A Walk Down a Different Lane

I love this song. We used it a few years ago as the audio on a video for our Fall Kickoff. (I tried posting the actual video, but had problems. Argh!)

I'm posting it today because I'm feeling a little nostalgic.

Last night after service, James Koliwaske (who is the main character in that video we made) and I were going through old Youth Ministry pictures, picking out ones with him in it for a project he's working on. I noticed a lot of things about these photos. First of all, James and I both look a lot different. We both are a little older (and hopefully a little wiser:) And we saw a lot of other people who have changed. And we also saw a lot of people that we don't see anymore. Some of these have went on to do some really neat things in other places. But sadly some of these faces we no longer see, not because they've moved away, but because they've chosen to step out of fellowship with us.

I actually thought about this video today because for some reason I chose to put Acceptance's album in this morning that has this song - DIFFERENT - on it. And as I listened to it, it reminded me that those missing faces aren't just statistics, but people who I've spent time with. People who I laughed with. People who I've cried with. And honestly, it made me a little sad. I wish things were different sometimes.

This morning I visited Max Trader in the hospital. He's Jacque Trader's dad and he had a heart attack yesterday. As we talked this morning, I found out he actually died three times yesterday, but they revived him and today he is doing better. He will probably be out of ICU by tomorrow. Amazing. And we talked about how he has a second chance at life. And you had better believe he is going to look at that life differently now.

I just wonder how many of us live every day realizing the second chance God gives us. I wonder how different our lives would be if we saw that clearly. I am inspired this morning to remember how important relationships are. Who is it that you need to reconnect with today? Who is it you need to forgive today? Who is it that you need to call and just tell them that you love them and God loves them.

Our lives are very fragile. We don't know what a day will hold. But for me, I long for things to be different - better - today.