I'm probably not the one who has the "right" to put this into words. I only met Pete once. But you wouldn't believe how much I heard about him in the 17 years before that. Or maybe, if you knew him, you would. To many of the people to whom Pete ministered, he was a legend.
When people die, I think we often try to preserve a memory that is not quite real. But this is what I really loved about Pete. He didn't live a charmed life, and somehow, that allowed him to bless real people, whose lives didn't always pan out the way they'd hoped either. There's something to be said of that. Something to learn.
Even though I only met Pete once, there is a part of me that knows my life would be unfathomably different were it not for his influence. Pete was my husband's first mentor. He took a kid who wasn't really sure about who he was or what he might be becoming, and he cared enough to mold and shape him into someone who loved God and would grow up to give back to kids, himself, time and time again. It's no easy task.
And so, although I know others have done so already, I want to take a moment to personally thank Pete's family for sharing him. My world is a better place for your sacrifice, and I know, for sure, that I am not the only one.
When I think of Pete, Matthew 7:20 comes to mind, "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them" (NIV). Pete was a good tree... and he produced good fruit... and a lot of it.
May prayer marbles abound in the pockets of those who loved him, and may we also give selflessly to build the Kingdom of God, right here, right now.
L.
Phil with Pete at NNU in 2011:
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