This guy.
He was a coworker that became a friend.
He was a friend that became family.
Chad served alongside Keith for years and this past November,
God called him to something new, something different.
And for the first time in over 10 years,
we have to say Happy Birthday and celebrate him from a distance.
we have to say Happy Birthday and celebrate him from a distance.
Three
states.
Three
churches.
Ten and
a half years of memories.
He has been a friend to Keith, a role model for Alex, and a brother
to me.
Over
the last decade, Keith has had several associates, lots of interns, and
hundreds of youth workers, but Chad has been the constant in our lives.
Chad, your friendship to my husband has meant so much to
me.
You
were trustworthy and loyal.
You
loved him and faithfully served by his side.
You
freed Keith up to be Keith so he could fulfill the call God has on his life.
You put
up with all of the oddities that make him who he is.
You
never failed to challenge him and point him to Jesus.
You
made him a better man…. and for that, I will be forever grateful!
The two
of you… you made an amazing team.
You brought balance to someone who lives life on the edge and the amount of things the two of you have accomplished for the Kingdom is nothing short of amazing. Thousands of lives forever changed because of your commitment to live out your unique calling. I am so glad I have had a front row seat all of these years!
And
Alex…
How do
I even begin to explain to you the amount of gratitude I have for you being the
kind of man I would be proud for Alex Harmon to model his life after?
You
filled the role as brother when it looked like he was going to be an only
child.
You patiently
allowed this little extrovert to completely invade your introvert world.
You
were a substitute grandparent when he lived away from family, you were his
trusted movie critic when he was deciding if a movie was a good choice for him,
and you were the only person he ever wanted to come along with us wherever God
called us next.
If Alex
Harmon could choose to be any superhero in the world, I am confident he would
choose you every time. Thank you for
being a hero to my tender hearted little guy.
You
have done life up close with us and it hasn’t always been pretty.
You have
witnessed our family walk the hard road of infertility.
You
served with us when we lost our second baby.
You
prayed with us as we fought to bring Miles home and then prayed for us as we fought to learn to parent him.
To say the last 4 years have been the toughest for our family is an understatement. But, having you at the church to daily do life with Keith and Alex was such a comfort to me because life at home was so hard. You will never really know how much we appreciate you not being afraid to be a part of the messiness that is our family.
You are and always will be family to
us. I have prayed for you over the years
like one of my children. In January, I
claimed this as your year. I told God I
wanted to mark your name off of my “Single Guys on Staff” list that I pray
over. Guys that don’t have a wife to
stand in the gap for them. I circled
your name and wrote 2014 on the card and have been claiming this as your
year. Little did I know that God was
already working out something special.
The only thing that made the transition bearable was that, as I watched God close out this chapter in all of our lives, He was writing a brand new
chapter that included the most beautiful love story. The love story that I have been praying for
you and over you the last 10 years.
Thank you for walking out your single years in front of Alex with
integrity and purity. For showing him
what it looks like to wait for your person and trust God’s timing. You made trusting God look easy.
I pray
that as you begin your next chapter, one that includes marriage and children,
that God will bless you with a “Chad”… a friendship whose hearts are knit
together by God, a person who will love your children like their own, someone
who will be an example of what it looks like to chase after Jesus, a friend who
will be a faithful brother in Christ as you have been to us.
