The Beacon Project

[00:00:07] Speaker A: I see trees of green Red roses too I see them blue from me and you and I think to myself. [00:00:26] Speaker B: What a wonderful world welcome to our podcast program with chaplain V and Mr. Richards. I want to welcome you and everybody listening to us today on our first broadcast called the Beacon Project. And this is me, chaplain V, and Mr. Richards. [00:00:51] Speaker A: How are you today? It's so good to be here. It's so good to be here and sharing with all of you. [00:00:58] Speaker B: Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Mr. Richards. It's. It's great to be here and sharing. The Beacon Project. [00:01:07] Speaker A: That's right, the beacon project. [00:01:09] Speaker B: Oh, Mr. Richards, what is this Beacon Project about anyway? [00:01:14] Speaker A: The Beacon Project is a podcast show targeting those with heavy emotional burdens and low coping mechanisms. [00:01:22] Speaker B: Oh, is that so? [00:01:24] Speaker A: Yeah, that's right. [00:01:26] Speaker B: The show seeks to provide helpful, effective suicide prevention training and awareness to those contemplating suicide or survivors of those who have died from suicide. The Beacon Project symbolizes hope and guidance. Yes, that's right. Hope and guidance in the darkness of death and hopelessness. [00:01:52] Speaker A: That's absolutely right. The Beacon Project. We're here to share hope, Hope where there is hopelessness. [00:02:03] Speaker B: Thank you so much, Mr. Richards. Speaking about our mission statement, Mr. Richards, what is our mission statement? [00:02:17] Speaker A: Our mission statement is to shine the light of hope into the darkness of despair for those considering suicide. [00:02:25] Speaker B: Oh, I get it. You know, that's right. In these days of sadness, we need to shine the hope of darkness, the hope into the darkness of despair for those considering a suicide. That's our mission statement, folks. Yeah, that's right. And our vision. Our vision here at the Beacon Project envisions a world with people who recognize their intrinsic value. That's right. And choose to make a better world by preserving their life. Welcome once again to the Beacon Project. Today we would like to begin our broadcast, our simple but to the point podcast about suicide prevention, suicide training, trying to raise the awareness regarding the pain of those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, of a friend, due to what we call as dying by suicide. This is chaplain V and Mr. Richards. We're going to pause right now for a quick prayer, and we take all of you into our prayer today. We love you and we're reaching out to you, dear God in heaven. I'm praying for every single listener today, whether they have contemplated it, whether they are suffering due to a loss of a loved one. I lift up every single listener to the Beacon Project today. May every single listener today be blessed in Jesus name. Amen. All right, well, hey, welcome back to our program. And that's The Beacon Project. Here at the Beacon Project, we want to share some information for all of you who may be struggling. What if you're struggling? What if you're struggling with absolutely horrible circumstances in life? What do you think, Mr. Richards? What should be the first thing that. That we do? [00:05:10] Speaker A: Well, we should reach out. That's the first thing that we should do. Reach out. Reach out to somebody. Reach out to somebody. [00:05:18] Speaker B: Yes, I agree, Mr. Reach, Mr. Richards. And here is an example of you, what you may want to tell someone that you love. You can say things like, when you get a chance, can you contact me? I feel really alone, suicidal, and could use some support. That's one of the things you could do to listen. And when you are struggling, Mr. Richards, what is the next thing that we should and could do? [00:05:53] Speaker A: You should contact a loved one. [00:05:56] Speaker B: Ah. Why is it so important to contact a loved one, Mr. Richards? [00:06:03] Speaker A: Because we were created to live within the context of love. [00:06:11] Speaker B: Ah. Well, some of the things we could say, we could say, hey, you know, I really don't want to die, but I don't know how to live. Things like talking with you may help me feel, feel safe. Are you free to. Talking to people is so important. You know, I mean, whether you're in misery, whether you're not in misery, whether you're happy. Life is so much better when we can just reach out and talk to somebody about it. I mean, I can't. I mean, I love me some cheesecake, but you know what? It's better when I can share with somebody, contact a loved one. That's the second thing you ought to do when you are struggling. The third thing that we should do is express our feelings. Yeah, expressing our feelings, that's expressing our thoughts to somebody else. It may be hard to share our thoughts, but you know what? Here at the Beacon Project, we want to shine through the light of a better life. When you share it with somebody else, you can say things like, this is really hard for me to say, but I'm having painful thoughts and it might help to talk. Are you free? Three things. Reaching out, contacting a loved one, expressing your feelings. These are all things that are important to do if you are struggling, my friend. Yeah, that's right. That's right, struggling. Ah. There are three Cs of suicide prevention. Three Cs. That is C for cat. Yeah, that's right. The C. The first C is connection. When we read in Genesis, chapter two, one of the first things that God said about the human race was, it's not good for a Man to be alone. That's in Genesis, chapter two. Absolutely. I mean, you know, if God said that it's not good for human beings to be alone, who am I to say otherwise? What do you think, Mr. Richards? [00:08:34] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. We