Twin Cities Church has been a big part of my beginning to feel more at home in Minneapolis. (I wrote about it here.) There is a big emphasis on us being a family. One of the obvious ways we live this out is by eating a meal together every Wednesday evening before we spend time studying the Bible and praying together. Since I have Chemistry on Wed evening I get there about an hour late. There is always some food left for me but I miss the interaction and banter around the table.
This past week there were two other things that showed how serious the church is about being family. Last Sunday after the service, the pastor called a family meeting to deal with an issue that had come up. Some family matters are kept in the family so I'll not tell that story here. Suffice it to say that it was a hard conversation even for a newbie like me, but within a few days the result of that conversation was positive.
The other family event was Eric's funeral. I didn't know Eric very well. In fact, I never had a conversation with him beyond greetings. But when I received the message that Brandon's friend, Eric, had been found dead, I knew who he was. The two of them were always together. They were such good friends from the age of 7 that Brandon was listed with the family in the obituary. From what I've been able to piece together, Eric's family didn't have much to do with God and he ended up getting into drugs. Brandon continued to be his friend and prayed often for him. A motorcycle accident that should have been his death was a turning point for Eric. In November he called Brandon's sister who lives in Arizona and she could hardly believe it was the same Eric. He talked about how he had tried to read the Bible before but it had never made sense. Now when he read it he understood it and he was excited about what he was reading. He came to church with Brandon and the change was evident to those who knew him. He didn't say much during our discussions but his countenance had changed. Jesus had given him hope. Believing in Jesus doesn't mean life is easy or that we no longer make mistakes or sin. Eric sinned when he spent some cash he'd received on drugs and overdosed. That sin cost him his life at the age of 25. How thankful we are for God's grace and mercy that continues past the final earthly acts of those who believe in him. Without that grace and mercy there is no hope.
On Friday afternoon Eric's new church family gathered with his family and friends who had known him much longer than we had. Quite a few people from church were there. Almost everyone who is part of our Wednesday home group came to remember, to support Brandon and to pray for Eric's family and friends who are grieving without hope. That's what family does.
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