Levon Helms died last week. In case you’ve never heard of him, Levon was the drummer for “The Band”. If you’ve never heard of “The Band”, they were a rock group that was popular when I was young, (back in the olden days).
Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese did a movie which is available on DVD on “The Band” entitled “The Last Waltz”, and it chronicles their last performance at Winterland Theater in San Francisco. I love the movie and have watched it dozens of times.
After hearing the news of Levon’s death I watched it again last week. The movie records their last rock performance along with various interviews with the members. They are stoned out of their minds in most of the interviews, and it is both funny and sad to watch. Funny because they are obviously having a grand old time and are hilariously witty and funny as they recount their many exploits being on the road, but sad, even haunting, as one member in particular, Robbie Robertson, talks of the devastating consequences of staying on the road too long and all of those who have succumbed to that hedonistic lifestyle of women, booze, and drugs.
He was prophetic of what was to come.
It is haunting to watch anymore because so many of “The Band’s” members have died. The keyboard player committed suicide by hanging himself in a hotel room, the bass player died from heart problems brought on by heroin addiction and alcohol abuse, and now Levon, who smoked heavily, died of throat cancer. Only two of the original members are still living.
Being stoned on alcohol and drugs has its appeal or people would not use them. Consequences seem far away, but the good times are here and now. It seems next to impossible to warn someone of the dangers of drugs and alcohol when minds are buzzing, the good times are rolling, and the laughter is intoxicating.
It is only when time has nearly run out before people realize that those times are not so grand. The keyboard player who preferred suicide by hanging himself in a lonely hotel room discovered it too late. Last week I talked with probably a dozen or so parents who have recently put their children into rehab. All had reached the end of that road and were desperate for any ray of hope. Each parent wanted to send their child my book and wanted me to inscribe it with a note of encouragement.
I was happy to do so, and I didn’t want to discourage anyone, but I would be lying if I said anything other than, “Yes addiction can be defeated, but it ain’t gonna be easy and it is a long hard road to recovery!” It is far easier to avoid addiction than to recover from it…
I routinely talk to many people who are trapped by addictions. Most, but not all, are trapped by drugs and alcohol, but just last week I talked to one young lady, (who smokes cigarette after cigarette), about the danger of developing cancer from it. She just smiles and says, “I know, I know, I’m working on it”. Watching Levon Helms smoke cigarette after cigarette during that movie reminded me of her. She is young and throat or lung cancer seems so far away to her.
The same holds true to a young part time worker in our office. She has a lovely golden tan and heads to the beach at every opportunity. I’m heading back to the dermatologist tomorrow and dread what he is going to tell me about all of the skin cancers that have recently developed since my last visit. I fear it will be chemo treatments again and/or more surgery for me. When I warn her of the sun’s devastating effect on us, she all but yawns as she smiles and tries to politely listen. She seems to realize the dangers, but that old ego begs to be stroked with that beautiful lovely tan of the here and now and wrinkled skin and skin cancer is out there in the distant somewhere. Sigh…Time passes so quickly…
Satan makes many things seem fun that can and will kill us. The Bible states that he is a “murderer”. It is far easier to avoid than to embrace the devastating consequences of his many traps in this world, but making that right choice before it is too late is oh so hard. Guitarist Robbie Roberson was the main band member that wanted to get off the road. He said that they had lived that life for 16 years and he couldn’t even think about being on the road anymore; he couldn’t even bear to discuss it.
He is no doubt still alive today because of that smart decision.
I’ve traveled from Anchorage to Key West speaking to various drug addicts and alcoholics and I’ve never met one who set that as a goal for their life. They got caught in an insidious trap set by that murderer and liar of old. Christ can save anyone and that is the hope. In fact it is the only hope for us all. Call on the name of the Lord when satan comes calling as he surely will…The Bible assures us that all things can be done through Christ who strengthens us, but it does not state that it will be easy and the precursor to that verse begins with “I”. Meaning we have to do our part. The first step is accepting Him as our Savior…
The verse below warns of grave danger. Are you heeding it today?
John 8:44
For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.