Superstar!
Posted on 03/20/2005 2:08:53 PM PST by Coastal
Before Ashley Smith became America's newest darling by convincing alleged Atlanta courthouse killer Brian Nichols to surrender, her life was like a classic country-and-Western song - full of hard luck and heartache.
Despair over being abandoned by her parents drove her to rebel against her strict Christian grandparents. Despair over her husband's murder drove her to drugs and alcohol.
But faith gave Smith the strength to overcome her addictions and survive her seven-hour ordeal as Nichols' hostage. Now it appears that faith will be rewarded financially.
(Excerpt) Read more at nydailynews.com ...
Not having a go at this particular paper, but I wish the media would just let her get on with her life.
Alleged?? Goodness....
susie
Sometimes that's the price to be paid for being faithful to God.
huh? Isn't that akin to saying her story transcends the transcendent?
transcends religion? How is that? Since it's obvious to any Christian that God speaking through her is the only reason he didn't kill her and decided to surrender.
I hope she gets a Zillion dollars...and the wisdom to know how to handle it. There's no better method to help someone self-destruct than to give them a ton of money they have never earned.
Getting money for being today's top pop celeb with a sob story doesn't count as work.
Good point. What makes us think she wont go and spend the new money on drug and alcohol abuse again. My guess is she will.
I hate to forever be the cynic, but in my experience when a story seems too good to be true, it usually isn’t. I keep waiting for this story to come apart, and I will be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't.
The first thing I heard about Ashley was that she was kidnapped coming home from the store at two in the morning after going out to buy a pack of smokes. It told me a lot about her.
I thought: God bless her, 15, 20 years ago, that could have been me! I was such a bar fly, partied until sunrise sometimes, smoked, drank, did the occasional recreational drugs, had a hell of a lot of fun and learned a lot about the basic goodness of "poor sinners" while I was at it.
Sheltered Christians seem to think that if one's lifestyle isn't as clean as a whistle, one is a worthless reprobate. It isn't true; some of the kindest, most deeply "good" and unwittingly Christian-behaving people I know are sinners of the first order. Conversely, some of the most text-book-upright, sober, "worthy" Christians I know are really rather mean and snooty. They are exclusive and judgemental in the same way that the high school clique of "cool" kids alienates the nerds.
Don't get me wrong -- I'm all for being judgememental. We have to pass judgements on people and events in order to survive. The trick, "Judge not lest ye be judged," I think is to apply the same standards to others as you could tolerate having applied to yourself. I have behaved stupidly in my past, and by the grace of God had my pathway illuminated to wiser choices. I judge others for being stupid when they behave stupidly, as I judge myself in retrospect for being stupid. At the same time, I understand their dilemma and hope that they, too, are blessed with the ability to see some light.
So with Ashley, druggie, boozer, partier or not, whatever she proves to be or to have been, it is irrelevant. God works His wonders in strange ways, through the most unexpected people and events. God's grace is deep and mysterious.
I understand your cynicism. To me, if the basic gist of the story is true -- reading to him from the Bible and "Purpose Driven Life," making him pancakes, etc. -- basically, soothing him with love and comfort, then it cannot come apart.
Superstar!
I can't avoid seeing parallels here during Lent. Sometimes this woman (speaking for myself, won't speak for others) feels like she doesn't count for as much in the Kingdom as men. Mary was chosen as the first witness. Here is a modern woman who has evidently been chosen as a witness in a dark world and, to me, God worked a miracle through her. If you don't buy the miracle part, we can compromise on blessing that no more people were killed by this individual.
He could have chosen a Baptist preacher, but he chose her.
Of course, scoffers will say it was random (kinda was or was it?) or tarnish her reputation, whatever. He brought some good out of this horrible evil.
I wish her the very best
I do as well. She hasn't had an easy life it appears. We all make mistakes and some learn from those mistakes and some don't.
Can't say I learned anything from reading "The purpose driven life" though. I read it and almost every page make me think, "well, duh!" - but then again I read a lot of Catholic stuff, so "The purpose driven life" wouldn't be anything earth shattering for a Catholic I guess.
Christians who have been forgiven much seem to have a greater appreciaton of grace.
Today there was a story in the AJC that gave the rape trial testimony of the girlfriend. What he did to the girlfriend had many similarities to Ashley's experience. It gave credence to both of the women's testimony.
Ashley gave her full testimony on air for about 45 minutes without any commercials and the reporters were spellbound. There were no interruptions. Then it was written up in the paper. I have also heard her being interviewed on other shows. She and her family have been very open about the troubles Ashley has had in her past and how she has begun to change the last two years. The whole story rings true to me.
I didn't feel impelled to rush right out and buy it (that means opening Amazon.com in my browser for me usually), but God can use just about anything if He so chooses. She did read the bible to him, too, (if reported correctly) and there is power in the Word.
Sometimes the scripture at mass has particular relevance for me. In the times it doesn't seem to so much, I'm sure it does for someone else.
Thank you for that! I hope I have been or will be forgiven -- won't know that until my own judgement, I guess! The toughest part is forgiving myself.
The best part is having had my eyes opened as to some of my past actions. The thought that I may have gone through life never understanding the wrongness of some of the things I did, just floors me! I am so grateful. The line in Amazing Grace, "Was blind, but now I see," is very potent to me. :^) I can't hear the song without bawling!!
Sheltered Christians seem to think that if one's lifestyle isn't as clean as a whistle, one is a worthless reprobate. It isn't true; some of the kindest, most deeply "good" and unwittingly Christian-behaving people I know are sinners of the first order. Conversely, some of the most text-book-upright, sober, "worthy" Christians I know are really rather mean and snooty. They are exclusive and judgemental in the same way that the high school clique of "cool" kids alienates the nerds.
Whether she goes that route or not, big money almost always equals big pressure. And when you have a lot of stress, you need a way of "blowing off steam."
I can just imagine myself at ag 26 with lots of $$$ money in hand...I doubt I would have made it much past 30, at least not without a lot of intervention and rehab...and I didn't go through half of what this young lady did.
But, I do pray that God will bless her, and help her find the peace and security she's been lacking for all these years. Hopefully she goes to a good church with a wise pastor.
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