Friday for lunch? I ate leftovers at home. My Japanese food was still good.
So were my memories of four days together with my friend Charlie Dawes. Eating leftovers reminded me what Dr. Dawes said through his words and how I continue digesting truth he declared.
I am thankful Charlie spent four days with us at Emmanuel University and with me personally. Four days. Four services on three of those days.
How many meals? How many conversations? How many prayers?
I lost count.
But I haven’t lost the memories.
I continue mentally and spiritually tasting the leftovers. Words Charlie spoke to our students, faculty, staff, and guests are the words I continue hearing, processing, remembering.
We needed his words.
We still need his words.
I don’t want to taste only portions of the truth, leaving the leftovers behind. I want to take them with me. To keep them. To warn them up. To taste them. To digest them. To receive the nourishment on a Friday from truth stated on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday.
The Teriyaki Chicken, carrots, broccoli, and rice tasted delicious for me two days after placing the order. Biblical truth—warming up, nibbling, snacking, feasting, cherishing—should stay with us like leftover meals.
Reflecting and processing. Studying and learning. Remembering and applying.
Place the order. Welcome sustenance. Receive nutrition. The sermons heard, the books read, the conversations experienced, the time spent: leftovers last. Lives change.
That’s what happened to me during my week with author and pastor and friend Charlie Dawes.
That’s what can happen to each of us as we continue digesting truth.
The leftovers are very good.
And the time with a friend can last even longer than the four days spent together.
