Legacy Part One

Jimmy York was a man deeply intrigued and involved with legacy.

Legacy is a word with big meaning. It seems so lofty. Leaving a legacy seems like it might be an unattainable goal. But we all have legacy as a part of our lives. Those who have gone before us left a legacy that we are now a part of. And each of us leaves a legacy to the generations who will follow us. We are all legacy leavers and legacy receivers.

In the Marriage That Lasts class that Jimmy helped develop and teach at Fellowship Church, legacy was defined as living our lives in such a way that we are a blessing to others now and for generations to come. If you are reading this blog then you knew or knew of Jimmy York. And if you knew or knew of Jimmy York then you have been blessed by him. In fact, many who have never known or heard the name Jimmy York have been blessed by his influence in the lives of the people God placed around him in his 33 years of life. Jimmy left a legacy. In fact, I would say that Jimmy lived a legacy.

Let that soak in for a minute. He lived the legacy he wanted to leave. Wow! I hope someone can say that about me some day, don't you?

It is my intent to share what I am learning about how Jimmy lived the legacy. This will be a multi-post series so I ask that you bear with me and check in often. Along the way I will share the people, resources, and Scripture verses that are shaping my understanding. I will tell you how I saw Jimmy change over the years as he embraced and engaged the legacy he wanted to leave. And I hope, through it all, we will gain an incredible understanding and insight we can apply to living our legacy life.

Write It Down

This past weekend I went over to the York home to do some yard work. I took with me two boxes that I have had in my possession for a couple of weeks. They contain all of Jimmy's personal things that were in his desk when he passed away. I had promised Tricia I would bring them to her and leave them in the garage for her to go through whenever she was ready.

When I talked to her tonight she had gone through them. And inside she found many treasures I'm sure - pictures of the boys, mementos of Jimmy's ministry, books he was reading or had read, rough drafts of classes he was planning to teach. I am sure there were tears of joy and tears of pain as she unpacked each item and remembered its significance.

But the things she commented on when we talked were a couple of Jimmy's journals. She found one from 2005 in which he had written of the pride he felt as a new father. He penned words describing his joy and how much he looked forward to being a dad for Braxton. He wrote a promise to raise his baby son to love the church and to love the Lord. He left no doubts about his feelings or his intentions. Not that anyone would have doubted those things anyway. After all, we all knew his passions were his God, his family and his church. But his boys didn't really get a chance to know their dad that way.

Tricia became emotional as she said to me that one day Braxton could read his daddy's own words in his own handwriting and know what Jimmy had planned for him. I choked back my own tears as I considered that thought, projecting forward in my mind to a day when a young red-headed boy would sit in his room and read those words, tears flowing and pride welling in his heart. He will know that his dad was a man of God. He will know that his dad thought of him. He will know that his dad loved him deeply and was proud. Not proud of anything his son had done, but proud simply that God had blessed him with this son.

And I thought to myself, "I need to do that." Maybe I'm just a cheesy sentimentalist but the Garth Brooks song 'If Tomorrow Never Comes' popped into my head. If my tomorrow never comes will I have expressed my love, my pride, my plans, my desires for my family? Will they each understand how deeply I care for them and how much I want for them? I hope so. I think so. But I'm no longer content to hope and think. I have the power to ensure.

So I am going to write it down. In detail. For my wife, for my daughters, for my parents, for my friends. And not only will I write it down, but I am also going to shoot a little home video. And these won't just explain how I feel, but also what I think, what I am passionate about, my hopes, dreams and aspirations for them.

I am going to put all my cards on the table. Will you join me? Will you write it down? Because one thing I have learned is that for each of us, some day, tomorrow won't come.

An Open Letter To Jimmy

Jimmy,

Well it's been a month since we last talked so I wanted to catch up with you on a few things:

First, THANK YOU if you had anything to do with the Cowboys cutting Terrell Owens...and I suspect you did, even though there is no biblical foundation for that. Great move either way.

The Rangers are in Spring Training and even I'm starting to catch baseball fever. I think I might try to go opening day with some guys...we'll see.

Hey, we're going down to Wayne's farm next week to fish...me and Wayne, Ray, Andy, Pace and your dad is going to join us. The bass are moving shallow with the warm weather this week so we should catch a ton. I talked to your dad about it and he said I'll need to help him rig up for bass. No big deal...I can't wait for him to hook up with a big one!

