Difficult

This afternoon, I received word that a young friend, Bethany Hilgendorf, died this morning in her Indianapolis apartment. She was so young -- so full of life and boundless enthusiasm. It's hard to grasp that she is gone.

They believe she slipped into a diabetic coma.

Her folks, Gary and Michelle, are dear friends, and very much a part of our church family, and over the past few months, Gary has been pastoring the Spider Lake Church, a non-denominational congregation a few miles south of Hayward. We work closely together, and Bethany has been my friend since she was a little girl.

I went to their home and cried with them.

This is such a difficult thing for the Hilgendorf's to endure -- especially right before Christmas. My heart is heavy. Please pray for them, as well as Bethany's sister, Rachel, and her brother, Curtis.

Also, I really messed up this afternoon. I forgot to show up for a Memorial Service I was supposed to officiate. I've done a couple hundred funerals -- and that was a first. I just totally blew it.

Horrified, when I realized my mistake two hours later, I hurridly drove to the Veterans' Center, where the memorial was to be held. Most everybody had left, but the deceased's daughter was still around.

I apologized profusely, and she just smiled and said, "We all wondered what happened to you!"

Fortunately, she was kind and gracious. She forgave me, and said that her Aunt had stepped up to the plate, spoke some words of comfort, and then said a prayer. Thank the Lord for a godly Aunt who knows how to pray.

I still felt like an absolute dunce.

Nevertheless, as I write this, forgetting the funeral was not the worst thing that happened today. The death of my precious young friend, Bethany, puts it all into perspective.