Bobby Smith

I am currently in a two week training course out of state and we were addressed by Dr Bobby Smith an ex-Louisiana State Trooper. In Law Enforcement our divorce rate is approximately 80% and our suicide rate is over three times the national average. Giving the profession of Law Enforcement a first in both these categories as it compares to all other legitimate professions. I have heard him speak before and he is someone that everyone associated in law enforcement should hear immediately.

Bobby Smith has dedicated his life to teaching those of us in this profession on the dangers and the solutions to these two great problems. What follows is from his web site http://www.visionsofcourage.com/

HE IS SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW.

Bobby Smith had been a law enforcement officer in Louisiana for nine years, when on the night of March 14, 1986, at point blank range, he was shot in the face & blinded by an armed, violent drug offender. He recalls lying face down on the center lane of the highway, soaked in blood, and thinking, "Will this be the day that I die?" But Bobby chose to not give up; he chose not to die that day; he chose to live.

Life from that day on, however, would not be the same. The days, weeks, and even years following the trauma were filled with many fears about his future, daily struggles adjusting to blindness, and financial hardships. The losses were staggering: eyesight, career, self-confidence, independence, and marriage. Then tragically, in 1997, Bobby’s daughter, Kim, was killed at 22 years old in an automobile accident.


The shooting, the blindness, the loss of his beloved daughter, all made Bobby realize that what he wanted to do was help others who were also going through traumatic times. He did not want them to suffer alone. He wanted to bring them hope.


Today, Bobby continues to do just that. He is the author of two books, Visions of Courage, the Bobby Smith Story and his newest one, The Will to Survive, published in January 2005. Each year he averages 120 speaking engagements, impacting audiences’ lives with his story. In fact, since 1995 it has been his privilege to speak to over a million people worldwide.

Ironically, the losses in Bobby’s life have been his catalyst, driving him to discover the true vision for his life. But his life is not defined by the losses that he has endured and triumphed over. No, his defining moment, and ours too, comes every morning when we rise, face the challenges of the day, and decide that today we choose to live.

Visions Of Courage, Inc.
(417)887-1142
bobbysmith@visionsofcourage.com

James 1:2-4,12
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.