Zach Braff Connections?

One of the first things I said to Josh last Sunday was, "He never got to preach about Garden State, and he loved that movie so much." Today, my seminary was an akward place for my church community to meet, but the movie clips we watched could not have been more perfect. I know Zach Braff will probably never read what I posted on his blog today, but I wish there was some way he could know our story. If you've never seen Garden State, it's a movie about a young man learning about home, and life, and what it means to feel and be. That's what Kyle's last sermon was about too. I 'll post it when the manuscript is on-line, but until then here's what I said on the garden state blog. (If you would like to listen to our service today, you can do so at www.ubcwaco.org)

Hi Zach and Garden State Fans-

My friends and I love this movie for multiple reasons, but after this week we love it for one million more.

My friend and pastor, Kyle Lake was a huge Garden State fan. Last week he was tragically killed during a freak accident during a baptism. You can read the full story here www.ubcwaco.org
Every year, Kyle would do a "God and the Movies" series at our church. Each Sunday for a month, he would review a popular film from the past year, and talk about the deeper spiritual truths within it. Last Sunday was the first of the series, and he was going to talk about Garden State. He had been so looking forward to that Sunday for a long time, but Kyle never had the opportunity to preach that sermon himself. Today, as our church gathered again in the absence of our beloved leader, we read the last sermon he ever wrote. It was beautiful. I don't know if anyone knows Zach personally, and Zach I don't know if you will ever read this, but I would love for you to be able to understand how your film impacted our community. Here is the ending to Kyle sermon. I hope you all enjoy it.

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.