hey kid...

Tonight I visited with a dear man who is near and dear to my heart. Mr. Kraps is dying. I could sugar coat this reality, but why. He's not. No. He has gathered his family. He told them, "I would rather have you here. Now. With me. Not visiting once I have passed."  So, they came. They sit with him. They chat with him. They laugh. They remember. They love.

Mr. Kraps has been the greeter at my church for as long as I can remember. Standing by the front doors, even in times of scorching heat and blistery cold, he offers a hand, a hug, and a hello to every person.  The greeting I receive each Sunday goes something like, "Hey kid!".  Even when I am away for months, it is always "Hey kid!".  When I turned 18, 20, and 25, it was "Hey kid!".

This kind man embodies hospitality. At his very core he knows no difference between stranger and long time member. He wants people to be part of his community. He desires for people to be members of the church.  He simply wants to greet these strangers and long term members into a place where there is love, hope, and joy. A hand, a hug, and a hello. 

That is the whole point of this blog, to share and remember those persons and times when I have received hospitality. And when it seems hard or awkward, it really only takes a "Hey kid!". Or a hand, a hug, and a hello. We are meant to welcome the stranger and the long time member. We are called to receive the sojourner and the cousin (aunt, uncle, and grandparent).  

Thank you, Mr. Kraps. Thank you for greeting me, my family, and every other member of Chapelwood. Thank you for showing me how to love God's people with the simplest of gestures. 

Mr. Kraps is dying. He knows it, and I know it. Nevertheless, his kind spirit of generosity and hospitality will out live even me. Thank you for being a disciple in the truest form. Thank you. 

Peace upon peace,

BEAT