Braxton and Auston are doing fine. Auston is still all smiles and laughs every time I see him. Braxton started tee ball last week. I think Trena and I may take the girls to a game or two. And I'm going to take all the kids to a Ranger's game one day this Spring. A day game while the weather is still nice. I'll eat some nachos and a hot dog for you.

And speaking of weather...man it's been dry and warm. The grass is greening up and mowing season is coming fast. The lawn guys scalped my yard today...I know you got yours back in late January. Weeds are popping out like crazy but we're staying on top of them the best we can for you. Steve Drechsler built a website to help organize the guys who want to take care of the yard and house for Tricia. It's cool...Todd Starnes, Jeff Grubb and a bunch of others are waiting on me to get the needs posted so they can go nuts. Jeremy Edmiston even sent out a crew to plant some color this week. I haven't seen it yet but Tricia said it looks great. Don't worry, we'll take care of the yard for her. I know you took alot of pride in making sure it was nice. And we'll teach Braxton and Auston when they are old enough.

You'd be proud of the Spiritual Development staff and Married Life Team. They are taking your classes and running. The Marriage That Lasts class is over next week and it's been awesome. This is seminar weekend and the teachers are in full throttle prep mode...it's awesome to see. The HomeTeam Coordinators are off the charts, too. Just like always. I talk to Pelletier, Fowler and Drechsler at least once or twice a week.

I know it sounds like everything is fine...and in a weird way it is. But it's very different. We all miss you. We miss the smile, the encouragement, the leadership, the companionship that you always brought. We will carry those memories forever I suppose...I sure hope so. Your legacy is already strong and I know it will gain strength as we all learn to engage life fully again.

Well, I guess that will get you up to speed on some things. There's always more but, then again you've got the best view in the world so I suppose you might already know all of this. I just wanted to make sure.

I miss you man,

Todd

Provision

All my life I have been blessed to have great providers in my life. Mom and Dad provided food, shelter, love and money as I grew up. My grandparents provided a little more of all that. My friends provided me an outlet for competitiveness, fun and recreation. Some have provided good counsel...others, not so much! The schools provided me teachers who provided an education. God provided me with a second chance.

As I got older I began to work and was able to provide myself with some things. And for the past 12 years I have been a provider for my family. Since taking on a leadership role in the church 11 years ago I have provided others with biblical leadership and counsel. And all along the way, there were other providing for me. My wife, my family, my friends, and God...all the great providers in my life.

For the past 8 years Jimmy provided me with alot - friendship, leadership, wisdom, insight, understanding, tons of laughs and occasionally a little tough love. When Jimmy passed away one of my first thoughts was for Tricia and the boys. They had lost their provider. Jimmy was the breadwinner of the house. He was the man, the leader, the protector, the husband and the father. How would they make it without him?


But I have recently come to realize something I have long known but not understood - that God is the provider of all those things.

When Jimmy left this planet he did not leave his family without a provider. God is and always has been the Provider. He chose Jimmy to be the conduit of his provision for Tricia, Braxton, and Auston as well as me and many of you. Well, that particular conduit is gone now. But God's provision is not. He is simply re-routing it.


The love, leadership, protection, peace, care, money and things Jimmy brought to his family will still come in. But others will bring them. We are all blessed to be a blessing. Some of us are blessed financially so we will bless financially. Some of us are blessed with specific knowledge or wisdom so we will bring those things. Some of us have the gift of love to offer. Some are blessed in many areas and will bring abundant blessings. Regardless of your blessing, your gift, God has provided it to you and He wants you to provide it to others.


Indeed, He provides all things to all people:

God is love.
He is the father to the fatherless.
He is the Bread of Life and living water.
His wisdom is just one ask away.
He is the Prince of Peace.
He is the perfect Priest.
He is the Protector.
God is the lover of our souls.
He is the healer of broken hearts.
He is the Great Physician.
He is a friend...not just of the religious or upright, but also of sinners.
All the wealth in the world is God's and he can do with it as he pleases.
He says that he provides food for the animals and 'clothes' for the plants.
And how much more does he love us?

So much so that he provided us with a way to spend eternity with him. "For God so loved the world that he gave (provided) his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16


And that is the greatest provision of all.

