This WWII Soldier Died That I Might Live

An odd but true story of my family history.

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A WWII soldier died that I might live, in a strange but true way. Many who know our family aren’t aware of this story. That’s understandable, it was not the kind of story we necessarily wanted to remember or celebrate. In fact, it was a little awkward for me.

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You see, soon after high school my mother married a young man also living in upstate New York who soon went off to the war. His name was Robert Cotanche.

I don’t know much of their story. Apparently they met in high school. Based on a very brief conversation with someone who knew them, I understand that mom’s parents, (grandpa was a pastor) thought they were too young and weren’t too happy with the marriage. But marry they did, and then soon he was off to war in Europe.

Both knew there was a chance he wouldn’t return. Sure enough that soldier died, like so many others, in WWII.

We still have the explanation letter my mother received from a Chaplain. According to the letter, Robert was killed, not by a bullet or bomb, but in a Jeep accident, when it slid on ice.

One of my childhood memories is visiting his parents when my mother drove us kids to New York state to visit her parents. About all I remember was the awkwardness of seeing Robert’s parents, who were somehow related, but not really, and were connected to the story of my mother’s first marriage.

My dear mother was probably only about 20 years old when she got the news that her soldier husband had died in the war. Wow, I wonder, what was that like? Did she think that life was over? Did she feel like God had abandoned her?

Mom eventually died in 1995 at age 69 and I’ll never get to ask her, until perhaps in heaven. And maybe I’ll meet and chat with Robert there also. Maybe I’ll get to thank him for serving our country.

But life wasn’t over for mom. She enrolled in Houghton College in Houghton, New York, and there met my father, Claude Aaron Williams, Jr. The story is that he was a real jerk—a soda jerk that is. That was the term for someone running an old-fashioned soda fountain. He worked in the college soda fountain and snack bar.

Their romance grew, and they were married August 28, 1949. I was born March 15, 1955.

That’s the family history, and here’s the interesting insight for me: If Robert hadn’t died in the war, I wouldn’t be here!

I wouldn’t have had a chance to exist as…

• Mom would be married to Robert and not my dad

• They would have likely had little Cotanche babies

• She wouldn’t have gone to Houghton College

• She wouldn’t have met my dad

You see it’s literally true, that soldier died that I might live. My head spins a little as I contemplate the implications.

So, what can you and I learn from this true story?

Here are 3 things I realize as I think about how this soldier died that I might live:

1. I’m deeply grateful for all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

It’s great that we have a Memorial Day to remember. It’s good we have memorials in various places around our country to help us recollect the sacrifices, such as those in Washington DC.

It’s easy to forget and there’s a price for not remembering the sacrifices of the past. We ALL lose a piece of ourselves when we forget.

2. I am also deeply grateful for those who have served, and not given their lives.

One soldier died that I might live, but others have also served sacrificially, for which I am grateful:

• My dad Claude served in the Navy in WWII, in battles in the Pacific.

• Carolyn’s dad Stewart Fox served in WWII, in the US Air Force.

• My grandpa Williams served in WWI, in the US Marines.

• My brother Brian currently serves in the US Coast Guard.

• My brother Jonathan has served in the Air National Guard in Operation Desert Storm.

• Our neighborhood just welcomed a Wounded Warrior, Brandon Dodson, into a home on our street, two doors from our own home. Brandon is a double amputee from the recent war in Afghanistan. You can see a short news video about the dedication ceremony HERE and the Gary Sinese Foundation video HERE. Very inspiring.

3. While it is mind-boggling to think that a soldier died that I might live, it is even more mind-boggling that Jesus died that all people might live FOREVER.

Many things in this universe are mind-boggling:

• The size of the universe

• The process of reproduction which brings new lives into the world

• The instinct that tells animals to nurture and train their young

• X-rays, radio waves, laser rays (my wife Carolyn is a laser RN at Dermacare)

• Black holesThat life on this earth exists at all is miraculous

I could go on, but I imagine you agree—the universe is full of almost unbelievable things that are real and verifiable.

