pat loughery

This has been one of those weeks that will be hard to forget.

I officiated a memorial service and gravesite service for a friend’s grandmother. She was 90 years old when she died, and was the matriarch of what was a 5-generation clan. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren. I don’t want to go into much more detail on this blog, but it always fascinates me to see how a person is remembered by family and friends upon their death.

I went to the hospital yesterday morning to visit a guy who used to attend our church but sort of drifted away. I deeply love this guy. He’s a black man in his early 70s and totally, completely on fire for Jesus. He has more Scripture memorized and at his command than I have Scripture, baseball players and motorcycle details. When he speaks Scripture the room floods with the glory of God in a palpable way – and he has such a sense of wonder and amazement when he speaks it. (So many of the people that I run into who quote Scripture come across as aggressive, prideful, even arrogant) But Ed – his eyes glisten with delight. We got to pray with him and spend time catching up and talking. We’ll go fishing together soon.

I probably didn’t blog this before, because Ed came to the church before I started blogging – but if you’ve read Brian McLaren’s books A New Kind of Christian and The Story We Find Ourselves In, you’ll have a strong visual memory of Neo. Ed looks EXACTLY like I visualize Neo. Different accents, different ecclesiology perhaps, but Ed is a powerful man of God and I am giddy with excitement that we’re crossing paths again.

Sunday is my 11th anniversary of marriage, so my wife and I are throwing Kaileigh into her grandma’s arms and spending a couple of days away. We’re really looking forward to it.