Wild Idiots

Ok, so this has nothing to do with anything God is teaching me through Jimmy's passing. But it is too good to keep to myself. Recently Trena, the girls and I went out to eat. We had barely ordered when Lauren & Megan began aggravating each other and getting loud. I went into Dad mode. You know - stern, deep voice, eyebrows down, eyes narrow, lips pursed. It was "THE LOOK". And with 'the look' came a mini version of "THE LECTURE" in which I told them in no uncertain terms how they were supposed to behave and that I would not tolerate them acting like a couple of wild indians.


Then, in a very fatherly fashion, I asked them to repeat back to me what they had done wrong and what they needed to do instead. Lauren did a passable job of relating what I said back to me. Megan gave me the one-liner of the week. She explained that what they had done wrong is acted like a couple of "wild idiots".



To hear that come from a 5 year old with a perfectly straight face! I lost all composure. Trena laughed out loud. I couldn't even look up for a good 10-15 seconds. Priceless. Once the moment passed I explained myself more clearly and we all had a nice chuckle.


As I reflect on it now, I can see this experience as a great reminder of how many times I have acted like a "WILD IDIOT" and how often God must give me "THE LOOK". Parenting is perhaps the most spiritually charged thing I do each day. I learn more about God, His love, patience, forgiveness, endurance, faithfulness, hope, and heartbreak through my interactions with my kids than perhaps anywhere else in life.



Lord, please forgive my wild idiot moments and help me to see and hear you more clearly so I can more clearly reflect you to my girls...and everyone else you put in my life.

I just read my friend Andy's most recent post:

http://aboydsblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/some-things-are-worth-fight.html

And it hit me - most anything worth having or doing requires some kind of fight or trial of some kind. Right now, my fight is redefining 'normal'.

Because normal now is not what normal was 3 weeks ago. And it will never be that again. I don't expect to fully embrace this new normal right away. I don't even know exactly what to make of it yet. But I am fighting to gain ground. The current battle to think normal, to feel normal, to see normal, to be normal is swinging my way. Victory is sure. And it's worth the fight.

Lean Here

Just a simple observation today:

I have been learning the importance of leaning less on the friends God gives me and more on the God who gives me friends.

Not to say friends are not important...certainly they are. In fact they have been instrumental in my coping with the past couple of weeks. God gives us friends to lean on, but maybe I lean too much on them and not enough on Him. I mean, my friends are right here. They are physically present. I can touch them, hear them, see them, call them, email them, facebook them, text them, and holler down the hall at them. I can see when they smile. I can hear when they laugh. I can tell when they are frustrated with me and when they are excited for me. So I turn to them instead of to the God who has blessed me with them. I have made them a substitute, in some situations, and that is not fair. It's not fair to them. It's not fair to me. And it is certainly not fair for my Father in Heaven who wants that relationship with me.

I went to Jimmy for advice. I went to Jimmy for a safe place to unload my fears, doubts, and frustrations. I went to Jimmy to celebrate successes. When I needed a friend I thought of him first. And while he was a great friend, indeed I considered him my brother. But the Bible tells me there is a friend who is closer than a brother - and his name is Jesus.

Losing Jimmy has put things in a different perspective. Alot of things. Perhaps the most striking is the one I have regarding my relationship with Jesus.

Make of that what you will, but He has been clear with me on this one.

The Church

I have had the privilege of serving on the staff of Fellowship Church (the best local church in the world according to my opinion, and I will go toe to toe with anyone on this!) for the past 8 years. Throughout those years I have been surrounded by some awesome people - on our staff, in our volunteer ranks and the members/attendees of Fellowship Church. In my profession we deal with the best and the worst things in peoples' lives. And over the years I have seen God do amazing things through people. But it has never been as personal as it is now.

Within minutes of losing our friend and pastor, Jimmy York, the church (read as "the people") responded. And the response has been like a tsunami...it just keeps growing, welling up from deep within the church. This wave of love has left me stunned. I have taught for years how important it is to support those in need, those in crisis. I have preached about meeting one another's needs, about grieving with those who grieve and celebrating with those who have reason to celebrate. But now I am not preaching it; I am living it. And I am living it from the other side. I find myself and my closest friends as the recipients of this outflow of love and support. It is AWESOME in the truest sense of the word.

