There's Life & There's Life

My phone rang around 1:00pm, it was a friend I hadn't spoken with, over the phone, in a long time. We do a quickie 'catch up' convo. and she proceeds to tell me a friend of ours was hit by a train in California and was in critical condition. I knew it couldn't be good.

An hour later, I receive an email letting us know he had passed.

Let me tell you how I feel.

I hadn't spoken with John in quite some time. He would randomly cross my mind through out the past years. I would think, "I wonder how he's doing? I wonder where he is." I recently passed through an area of Tulsa where he once took a group of us to visit his church. I remembered the service, the feeling the church had. It was intimate, it was John.

The first time I met him, I can remember he had this 'thing.' Now I was a Christian, but I remember John had this 'special' bond with God. Whenever he spoke, you had better listen.

John was a singer.

I think this was where he and God found each other; music. I think John felt closer to God when he was in song. Boy could he sing.

He was filled with love.

If you ever said hi to John, he'd give you the biggest smile, a hug and ask you how you were doing-and he meant it. I never saw him in a bad mood.

So today, my group of college buddies mourn the loss of a follower of Christ, a friend, a brother, a son and an uncle.

As I took a shower I thought, "John is in the place that I believe he dreamt of. The places he visioned when he sang. The place he always wanted to be-by Christ worshipping him in song."

I now realize why John was so happy and joyous. As hard as it is to say, and it's easier for me b/c I'm not related, John is living the 'life' he always wanted; to be with Christ.

"Thank you God that through the tears of loss we are able to rejoice. Thank you for that promise."