Far Away But Weirdly Close

I didn't know Kyle well... I met him when Shari & I visited UBC in Waco, TX back in 1997. I'd talked to him a couple of times at emergent church leader gatherings. But that doesn't change that it was freaky to hear that he'd died as a result of being electrocuted in the baptistry of the church during a worship service Sunday morning. (You can read the basic story at Baptist Press. For the church's reaction/response, you can see their website.) A flurry of reactions have gone through my head/heart over the last few days:

• Man, I hurt for his wife & kids.
• What in the world are the folks in the church thinking? They just watched their pastor die.
• Note to self: Don't EVER touch anything electrical while you're baptizing.
• I wish I had an easy answer for the question "Why does God allow stuff like this to happen?"
• Remember to pray for the rest of the staff - you've been through the loss of a pastor (due to his adulterous affair, in my case) and you know how traumatic it can be for those left behind.
• I've been to that church - it feels weirdly close to me.
• Ditto because I graduated from Baylor - and this was Homecoming Weekend.

For another take on this story, check out Dan Kimball's blog, Vintage Faith.