Kyle Lake’s stirring last words

Kyle Lake, just 33 years old and pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas,
died on October 30, 2005 after being electrocuted while standing in the church
baptismal during a morning service. Kyle was adjusting a microphone before
baptizing a woman and received a shock powerful enough to kill him. He was
pronounced dead later that morning after being taken to the hospital.

Before climbing into the baptismal, Kyle delivered what
ended up being the last sermon he would ever preach on this earth. I just read
an excerpt from the latest issue of  RELEVANT magazine and was blown away. It’s
great stuff…kind of like the William Wallace speech in Braveheart. I’m sorry I
never got the chance to know Kyle. Here’s the excerpt from RELEVANT…(you
better buckle up)

At the end of GardenState Andrew Largeman
has undergone a transformation. For the first time in his life, he’s realized a
sense of homesickness that he’s felt for so many years—that he’s been running
from. He’s prevented himself from feeling, but what Sam (his new girl friend)
does is that she gives him permission to be himself. To experience the here and
now in a relationship of honesty and vulnerability. In grieving the death of
his mom. In the comfort, warmth and messiness of friendship.

And here I think God is saying to each of us, “Abandon your
plans of escape. And BE where you are. Plant gardens and live and live well.” I
don’t know what your planting gardens may look like, but let me end there by
trying to provide a glimpse into what that may be like:

Live. And live well.

BREATHE. Breathe in and breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not
be past. Do not be future. Be now.

On a crystal-clear, breezy, 70-degree day, roll down the
windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.

If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool
autumn day to freeze your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.

Get knee-deep in a novel and lose track of time.

If you bike, pedal HARD…and if you crash, then crash well.

Feel the satisfaction of a job well done—a paper well-written,
a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed.

If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t
be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all…because soon he’ll be wiping
his own.

If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve
well.

At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re
eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke.
And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak
on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE.
Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce
of Life. Because it is most definitely a gift.

That’s good stuff.