Wow!  Just want to say thanks to everyone that prayed for Mary Thursday night (all 200 of you!)...  I don't remember ever feeling more loved and comforted. 

It's a beautiful thing to be a part of the family of God.  Lewis talks about us being "members" of the body -- not in some sort of organizational sense, as if we were merely "members" of an organization and paid our monthly dues.  We are members in the sense that we are members of a family.  Mary, Katie, Kory and I make up our small immediate family -- 4 members...  If we lost one of us -- we would not only lose 1/4th of the family -- it would be a loss much more significant than that -- a loss much greater than numerical loss.  If we lost one, we would lose an incredibly important and unique part of the family and the family would never be the same.  The other three of us could pick up the extra "chores" and "duties", but we would forever mourn the loss of the unique personality and character of the 4th -- even if another eventually came into the family.  There would forever be a hole in our hearts...

The same idea is true of the church.  Chi Alpha is more than an organization -- we're a family.(That was evident 2 nights ago.)  But I can't help but think about the members who weren't there...  Even in the beauty of what the Lord is doing here, there's always this sense of loss and mourning over those who are no longer with us.  When we lose someone, we lose more than a number -- the family is forever altered.  Everyone is important and valuable.  I wonder if there's someone who needs to hear that -- if there's someone we should tell that...

Thanks again for your love, it's deeply appreciated.

This is eli's first xanga entry.  He's gonna learn how to type better now.