One of the most extraordinary facts is that God Almighty came from heaven, was born and lived as the God-man Jesus Christ and then died on the cross for our sins and rose again, to give us eternal life after life on this earth.

Most wonderful of all is the fact that we simply have to receive Jesus’ free gift of salvation to have eternal life after we depart from here!

If you have received this gift, praise God for the One who died that you might live eternally.

If you haven’t yet found assurance of your eternal home, click HERE to learn how to receive this amazing gift.

My parents, Claude and Barbara Williams, early 1950’s. Mom normally signed her name Barbara C. Williams, with the C to honor her first husband Robert Cotanche, who died that I might live.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

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For God So Loved The World, That He Gave His Only Son,

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

or God so loved, that he gave his only Son…” (John 3:16), is perhaps one of the most widely recognized and quoted Bible verses in the world. But how often do we really take the time to ponder the depth of God’s love and what it cost Him?

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

I have received some really nice and costly gifts over the years; especially from my husband. I know that my husband and family love me and not just because they tell me, but more importantly their actions demonstrate their love. Most people would agree that they know they are loved, because the people near and dear to them show it in some way. In other words, talk is cheap but true love requires sacrifice and action.

As much as my family loves me, they could not purchase forgiveness for my sins or eternal life for me even if they wanted to. But God, the only One who could afford to pay the cost to forgive my sins and give me eternal life, has done so. “For God so loved the world,” that He demonstrated His love when He gave His one and only Son. Therefore, no gift is more costly or precious to me than God’s gift of Jesus Christ. What could be more important than a person’s soul and their eternal welfare?

The beautiful part about John 3:16, is “For God so loved the world…,” that He took action to show His love. His love was much more than wishful sentiment and the gift that He gave cost Him dearly.

We needed a Savior and He graciously gave us One by His grace. Salvation is a gift and we can’t earn it.

• Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (NIV)

• 1 John 4:10 says, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (NLT)

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT)

Our situation without Jesus was so dire, (Romans 3:23), (Romans 6:23), that God chose to pay an incalculable ransom and sacrificed His Son to get us back.

Jesus lived a sinless life and died a substitutionary death on our behalf. He was punished for our sins so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. He took the full wrath of God for the sins of the whole world (Isaiah 53:5).

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (NIV)

• 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” (NLT)

Salvation is a free gift that Jesus purchased with His blood.

The good news is that whoever believes in Him, means the invitation for salvation is open for all to believe and receive what Christ has done on their behalf.

Forgiveness and salvation are to be accepted individually. Each person must recognize that they have sinned; and believe and receive Jesus Christ as their own personal Lord and Savior.

John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (NIV)Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (NIV)

For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:40 NIV)

God so loved the world that He gave His Son to save people from going to hell. God does not want us to perish, but to believe and have eternal life.

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (NIV)

God is patiently waiting for people to turn to Him through Jesus Christ and be reconciled. He desires peace with us and Jesus Christ is the only way (John 14:6).

Have you accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Please click here if you would like to do so now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV)

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE | CLICK TO TWEET

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• 3 Motives for Rejecting Jesus

• Podcast: What exactly is hell?

• Six Reasons all Roads DON’T Lead to Heaven

• Podcast: What God would send people to hell?

• Podcast: Since Jesus paid the price, is everyone heaven-bound?

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Help…My Prayer Life Has Gone Dry!

What to do when prayer seems like a chore and fruitless.

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Has your prayer life ever gone dry? Recently I received an email, perhaps from India, in which the writer said, “I have  not  consistent  in  prayer  some  days  I done  1 hour  but  some  days  empty  prayer  can  you  suggest  me how  can  we  increase our  prayer  life I want  to  be  a spiritual  strong.”

While that email is apparently from halfway around the world, it expresses a feeling that is often universal: a dried-up prayer life.

So, in this article I’d like to offer a few answers by way of questions.

3 questions to ask yourself if your prayer life has gone dry:

1. Do you have a prayer list to write down your prayer requests?

Sometimes our prayer life might be dry because we don’t know what to pray for. A prayer list can help by reminding us.

My prayer list contains several hundred items. That might seem daunting, but it isn’t—I don’t pray for all of them every day. I have different items to pray on different days.