should not be alone. I tell you what. Especially when we are feeling sad. Especially when we are succumbing to feelings of mourning. Succumbing. It's worse if you're going to succumb to the feelings of suicide. [00:08:57] Speaker B: You know what? I agree with you, Mr. Richards. Connection is absolutely the first thing. You know, we're here living in 2025. We're in the, in essence, the post pandemic era. During the pandemic a few years ago, we weren't allowed to be. To come like six feet close to somebody. People were just absolutely isolated, locked up in their homes. You couldn't go to the supermarket. You. You couldn't even visit your loved one in the nursing home. That was absolutely horrible. [00:09:33] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. My grandkids couldn't even visit me during that time. [00:09:41] Speaker B: That's horrible. Mr. Richards, I'm so glad that you were able to survive all that. Connection is one is the very first C in suicide prevention. [00:09:52] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. [00:09:54] Speaker B: And what's the second C of suicide prevention, Mr. Richards? [00:09:58] Speaker A: The second C in suicide prevention is collaboration. [00:10:04] Speaker B: Collaboration. Absolutely right. When we are trying to stay connected with others, we need to collaborate with others, especially if they're trying to help us. [00:10:22] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. [00:10:24] Speaker B: Yes. Especially if they're trying to help you. Collaboration. We need to collaborate, for example, collaborate with those agencies out there that are placed to help people. Absolutely right. We have connection, we have collaboration. And the third C in suicide prevention, Mr. Richards? [00:10:58] Speaker A: The third C in suicide prevention is. Choice. [00:11:03] Speaker B: Choice. That's right. What did you say? Choice. [00:11:06] Speaker A: That's right. Choice. [00:11:08] Speaker B: Wow. Mr. Richards, why is choice so important? Mr. Richards? [00:11:14] Speaker A: Well, because we choose whether we want to live or whether we want to die. [00:11:23] Speaker B: Wow, that's. That's pretty deep. Are you kidding me? Mr. Richards? [00:11:27] Speaker A: Unfortunately, that is the truth. [00:11:32] Speaker B: Ah, well, you know, I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one. Connection implies that the person in crisis is made to feel understood. Understood. And not isolated. That's right. That's absolutely right. And I'm wondering what is the biggest suicide prevention advantage that we have for those who want to live on? Mr. Richards, what are the. What can you come up with when we're coming up with the. The biggest suicide prevention? What would you say? [00:12:19] Speaker A: The boss. [00:12:21] Speaker B: What? The boss the boss? What are you talking about? The boss? [00:12:26] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. The boss. [00:12:30] Speaker B: So who do you mean by the boss? [00:12:32] Speaker A: The boss. That means the big jc. Jesus Christ. [00:12:39] Speaker B: Ah, so he's the boss. [00:12:41] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. The boss. [00:12:46] Speaker B: Wow. The boss. Are you telling me the boss has something to tell me with respect to suicide prevention or anything like that? [00:12:58] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. [00:13:03] Speaker B: Well, you know, when I look at what the boss says, I look at Psalms 34, verse 18. It says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. [00:13:19] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. That's the boss. [00:13:23] Speaker B: Wow, the boss. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah, that's right. Here at the Beacon Project, we are shining the light. And here in Psalms 147, verse 3, it says, he heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. You know what, Mr. Richards, you're absolutely right on that one. I'm looking here that suicide risk factors can be categorized into individual, relational, community and societal events. That's correct. There's no single cause for suicide. Rather, it typically occurs when a combination of stressors and underlying health issues create a sense of hopelessness. So we should keep in mind that there are things, things like mental health conditions and substance use and prior attempts. These types of things will impact someone who is considering the option that would take away their life. But here on the Beacon Project, we want to let you know that this world would not be as happy a world would without you. Did you know that? Absolutely right. That is why my friends here at the Beacon Project remember that. There you have it, folks. How beautiful the world would be with you in it. I think to myself, ah, yes, you're absolutely right, Louie. What a wonderful world it would be when people make a choice to stay and fight on. All right, well, hey, this has been chaplain V with Mr. Richards. Remember, it's a wonderful world with you in it. I'd like to go ahead and. Why don't we go ahead and say a little prayer for everybody out there today? Remember, we love you. You are pvr. That's what I always say, pvr. Can you remember those three letters? P, V, R. That stands for precious, valuable and redeemed. That's what you are. [00:16:20] Speaker A: You're absolutely right. [00:16:22] Speaker B: Yeah, Mr. Richards. I tell you what. Remember, my friends, if you're struggling, reach out, contact a loved one and express your feelings. Also ensure that there's access to effective mental health and suicide care and treatment. This is also a key element of suicide prevention, and that is ensuring that individuals with suicide risk have timely access to evidence based treatments. Remember, this world is so much better with you in it.