Jimmy and Todd

(Originally posted 2/8/2009)

I was supposed to go hunting today with Todd. The day was going to hopefully end with a cooler full of meat and some good memories of a nice hunt. Instead, I'm ending this day praying hard for Todd. Because last night, Jimmy died.

Maybe you know the story. Maybe you don't. But Jimmy and Todd were great friends. They worked together, ministered together, fished together, and (if there had been indoor plumbing at Todd's lease), they might have ended up hunting together. Though Jimmy probably would have just shown up to tell jokes more than actually hunt.

I can't put into words what this feels like tonight. Jimmy and Todd. To me, you don't get one without the other. They were together when I met them over 6 years ago. They were together when they took the chance to hire Carissa over 4 years ago. They were together when they led. Together when they laughed and joked. They were always together. Even when job responsibilities changed, they made the time to be together. They were the picture perfect definition of close friends.

And now, Jimmy's gone.

Although, Todd would be the first to tell you that Jimmy isn't gone. He's home. It's a shocking statement to say about someone who was just 33. And for the first time, as I write this, the tears are flowing. I guess I've been in shock. But I cry, not for Jimmy. He's better off than any of us. I cry for his wife, Tricia, and his two sons, Braxton and Auston. Of course. But I also cry for Todd and the many, many people who had a relationship with Jimmy that was just as special.

Jimmy was one of the most generous, caring people I've ever known. He was willing to open up and share anything with anyone. He was a great leader. A great man. A great example of what a deep, personal, intimate relationship with Jesus can do.

Jimmy will be missed. By Todd and so many others. But there's no doubt about it. The friendships that he left behind will continue to shine light on a dark world. And Jimmy's influence will continue to resonate through Fellowship Church and every single life he touched.

And although there won't be any more Jimmy and Todd together on earth, there's a special fishing hole in heaven waiting for Todd. And I bet Jimmy's got a line in the water already.