Bobby Swain funeral today...

Today I will conduct the funeral service for Bobby Swain. Bobby became schizophrenic during late adolescence. He was a brilliant and handsome young man. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that affects more than 2 million American adults. Being diagnosed with this in the late 1960's was not an easy thing for his parents and family to live with, but they did so valiantly and courageously.
Sometimes the illness makes it hard for people to do certain things.
For example:
They may not be able to think clearly.
They may not know the difference between what is real and what is not real.
They may have trouble managing emotions.
They may have a hard time making decisions.
They may not relate well to other people.
What happens?
Here are some things that can happen in people with this disease:
They may hear or see things that are not there.
They may feel as if they are being watched.
They may experience a change in self-care or personal appearance.
They may experience a change in personality.
They may feel angry or fearful toward loved ones.
They may act in ways that are strange or out of place.
They may develop an extreme focus on religion or the occult.
No one knows the exact causes of schizophrenia. Experts have found that, like any other illness, some factors may increase the risk. These factors may be in a person's genes. Imbalances of certain chemicals in the brain are thought to lead to symptoms of the illness. Medicine plays a key role in balancing these chemicals.
In honor of Bobby Swain, and those who do not have the ability to focus their minds in a healthy way without the assistance of heavy medications, I challenge you to calm the noisy voices that compete for holy space in your mind and world. Maggie Ross says that, "the phantasmagorical [illsuionary/fake] world cannot bear silence, for silence reveals it for the delusion it is. It adores only what it can consume and lives for the adrenaline rush of power over people and things. It is this noisy world of delusion and lies that the humble Christ defeats by self-emptying silence." (Maggie Ross, Weavings, March/April 2008 Vol. XXIII, No. 2, pp. 18-19). Remember Bobby, honor God who reveals himself in the life of Christ and in Bobby, and spend more time in silence stilling the noisy voices of the world that lead us into consumption, arrogance and power plays. God's power is peace and prosperity that the world knows not!