career (Photo Courtesy from Getty Images).
Despite the sickening hold violence has on the United States, heroes following Jesus’ message in John 15:13 shine more brightly than ever before to combat our culture of death.
Heroes like former NBA All-Star Dan Roundfield and Dr. Donald Liu who gave their lives to save others.
The 59-year-old Roundfield, who played in the NBA from 1975-87, was swimming off the shore of Aruba with his wife Bernie on August 6. According to The Associated Press, rough currents entrapped the Roundfields and Dan tried saving his wife’s life.
Dan Roundfield was successful in saving his beloved Bernie, but the strong current dragged him away. His body was later found trapped underwater by rocks 90 minutes later.
“People knew he was a great husband, a great dad, a great grandfather,” Bernie Roundfield told The AP. “They knew he would help his friends or any other person who needed help.”
Dr. Donald Liu was a successful pediatric surgeon. (Photo Courtesy of The University of Chicago Medicine)
Another brave soul was Dr. Donald Liu, a 50-year-old pediatric surgeon at University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital. According to The Chicago Tribune, Liu was with his family in Berrien County, Michigan when he noticed two children drowning in Lake Michigan’s heavy surf.
Liu immediately dove in and saved the two children, though the current eventually pulled him under. Rescue workers couldn’t get to him in time.
“Ironically, he died saving children which is what he does every day,” friend and colleague Dr. Jeffrey Matthews told The Chicago Tribune. ”He was a brilliant, caring, compassionate surgeon and one of the most wonderful people you would ever meet.”
Dan Roundfield and Dr. Donald Liu followed what Jesus said in the Gospel: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
Jesus taught that giving your life for a friend is the greatest gift in John 15:13. (Photo Courtesy of Education Currents)
Preserving life is becoming harder and harder to do in our culture of death.
Legalized abortion has snuffed out more than 50 million lives since Roe v. Wade. Killing the unborn has disturbed our human nature and perverted it (Deuteronomy 32:5; Romans 7:23).
People are called to honor life, but the negative effects from abortion’s anti-life mentality has manifested itself with even more violence (Genesis 9:6).
The Dark Knight Rises shooter James Holmes slaughtered 12 people and injured 58 when he opened fire in an Aurora, Colorado theater. All in the name for being someone who he isn’t (the fictional villain Joker).
White supremecist Wade Michael Page opened fire in an Oak Creek, Wisconsin Sikh temple August 5, stealing six lives and wounding four others. Page, who died in the crossfire, desired to eradicate “non-whites” from the world.
On August 13, Thomas Caffall killed an officer, a bystander and injured four others (three police) in College Station, Texas. The ensuing crossfire later claimed his life, which started because Caffall was mad about being evicted from his home.
These shootings only reflect the daily violence in Chicago. I personally know two people affected by these horrid shootings.
Delfino Mora was murdered in July. (Photo courtesy of CNN.com).
The grandfather of Daniel Arellano’s best friend was murdered all in the name of a game (video contains graphic images). Daniel was visible upset with this and felt his friend Leobardo Plata’s pain (Psalm 34:15). Here is Daniel’s blog post about the wake.
President of Leo High School Dan McGrath had a future student Antonio Davis shot to death by a gang-banger in cold blood. Davis was only 14 years old and was getting snacks at a local grocery store. Here is Dan’s column about Chicago’s violence.
People like Dan Roundfield and Dr. Donald Liu are heroic examples of Jesus’ redeeming love. They prove that Jesus’ light still pierces through the world’s choking darkness (John 14:6).
For this frightening rise in violence to end, more people need to pray and follow Jesus Christ with their whole hearts as He alone defeats death (Acts 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:57).