Kyle Lake

I never knew Kyle Lake, but I feel like I do.  I feel a sense of kinship with this pastor who loved Jesus and was willing to challenge the religious status quo in order to help more people come to know his Lord.  He was never satisfied with just being a care taker pastor and neither am I. 

Kyle was electrocuted while preparing to baptize someone in front of a congregation 800 people.  He left a wife and two children, one 5 and the other 3.  He died doing what he loved….serving Jesus and his people.  I can only hope and pray for the same fate, to give my life in serving Jesus. 

Was it just a co-incidence that the weekend this happened was homecoming weekend at Baylor?  Sooner or later is irrelevant….all Christians should look forward, with joyful anticipation, to their final homecoming.  Kyle had a good outlook on life as well.  Here is an excerpt from Kyle’s last sermon that was read at his funeral:

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.”