Tricia York has been surrounded by the love of her church. Innumerable prayers have been lifted up. People have offered to babysit, they have brought meals, written cards, shared memories, and given money to the Jimmy York memorial fund. They have walked her through the process of changing accounts to her name, filing with Social Security, and making the insurance claim. There are dads helping the boys learn to fish, to hit a baseball and swing golf clubs. Stay-home moms drop in and check on Tricia, give her a chance to run errands without a 2 kids in tow, and offer emotional support. Men are lining up to mow the yard, paint the house, clean the garage, plant the flowers, and trim the hedge. The volume of cards, calls, emails, blog comments and facebook messages is mind numbing. And that is only what is happening at the York house. Trena and I have experienced so much of the same...people praying, encouraging, supporting, cooking for us, and I don't even know what else. It is amazing. This is the church in action! This is what the church does! This is what only the church can do!

Jesus commands us, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35


He said that to the ragged few who were the very beginning of the church. If you read the book of Acts, which is the account of the earliest days of the Christian church, you will find that they took him seriously. And today the church lives on and loves on. The body of Christ is alive and well and functioning at a very high level. Thank you, church, for all your love.

A View From The Couch

So I went back to the counselor on Monday. I sat in the chair at first, but then remembered I said I would try the couch next time. So I moved. He looked at me funny so i explained. The look didn't change much...maybe a little more amused than confused, but more or less the same look. Oh well. I am in a counselor's office so he knows I have issues, right?

The couch was good to me. I liked the leather smell and the freedom to kinda let myself sink into a good slouch. The chair was too straight and tall for that. I think a good slouch is a the right position for counseling. It lets me really relax and be myself. God knows I don't sit tall and straight at home on my own furniture.

So the good doctor and I talked alot. Actually I talked alot and he listened alot. I like him for that. He asked me questions when my stories got too long or wandered into nowhere land. He asked me about re-engaging my life at home and at work. He asked about how Trena and I had told our two girls about Mr. Jimmy's passing. He encouraged me to start working out. He said that there is something about getting the heart rate up and the lungs pumping for all they are worth that is healing, even for pains that are less physical and more emotional.

He told me to expect a big let down this week. He said I would likely be tired, irritable, unmotivated and prone to isolating myself. I told him to read my blog about my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad morning that morning. He smiled. I like him more and more. It's like he is reading my email and telling me what's coming before I even know it's there. And he lets me just talk things out. And he gets me talking about stuff I wouldn't talk about normally. But it's ok there because it's just me and him and my friend "doctor-patient privilege". So I know I can be real and honest and open. No pressure. No need to have all the answers or even seem like I do. He doesn't expect me to be a rock, impervious to the elements. It's cool. I can just slouch back into the couch, take a deep breath and open the gates.

My favorite hour so far this week was the hour I spent on the couch.

A terrible horrible no good very bad morning

This morning sucked. There it is...I said it in print. No sugar coating, no euphemisms. It just sucked. I was still tired from C3. Trena was running late for a breakfast meeting. One of the dogs decided to poop in the house. Then Megan spilled her cereal all over the table, chairs and floor. As soon as I had that cleaned up Lauren dropped her whole cup of milk. It splashed all over the floor, walls, table and chairs I had just cleaned. I lost it...I yelled angrily at both of them. They cried. Duh! I would have cried, too, if my dad yelled at me like that. Actually he did yell at me like that sometimes and I did cry. But that's not the point. The point is this morning sucked.

So after apologizing to my wife, children and dogs for being a tyrant I re-started my morning. It was more of an external attempt to patch up the damage I had wrought earlier. I really wasn't feeling it, but I was trying to portray it. After I dropped the girls off at school I drove to work. It was one of those drives that when you arrive at your destination you aren't even sure how you got there. Oh well. I got there.

I was reaching across the front seat for my day planner when I saw the cd. Tricia had burned it for me over a week ago. She brought it over one night with some cookies and a picture of me and Jimmy on a fishing trip with some other friends. It was a collection of some of Jimmy's favorite songs. Since I was off to a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad start to my day I decided to pop it in and see if it changed my mood. It did.

The first 3 songs are all Fresh Prince tunes, "Summer Time", "Switch", and "Gettin Jiggy Wid It". By the time "Jiggy" came on I was laughing hysterically. I was imagining Jimmy listening to his music on his way to work. How he could listen to rap music like that and be such a good guy I'll never know. I've always believed in the "garbage in, garbage out" theory. But he blew that right out of the water.

I won't listen every day, but an occasional dose of Fresh Prince, Fiddy Cent, P-Diddy, and R. Kelly might just be a good thing! It sure was this morning. Jimmy, I miss you buddy.

