This is a very hard blog for me to write. I know you’re not seeing this now and you won’t for awhile, but you also know why this would be hard for me. Today, we saw one of those two days we thought would never happen happen. Now, we await the other one. If the situations were reversed, maybe you’d be wondering also. Yet today, I had a unique happiness for you. I truly am happy for you my friend and you’ve motivated me to search further and the fun at the reception gave for a little while some release from the funk I’ve been in lately as well as a new philosophical insight. I thank you for that.
I’m sure you remember how we met, but I want to say it again, especially so we can have a record here in my blog. I had just started coming to your church and I liked it and I wanted to join. When I came down, you stood next to me. I didn’t even know who you were then but over time, I did come to know you.
Don’t you remember it? Of course you do. The Mormons came to our church that night and you saw me with a couple of other church officials battle it out. You saw me and realized that you could do more. You’d heard me talk about apologetics before, but you didn’t understand my love of it. You did then. You’ve come to learn a lot since then.
We’d be on the PALtalk program also and there, we’d debate Jehovah’s Witnesses. Didn’t we have some fun times together? We got caught up in a lot of messes, but hey, we had fun. Remember ordering our copies of the NWT and the joy we had in going through them.
Remember our watching the Matrix also? We love that series so much. You and I still do the greeting between Seraph and Neo every time we meet. I wouldn’t dream of missing it. We can finish each other’s thoughts so easily. You’ve always been there with me, and I treasure that.
I’m glad you’ve found someone, but we’ve seen each other make bad mistakes in romance too. Heck. We could blackmail each other and I said as much Friday night when I toasted you. We would never dare dream of doing so. Have someone pay me all they want. It is not worth it to blackmail a friend of mine. It’s not that we did anything immoral, but we made some embarrassing choices.
We used to go everywhere to meet women. You know we spent every Sunday afternoon together after church. We’d go to the Sonic and we’d say it was so I could get ice cream and you could get what you got, but we both knew that we were going there to check out women.
Remember when that church didn’t want me to teach on cults because I hadn’t taken a course? You got so angry. I wasn’t there to see it as I’d left rather upset, but I hear the pastor was upset with you because you were so angry. It takes guts to stand up to a pastor, but you did it for me. I appreciate that.
You were there when I preached several of my sermons. In fact, many times when I preached at my college, you supplied the music. We never got tired of you singing the cartoon song. That’s why tonight during the reception, I asked the DJ to play it for you. I know you cheered when that happened. I know you too well.
You took me on a motorcycle ride one time and I loved it. We had great rides in my car of course where we would sing along to the radio and we had more worship than at a church service. I never sang at church really, but I had no hesitancy around you. Your real love though was to travel by motorcycle.
And those motorcycles sent you to motorcycle school where you learned how to build them. I called you most every Sunday night. Some nights I got busy, but it was always great to get in touch with you. I remember you telling me about meeting this girl and lo and behold, today you married her.
Maybe you saw me some during the service and reception. My getting teary-eyed wasn’t faked. It was one of the most emotional times of my life, but I am thrilled for you. In some ways, it’s hard for me to say that, but I really am. I’m sure you understand. You’re my best friend after all.
Yes. You really are. I have a lot of friends everywhere. I can get on my computer and talk to friends. I can go to work and talk to friends. I can meet old friends from high school and college. You’re the different one though for some reason. I don’t know why, but it’s like our spirits have knitted in that strange way that make me see a lot of you in myself and see someone I can trust.
My other friends are great of course. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. You’re unique though. Someday, I’m going to walk down that aisle also and I want you to be there as well. I want you to be able to celebrate my joy as I have celebrated yours. I’m incredibly thankful that I’ve got to be a part of your life. It took a lot of me to come here to this place to do that, but there was no question of whether I would or not. You’re my friend. You wanted me to be a groomsman in your wedding, and that takes precedence over anything else. Had even Seminary called wanting to meet with me, I would have told them they’d have to wait. My friend needed me.
Tonight, you’re celebrating. I ask that you remember me always though. I’ll be willing to do anything I can to help you out in anyway. You really are my best bud. I can’t seem to say that enough. Bad news for you of course. You even get stuck with me for all eternity. We can spend it looking back.
As I write, those times come back I remember your Dad being in the hospital and you didn’t want to see him alone. Who got up at 4 in the morning to go with you? That’s right. You and I left and we listened on the way to the radio and heard the Christian talk show talking about pet peeves at 6 A.M.
Our pet peeve was people that are cheerful at 6 A.M. We talked about Greg Koukl saying that until his first cup of coffee in the morning, he’s an atheist. We mentioned we were working our way up to orthodoxy. By around 8 A.M., we were probably Jehovah’s Witnesses as we worked our way up. I was there with you though, and there was no question of if I would. My mother found you and I later that day back at my place sleeping at 4 in the afternoon or so. I only know because she told me. We were tired, but it was worth it.
Remember going to the Gondolier restaurant that time and putting our hands on the glass that drove the lady cleaning the windows crazy? Fun times indeed. It’s those little times that are sticking out. They’re the ones I will always remember. We had a lot of adventures together. We watched both Monk and Smallville as well. I remember we’d cheer when the ladies showed up during the credits.
You’ve seen me at my darkest hours also. You know the secrets I have in my life, but for some reason you like me anyway. I know you’re on your honeymoon now, but I have no doubt if you got a message for instance that something had happened here, and may God forbid that it does, and I was in the hospital, you’d be back immediately. You’re that kind of a friend.
Today is June 16th, 2007 as I write this. I’m thinking about you. I’m happy for you and sad for myself both, but I want you to know that you rock. I want you to know that I will always treasure our friendship that we share and I pray that marriage doesn’t change that. You and I should be friends for a long time.
You spoke about how you don’t deserve so many things you have last night. I looked at you as you said that and thought that I don’t deserve a friend like you. I don’t know why God blessed me so much, but he did. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend to stay with me through it all.
I think you’re awesome. I want you to have a permanent reminder in this blog as well as for the world to know that you, my friend, mean the world to me. May God bless you greatly.
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