On January 13th 1982 an Air Florida flight crashed off the 14th Street Bridge in Washington DC. It was a bridge I had traveled across many times before during the year I lived in DC. The entire event was being broadcast live and I sat glued to the TV as the big Boeing 737 slid ever so slowly into the swirling ice cold waters of the Potomac River. Only five people out of the 79 that were onboard that flight survived the crash.
Two of those who survived owe their lives to the heroism and selflessness of a 46 year old man named "Arland D. Williams Jr." who was a bank examiner. I did not know his name for twenty years after the crash but it is a name I will probably never forget.
Because of the heavy traffic around DC and on the bridge that day the emergency vehicles were seriously hindered from reaching the scene. In the interim two TV news copters did the best they could to pull the few people who had made it to the surface out of the water. It was noble effort on their part because the wind driven snow was a screaming polar bear closing in on the prey.
I watched in stark amazement as one copter lowered a small life ring to a white haired gentleman in the frozen raging soup. He grabbed the ring but then worked it over to another passenger who was then lifted to safety. The copter returned and once again lowered the ring to the gentleman who pushed it over to another passenger yet again. By the time the copter returned for the third time the distinguished gentleman was slipping beneath the stinging waters never to be seen again on that day.
For weeks I could not get that picture out of my mind, but I didn't want to get it out of my mind. I felt I had witnessed the best example I had seen in my lifetime of perfect and selfless love. I have told this story countless times in my messages as a preacher of the gospel. I still get choked up with emotion and with the same feelings I had when I watched the events unfold before me. There is an inestimable sense of admiration and respect I feel for Mr. Williams. I often see myself looking and calling for friends and loved ones when I get to heaven. I also see myself asking the Lord for an introduction to Mr. Williams so I can see and embrace one of the bravest men and best examples of love I ever hope to know in this life.
Mr. Williams gave a living and lasting example to me of just what Jesus was talking about when he said?"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," John 15:13 KJV. Thank you for this example Mr. Williams.
The 14th Street Bridge has been renamed the "Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge." Several memorials to Mr. Williams have been placed at "The Citadel" in South Carolina which he graduated from in 1957. In His hometown of Mattoon, Illinois the elementary school was named after Mr. Williams in 2003.
Rev Bresciani has written many articles over the past thirty years in such periodicals as Guideposts and Catholic Digest. He is the author of two books available on Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and Noble and many other places. Rev Bresciani wrote "Hook Line and Sinker or what has Your Church Been Teaching You," publisher, PublishAmerica of Baltimore MD. He also wrote a book published by Xulon Press entitled "An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ." His book is now being heralded as the clearest book on the subject of the second coming of Christ since Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth" Rev Bresciani's website is,
disinfecting cleaning services Winnetka ..All Shamans have several power songs because the vibration of... Read More
After more than three decades of church ministry, I have... Read More
Dreams take us not into ourselves, but out of ourselves.... Read More
No, I have never seen a fairy, an angel, nor... Read More
In my yard are quarter-circles of grass growing taller than... Read More
The term spirituality is a confusing term. Usually, when one... Read More
As more and more alternative and spiritual healings are being... Read More
Many people are awakening today to the idea that the... Read More
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken... Read More
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.... Read More
There is a natural tendency to asociate spirituality with religion,... Read More
You are a spiritual being. You recognize something in you... Read More
I beheld the sky and its wonders and saw AstonishmentI... Read More
An acrostic prayer poem.The Lord loves me and is gracious... Read More
Everybody knows that if you stick your hand in a... Read More
The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes... Read More
The fastest way to raise your frequency is to do... Read More
I am not saying this because I am in need,... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that... Read More
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls... Read More
You will become as great as your dominant aspiration...If you... Read More
What is Enlightenment?What do we really mean when we talk... Read More
I have held numerous teleconference workshops where I help individuals... Read More
1. The name Michael means, "Who is like God". In... Read More
last minute cleaning help Highland Park ..One of the saddest times in any child's life is... Read More
Maybe once in a lifetime, we find ourselves seeking spiritual... Read More
The question of life after death is one that continues... Read More
Many of you come to this site because you are... Read More
The first gospel written by Matthew,who is Levi, is the... Read More
People have always sought the sacred. It is the Divine... Read More
Most of life can be said to be bad, or... Read More
Would you like an exciting and wonder-full resolution for the... Read More
Animal spirit totems can be viewed in different ways according... Read More
Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and... Read More
In his book, Stress Without Distress, Dr. Selye suggests that... Read More
"Quantum Physics is the science of gods? Newtonian Physics is... Read More
Military personnel at a U.S. prison in Guantanamo, Bay, Cuba... Read More
It's the most powerful weapon on Earth. It can turn... Read More
The human body is surely a miracle of God's creation.... Read More
"Let me take you down to a town called Paradise."Van... Read More
Spiritual health is generally an overlooked aspect of healing. However,... Read More
We'll begin with a question:What is a moral?I'd say it's... Read More
It is no doubt that so many of you are... Read More
"Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because... Read More
In Feng Shui, water symbolizes wealth. The word "fish" in... Read More
So I met a friend recently and we went to... Read More
We know that David did much to stabilize the Kingdom... Read More
I have been counseling people on weight loss, exercise efficiency... Read More
I thought for sometime that I was hard done bye... Read More
Spirituality |