Bruta-ful

The past 5 days have been a blur. Fellowship Church has been hosting our annual C3 (Creative Church Coference). We have had thousands of pastors from around the globe right here in Grapevine. It was great to be immersed in the work. It was greater to be immersed in the people.

Our Sr. Pastor, Ed Young, recently commented on how the ministry is "bruta-ful". There is a beautiful side and a brutal side. The men and women whom God has called to vocational ministry share a special bond. I've never been in the military but I think it might be like the bond soldiers who are in combat together share. We are shoulder to shoulder in the daily battles of spiritual warfare. We see the best and the worst that the world has to offer. And something about that draws us close to one another. Even when we don't agree on theology or methodology within the church, we can come together to support one another in times of trial.


That happened so many times during this year's conference as pastors and church staff members told me how they were sorry for our loss. Some shared how they had been impacted by Jimmy over the years. A few told me stories of how he had taken the time to help them through their ministry challenges. They said they appreciated his insights, and especially his sense of humor. Those were all good things to hear. Jimmy's ministry lives on not just in his friends and Fellowship Church family, but in churches and communities all over the country and even the world.


At times the conference was brutal. It was brutal to see and hear Jimmy on video during the session on Small Groups. It was brutal to walk to my truck late at night, tired and whipped. Those were walks we generally took together, laughing about something to ease the pain and fatigue. It was brutal not to text back and forth with him during the sessions. But it was beautiful to be lifted up by others. It was beautiful to see the church united for the cause of Christ. It was beautiful to be challenged. It was beautiful to see God moving us from a tragedy to a triumph.


I know each day will have its brutal moments and I accept them as they come. I have no other choice. But I look forward to more and more beautiful moments as God heals the hurts. We will become closer friends, better ministers, a more impactful church body because of our experiences with Jimmy's life...and his death. It is truly a bruta-ful thing.

Friends

Last Saturday was Valentine's Day. The good news is I remembered! The bad news is that I remembered about 2 weeks beforehand. I bought the card, made the plans and was ready...right up until everything got turned upside down the week before. Then I forgot it all. I went into crisis mode taking care of others. I devoted myself to being the best friend I could be for Jimmy's family. And we got through it all...the day he died, then the day after. The funeral home. The visitation. The memorial service. The let down when it was all "done". Red and pink hearts, candy, cards and fancy dinners were nowhere in my thoughts until late last Friday night. Trena and I were about to head for bed when she brought it up. She had gotten cards for our girls, had I? "Yes, me too." Let's write in them and get to bed, she suggested. "OK by me." We did and then looked at each other and asked if we had done anything for one another. We had both bought a card. Neither had written any of the sweet sentiments we had planned yet. We'll do it tomorrow we told each other as the lights went out.

Valentine's morning was fun with the girls opening their cards and some little gifts from their grandparents. We went about the business of the day - I left in the early afternoon for the church and Trena did laundry, cleaned house and got the girls ready for church. I had not even thought about Valentine's Day since the early morning...and I wouldn't again until about 9pm when I came home to find that our very good friends Greg and Laura had thought alot about Valentine's Day. And they thought of their friends Todd & Trena who had just been through an impossible week. So they brought us dinner - buffalo steaks (DELICIOUS!), mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and an Oreo cake! They even had a card for us. They did all of that for us just in case we had not been able to do it for each other. I was floored. Slack jawed. Blown away.


Thank God for your friends. They are the ones you laugh with. They are the ones you turn to for advice. They are the ones you'll call at midnight in an emergency. And they are the ones who will think about you when you can't even think.

Thank you Jesus for friends like these!

Most people sit on the couch...

If you read the title and thought this post would be about shutting off ESPN and getting up off the couch and doing something...not so much. That phrase, "most people sit on the couch" was the phrase the Christian counselor said to me as I walked into his office this afternoon. I must have shot him a quizzical look as I took in the sight of his very livingroom-esqe office.

I chose a comfortable looking chair. After all, most people who see a counselor are crazy right? And if most crazy people sit on the couch then I'm sitting on a chair because I am clearly not crazy...am I?

Well that's how it all started anyway. But as we began to talk I began to relax. This didn't seem so strange, so crazy, after all. It was my first time to see a Christian counselor. As a pastor I have referred dozens of people to this exact same man, but I've never been. Until today.

