I would encourage you to read Rachel Held Evans' post from August 14 about her "Uncle" Gary who passed away last week - not just to remember and pray for her and all those who miss Gary but also to get a glimpse of a life that apparently touched many many people.
Here are some lines that specifically caught my attention:
"Uncle Gary was the kind of man who saw the sacred everywhere ... "
"He worshiped not only in church, but in the classroom, on mountain trails, in his office and in his home ..."
"Uncle Gary had a reputation for making people feel good about themselves. He was always looking for the best in us, that spark of the divine ..."
" ... 'What is more profound', Uncle Gary asked, 'Having a God who raises the dead or having a God who weeps with you in your pain?' ..."
"Uncle Gary wasn't a radical. He didn't sell all of his things to live among the poor. He didn't perform miracles. He didn't raise the dead. But like Jesus, he wept with us, laughed with us, prayed with us, and loved us. He was radically faithful in the little things."
It seems to me, what the church needs today more than anything else, is more Uncle Garys!
