Had a pretty busy day off. Walked to Cup o Joe with Kathleen and we had a date. Ran into Megan and Wilson, which was great. Spent some time at Element, time with Brian Carle. Right Now I'm hanging with Ian. Ian asked me how to spell Travis so he could look them up on I-Tunes. He asked me if Mike G could play Travis at worship :)
Just put the kids to bed, read Bible stories, and said pur prayers. Ian spent some time telling me about how he feels lonely when other kids are not nice. He then prayed and asked Jesus to help him to forgive people for hurting his feelings. I'm so proud of that little guy, and thankful that at six he feels comfortable opening up like that to me.
Thanks you God.
(I posted this on Chelsea's blog, but wanted to shout from the proverbial mountaintop)
Chelsea, Chris, and Emmerson Kay!
I would like to publically declare that you guys give with extreme generosity during your most impoverished moments. Your kind hospitality and words today were truly invigorating. I should have been the one helping and assisting you guys. Chris-- Thanks for letting me almost wreck your Vespa!
The three of you are visible works in progress of what God can do with people if they give him their all, even the mess of their life. Your hospitality knows few bounds. You can be relied on to speak the truth (even if it is a hard one) and trusted to hold a confidence. God bless you guys!
Long week, I'm so beat.
Visited with John and Kori McCollum tonight, their 559 group was having a party.
Hanging with Reverend Jim this evening.
Listening to Johnny Marr and the Healers.
Looking forward to September.
Tonight our home group split into five groups and had dinner at different people's houses. Terry Price, Bill Fitsimmons, Scott Sloane, and Wendy Boyce joined us for dinner. We were originally going to meet at the Dellesky's, but had a sudden change of plans. (Pray for baby Carson, he is having an acid reflux problem)
It was great to hear a bit of everybody's story. Karl Freudenreich dropped by later and we went to the HardMetal Warehouse to check out arrangements for next Thursdays 77's concert.
lots church plant meetings going on lately to iron out various details. Fun Fun Fun! Had a good time audio chatting online with Steve Sjogren today. I've gotten some impromptu coaching over I-chat with him. Perhaps I'll get to meet him someday.
Congrats to Stephen VanDop on receiving his Doctorate. Now I guess I'll call him Doc Dop or Stephen VanDoc. I'll figure it out.
BTW, Dr. Who is going to hit the airwaves again courtesy of the BBC.
Time for Bed.
Jeff
Last Monday we laid to rest a friend of mine, Nick. I met Nick and his family August of 1999, when I first started working at the Vineyard. Nick was a lovable giant of a guy. (6'9" when he died) Out of everyone I know, no--one's life would make a more interesting movie than Nick's life. He traveled more of America in his 22 short years than most people do in two lifetimes.
Nick had struggled with what was diagnosed as a severe bi-polar disorder. He was deeply committed to his faith in Christ, but would often have episodes that would lead him into all kinds of trouble. His erratic behavior never stopped him from making friends. This guy could scare the crap out of you one minute, and charm you the next. He would disappear for awhile, and then I would get a collect call from some corner of the country, oftentimes a prison. Nick survived picking fights with cops in Mexico, he was a big dude. Every now and then I would get a long letter from Nick containing his poetry. One time he sent me a beautiful drawing of Jesus on the Cross. All the receptionists at Vineyard got to know Nick from his daily collect calls.
Here is how he opened one of his letters:
"Hello Jeff, What is up? If you don't know let me tell you. Jesus Christ our lord and savior is up! And if we are patient he will be right down in a little while! So how is things going with you. I'm great except I'm having a little trouble kicking sin, but don't worry, through Jesus I'm bound to win."
After Nick was released from the Los Cruces prison I stopped getting calls for a long time. I worried that he went back to Tijuana or something and got himself killed. I would pray for him often and wonder what became of him. Last fall during a Sunday service at VCC the church got a call from a nurse from a local hospital asking to send a pastor over ASAP. I spoke with her and she explained that she really shouldn't be calling, but they were having extreme difficulties with a patient who is in critical condition. At one point the patient mentioned Vineyard, so she thought she would give us a call. The Patient was Nick. They could not reveal his condition. I assumed he got shot or stabbed or something.
When I got to the hospital I found out he was on the oncology floor. Nick had a severe brain tumor that was expected to take him in a couple of weeks. He was a mess. He had just had brain surgery and was not looking too good. They were keeping him heavily sedated because he was getting pretty violent (how would you act if you were dying?) When he awoke we talked for a bit. It was a sad reunion. I found that he had a child on the way, and a fiance in Denver.
Nick ended up holding on for several more months. A number of Vineyard folks started visiting him on a regular basis. My friend Derek's home group started actually meeting at the convalescent home. Some of the young people in the group, all brand new Christians, got together enough money to fly Nick's fiance Heather, his newborn son Elisha, and Heather's mom to Columbus so Nick could see his child before he died. These guys sacrificed a lot to show this Love to Nick. Right now I am looking at a picture of Nick smiling with his baby. When I would visit with Nick at first I was able to take him out to Graters for ice cream (Nick could eat 1/2 a gallon in no time).
After awhile Nick could not go anywhere, so our visits consisted of me helping him smoke cigarettes while we spoke of life after life after death. (first time I ever had tar stains on my fingers.) I was so thankful for al the other folks that would visit Nick all the time. My friend Romano came with me one week, and after meeting Nick he would visit almost every day. Two Fridays ago Derek called me and told me to get to the center immediately because Nick had started slipping. The previous Sunday Faith and her friends hired an ambulance to bring Nick to Church. His whole family came with him as well. It was a pretty amazing sight. It was Nick's last time at the Vineyard. When I got to the hospital Nick's Mom and stupidity along with some friends were gathered. We were praying around his bed. Despite his slipping Nick was pretty lucid and could obviously understand what people were saying. At about 10:25 I started reading Revelation 21:1-5:
Revelation 21
The New Jerusalem
1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
At the moment I finished Nick's heart stopped. His last few hours were very hard, but his last 15 minutes he really seemed at peace.
I had the honor of leading Nick's funeral service at Shaw Davis Funeral Home. It was awesome to hear Nick stories from everyone. No-one tried to sanitize Nick's life. Nicks triumphs and struggles were discussed frankly. Nick would have been pissed if it were any other way. In talking to his father I heard that the doctor said that he probably had a slow growing tumor since infancy, and that it would explain Nick's abnormal height and growth, as well as his severe behavioral struggles. Despite all of Nicks mental illness God reached through and Nick became his child. It comforts me that Nick now is experiencing greater clarity and love than I have ever conceived of.
At the funeral I shared how with some of your children you can watch them out of the corner of your eye, but others you have to run after constantly. To God Nick was the latter. God dogged his steps all around the country for years, and Nick never forgot Him. Nick died believing with all his heart that God loved him.
Jesus, thank you for the opportunity to be a part of Nick's short chaotic dramatic grace filled life.
