His passing marks the end of an era. With the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with a point.

Recently the world learned of the death of Mikhail Gorbachev. While living to age 91 as an achievement

for anyone, it's a historical exception for a dictator to live 30 years past his downfall. But Gorbachev did,

having survived from when the first waves of American pop culture entered Russia decades ago to when those same waves receded and renewed hostility.

Gorbachev's legacy is to say the least complicated.

His former subjects in Eastern Europe will likely shed few tears.

His former enemies in the West praise that he chose peace in the face of imperial collapse.

His fellow Russians mourned the role that he played in their nation's

lost status on the world stage. The last leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev, was once one

of two most powerful men in the world, but he died without the acclaim and power he once commanded.

His death reminds us that no matter how great, death comes for us all. We do not control the timing,

nor the manner of our demise.

All of that is in God's hands. We can only strive to live lives worth remembering and emulating.

I'm John Stone Street.