Love Will Bring You Home

Boerne, Texas has been amazing.

It really has.

I wish that I had gotten to be here under different circumstances.

The people, the town, the love that exists here is so warm and comforting.

It truly felt like I was coming home. To a home that I had never been to before. I loved getting to be with Amy and her family and extended family and more extended family and then more extended family. And then their friends and friends of friends.

It is hard to understand exactly how the Nolls welcomed into their most intimate place of pain and sadness and to do it with such hospitality, grace and love? To do so says much more about who they are than anything else.

When you love well, everyone feels like they own a piece of your love and your pain.

This is the way it was with the Nolls.

They love so well, everyone wants to give it back to them.

Amy, her aunt Lisa and I got to go running on Saturday. As we ran and ran together, I got to reflect on all the reasons that I love Amy and her family and how I met her brother John and how even as a 13 year-old he had the deepest impact on my soul. He approached everyone with a selfless attitude and with pure unadulterated joy. He just liked to have fun. And having fun for him was working hard and playing hard.

I enjoyed him so much.

I will miss him. Not just for me, but for Amy, her sisters, her brother and her parents. They all deserve more life with him.

As we were running back to the house, Lisa and I equalled with Amy and ran on either side of her.

Surrounding Amy. Side by Side.

Bringing her home.

Safely.

It was powerful.

Made even more powerful because my ipod began to play "Love Will Bring You Home" by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors.

I almost wept and collapsed with understanding that our only hope comes from love.

Love wrought by Jesus on the cross.

Here are the words:

Some say love is for pleasure

you take what you want

I say love is a healer

of the broken heart

Some say love is a treasure

Money can buy

I say love is bloodstain

in the innocents eye

Love will bring you home

Love will bring you home

In your darkest hour

In your time of need

When you're praying for shelter

When you're begging down on your knees

Some say love is a gamble

You win or you lose

I say love is the Father

waiting for you

Love will bring you home

Love will bring you home

In your darkest hour

In your time of need

When you're praying for shelter

When you're begging down on your knees

Love will bring you home

Love will bring you home

In your darkest hour

In your time of need

When your praying for shelter

When your begging down on your knees

Tomorrow, love will bring me back to Asheville.

And later this week Amy will return to finish up the semester.

I can't even imagine what the journey will be like for her.

But I know the one who will be by her side and it won't just be me.

Thankfully, He is much bigger than me.