note from a friend
A note from a friend I saw a couple of weeks ago:
It was so wonderful to see you Saturday night, and to hear you play your beautiful music. I was just enjoying listening to your personality come through, as you sat again at that piano in our sanctuary and made it sing like only you can do. As we listened I felt so many feelings.
I remembered all over again how much joy you communicate through your music. But I was also angry, because that's where you so obviously belong, and we have been robbed of that. I was angry all over again at the cowards who couldn't say a single word to your face but felt so free to spread it to everyone else, and angry at the ministers who enabled them, and angry at our church for our continuing unhealthy patterns that we just can't seem to escape from.
[My wife] and I have talked about your situation many times. Each time we're filled with sorrow. You made a single mistake that many of us don't even think was a mistake at all, and you were made to pay a terrible price for it. But these people made a huge mistake, disobeying simple instructions from our Lord in Matthew 18:15, doing such great damage to our church family in the process. What price have they been made to pay? What price were our ministers made to pay? It's only the same one we ALL pay, which is Sunday school without one of our best teachers, and Sunday services without one of our best musicians, a servant with a true heart for service and for God's people. Our kids and so many others are missing out on a great role model.
I thank God for the grace with which you've handled this whole situation. He's obviously blessed you with opportunities in other places, but I was reminded Saturday of how much it hurts, and we've resolved all over again to do whatever we can do, to make it so that this crime never happens again at our church.
[My wife] and I love you so much, and we all miss you. May God bless you this season in every way.
It was so wonderful to see you Saturday night, and to hear you play your beautiful music. I was just enjoying listening to your personality come through, as you sat again at that piano in our sanctuary and made it sing like only you can do. As we listened I felt so many feelings.
I remembered all over again how much joy you communicate through your music. But I was also angry, because that's where you so obviously belong, and we have been robbed of that. I was angry all over again at the cowards who couldn't say a single word to your face but felt so free to spread it to everyone else, and angry at the ministers who enabled them, and angry at our church for our continuing unhealthy patterns that we just can't seem to escape from.
[My wife] and I have talked about your situation many times. Each time we're filled with sorrow. You made a single mistake that many of us don't even think was a mistake at all, and you were made to pay a terrible price for it. But these people made a huge mistake, disobeying simple instructions from our Lord in Matthew 18:15, doing such great damage to our church family in the process. What price have they been made to pay? What price were our ministers made to pay? It's only the same one we ALL pay, which is Sunday school without one of our best teachers, and Sunday services without one of our best musicians, a servant with a true heart for service and for God's people. Our kids and so many others are missing out on a great role model.
I thank God for the grace with which you've handled this whole situation. He's obviously blessed you with opportunities in other places, but I was reminded Saturday of how much it hurts, and we've resolved all over again to do whatever we can do, to make it so that this crime never happens again at our church.
[My wife] and I love you so much, and we all miss you. May God bless you this season in every way.
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