the weight of words...

Heard of the death of Kyle Lake, 33 year old pastor of University Baptist Church in Texas, last week. He died in a freak accident, while conducting the baptismal service, with about 800 people present... 'Where are you, Lord, in all this?' A question, a longing, a struggle to understand seems more apt in the face of such tragedy...may we never arrive at clear and clinical resolutions too easily... May the God of all comfort shelter Kyle's wife and two young children in the midst of the pain...

Words from his final sermon notes moved me beyond measure, as I heard them spoken by my own pastor last Sunday.

”Live. And Live Well.
BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now.
On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.
Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.
If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed.
If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own.
If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well.
At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.”

Thanks Kyle... for your life and reminder... I've almost forgotten how to lose myself, to be immersed in the gifts around me...

I am getting knee-deep again in a novel...it's been ages...