Church on the Move

Church on the Move is the church that we visited this morning while visiting my mom in Allentown, PA. It was a good service. I was struck by the presence of a beautiful mixture of all races and all ages. There was a buzz, an excitement, one I have felt before... mainly around Horizon in Owings Mills when our numbers were in the 270s. There was such an excitement and just a sense that God was up to something great. I love that. The auditorium was huge, seating probably 1200 people. There was a large stage with a full band and two large screens to the left and the right of the stage. I laughed out loud when I saw a countdown on the screens (something I brought to Horizon from the Mix years ago... thanks to the idea of my friend Darrell Lindsay). Wow. The worship was electric. They brought in a choir... it was like being with Kirk Franklin. Good stuff. They lost me, though, with 20 minutes of announcements. :( What was that? Before the sermon? Yikes... That stinks. The speaker was not the pastor; the pastor was on sabbatical. I think he was the youth guy. He did a solid job and afterward we celebrated the Lord's Supper. Always good to see what other churches are doing.

So, we're living here in Allentown

Well, this weekend all of us (the family, that is) hopped in the van an took a trip up to see mom for the weekend in Allentown, PA. This is always a much needed break from the "real world" and a time to contemplate things for me. Allentown is my contemplative town, though not as high on the list as Gettysburg's Little Round Top (my favorite in the world). I am looking forward to see what God has in store for me here. We will be missing Horizon on Sunday and I thought we would go to Mass which we usually do here (Len, my step-father, is Catholic). But, I think this time we will be going to a new church plant up here called: Church on the Move ( see: http://www.cotmlv.org/ ). Should be interesting... more later.

Captain

Well, last Friday Kimme and I took a flight to Houston Texas to see Captain, as my previous post had mentioned. We arrived around 1:30 or so, and the first thing I thought as we pulled up to Lucy's (my aunt) house was, "So, this is where my grandfather will die." Sad and somber thoughts, but nonetheless truthful. The first thing I did when I walked in the door was find him in his room. He was obviously near the end... slumped over to his left, in a medical bed, and oxygen pumping to his nose... it was that familiar picture of the end you see on TV shows or movies.

Ah! But God performed a miracle for me that day! I stepped over to him and for whatever reason, he looked up... as soon as he saw me he said, "Well look, it's David Curtis!" He couldn't have blessed me more! That alone was worth the trip. I did NOT want the last time I saw him to be @ his funeral. I wanted to say goodbye in person. It was as though he had waited for me. When he spoke my name... well... my name was the last thing he ever said that was intelligible.

I would go in and hold his hand. He still had a firm grip. His body temp was high (he had pneumonia among many other things) and so his hand was rather warm to touch. But still, I held it. I took time to notice his hands. I found it odd that I has never really taken the time to look at them so closely. When I did, I noticed how similar his hands were to mine. His fingers, mainly... strange thing to notice, but I still took notice.

Later that night, the hospice nurse came over and made sure he was ok... then, we all got together for dinner. It was strange eating a family dinner with Captain in the other room. :( Pat (Lucy's husband) cooked a fabulous dinner of new york strips. Laura (her twin sister) was also there along with my dad and Donna, his wife of one year. Finally, Kimme and I took off to get some rest.

Then, around 4:30 AM on Saturday morning, I got a call that Captain had passed about 30-60 minutes before. I got dressed and head back to the house. Crazy that Kimme and I got there within the last 14-15 hours of his life... somehow I just knew I needed to go.

So... while Kimme and I expected to only be in Houston for 3 days (well, Kimme 3 and me for 5) I still did not think he would die while I was there. Needless to say, I cancelled my flight back to Baltimore from Houston. Instead, I traveled back to Dallas with my dad while Kimme flew back as planned. Sad... even as I write this I have not seen my kids in nearly a week. I miss them so much. :( Well, dad and I got to spend some time together. That was nice. Maybe more on that later... that was sorta a mini-trip in and of itself.

Yesterday, we arrived in Russellville, Arkansas. Russellville is where Captain grew up... it's where he and my grandmother lived for many, many years... We got in late and got some rest.

Today, I said goodbye to Captain... his grave site service was @ 1 PM. The US Air Force was there for a 21 gun salute, and the US Navy was there to fold the flag... it was given to my father. Captain was a US Naval officer and served in the Atlantic during WW2. Today he was honored for his service.

The memorial service was @ 2 PM @ First United Methodist Church, Captain and Grandmother's church of many years... Captain's mother was the organist for many years... My great-grandfather Cowan's brother (Bill?) gave the church the bell that's in the bell tower. The history goes way back. The service was very nice. I gave the opening prayer and read three selections of Scripture. Psalm 8 (Captain's favorite scripture), Psalm 23, and Romans 8 (the end) through 9:1. Then, my dad gave the eulogy. He did such a great job. I was proud of him.

Afterward, I told him so.

After the service, the whole family went to the Holiday Inn, a Cowan gathering place over the years... we all ate together. It was all the folks that were in Houston when Captain died, as well as my uncle Jamey and aunt Betty (my grandmother's sister), Clay Shinn (my cousin), Sharon (my dad's cousin... this is grandmother's sister's daughter... this sister died of lupus many years ago, long before I was born), and yeah... others... wow... lots to cover. Have you read this far?

Needless to say... it has been a LONG and DRAINING week. But soon, i will be home. Back in Kimme's arms and the kids in mine. Ahh... home!

Leaving for Houston

I got word on Wed. from my dad that my grandfather Cowan is near death. My immediate response was fear. I did not want the last time I saw him to be at his funeral.

"I've got to go to Houston and see him before he goes... no matter what."

Nothing like the death of a loved one (or impending death for that matter) to set the mind reeling about every experience, every fond memory... regrets...

I love Captain (what I call him) so much. He is, like my other grandfather, such a wonderful example of what a Christian man should be. EVERYONE that's ever met Captain loves him. He never spoke a cross word. He is such a peaceful man. My prayer for him is that when he goes, he goes as peacefully as he lived.

Captain, I love you... I hope to hold your hand one more time. I hope to hear that wonderful laugh of yours and see your smile. I am soooo gonna miss you, Captain, but I am so thankful for Jesus. He made a way for us to see each other again, and in that I can rest and know... I will see you again. This is simply our last goodbye, but never our last hello.

I love you...

your grandson

Wild

OK, so I gave in and bought "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. I didn't take long for me to know that this is a book I NEED to read. Wow... You know, I didn't have my dad around growing up. I don't know how to do anything around the house to fix things and whatever. People wonder why we live in a new townhome. It's not because we like new places; honestly, its because I don't know jack about fixing things. Now... when people show me, I can pick things up, but that happens rarely. I have always felt less of a man because of these things.. and to a fault. When anyone even jokes about me being feminine or lacking anything masculine, I get ready to throw down. I could not be more serious about what I just said. Nothing sets me quicker. It's a sore issue for me because while growing up I never had a male mentor or someone to teach me how to "be a man." No role model. No blueprint. Except for what I found in Scripture. This book is helping me get back to my "roots" of what it means to be a man, and it's helpful. It's especially helpful for me in raising Josh. I want to be that blueprint for him. More than anything... Thanks for those of you that have recommended it.