Thank You Ryan Woods

Thursday Brotherhood

My friend Ryan Woods took a short cut today.  After spending his rich life generously, graciously and with much humor and honesty - He left.  Too soon for those that knew him even a little.  He raised the bar for the rest of us and kept the angels laughing and scratching their beards.  I will miss him and I am terribly sad for Jess and their kids but God is good and he will love them well.  

Ryan laid it all out.  He risked nearly everything.  I’d just say he risked it all but I don’t know him that well.  It sure seemed like it.  In doing so, he secured all that was important and left behind a whole passel of people who at the very least are curious and at most are following him while he follows Jesus.  

I didn’t get sad when I got the call today.  I was by myself - kind of feeling bad that I wasn’t sad.  Then I had a realization that made me feel all warm and tingly.  Ryan’s in heaven.  That is so... so magical, surprising, wondrous.  He’s my friend.  I knew him.  I talked to him last Tuesday.  We shared a piece of this life - as in, he gave me some of his life and I gave him some of mine.  We and our Thursday morning brothers found and held something from eternity we got to share for a while.  And now, he’s there.  Representing.

It makes me laugh to think about what he is saying and doing as he crosses the threshold.  Leaving a floppy and stretched out body that failed him in the end, I can see him stretching and rolling his neck.  Patting his flat stomach with a goofy grin - “no stretch marks!”  I bet he’ll get in trouble for cussing - if one gets in trouble for that kind of stuff in heaven (probably not).  He will also get in trouble for peeing on bushes.  The angels will be elbowing each other and Jesus will be crying and bent over out of breath.  For a while, Ryan will finally be funnier than Jess.

The video in my mind reminds me a little of the scene in Avatar when the guy wakes up as his Avatar and breaks out of the lab to run and feel the dirt under his toes.  It falls short but its a great jumping off point for my imagination.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I/we should do.  The world is a broken mess.  I’m sad and scared and angry about how many people are sad and scared and angry.  I can’t help the irony.  But, Jesus has a plan for a new world.  Ryan knew the plan.  It wasn’t political, economic or religious.  He just followed Jesus.  Literally, everywhere he went.  He lived like his life was to be spent by loving, laughing and serving.  He did it, he spent his whole life - all of it.  Ryan Woods changed the world and he changed eternity according to Jesus’ plan.  There are people who are going to be with Ryan and his friend Jesus in eternity that wouldn’t otherwise be.  There are people who knew what it was to be loved because of him - they got a glimpse of the real Jesus in Ryan.*  

So, my conclusion - my way to honor Ryan’s life, is to try to live like he did.  That’s what he was inviting us to.  That is the invitation he accepted from Jesus.  So, if you haven’t, watch the video, read the blog, check out Facebook.  Then, follow in his footsteps.  Ryan was a good man and he made Jesus proud.  That’s the best way to make the world a better place.  Follow Jesus and let him make your life better a better life. 

Good story Ryan - See you soon

Resurgam

* Ryan would be pissed if he thought I implied he was perfect, or close to it.  He wasn’t.  That’s the funny thing about Jesus’ plan - he doesn’t require it.  Ryan did a good job of keeping that in mind and reminding the rest of us.