I pray for my family and emergencies lists every day. But on other days I have lists for:

• Friends

• My Goals

• Ministries

• The unreachedStaff

At the top of my prayer list I have this verse for motivation:

“It would be unthinkable for me to sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.” (1 Samuel 12:23 GW)

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To make sure I don’t sin and “fail” to pray for people, I keep this list.

I can do each day’s prayer list in ten minutes or much longer, depending on what I feel led and able to do. Without the list, I would often feel “listless” (pun intended) and unclear of what to do and how to pray.

2. Do you practice listening prayer?

Sometimes our prayer life is dry because we run out of things to say. Actually that might be the best thing. Why? Because it might prompt us to listen to the Lord.

I’m convinced that often we talk too much and simply need to be quiet and listen more. Ecclesiastes has this warning:

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. 3 As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 NIV)

Listening prayer is one of my favorite kinds of prayer, because I don’t have to think about what to say and I’d far rather hear what God has to say to me than to talk all the time.

Jeremiah goes so far as to say, “The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.” (Jeremiah 10:21 NIV)

Jesus said: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27 NIV)

I’ve written several articles on listening prayer. If you want to learn more, here are some links.

How to Hear From GodStrategies for Hearing from GodPodcast: Does God still speak today?Podcast: How can I hear God’s voice?Who Needs a Vision Retreat?

3. Do you keep track of answered prayers in a written list?

When we pray and God answers, we should be careful to remember our answered prayers. Too often our prayer life seems dry because we forget or overlook God’s answers.

The story is told of a guy who was wandering around a parking lot searching desperately for a spot. He was late for a meeting. Finally, he prayed, “God, if you’ll give me a parking space, I’ll go to church every Sunday for the rest of the year.” Immediately he came upon a parking space at which point he looked heavenward and said, “Never mind Lord, I found one.”

Isn’t that often what we do? We forget God’s answers to our prayers and therefore lose motivation to continue in prayer.

A great way to avoid this is to keep track of our answered prayers in a written list. It can be a brief reminder, or it can be an entire story, such as this one I received recently from my new friend Virginia N. DeBoer:

We had just moved to this new town in Minnesota=

and my husband bought me a new boom box=

and I so enjoyed playing religious songs on it===

One evening I was home alone and I thought ‘ OH I’D LOVE TO HAVE SOMEONE TO SHARE THIS MUSIC WITH’

An audio voice spoke to me and said; ‘Go to Mrs. Musser’.

I responded by talking out loud= ‘

But it’s dark out=

she doesn’t know me=

I don’t know the way- (I had heard about Mrs Musser =she was the rich lady who lived in the mansion up on the high hill in town)

The voice again spoke to me; ‘Go to Mrs. Musser’ But- but -=

but-

I then agreed to go and I drove in the dark to her house up on the hill=up a winding road==

all alone- with my new boom box=

When I drove into her drive way- I stopped =

got out of the car=

went to her door and knocked.

She came to the door=

I said, ‘You don’t know me-

I’m Mrs Charles Nelson – my name is Virginia – and we are new in town. I’ve come to share my new boom box with you”.

She replied; ‘Come right in and let us sit in these chairs. I WAS SITTING RIGHT HERE==

IN THIS VERY CHAIR PRAYING TO GOD THAT HE WOULD SEND SOMEONE TO BE

WITH ME TONIGHT – I’M SO LONELY’

God heard her prayer – God knew the desire of my heart- God talked to me and told me

to go to Mrs Musser=

MRS. MUSSER’S PRAYER WAS ANSWERED——

Remembering and thanking God for answered prayer is vital. Find a way to record God’s answers to your prayers. Then, when discouraged in prayer, you can look back and remember what He has done in the past.

To receive God’s gift of eternal life in heaven please click HERE.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How can I get closer to God?

• We have to pray with our eyes on God…Unanswered Prayer is a Misnomer: God Always Answers

• Seven Ways to Pray When Suffering

• Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer…Why You Need Protecting Prayer in 3 Realms and How to Do It

• Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth