Die First, Then Live? A Wake-Up Call for Men of Faith
Father Larry Richards doesn’t pull punches.
He opens episode 1 of ‘Be a Man!’ with the kind of line that’ll make you spit your coffee: “You are going to die.”
And he means it. That’s not meant to scare you. It’s meant to snap you awake. He’s spent decades walking with men through their darkest moments—deathbeds, confessions, hospital rooms—and he’s done playing games.
You’re Going to Die—Now What?
“You’re not going to have a massive change. The way you’re living is going to be the way you die.” Don’t wait for a tragedy to get serious. Ask yourself right now: What do I want God to say about me? What do I want people to remember when I’m gone?
He shares the gut-punch story of a high school kid he loved. Hockey player. Good kid. Got kicked out of school twice. One day, while skipping class, his car hit black ice and slammed into a tree. Fr. Larry anointed him. He died that afternoon.
“He woke up that morning not expecting to be dead that afternoon.” You never know when it’s your turn. So don’t put this off.
“If a person dies every day to themselves, then the day when they die—it’s not going to be any big deal.”
Give Your Life Away, or Waste It.
“The more we give, the more we receive. Always.” Fr. Larry’s not asking you to become a pushover. He’s asking you to become a giver. Like Jesus. Like Mother Teresa. Like the doctor in City of Joy who hit rock bottom in India and found meaning not by saving himself—but by serving the poor. That movie line haunts him: “All that is not given is lost.”
He tells a story where he is running two parishes. He’s overwhelmed. Someone comes in: “Father, I need to talk.” He wants to say no. But he listens instead. And somehow—he leaves more filled than before.
“You gave away your life today for a person you weren’t even willing to. And afterward, you’re more fulfilled.” It’s not about being a doormat. It’s about doing God’s will. And you can’t do that if you’re not praying.
Shut Up and Know He Is God.
Fr. Larry wants to rewrite Psalm 46:10. Not “Be still and know that I am God.” He wants it to say: “Shut up and know that He is God.” Because most of us aren’t listening.
We rattle off prayers. We run through checklists. But prayer is more important than breathing. Literally.
“Do you try to eat every day? Try to make money? Try to breathe? Then why would you just ‘try’ to pray?”
No Bible, no breakfast. No Bible, no bed.
He wakes up. Grabs the Bible next to his bed. Reads until God smacks him with a 2x4 of truth. That morning, it was Matthew 18. “Forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” It set the tone for his whole day. “God spoke to me before the world did. Before the flesh did. Before the devil did.”
You want to follow Jesus? Then talk to Him. Better yet—listen to Him. Carve out five minutes. Ten. Just start. He jokes, but he’s dead serious: “More people spend time on the toilet than they do praying.” When you meet God face-to-face, what are you going to say? “Well, I had to go…” That won’t cut it.
Final Word: Live Like You’re Already Dead.
“Jesus went to the cross. But He didn’t stay there. Pray: Jesus, I love you. I give you my life. Use me for your glory today.”
Say it every morning. Mean it. You think you’ve got the day planned? Guess again.
God’s got people for you to love. Work to do. Souls to touch. Fr. Larry says it best: when it’s all said and done, what do you want people to say? “He was the most loving man I ever met. He showed me Jesus.”
What else is worth living for?