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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>One more good man</SPAN>
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Tuesday, September 26, 2006
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description></SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Dear Reader,<P class=StoryText align=justify>I have been overwhelmed by readers' responses to the last two articles I wrote about the good men in the society. I had no idea that you, the reader, would have been so positively impacted by the stories of the lives of the men I featured.
Your numerous emails, telephone calls, and the comments from those of you whom I have met in offices and even in the supermarket confirmed my own view that there are still good men among us, and that there is an emerging male cadre with the passion and patriotism necessary for such a time as this in Jamaica. One male friend whom I had not heard from in the longest time called me to say, "Thank you for restoring dignity to the male (of the) species."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Even so, I thought two stories were enough. That was until I heard Carl Brown, the head coach of the Reggae Boyz, being interviewed on Love radio, and as I sat eating dinner, I couldn't help but be impressed with what I heard. Brown was asked how he had been able to overcome the obstacles and challenges in his life, and without hesitation, his reply was, "I couldn't survive without Jesus Christ. He has taken me through every difficult moment, and I thank Him for His love for me." The boldness and humility with which Brown answered resonated in my own spirit and I knew then that I had inadvertently found the candidate for my next column. Brown agreed to an interview a few days later.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The first words Brown uttered as he looked me squarely in the eyes were, "Betty Ann, I am absolutely unapologetic about my love for Jesus Christ. I know Him, I have proved Him, and if it were not for His grace and mercy, I would have been destroyed a long time ago. The last one and a half years have been extremely difficult," he continued, "I can't tell you how many times I would go home and check my mailbox to find only a stack of bills to be paid with no money to pay them. If it were not for Jesus Christ, I could not have survived at all."
"How exactly did He help you?" I pressed. "Every time I had a bill to pay, somebody or some door would open for me to do so. Every day another miracle would be performed, and I have come out now a better man than before."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Brown's humility is contagious, and he felt blessed as he continued his story. "My mother raised me to be God-fearing. My brother, twin sister and I grew up in the church and in Sunday school, and the values we learned there have stuck with us through to this day. I have always felt the presence of God in my life," he said, "including the day my mother died. I would always visit her on weekends, but this day without forethought I got up from my desk and knew instinctively that I had to go and visit her. I had never visited her on a Tuesday. As I approached the gate, I heard her calling for my brother.
Her voice sounded different so I knew that something was wrong. I ran inside, and there she was lying on the bed. She said she wasn't feeling well, and asked me to get her a glass of water. I was scared and I moved quickly to take her to the hospital. We arrived at UCHWI, and as I lifted her out of the car, she passed away in my arms. I knew that God had sent me to be with her, and I thanked Him for taking her away, peacefully and without pain.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"It was through my mother's life that I learned kindness and compassion," Carl said with prid
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Tuesday, September 26, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=350 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description></SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Dear Reader,<P class=StoryText align=justify>I have been overwhelmed by readers' responses to the last two articles I wrote about the good men in the society. I had no idea that you, the reader, would have been so positively impacted by the stories of the lives of the men I featured. Your numerous emails, telephone calls, and the comments from those of you whom I have met in offices and even in the supermarket confirmed my own view that there are still good men among us, and that there is an emerging male cadre with the passion and patriotism necessary for such a time as this in Jamaica. One male friend whom I had not heard from in the longest time called me to say, "Thank you for restoring dignity to the male (of the) species."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Even so, I thought two stories were enough. That was until I heard Carl Brown, the head coach of the Reggae Boyz, being interviewed on Love radio, and as I sat eating dinner, I couldn't help but be impressed with what I heard. Brown was asked how he had been able to overcome the obstacles and challenges in his life, and without hesitation, his reply was, "I couldn't survive without Jesus Christ. He has taken me through every difficult moment, and I thank Him for His love for me." The boldness and humility with which Brown answered resonated in my own spirit and I knew then that I had inadvertently found the candidate for my next column. Brown agreed to an interview a few days later.<P class=StoryText align=justify>The first words Brown uttered as he looked me squarely in the eyes were, "Betty Ann, I am absolutely unapologetic about my love for Jesus Christ. I know Him, I have proved Him, and if it were not for His grace and mercy, I would have been destroyed a long time ago. The last one and a half years have been extremely difficult," he continued, "I can't tell you how many times I would go home and check my mailbox to find only a stack of bills to be paid with no money to pay them. If it were not for Jesus Christ, I could not have survived at all."
"How exactly did He help you?" I pressed. "Every time I had a bill to pay, somebody or some door would open for me to do so. Every day another miracle would be performed, and I have come out now a better man than before."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Brown's humility is contagious, and he felt blessed as he continued his story. "My mother raised me to be God-fearing. My brother, twin sister and I grew up in the church and in Sunday school, and the values we learned there have stuck with us through to this day. I have always felt the presence of God in my life," he said, "including the day my mother died. I would always visit her on weekends, but this day without forethought I got up from my desk and knew instinctively that I had to go and visit her. I had never visited her on a Tuesday. As I approached the gate, I heard her calling for my brother.
Her voice sounded different so I knew that something was wrong. I ran inside, and there she was lying on the bed. She said she wasn't feeling well, and asked me to get her a glass of water. I was scared and I moved quickly to take her to the hospital. We arrived at UCHWI, and as I lifted her out of the car, she passed away in my arms. I knew that God had sent me to be with her, and I thanked Him for taking her away, peacefully and without pain.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"It was through my mother's life that I learned kindness and compassion," Carl said with prid
