First of all, that is not a picture of my friend Justin Moore. It just came up on Google Images when I put his name in, so I wanted to use it, because nothing says, “Happy birthday!” quite like wannabe teenage rock stars.

Actually, I just wanted to be the first in blogdom to wish Justin Moore a happy 26th birthday this coming Sunday. Justin is a frequent reader of this blog who is too chicken to post many comments but very bold to speak his mind about my posts two minutes before a class begins. Haha just kidding, Justin!

More importantly, Justin and his wife Mel have become some of our most treasured friends in our first year here at Westminster. Moving to a new place makes you realize that you have few real treasures on this earth, but among those you do have, friends are most precious.

I just plain love talking with Justin. He’s someone who understands that conversation is a participatory art form, not a stage performance. I can always count on him asking stimulating and challenging questions, spiced with humor and his own unique “delivery.” Justin is smart, but a lot of people at Westminster are smart. An awful lot of people. But Justin also has heart; he cares deeply about others, about justice, about mercy. When I’ve been with Justin, I pretty much always feel like I’ve been near Jesus.

So thanks, my friend. I have no idea why you choose to hang around me, but I’m glad you do. Very glad. Hard to believe you’re “just” 26; you have wisdom beyond your years. May the year to come find you growing in the grace and knowledge of the One you love and serve.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2005 at 10:15 pm and is filed under Randomness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.