Love em Like Jesus...

So it was an emotional weekend...
It had began on Friday night...what a wonderful surprise to have my little sister drive all the way from Wichita, KS to be in the audience for the Friday night show. It is a moment I will never ever forget. What a special surprise!

Then we all came together on Saturday as a family to support our own as they deal with the pain and loss of a brother and son. My brother-in-law, Dusty, lost his brother, Denny, last Friday unexpectedly at the age of 33. Denny left behind a wife and four children all under the age of 9.

Saturday was his memorial service and I can honestly say I have never been to a service as uplifting, as musical, as spiritual, as energetic, as love-filled before in my life. Lots and lots of photos, presented in a video montage that was on auto-play. Denny's spirit just leapt off the screen. Lots of music played as Denny was an avid singer, guitar play, and songwriter. They even played a video of Denny playing in Dusty and Rosemary's living room a song he had written using valuable advice his two grandfather's had given him as a child....so sweet and sad and wonderful. Kris Allen was there to sing with his brother Daniel, as they are Dusty and Denny's first cousin. Was amazing to hear Kris perform live...what an awesome voice and would love to be able to experience a concert of his. SO good.

But it was truly the message given by the preacher that moved me and everyone there. He spoke of a young Denny coming to church in his baseball cap and never taking it off. As you may guess, the elder parishioners did not take to kindly to that. So the preacher calmed them by saying that he would have a discussion with Denny, which he then went to do. Denny responded with a "I will see what I can do" and then proceeded to do exactly as he had always done. :) So DENNY!

The preacher then went on to say that Denny exemplified that idea of "Can I be who I am...can you take me as I am? Can you let me be my own authentic self and can you love me regardless?" I was so deeply moved by that, in regards to today's world and all of the turmoil going on surrounding marriage equality, the Bible discussions, and religious versus restaurant discussions happening around the nation. Really and truthfully, doesn't it all bear down on that very statement into its purest form? "Can you let me be my authentic self and love me regardless?"

The preacher then went on to say that Denny and his family had moved to Pine, Louisiana, and were attending this small rural church with only a small organ and maybe 60 congregants. He came back to Little Rock and cornered the preacher at church the following Sunday. Denny was so distraught about what to do and where to go with this new journey he had been given. The Preacher told him, " You gotta love them like Jesus. You gotta love em like a freight train barrelling through and watch the results. Trust me! Just love em like Jesus"

Right before Denny passed away, he came back for a visit and said that they had had a VBS summer session at church with 90 kids involved and that there were not even 90 people living in Pine! How exciting was that? He had put together a Praise Band at church and their church had tripled in size. SOOOOOO exciting.

"Love em like Jesus" is a phrase I can place my belief on, my faith in, for with everything that is going on in today's world, all the hatred being slung left and right...I have always said that I need to lead my life as Jesus would want me to and everything else will fall away...Denny was only 33 and yet had made a HUGE impact on so many lives, including the youth of his area. If only we could follow by his example and reach out to those in need. I think it is this example that his family and friends can take great solace in, knowing that he had made a difference in many, many, MANY lives while he was here on Earth.