stuff i think

another (busy) weekend

'Twas a flurry of activity this weekend, as the missions base hosted an end-times conference of about 1500 people. First Class Comrades-in-Arms Rusty and Jen Geverdt were here for that and to pick up the Toyota they'd left here when they moved back to Cincinnati a few weeks ago. We so enjoyed having them. Also, Danielle hosted Gretchen, another friend from Cincinnati. Steve & Terri Eklund were in town for Mary Wiens' memorial service, so we all had dinner at our house on Sunday. God bless Stoeffers Lasagna. Somewhere in the middle of all that, Danielle went to Arkansas on an overnight trip and my mom returned from her trip to North Dakota. (Is anyone keeping track of all this? Who's sleeping here tonight?)

Mary Wiens' memorial service was yesterday afternoon. It was incredible...Gary (her husband) walked the family through it with such grace. Todd Ganovski led worship - a full band and dancers. To watch the dancers and here the music as they tore into the chorus of Matt Redmon's "Blessed Be Your Name" was something else. I felt a huge lump in my throat in anticipation of the line "You give and take away, but my heart will choose to say 'blessed be the name'". Todd played, the dancers danced, and Gary and his family sang with their whole heart.

Gary closed the service by relaying a story about being at a Vineyard conference years ago where the speaker told the simple story of the kingdom and God's purposes on earth and closed with this profundity: "Remember this: The whole darn thing is true!". What a way to face the world...with the sold-out belief that all that Jesus taught about the temporal and eternal is exactly as He taught it...that the Kingdom does come in power...and that one day it will be perfected.

The whole darn thing IS true.