Eulogy for the Living

John Drage has been like a second father. Encouraging. Inspiring. Affirming. His love for Jesus has inspired generations of college students.

Let’s face it: we’re all going to die.

It’s just a matter of when & how.

In light of that reality, I can’t help but feel puzzled by the concept of eulogizing the dead. Why don’t we eulogize the living?

What if the posture of our heart was sharing gratitude and life-giving words to those around us for the impact they’re having, whether grand of granular?

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The past year has brought the circle of life into full frame for me.

With the birth of Brek came great joy and hope. Yet in the midst of such adulation has been agony and despair with the prognosis of dear loved ones with debilitating disease that will take their lives.

Papa Jon is beloved by his grandkids, kids & wife Tricia!

Frankly, the thought of life without Jon Jester (my father-in-law, affectionately known as Papa Jon) and John Drage (college pastor, father figure, role model) is one I’m not excited to lead.

I grieve for my Brekkie losing his beloved Papa Jon and for generations of college students whose lives were forever changed by Drage’s ministry at Mizzou.

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While I’ve shed heavy tears the past week in particular at the reality of life without these men, I’ve also been reminded that they are still here today. And that reality compels me to share with them the joys they’ve shared with me while they are here, not just with their closest acquaintances once they are gone.

I believe there’s something healing for the soul to hear about the impact you’ve made while you’re living, not after you’re in the grave.

Who do you need to speak words of life to today?

Don’t wait.

Pick up the phone or perhaps even a pen and paper.

Embrace the emotions. The tears. The fears.

But do it now, before it’s too late.

You Are Not Alone

Loneliness.

Recent reports have shown this isn’t just an issue facing the elderly. Younger people struggle, too. The struggle is real across pretty much every age range.

Elizabeth & I faced a grueling two-year season of loneliness after we graduated from Mizzou & moved back to KC in 2012. For two years, we struggled to plant our roots in new jobs, find a new church family, and develop our core community.

For two years, we felt like we were drowning — bored, isolated and, even though we had each other,  alone.

Loneliness is the gateway to other more serious issues like depression, heart disease, cancer and other side effects. It’s a big deal.

An Unexpected Inspiration from Exodus

A seemingly obscure verse in Exodus 36 is speaking to me today about what could be.

LOVE: My grandparents have been the best example of steadfast, unrelenting love I’ve witness in life. They’ve inspired me to love others.

Moses has just met with God on Mt. Sinai. God shared a plan with Moses to communicate to the Israelites who were fleeing Egypt. While building the Tabernacle (God’s temporary OT dwelling place), Moses has to tell Israel to STOP BEING SO GENEROUS because they had more than enough to meet the need. The Israelite response to Moses’ vision-casting overflowed in abundant generosity.

The people not only donated their gold, fine linen, and yarn, but their unique skills as “craftsmen, designers, embroiders & weavers.”

I dream of seeing that happen today with issues related to hunger, preventable diseases, cancer research, sex-trafficking, child-abuse, racial reconciliation — the list goes on.

I dream of seeing people of faith (and no faith identity) unify around a common vision of seeing a broken world desperate for redemption — spiritual, physical, emotional, etc — and responding in love AND action. With our time AND our money.

Many of us living in the USA have an abundance of wealth — but it’s a question of how we choose to invest our resources. Will we increase our standard of living? Or will we increase our standard of giving? 

Undoubtedly, we don’t all share in financial abundance. You may be bogged down by medical bills, unrelenting student loans, or other seemingly never-ending financial constraints. Perhaps, instead of finances, you have a unique set of skills that could be leveraged for good through a local nonprofit.

Maybe you could tutor a child living in low-income government housing through The Learning Club (or any other noble after-school program). This one-hour per week investment provides educational & personal encouragement to a child likely experiencing a traumatic home life.

Perhaps you could befriend a resettled refugee and offer simple assistance like a ride to work or practice speaking English through Refuge KC. Or share a meal and smile to let them know they are welcome & loved, in spite of their difficult experience leading up to coming to the USA.

Many of you might not feel like you have time for something like that. Perhaps you have kids and after-school activities that clog your calendar. That’s okay. Maybe there’s a parent you rub shoulders with weekly that desperately needs someone to say, “I get it. Life is hard with kids. You can do this. We’re in this together.”

Maybe it’s a neighbor kid on your street that just needs a positive role model. Or an elderly neighbor that feels isolated and lonely, but your 5 minute conversation at the mailbox a few times a week brightens their day.

Opportunities to change the world are literally all around us, every single day.  There’s beauty in the mundane moments — if we just look close enough!

I hope that, just as the Israelites rallied around Moses’ vision for the Tabernacle, we will rally around Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35:

“A new command I give you: 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.” 

Let’s go love people. The world needs it. We need it. Today more than ever.