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,
quick home cleaning Glenview .."No man is a prophet in his own country."That line... Read More
Good morning beloved,I always feel a need to let people... Read More
Enlightenment can come in an instant or it may take... Read More
Enlightenment, which is as varied as each individual's fingerprint, is... Read More
What is the true nature of any illness? Research in... Read More
Stress & Spirituality ? How Spirituality Affects Stress LevelsTake a... Read More
Have you ever wondered how much faith you really have?... Read More
My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More
It's an almost unbelievable thought, but could you be getting... Read More
Most of us think of what a wonderful world this... Read More
An angel can be your best friend. Angels have been... Read More
Malice is a great enemy to mankind. It is evil... Read More
... Read More
Lost, but you don't know where you're going.Lost is a... Read More
Forget what you have read or seen about vampires. The... Read More
I seemed to have lost my heart. Now this is... Read More
Existence of God: facts and figures Does God exist?If you... Read More
The junk I'm talking about is the stuff that we... Read More
Talking about your "soul" and the deeper things in life... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
Mrs. Dixon the famous prognosticator and psychic to the stars... Read More
Knowing what is right and what is wrong in your... Read More
For the last 35 years, I have been working with... Read More
My thoughts can get a little edgy at night. Possibly... Read More
As I sit here and ponder my existence my heart... Read More
scheduled maid service Winnetka ..Every workday, five days a week, I take the light... Read More
The word means different things to different people. Is it... Read More
Connect with Your GodDo you at times, feel fearful, depressed,... Read More
Christianity: White man's religion?Martin Luther King referred to Sunday as... Read More
The teacher of the future.... will be a master of... Read More
Often, in being dishonest about our own faults and failures,... Read More
He knew it was going to happen. He wasn't really... Read More
Sometimes, in traveling a path, we discover a short-cut, and... Read More
Who Are you?Have you ever asked yourself the question 'Who... Read More
Each of us has far more potential to serve the... Read More
Some may ask what is the true will of God... Read More
I can't boast about my culinary skill, because I just... Read More
There is a specific technique that a Shaman uses to... Read More
"It's a big challenge. It's a journey into the unknown.... Read More
Do you ever have one of those days when you... Read More
I am sure many of you reading this article have... Read More
How do we feel the fullness of life itself?We have... Read More
"What does it profit a man to have gained the... Read More
The gate of every year is the begining of that... Read More
Lately In my email newsletters (available for FREE at http://www.ChristThroughMe.com... Read More
Several months ago, I read an... Read More
I have held numerous teleconference workshops where I help individuals... Read More
Last Saturday, the children were down at their grandparent's house... Read More
Do you ever get into those moods where you just... Read More
I believe in a phenomenon I have been known to... Read More
Spirituality |