God is teaching me that leaning on others is okay. He is teaching me that I don't have to be the rock everyone else leans on. He is teaching me that if I am that rock then I am putting myself in Jesus' sandles, and my feet aren't made to walk in those shoes. He is teaching me it's okay to melt down, literally, into a 210 pound pile of blubbering grown man on the floor in tears. Fun mental picture, huh? Now give the guy a red-hair faux hawk...yep, that's me.

He is also teaching me it's okay to laugh and smile and crack jokes. Even after a tragedy. Even when you think you would rather just go be alone. Even when others are around. God is teaching me that life goes on. Even when you wish you could push rewind or pause. God is teaching me alot right now. Keep reading this blog and maybe He will speak to you. Or maybe you'll just be reading the ramblings of a crazy man.

Next week I think I'll sit on the couch.

Put Your House In Order

I almost didn't write this post because it seems like such a no brainer...something we've all heard before. But then again, I said the sole purpose for starting this blog is to let others know what The Lord is teaching me through the loss of my friend, Jimmy. The first real hard lesson I learned came last Sunday about 1 pm, less than 12 hours after his passing from this life. A group of us from the church gathered at the York home, consoling the family, grieving our own loss, and preparing for the unimaginable - leading Jimmy's family through this dark and difficult time. First order of business: the York family finances. If that seems a little abrupt, try telling the mortgage company and utilities providers you're in mourning and will pay them when it all gets better.

So there we were, a small group of guys and girls hoping it was all there - the life insurance, the income tax documents for this year, the bills, the dredit (that was a type-o, but I like it so much I'm leaving it in place!) card statements. Jimmy handled the finances for his family even though his wife, Tricia, is a more than capable accountant. She had faith in him and, as it turned out, that faith was well placed. We all knew Jimmy was an organized guy. A place for everything and everything its place and all that. But what we found was astounding.

Jimmy was more than organized - he was meticulous. Not OCD, but clearly conscientious about his family's financial affairs. He had a file folder in the home computer listing all the passwords for every account. He had hard copies in files, in alphabetical order, of every utility, every credit card or other debt, of all the investments...he even had the February bills pre-paid via online banking draft. This guy even had his income tax return filed and had his refund check appropriately applied to eliminate some debt they incurred last year fixing their house up. It was stunning to see the level of commitment the man made to something I dare say most of us hate and give little thought to...paying bills and keeping records.

Jimmy's financial house was in order. He certainly did not know he would be leaving so soon. He could not have even suspected it, but he took seriously the responsibility of leaving his family in good shape just in case. Jimmy spoke passionately about how we can change the world if we men would simply step up and own the role God gave us as leaders of our households. Here's the thing...he didn't just speak about it; he lived it. Even in the tiniest details. Even in the most unlikely of scenarios.

Let me tell you how much relief there was in that room last Sunday when we found what Jimmy had done. Let me tell you how much simpler it has been this week to help Tricia wrap her mind around her new and unexpected situation. Let me tell you how ministry was made easier all week knowing that there were no surprises looming on the family's financial frontiers.

Fellas - get your financial house in order. Be the leader God has called you to be. If you aren't the C.F.O. of your family, fine, but get over what God has put under you and lead your wife and family. Get involved in the decisions. Make plans. Ge the dreaded financial planner over tot he house and be sure you have the right life insurance in place. You don't know the number of the days of your lives. We are all one heart palpitation away, one unknown germ away, one drunk driver away from the unimaginable. Don't wait. Don't think to yourself that what I'm saying sounds like good advice. Close this screen and go start gathering that mess of papers together. Sort them out, file them, set up online banking, get auto drafts working, and be sure the will, the life insurance and all the passwords are in a safe, secure location that your wife knows about and can get to.

No, seriously. Go now. Bye...

Unfamiliar Waters

This past week has been a tricky one to navigate. My best friend and partner in ministry for the past 7 years, Jimmy York, made the move from life to eternal life around midnight last Saturday, February 7. I've never lost someone so close that is also so close to my own age. In the days since I have been learning alot...about me, about others, about God and about life. The purpose of this blog is simple. I want to share with you what The Lord is sharing with me through this tragic experience. I know it will be cathartic for me; I hope it will be entertaining, enlightening, or some other ing for you. Join me for the journey...I have no idea where we're going but I look forward to the discoveries we will make.