A Life & Community for the Glory of His Name

I was looking over the University Baptist Church Website tonight to find out how the community of believers were doing in light of their pastor Kyle Lake (I have spoken about him in a previous blog) having passed away. It's amazing to read the testimonies of God and their community. The following are some verses that were read at the burial. Pretty amazing!

The following ten people were asked to select a scripture verse to read at the burial. The first verse (Acts 17:27) was Kyle's initial benediction when he began preaching until he transitioned a few years ago to the oft-recited "May we love God, embrace beauty, and live life to the fullest." The other nine passages were read from the Message, a translation of the bible from which Kyle enjoyed reading and teaching. Kyle's footprints are all over this congregation and will continue to be!

Acts 17:27 (Wesley Carlin) "In Him, we live, move, and have our being."

1 Corinthians 13:13 (Laurel Linton) "But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love."

II Timothy 2:2 (James Nortey) "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others."

Lamentations 3:21-24 (Meg Robinson) "But there's one thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left."

Ecclesiastes 12:11 (Matthew Bates) "The words of the wise prod us to live well. They're like nails hammered home, holding life together. They are given by God, the one Shepherd"

Psalm 34:17-19 (Jordan Browning) "Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you'll find God right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath. Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time."

II Corinthians 4:16-18 (Lacy Urbantke) "So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever."

Colossians 3:14-17 (Valerie Targhetta) "Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ - the Mesage - have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."

1 Peter 1:3-5 (Harris Bechtol) "What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven - and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all - life healed and whole."

1 Corinthians 13:12 (Matt Singleton) "We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!"

The following is an exert from the last sermon that he wrote. It was read at the funeral. Unbelievable how the Lord allowed Him to say these last words.

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.
-Kyle Lake